The amount of blood ingested by an adult worm is 0.005 mL of blood per day.
Risk factors for anemia in a patient infected with Trichuris trichiura:
(1) heavy infection with trichura
(2) infection with one or more other parasites associated with anemia (hookworm, malaria, etc)
(3) iron deficiency, either from poor intake or blood loss
(4) other nutritional deficiencies (folate, vitamin B12, etc)
(5) other reasons for anemia (sickle cell disease, thalassemia, etc)
If the whipworm infection is the primary cause, then treatment of the parasite should correct the anemia. Failure of antiparasitic therapy to cure the anemia indicates that one or more other conditions may be causing the anemia.
