About 80% of the planet's inhabitants are infected with various helminths.It often takes a long time and without success to treat a disease whose true cause is parasites.Worms that can live in humans violate the integrity of the vascular walls, block the intestinal lumen and damage internal organs.They produce toxic substances that enter the blood.
What type of worms do humans have?
Helminths colonize the intestines or parasitize, living in any other organ.There are several varieties, the most common being nematodes.Its body has a round and elongated cross-sectional shape, tapering at the ends.More often than others, an infection occurs:
- intestinal worms, trichinae, which settle in the small intestine and other organs;
- whipworms that live in the large intestine and feed on blood and mucous membranes;
- pinworms that accumulate in the cecum and colon.
Pinworms are especially found in children when they have a stool test for enterobiasis.
In addition to those listed, there are more than a hundred less common parasites that live in different parts of the intestine.For example, in humans, worms such as hookworms and roundworms are found in the thin segment;the thick section is usually clogged with whipworms.People become hosts for adult tapeworms, which have a long, flat body.Large bovine and porcine tapeworms, cestodes and echinococci live in the intestines.
Trematode worms have suction cups on their bodies that vary from a few millimeters in length (Siberian platform) to 7 cm (fasciola).The parasites are passed to humans as a result of consuming raw fish and unboiled water.Sometimes worm infection occurs through the skin when swimming in lakes and rivers (schistosome).Once established, they can feel very good in various human organs for several years.
Infection methods
The routes through which the different types of worms enter are varied.The main method of parasite infection is fecal-oral.It is associated with the penetration of helminths along with food and water.People simply ingest invisible organisms when they forget to wash their hands before eating.Worms in feces are rarely visible to the naked eye.But the flies that hover over the excrement always carry their eggs.If an insect lands on a piece of food, the chances of infection increase significantly.
Worms appear in humans after working with soil or sand without gloves.In the latter case, young children, for whom the sandbox is their favorite place to play, are more likely to suffer from parasites.Helminths reach the soil surface along with animal feces (cats, dogs, cattle) and are carried by flies.They enter the human body through dirty hands, microtrauma to the skin and insufficiently processed vegetables.Inhaling street dust, saturated with very tenacious larvae, can also become infected.
Another factor that contributes to the appearance of worms is the use of poor quality water.It is highly undesirable to swallow liquid while swimming in the sea, river or lake.It contains a large number of parasites from the feces of fish, waterfowl and domestic animals.If a person consumes raw fish or meat, there is a risk of infection occurring and parasites (bovine tapeworm, pork tapeworm, tapeworm) settling in the body.In medical reference books there are photographs of worms, the length of which reaches several meters.
Symptoms and signs of helminth infestation.
By becoming hosts of parasites, people begin to lose weight rapidly, feel exhausted, and look pale.Indicate the presence of worms:
- pains throughout the body;
- painful sensations in the joints;
- general weakness;
- loss of appetite;
- diarrhea or constipation;
- attacks of nausea.
But to make sure that there are helminths in the body, it is necessary to undergo an examination.It will help identify worms in feces or special antibodies in the blood.
Symptoms increase in the absence of timely treatment.Depending on which worms predominate in the body and where they accumulate, the signs of the disease will be different.Bile stagnation occurs when the ducts are blocked by parasites.A person feels heaviness and pain in the right hypochondrium, bitterness in the mouth.He periodically suffers from attacks of nausea and constipation.
Many worms secrete substances that irritate the intestinal walls: diarrhea appears, in which the feces are watery and foamy.In addition, the patient experiences increased gas formation, loud noises in the abdomen and pain in the navel area.
Worms, once in the human body, can migrate.Its progress is accompanied by intense pain.Very often, a person with helminthiasis thinks that he has an exacerbation of arthritis.In fact, the unpleasant sensations caused by worms are the body's response to tissue injury.
A person experiences a state of apathy, has a deterioration in the ability to concentrate and memory problems.This happens if the parasites are present in the body for a long time.A previously unusual allergy or intolerance occurs on the part of the body to certain foods.Worms become the culprit of skin problems.The most common:
- acne, pimples all over the body;
- urticaria, atopic dermatitis, eczema;
- too early wrinkle formation;
- Hair loss, bald spots.
More common runny nose, bronchitis, asthma and pneumonia can be caused by the migration of worms through the bloodstream.Sometimes parasites settle in the lungs, lay eggs there, which mature and become full-fledged individuals.On x-rays and scans obtained after the CT scan, the worms look like a focal darkening of a round or oval shape.
The entry of toxic helminth waste products into the blood causes people to complain of:
- constant anxiety, irritability;
- depression;
- insomnia.
Both obesity and underweight are common symptoms of worms.Digestive problems and poisoning cause lack of appetite.A person loses body weight.The prolonged presence of parasites causes a decrease in blood glucose levels and a constant feeling of hunger.At the cellular level there is a lack of nutrients, which is compensated by the accumulation of adipose tissue.
Drug therapy
It is not recommended to treat helminthiasis without first consulting a specialist for several reasons.The first is that even after passing feces for analysis several times, it is not always possible to identify parasites.To accurately determine what type of worms have settled in a person, it will be necessary to conduct a more detailed examination, including:
- general blood test with formula for leukemia;
- biochemical blood test (liver test);
- analysis of feces and rectal mucus.
Sometimes, to detect worms that have colonized the body, it is necessary to examine bile, sputum, and small sections of skin.
Treating worms in an adult or child on your own is a dubious idea.Pharmacological medications are quite toxic.At the same time, many of them have an effect directed against a specific species without affecting others.
If test results revealed worms in a person's stool or the presence of parasites was confirmed by other diagnostic procedures, the infectious disease doctor selects the most effective medication.The doctor who prescribes the pills must indicate exactly how many times the medication will have to be taken and its dosage, depending on the patient's weight.Treatment of worms is carried out:
- albendazole;
- paraziquanteloma;
- Medamine;
- mebendazole;
- Pirantel.
The procedure for getting rid of worms is complemented by agents that relieve poisoning (sorbents), anti-allergic drugs and vitamins.
Preventive measures
Considering that worms are very easily transmitted through animals or an infected person, everything possible should be done to prevent their appearance.To do this, it is necessary to strictly comply with hygiene.An important factor in protection against worms is the proper preparation of the products with which food is prepared.
Doctors recommend carrying out an annual preventive procedure to eliminate worms in spring and autumn.Even if a person does not have obvious symptoms of infection.Its maximum effectiveness can be achieved if all family members take the medication recommended by the doctor.Most parasites are so small that only photographs of some worm eggs can be seen, taken through a powerful microscope when examining feces or other biomaterials.