Anemia
Type: Symptom
Definition
A decrease in the total amount of red blood cells or hemoglobin in the blood.
Clinical Details
Because the anterior end of the whipworm physically embeds into the highly vascularized colonic mucosa, it causes continuous capillary micro-bleeding. While the worm itself does not consume significant blood, the slow, daily oozing from hundreds of mucosal lacerations depletes the host's iron stores over time. This leads to profound iron-deficiency anemia.