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Clinical Case Reports - 2025 - Durussel - Serendipity in Emergency Diagnostics Near Miss of a Loa loa Case in a Swiss.pdf
Journal article

Serendipity in Emergency Diagnostics: Near Miss of a Loa loa Case in a Swiss Hospital

DOKPE

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  • 2025
Published in:
  • Clinical Case Reports. - Wiley. - 2025, vol. 13, no. 5
Clinical reasoning
Diagnostics errors
Emergency care
Loiasis
Transients and migrants
Unconscious bias
English A 31-year-old Cameroonian man presented to the emergency department (ED) with a productive cough, exertional dyspnoea, and asthenia for a few days. The initial evaluation was limited due to cultural barriers, lack of known medical history, and the patient's migration journey through Libya, Tunisia, and Germany over the past 5 years before recently arriving in Switzerland. Clinical examination revealed no red flags. Blood counts were normal, C-reactive protein (CRP) was elevated at 91 mg/L, and a chest X-ray was unremarkable. A diagnosis of influenza-like syndrome was made. The patient returned the following day with increased fatigue and fever. A rapid malaria test was negative, a blood smear was ordered, and CRP levels rose to 148 mg/L. During an influenza epidemic, PCR confirmed Influenza A. The patient was reassured and prescribed ibuprofen and paracetamol. Subsequently, the laboratory detected not malaria but filariae, and a diagnosis of Loiasis (Loa loa) was established. The patient was referred for specialist consultation. Treatment with albendazole was initiated, leading to gradual improvement.
Faculty
Faculté des sciences et de médecine
Department
Section de médecine
Language
  • English
Classification
Pathology, clinical medicine
Other electronic version

Version en ligne

License
CC BY-NC-ND
Open access status
gold
Identifiers
Persistent URL
https://folia.unifr.ch/unifr/documents/334731
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