About 80% of the planet's population is infected with various helminths.Often it takes a long time and does not successfully treat diseases that are actually parasites.Worms that can live in humans violate the integrity of the vascular wall, obstruct the intestinal lumen, and damage internal organs.They produce toxic substances that enter the blood.
What types of worms do humans have?
Helminths colonize the intestines or parasites, live in any other organ.There are several types, the most common of which are nematodes.Their bodies have a long cross-sectional shape, narrowing at the ends.More often than others, infections occur:
- Roundworms, Trichinae, settle in the small intestine and other organs;
- Whipworms that live in the large intestine and feed on blood and mucus;
- Pinworms that accumulate in the Cecum and Colon.
Pinworms are especially often found in children when they do a stool test for Enterobiasis.
In addition to those listed, there are more than a hundred less common parasites that inhabit different parts of the intestine.For example, in humans worm-like worms and roundworms are found in thin segments;Thick parts are often clogged with worms.People are hosts for adult tapeworms, which have a flat, long body.Bovine and pig tapeworms, cestodes, and echinococci inhabit the intestine.
Fluke worms have suckers on their bodies from a few millimeters long (Siberian fluke) to 7 cm (fasciola).Parasites pass to humans as a result of eating raw fish and unlimited water.Sometimes infection with worms occurs through the skin while swimming in lakes and rivers (schistosoma).Once settled, they can feel great in various human organs for several years.
Method of infection
The route by which different types of worms enter varies.The main method of infection by parasites is fecal-oral.It is associated with the penetration of helminths along with food and water.People only ingest invisible organisms when they forget to wash their hands before eating.Worms in feces are rarely seen with the naked eye.But flies hovering over dirt always bring their eggs.If an insect lands on a piece of food, the chance of infection increases significantly.
Worms appear in humans after working with soil or sand without gloves.In the second case, small children, for whom the sandbox is a favorite place to play, are more likely to suffer from parasites.Helminths reach the soil surface together with the feces of animals - cats, dogs, livestock, and are carried by flies.They enter the human body through unwashed hands, microtraumas on the skin, and unprocessed vegetables.Inhaling street dust, saturated with very tenacious larvae, can also be infected.
Another factor that contributes to the appearance of worms is the use of low-quality water.It is highly undesirable to swallow liquids while swimming in the sea, river or lake.It contains large amounts 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 and parasites - beef tapeworms, pork tapeworms, tapeworms - will take up residence in the body.In medical reference books there are pictures of worms, several meters long.
Symptoms and signs of Helminthic infestation
After becoming a host to the parasite, people begin to rapidly lose weight, feel tired, and look pale.State the presence of worms:
- pain all over the body;
- painful sensations in the joints;
- general weakness;
- loss of appetite;
- diarrhea or constipation;
- Nausea attacks.
But to make sure that helminths are present in the body, it is necessary to undergo an examination.It will help identify worms in stool or special antibodies in blood.
Symptoms increase in the absence of timely treatment.Depending on the worms that dominate in the body, where they gather, the signs of the disease will be different.Bile movement occurs when the duct is blocked by parasites.A person feels heaviness and pain in the right hypochondrium, bitterness in the mouth.Periodically experience bouts of nausea and constipation.
Many worms release substances that irritate the intestinal wall - diarrhea appears, where stools are watery and frothy.In addition, patients experience increased gas formation, strong tremors in the abdomen, and pain in the navel area.
Worms, once in the human body, can migrate.Their progress is accompanied by severe pain.Often, a person with Helminthias thinks that he has an arthritis problem.In fact, the unpleasant sensation caused by worms is the body's response to tissue injury.
A person experiences a state of apathy, he experiences a deterioration in the ability to concentrate, and memory problems.This happens if the parasite is present in the body for a long time.An allergy or an unusual intolerance by the body to certain foods occurs.Worms cause skin problems.The most common:
- pimples, pimples all over the body;
- urticaria, atopic dermatitis, eczema;
- premature wrinkle formation;
- Hair loss, bald spots.
More frequent runny noses, bronchitis, asthma, and pneumonia may be caused by the migration of worms through the bloodstream.Sometimes parasites settle in the lungs, lay eggs there, which mature and become full individuals.On X-rays and scans obtained after tomography, the worm looks like a dark round or oval shape.
The entry of toxic waste products of helminths into the blood causes people to complain about:
- constant anxiety, irritability;
- depression;
- insomnia.
Both obesity and underweight are common symptoms of worms.Indigestion and hangovers lead to poor appetite.A person loses weight.The long-term presence of the parasite causes a drop 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 consulting a specialist for several reasons.The first is that even after passing the feces for analysis several times, it is not always possible to identify the parasite.To determine exactly what type of worm has settled in a person, you need to do a more detailed examination, including:
- general blood test with leukemia formula;
- biochemical blood test (liver test);
- Analysis of feces and rectal mucus.
Sometimes, to detect worms that have colonized the body, examination of bile, sputum, and small areas of skin is necessary.
Treating worms in adults or children on your own is a dubious idea.Pharmacological drugs are quite toxic.At the same time, many of them have an effect directed at certain species without affecting others.
If the test results reveal worms in a person's stool or the presence of parasites has been confirmed by other diagnostic procedures, the infectious disease doctor chooses the most effective drug.The doctor who prescribes the pill must indicate exactly how many times the medicine should be taken and the dosage, based on the patient's body weight.Worm treatment is carried out:
- Albendazole;
- Parazicantheloma;
- Medamine;
- Mebendazole;
- Pyrantel.
The procedure to get rid of worms is supplemented with hangover-relieving agents (sorbents), anti-rheumatic drugs, and vitamins.
Preventive measures
Since worms are very easily transmitted from infected animals or people, every effort should be made to prevent their occurrence.To do this, you must observe cleanliness.An important factor in protecting worms is the preparation of products that are suitable for the food provided.
Doctors recommend carrying out annual preventive procedures to clear worms in the spring and autumn.Even if a person has no obvious symptoms of infection.Its maximum effectiveness can be achieved if all family members take the medicine recommended by the doctor.Most parasites are so small that you can only see the eggs of a few worms, taken through a powerful microscope when examining feces or other biomaterial.