The patient is Ms. N.T. P (68 years old, in Hanoi), admitted to the hospital in a state of prolonged pain and tightness in the right hypochondrium. About 20 days before that, the patient was often tired, with subdued pain in the epigastric and right hypochondrium, accompanied by fevers, sometimes hot, sometimes cold.
Although she had been examined at two medical facilities and was found to have liver damage, her condition did not improve, so she was transferred to the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases to continue treatment.
Through examination and tests, doctors recorded many abnormal indicators such as high liver enzymes, increased inflammatory index, reduced blood clotting function and signs of mild anemia.
Notably, in-depth tests showed that the patient was positive for many types of parasites at the same time, including liver flukes, dog and cat roundworms, mangeoles and amebiasis. Ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) results revealed a large abscess in the left liver, size 64 x 39 mm.
From these results, doctors diagnosed the patient with liver abscess due to multiple parasitic infections, accompanied by bacterial superinfection. This is a very complex condition because the liver is damaged for a long time, with a high risk of severe complications.
According to MSc. Dr. Dang Van Duong, Central Tropical Diseases, with this case, treatment must combine many measures at the same time. Patients are given antibiotics to control infection, and special drugs are used to kill parasites.
However, because parasites have long existed in the liver, forming lesions and fibroid cysts, drugs are difficult to penetrate the center of the disease site. Therefore, the treatment process is often prolonged and requires very close monitoring.
In addition to medical treatment, doctors also perform abscess aspiration, removing about 20ml of cloudy pus. Liver removal surgery is only considered if conservative treatment measures are not effective.
After 20 days of intensive treatment, the patient's infection was controlled, parasitic tests returned negative, health was stable and qualified for discharge.
Doctors warn that parasitic diseases can progress silently but cause serious consequences. Many agents such as liver flukes and mangeworms can be transmitted through the digestive tract due to unhygienic eating and drinking, then invade the blood, reach the liver and silently destroy liver cells.
To prevent the disease, doctors recommend that people should eat cooked food, drink boiled water; limit eating raw vegetables, fish salad, and raw meat; do not use unprocessed water. In addition, deworm periodically 1-2 times a year for the whole family, deworm pets and maintain hygiene when in contact with dogs and cats.
When there are signs such as prolonged pain in the right hypochondrium, unexplained fever, fatigue, loss of appetite, people should go to a medical facility for early check-ups. Regular health check-ups, especially abdominal ultrasounds, can help detect early liver damage and treat it promptly.
People with chronic liver disease or immunodeficiency need to be even more careful, as this group is at high risk of parasitic infection and the disease is prone to severe progression.
