Bangladesh JOURNAL of Child Health

Hematuria Due to Leech Bite in the Urinary Bladder: A Case Report


Introduction: Leeches phylum Annelida, class Hirudinea are blood sucking hermaphroditic parasite that attach themselves to vertebrate host, bite through skin and suck out a quantity of blood.1 They are common in Bangladesh especially in the southern districts like Barguna. Leech infestation primarily occurs in tropical areas, such as Mediterranean countries Africa and Asia2. In infested water leech bite is hard to avoid. When lodged in the rectum, parasite can simulate the symptoms of gastrointestinal hemorrhage and while in the bladder as urological. They localize on the mucosa of the oropharynx, nasopharynx, tonsil, esophagus, or nose, but rarely in the rectal mucosa and in the bladder3-4. Leech bites do not hurt since they release an anesthetic when they sink their teeth (proboscis) into the skin but they do bleed profusely. Leeches use a heparin like anticoagulant when they bite to facilitate the flow of blood from the wound. Here we are reporting a case of leech endoparasitism in the bladder who had hematuria and retention of urine. We have used an early and innovative method to remove the parasite by bladder irrigation with hypertonic saline.

 

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