Severe iron deficiency anemia and lice infestation

The Journal of Emergency Medicine
David A GussEdward M Castillo

Abstract

Lice infestation is a commonly encountered disorder in emergency medicine. The louse survives from a blood meal from its host; hence, iron deficiency anemia is a theoretic possibility. A limited number of reports of severe iron deficiency anemia have appeared in the veterinary literature, but a thorough review of the medical literature did not reveal a single instance in human beings. We report a small case series of patients with heavy louse infestation and profound iron deficiency anemia. The index case along with two other cases discovered from an exhaustive search of 4 years of the institution's Emergency Department records all had heavy infestation with head and body lice. Laboratory evaluation revealed serum hemoglobin levels under 6 gm/dL, low serum ferritin levels, and microcytic red blood cell indices. All patients were admitted to the hospital, received transfusions, and had evaluation of their anemia. No patient had evidence of gastrointestinal blood loss or alternative explanation for their anemia. Although cause and effect cannot be established from this case series, to the best of our knowledge, this is the first published evidence of a provocative association of louse infestation and severe iron deficiency anemia...Continue Reading

References

Jan 1, 1992·Research in Veterinary Science·L M BurnsP H Holmes
May 17, 2006·International Journal of Dermatology·Rick SpeareWayne Melrose

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Citations

Oct 4, 2014·Emerging Infectious Diseases·Denise L BonillaMichael Kosoy
Sep 20, 2015·International Journal of Legal Medicine·Akina NaraHirotaro Iwase
Dec 22, 2017·International Journal of Primatology·Naomi IshiiShin-Ichi Hayama
Dec 21, 2019·Biomédica : revista del Instituto Nacional de Salud·Ángela MedinaLuis Reinel Vásquez
Oct 24, 2019·Pediatric Dermatology·Rowena Natividad S Flores-GenuinoBelen L Dofitas
Jul 21, 2020·International Journal of Dermatology·Alexia P KnappAileen Y Chang

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