Pulmonary Paragonimiasis with Symptoms Similar to Tuberculosis and Lung Cancer... Domestic Researchers Publish 'Definitive Clinical Study' Paper

Professor Shin Jong-wook's Team at Chung-Ang University Hospital
22-Year Analysis of Paragonimiasis Cases
Published in SCI-Level 'International Journal of Infectious Diseases'

Professor Shin Jong-wook, Department of Respiratory Allergy, Chung-Ang University Hospital.

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-ju] Domestic researchers have released the results of a study analyzing 22 years of diagnostic cases of "Paragonimiasis," a parasitic disease that is often mistaken for tuberculosis. This study is regarded as the "definitive edition" of clinical research on Paragonimiasis, analyzing a large number of diagnostic cases over a long period.

The research team led by Professor Shin Jong-wook of the Department of Respiratory Allergy at Chung-Ang University Hospital and Professor Gong Yoon of Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine announced on the 18th that they published a research paper analyzing 685 cases diagnosed with Paragonimiasis at domestic hospitals from 1982 to 2003 in the top SCI-level journal in the field of infectious diseases, the Journal of Infection.

Paragonimiasis is a disease caused by a parasite called Paragonimus that inhabits the lungs. It is often contracted by eating freshwater crabs and other crustaceans. Symptoms such as hemoptysis, cough, chest pain, and dyspnea are similar to those of tuberculosis or other lung diseases, making accurate diagnosis difficult in many cases.

The study found that 97.1% (665 people) showed positive results in the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) used to diagnose Paragonimiasis, and 44.4% (304 people) exhibited eosinophilia, an increase in eosinophils, a type of white blood cell, in blood tests. Additionally, some patients reported symptoms such as sputum (55.5%), hemoptysis (40.9%), cough (39.6%), chest pain (34.3%), fatigue (11.4%), foul odor (8.0%), and fever (5.5%). Among these patients, 55.2% answered that they had eaten freshwater crab dishes.

Furthermore, in cases where the diagnosis of Paragonimiasis was delayed by more than 25 weeks, it was confirmed that misdiagnosis as other diseases such as tuberculosis, lung cancer, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) was the cause. Professor Shin stated, "Paragonimiasis is often mistaken for other lung diseases due to similar symptoms, but if diagnosis is delayed and proper treatment is not administered, it can lead to serious complications such as pneumonia, lung abscess, and pneumothorax, posing dangerous situations. It is necessary to check whether patients with similar symptoms have consumed freshwater crabs or other crustaceans and to perform immunological tests such as antibody response assays."

Professor Shin added, "Although Paragonimiasis is perceived as a forgotten disease in Korea, it remains a common infectious disease worldwide. Diseases like lung cancer and pulmonary tuberculosis are more common, but since these diseases show similar clinical conditions, differential diagnosis is challenging. Therefore, it is important to include Paragonimiasis in the differential diagnosis at the initial stage of disease diagnosis to ensure early and accurate diagnosis."

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