This Man’s Bladder Got Encased in Calcium, Doctors Think This Is Why

Blood was found in the urine of a man from Qatar. This was reported in 2016 after the man discovered that his symptoms--blood in the urine and pain for more than a month--were results of his body's attempt to combat a parasitic worm infection.

Based on the case report, the blood found in the urine could be a revealing symptom that a patient is infected with the Schistosoma parasite. 

While not known to many, this condition is a common illness in many parts of the world, specifically in Asia and Africa.

However, images of this 43-year-old man's abdomen and pelvis gave his doctors one more vital clue to the case--that he had a rare condition, having a calcified bladder. 

In the man's case, the Schistosoma parasites were found to have resided near his bladder and ureters--the tubes that connect the kidneys and the bladder.

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What is Schistosomiasis?

Schistosoma parasites are parasites' eggs that have entered the bladder and were deposited into the organ's walls.

Nevertheless, says international health professor Dr. Ronald Blanton, the body's immune reaction had calcified that particular portion of the bladder wall.

Unquestionably, pelvic scans done at the hospital exhibited that the man had a slim rim of calcification that resembled an eggshell developing a border surrounding his bladder. This particular pattern was identified as eggshell calcification.

Schistosomiasis is caused by a parasitic worm illness transferred by snails in living freshwater.

The said worms that lead to infection are not found in the United States. However, millions of people have Schistosoma globally, the Centers for Disease and Control and Prevention said. 

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How does One Become Infected?

According to Dr. Blanton, an individual gets the infection when larvae from parasitic worms are emitted by snails, and they enter into the skin when one gets in contact with the contaminated water.

Meanwhile, children may become infested when swimming in contaminated water. Men, on the other hand, particularly farmers or workers of irrigation, and women who wash clothes and fetch water can possibly get infected with the disease, as well.

By the time the organism penetrates the skin, it turns into adult worms staying within veins. Then, females can produce eggs.

Some eggs, on the other hand, can come out of the human body through feces or urine. Others, on the other hand, stay trapped in tissues of the body, encouraging a strong immune reaction.

Treatment for Calcification

There are several factors considered before treating calcification. Some of these factors include the location where the calcium deposits take place, the underlying cause of such an occurrence, and what happened before complications arise.

To address this, the doctor typically requires follow-up checkups to examine for probable complications once calcifications have been identified.

In line with this, medical experts claim that minor calcifications are not considered dangerous.

Typical treatments for kidney stones contribute to the breaking down of the building up of calcium in the kidneys.

In this case, the doctor usually prescribes a diuretic, typically thiazide, for the prevention of calcium kidney stones in the future. The diuretic acts to signal for the kidney's release of water while it holds on to more calcium.

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