The prevalence of various types of worms is quite high.What are the types of helminths in humans, symptoms and treatment of the disease called helminthiasis?Numerous varieties of parasites manifest themselves differently when they enter the body.
Among the wide variety of signs of helminth infection, disorders of the digestive system, disturbances in the functioning of the nervous system, and allergic skin reactions can be found.
It is now known for certain that many diseases, which at first glance have nothing to do with parasite infection, arise due to the fact that a person has been infected by helminths.People can be treated for years for various diseases of the liver, gastrointestinal tract and other pathologies, and have no idea of the true cause of their illness.
Treatment of helminthiasis with medications should be carried out under the supervision of a doctor, taking into account the age, weight of the patient and the type of parasite against which the therapy is directed.
Types of helminths
Currently, science knows a wide variety of worms, all of them have different shapes and appearance.Depending on these characteristics, there are several classifications.Depending on their habitat in the body, the following types of parasitic worms are distinguished: luminal and tissue.Luminal parasites live in the intestines (small and large), less often in other internal organs of humans and animals.Tissue worms are characterized by being usually located in body tissues or subcutaneous fat.
Depending on the method of penetration and spread in the body, parasites are divided into 3 types: contact worms, biohelminths and geohelminths.Biohelminths include worms that, before full development, change many hosts (they can be fish, insects);At the end of the chain, one person becomes the host.
Geohelminths include parasites whose development is carried out directly, excluding intermediate hosts.Their eggs mature in the soil and infection occurs when they are ingested.The most common are human roundworms, whipworms, eel intestinal roundworms and hookworms.
The peculiarity of contact worms is that they are transmitted from one person to another.These include pinworms and dwarf tapeworms.Pinworms cause a disease called enterobiasis and dwarf tapeworms cause hymenolepiasis.
How can you get infected with helminths?
Helminth infection can occur in 1 of 4 ways.Geohelminthiasis is a probable infection by parasites through the soil in which the mature larvae are found, during contact with animals or by the transfer of the larvae to food by flies.The second method of infection with worms is contact, that is, from person to person.This is how the most common parasites, pinworms, are transmitted.Biohelminths can be contracted by eating contaminated fish or meat that has undergone weak heat treatment.And the last way is the penetration of larvae into the body through insect bites.
The most common form of worm infection is oral, that is, a person simply ingests worm larvae along with water or food.A large number of helminth eggs fall to the ground, so a person should wash their hands very well after any contact with the ground.This is especially true for children who often play in the sand.
Everything that grows in the soil and is related to it (vegetables, fruits) must be washed and treated with boiling water before being consumed.Pets that have free access to the outdoors are a common source of helminthiasis for humans.
The easiest way to get infected with pinworms is in preschool children.The female deposits more than 5 thousand larvae near the anus, causing intense itching in this place.A child, after scratching an itchy place, infects everything around him with these eggs: bedding, toys, clothes.And then hundreds of pinworm larvae land on the hands of everyone who touches these objects, so you can infect all family members.
A large number of helminth larvae are concentrated in open water bodies, so swallowing water while swimming in them is strictly prohibited.Well water is also subject to contamination;It should be boiled before use or disinfectant filters should be used.
Signs of helminthiasis
The first symptoms of a helminth infection in an adult or child are a sudden loss of body weight and itching in the anus.But this is only a small part of the most common symptoms, as there can be many more, and sometimes parasites can only be identified through special investigations.Symptoms of worm infection can often include a variety of nervous system disorders and severe general weakness of the body.
During their life cycle, worms produce a large amount of toxins, which manifests itself in severe poisoning of the human body.Patients may experience headaches, nausea, dizziness, possible fever, and sudden joint pain.A person infected with helminths suffers from a lack of vitamins, which, combined with disturbances in the functioning of the nervous system, ultimately leads to a feeling of chronic fatigue, which causes severe drowsiness and apathy.
If worms parasitize in the intestines and not in other organs or tissues of the human body, then the first sign of the appearance of worms is a malfunction of the digestive system.The patient may experience diarrhea or constipation, vomiting, severe abdominal pain, and nausea.Pain in the right upper quadrant or increased gas formation may occur.The symptoms that appear depend on the type of helminth.General intoxication of the body contributes to a decrease in immunity in an infected person, which increases the risk of infectious diseases.And since parasites deprive the patient of some of the beneficial substances he needs, the resistance of the human body decreases, which subsequently leads to an exacerbation of existing chronic diseases or various inflammations in the nasopharynx.
Another important and surprising symptom of parasite penetration into the body is allergic skin reactions.Almost all patients infected with helminths suffer from deterioration of the dermis.Allergies, in addition to skin rashes, can have other manifestations, such as allergic rhinitis, persistent dry cough and asthma.
Treatment of helminthiasis with medications.
Parasite infestation can manifest itself in different ways.What should you do if you notice any symptoms of helminthiasis?First of all, it is necessary to carry out the necessary research and determine exactly what type of worm infection occurred;The drug therapy prescribed by the doctor will depend on this.Many anthelmintic drugs are known today.Among them are both drugs active against specific types of parasites and those with a broad spectrum of action.These medications are highly toxic, so they must be prescribed exclusively by a doctor and only based on the test results, after identifying the exact type of helminth that has affected the person.The treatment approach for different types of worms is different;Medicines are selected individually for each patient, taking into account the type of parasites, age and body weight of the person.
Preventing the appearance of worms in adults does not require overly complex measures.It is necessary to monitor the purity of the water consumed, quickly treat pets, wash vegetables and fruits, and heat treat meat and fish.To prevent the appearance of worms in children attending preschool institutions, it is necessary to carry out prevention at least once a year.
Folk remedies to get rid of parasites.
Traditional medicine knows a large number of recipes for getting rid of parasites.Most often, garlic, pumpkin seeds, tansy flowers, wormwood and walnuts are used for this.One of the most popular and effective recipes for getting rid of worms in folk medicine is the use of pumpkin seeds.It is best to use unpeeled seeds, and during cleaning a thin film should be left between the seed and the shell.It is necessary to consume the seeds in the morning, 300 g each, you can grind them first.After this, it is recommended not to eat for 4 hours and have an enema.After a couple of weeks, you can repeat this procedure.
Tansy has a strong anthelmintic effect thanks to thujone and tancytin.Thujone is a substance contained in the essential oil of this plant that has a paralyzing effect on helminths.And tancitin is a component contained in tansy flowers that enhances the production of bile and gastric juice.To prepare the medicine you need 1 tbsp.l.Pour a glass of boiling water over the tansy flowers and let it steep for 1 hour.Then strain, drink the resulting infusion three times a day, 1 tbsp.l.30 minutes before meals.
Another herb, wormwood, is known to be effective in combating parasites.Tincture of wormwood in alcohol is usually used for treatment.It should be taken three times a day, 20 drops 30 minutes before meals.
Garlic, walnut pericarp infusion, onion and nettle have a strong antiparasitic effect.By using recipes for infusions of these plants and vegetables, you will be able to get rid of parasites without resorting to pharmacological treatments.However, before doing this, a mandatory consultation with a doctor is recommended.