ARTHRITIS DUE TO INTESTINAL AMEBIASIS*

Excerpt

The increased incidence of amebiasis in this country since the war has served to focus attention upon the extra-intestinal manifestations of this disease. These may be classified in two categories:

1. Symptoms due to hematogenous spread of the ameba.

2. Toxic symptoms arising from the primary intestinal focus.

In general the incidence of involvement of extra-intestinal organs is not directly related to the severity of the intestinal lesion. In fact, extra-intestinal symptoms frequently arise in the absence of intestinal symptoms. Furthermore, lesions in organs involved by the hematogenous route may flare up even following the cure of the primary intestinal