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Start free with EleplanSchistosomiasis
ORPHA:1247Disease
Also called Bilharziasis
What it is
A rare parasitic disease characterized by infection with trematodes of the genus Schistosoma. Humans become infected when larvae (cercariae) in infested freshwater penetrate the skin, potentially causing cercarial dermatitis. After a few weeks, eggs laid by the adult female worms living in blood vessels become trapped in body tissues, causing progressive organ damage due to inflammation, granuloma formation, and fibrosis. Acute schistosomiasis presents with fever, cough, headache, and urticaria, while chronic manifestations depend on the localization of the eggs and typically include abdominal pain, diarrhea, hepatosplenomegaly, blood in stool or urine, and dysuria, among others.
Key facts
- Prevalence
- <1 / 1 000 000 (Europe)
- Age of onset
- All ages
- Inheritance
- Not applicable
- Classified as
- Disease
Prevalence figures describe populations, not individuals, and are often estimates from a single study. Where the figure is an incidence or a birth prevalence, it says so.
ICD-10 codes
Cross-references
Orphadata Science: Free access data from Orphanet. © INSERM 1999. Data version 2026-06-23. Available under CC BY 4.0. This is a reference, not medical advice.
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