Anaemia in hookworm disease results from sucking of blood by...

Anaemia in hookworm disease results from sucking of blood by the adult worms in the intestine and the attendant inflammation of the bowel. A single A. duodenale can remove, on the average, almost one cubic centimetre of blood a day. As a blood sucker, N. americanus is about one-fifth as efficient.

"In general, the symptoms of classical heavy infections include pallor of skin and mucous membranes, fluid retention in the face and extremities, constipation alternating with diarrhea, abdominal tenderness, increased appetite for bulky foods or unusual substances (clay eaters), sexual derangements…