[New elements in the symptomatology of visceral larva migrans]

A retrospective study of 92 cases of visceral larva migrans (VLM) seen in Toulouse demonstrated the high prevalence of the disease in the Midi-Pyrénées region (southern France). The patient population was homogeneous, of middle age and predominantly female. The principal symptoms were chronic asthenia of one year duration on average, associated with cutaneous signs of allergy (pruritus, rashes) and with pain in the right hypochondrium. High total IgE level with presence of anti-VLM IgE was more frequent than eosinophilia, which was moderate. In one-third of the cases VLM also seemed to be responsible for an increase in serum gamma GT. VLM is a disease that is often unrecognized. The classical descriptions apply, in reality, to its caricatural forms which are exceptional.