A case report published in Cureus on October 4, 2026 describes an elderly man who presented with severe iron deficiency anemia alongside koilonychia — a nail abnormality in which the nails become thin and spoon-shaped — and duodenal ascariasis that was identified during endoscopy. According to Cureus, the patient's worm infestation was detected in the duodenum, the first section of the small intestine, through the endoscopic procedure.
The report links three findings in a single patient: significant iron deficiency anemia, the characteristic nail changes known as koilonychia, and the presence of Ascaris worms in the duodenum confirmed by endoscopy. Cureus reports that the duodenal ascariasis was discovered endoscopically, indicating the worms were directly visualized during the examination rather than inferred from other tests.
The case is notable because it combines a severe hematologic condition with a parasitic infection and a physical sign — koilonychia — that is classically associated with long-standing iron deficiency. According to Cureus, the patient was an elderly male, a detail that shapes how clinicians might weigh the differential diagnosis when anemia and gastrointestinal findings appear together.
The report does not provide further details on the patient's treatment, outcome, or the specific methods used to confirm the iron deficiency, based on the available summary. The publication is a case report, a format that documents a single patient's presentation and does not establish broader patterns or causal relationships.
What to watch next: whether follow-up reporting or additional case documentation clarifies how the patient was managed and whether similar presentations prompt wider screening for parasitic causes of anemia in older adults.
