[Radiculomyelopathy in schistosomiasis].

The increasing migration of people from their homeland in far distant regions to Europe in the last few years has strongly influenced the rise of previously rarely seen diseases. They not only originate from the respective homeland but also from the transit countries during the migration process. We report the case of a 27-year-old male migrant from Eritrea, who after months of flight as a refugee travelling through various African countries, presented at our hospital with a progressive, painful radiculopathy. Whole spine magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed a focus located in the myelon, extending from T11 to the medullary conus. The differential diagnostic clarification ultimately revealed an infection with Schistosoma mansoni. After guideline-conform treatment with praziquantel for 3 days and additional administration of corticosteroids for 3 months, a slow regression of the findings and improvement of the symptoms could be shown clinically and by MRI. This case study shows the importance of taking the medical history and that a closer look at the potential exposure in the homeland and transit countries should be of great benefit in reaching the diagnosis, especially in patients with a migration background.