About 80% of the planet's inhabitants are infected with various helminths.It often takes a long time and no 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 kind 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 an elongated and round cross-section, tapering at the ends.More often than others, infection occurs:
- roundworms, trichinae, settling in the small intestine and other organs;
- whipworms that live in the large intestine and feed on blood and mucus;
- worms 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 inhabit different parts of the intestine.For example, in humans, worms such as hookworm and roundworm are found in the small segment;the thick section is often clogged with whipworms.People become hosts to adult tapeworms, which have a long, flat body.Large bovine and porcine tapeworms, cestodes and echinococci inhabit the intestines.
Worms have suckers on their bodies that range from a few millimeters in length (Siberian worm) to 7 cm (fasciola).The parasites pass 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 (schistosoma).Once installed, they can feel good in various human organs for several years.
Infection methods
The routes by which different types of worms enter are varied.The main method of infection by parasites 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 surface of the soil along with the feces of animals - cats, dogs, cattle and are carried by flies.They enter the human body through dirty hands, microtraumas on the skin and insufficiently processed vegetables.Inhaling street dust, saturated with very tenacious larvae, can also infect.
Another factor that contributes to the appearance of worms is the use of poor quality water.It is highly undesirable to swallow liquids when swimming in the sea, river or lake.It contains a large number of parasites that come from the feces of fish, waterfowl and domestic animals.If a person consumes raw fish or meat, there is a risk that infection will occur and that parasites - beef tapeworm, pork tapeworm, tapeworm - will take up residence in the body.In medical reference books there are photos of worms, the length of which reaches several meters.
Symptoms and signs of helminth infestation
Becoming hosts to parasites, people begin to quickly lose weight, feel exhausted and turn pale.Indicate the presence of worms:
- pain throughout the body;
- painful sensations in the joints;
- general weakness;
- loss of appetite;
- diarrhea or constipation;
- attacks of nausea.
But to be sure that helminths are present in the body, it is necessary to undergo an examination.It will help identify worms in the stool or special antibodies in the blood.
Symptoms increase in the absence of timely treatment.Depending on which worms predominate in the body, where they accumulate, the signs of the disease will be different.Bile stagnation occurs when the ducts are blocked by parasites.The person feels heaviness and pain in the right hypochondrium, bitterness in the mouth.Periodically suffers attacks of nausea and constipation.
Many worms secrete substances that irritate the intestinal walls - diarrhea appears, in which the feces are watery and frothy.In addition, the patient experiences increased gas formation, loud rumbling in the abdomen and pain in the navel area.
Worms, once in the human body, are capable of migrating.Its progress is accompanied by severe pain.Most often, a person with helminthiasis thinks they have an exacerbation of arthritis.In fact, the unpleasant sensations caused by worms are the body's response to tissue damage.
The person experiences a state of apathy, presents 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 of the body to certain foods occurs.Worms become the culprits of skin problems.The most common:
- acne, pimples all over the body;
- urticaria, atopic dermatitis, eczema;
- very early wrinkle formation;
- hair loss, bald spots.
More frequent runny nose, bronchitis, asthma and pneumonia may well be caused by the migration of worms through the bloodstream.Sometimes parasites settle in the lungs, lay eggs there, which mature and turn into adults.On x-rays and examinations obtained after the tomography, the worms look like a focal darkening of a round or oval shape.
The entry of toxic residues of helminths into the blood causes people to complain of:
- constant anxiety, irritability;
- depression;
- insomnia.
Both obesity and being underweight are common symptoms of heartworms.Digestive problems and intoxication lead to 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 the feces for analysis several times, it is not always possible to identify the parasites.To accurately determine what kind of worms have settled in a person, you will have to do a more detailed examination, including:
- general blood test with formula for leukemia;
- biochemical blood test (liver tests);
- 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 the skin.
Treating worms in adults or children 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 reveal worms in a person's stool or if the presence of parasites is confirmed by other diagnostic procedures, the infectious disease doctor selects the most effective medication.The doctor who prescribes the pills must indicate exactly how often the medicine should be taken and its dose, according to the patient's weight.Worm treatment is carried out:
- Albendazole;
- Paraziquantelloma;
- Medamine;
- Mebendazole;
- Pirantel.
The procedure for getting rid of worms is supplemented with agents that relieve intoxication (sorbents), anti-allergy drugs and vitamins.
Preventive measures
Considering that worms are easily transmitted by infected animals or people, every effort should be made to prevent their occurrence.To do this, you must strictly adhere to hygiene.An important factor in protecting against worms is the proper preparation of the products from 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 show 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 photos of the eggs of some worms, taken through a powerful microscope when examining feces or other biomaterial.