CLINICAL FEATURES, DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT OF CEREBRAL SCHISTOSOMIASIS JAPONICA: LESSONS AND EXPERIENCES FROM CHINA

Yi-Xin Huang1*, Yi Zhang2*, Bing Li3*, Wei Wang1

Abstract

Schistosomiasis japonica, caused by infection with Schistosoma japonicum (Katsurada, 1904), remains a major public health concern in China. The central nervous system is an unusual site of ectopic infection of S. japonicum and cerebral schistosomiasis japonica, which is frequently misdiagnosed as intracranial tumor, may cause severe clinical complications and even death. This review summarizes the clinical data retrieved from 29 relatively complete reports pertaining to cerebral schistosomiasis japonica in China since 2000. A total of 1,007 cases with cerebral schistosomiasis japonica were reviewed, 98.0% classified as a chronic type. The review describes the clinical features of these patients, procedures required for positive diagnosis and treatment for alleviation of clinical symptoms and elimination of the parasite. Cerebral schistosomiasis japonica remains frequently misdiagnosed at the initial visit to a physician, and definitive clinical diagnosis requires a combination of case history interview, clinical manifestations, serological tests and imaging tools as chemotherapy given immediately following definitive diagnosis results in a satisfactory clinical outcome.