Disseminated Hydatid Disease in a Child Involving Multiple Organ Systems: A Case Report

Abstract

Hydatid disease is a parasitic infestation by Echinococcus granulosus, which involves the liver and lungs primarily. The authors report a case of disseminated hydatid disease involving multiple organs simultaneously in a 7-year-old child from Kabul, Afghanistan. The patient under examination had been having a complaint of cough and low-grade fever for the last one year. Computed tomography (CT) and ultrasonography (USG) demonstrated cystic lesions in his liver, lungs, spleen, and suprarenal region. The literature review showed that it was very rare for hydatid disease to involve multiple organs simultaneously, even in endemic areas, and the management of disseminated disease was very challenging, especially in the pediatric population.

Intramuscular hydatid cyst of paraspinal muscle: A diagnostic challenge

“…However, other sites including the brain, bone, thyroid, muscle, etc. can get infected 4–6 . Intramuscular hydatid cyst accounts for less than 3% of cases.…”

Multi‐organ/disseminated echinococcosis in children: Case series and review of the literature

“…[6][7][8][9][10][11][12] In the literature, paediatric patients with the multiorgan involvement have been reported as case reports. [13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23] All the current cases of multiorgan involvement are presented in Table 3.…”

“…3 Cases with the multiorgan involvement presenting with only CNS findings have been reported in the literature. [13][14][15] Cases with the multiorgan involvement presenting with the isolated gastrointestinal symptoms complaining with a chronic cough [16][17][18] and other accompanying respiratory symptoms for an approximately 1 year have been reported. 22 Unlike our cases, three of them were diagnosed incidentally.…”

“…Studies have also been reported the prevalence of the multiorgan involvement in the paediatric patients as 0%–12.5% 6–12 . In the literature, paediatric patients with the multiorgan involvement have been reported as case reports 13–23 . All the current cases of multiorgan involvement are presented in Table 3.…”

Primary disseminated intraabdominal hydatidosis: a case report

“…Symptoms of hydatidosis mostly depend on the cyst’s size, location, and type and whether it is complicated or not [ 3 ]. Previous studies have reported that abdominal pain, specifically in the right upper quadrant, is the most common symptom of affected patients [ 3 , 17 , 18 ].…”