Helminthiasis: symptoms in children and adults

Such a phenomenon as worms, unfortunately, is quite common, and not only in children, but also in adults and animals. There are situations when clinical tests do not detect the presence of these parasites in the body, but they still exist. In this case, people should know by what signs the disease can be recognized. The topic of our conversation today: helminthiasis, symptoms of this disease in humans and animals, as well as ways to combat it.

Common signs of illness in the mature generation

The disease that these insidious parasites cause can be masked by various ailments. Symptoms of helminthiasis in adults can be very diverse. But the most common symptoms are as follows:

1. Constipation. Helminthiasis, whose symptoms are expressed in obstruction of feces, is explained simply. Parasites due to their large size are able to close the intestinal passages of an adult, as a result of which there is difficulty in defecation.
2. Diarrhea. Worms can produce a substance that provokes frequent watery bowel movements.
3. Bloating and gas.
4. Irritability. Excrement of parasites very often affects the human nervous system. People become easily excitable, impatient, depression appears.
5. Bad dream. Helminthes at night often creep out of the human body through the anus, as a result of which the person feels a terrible itch, from which she wakes up.
   

Infrequent signs of the disease in adults

1. Pain in joints and muscles. Helminths can "travel" throughout the body. And if an adult begins to hurt muscles, then you should not blame the frantic pace of work. Since the cause of weakness may not be overload at all, namely the presence of parasites in fragile tissues.
2. Allergy. Worms, while in the human body, release harmful substances, which, in turn, can trigger the release of special cells called eosinophils by the body. And these structural units of living matter cause inflammation of the tissues, which leads to the development of various unpleasant reactions.
3. Problem skin can also be a clear sign of the presence of an ailment such as helminthiasis. Symptoms in this case are expressed in the following: acne, acne, hives, papillomas, breaking of nails, hair, cracks in the heels. If there are at least 2 of the above symptoms, you should immediately find out the possible cause and continue to undergo treatment.
4. Anemia. There are worms that attach to the walls of the intestine and suck out a large amount of blood from it, as a result of which hemoglobin decreases sharply.
5. Immunity undermining. Parasites can even violate the body's resistance, and a person often begins to get sick with viral diseases.
6. Airway inflammation. This happens as follows: helminths clog the respiratory ducts, and it becomes difficult for a person to breathe, he develops a cough and fever, and asthma may even develop.
7. Tumors Worms sometimes poison the body so much that the immune system cannot do anything about it. And, as a result, sometimes there are tumors (up to malignant) on various organs.

As you can see, the symptoms of helminthiasis in adults are multifaceted, and sometimes it is difficult to determine the source of the origin of a particular pathology. And if you do not consult a doctor in time for help, the consequences can be dire.

With adults, everything is clear. And how does helminthiasis manifest in babies? Symptoms in children resemble the manifestations of an ailment in adults. Next, let's talk about this in more detail.

Clear signs of parasites in children

In the small inhabitants of our planet, common types of worms are roundworms and pinworms, which provoke the occurrence of a disease called helminthiasis. Symptoms in children in this case are as follows:

• Restless sleep. The kids begin to spin, cry at night.
• Children grind their teeth in a dream.
• The toddler often scratches the anus.
• The child becomes irritable and frail.
• The baby may complain of pain in the abdomen.
• An alternation of constipation and diarrhea occurs.
• The child dramatically loses weight.
• The child’s appetite is impaired - then it completely disappears, then it increases sharply.

Infrequent signs of helminthiasis in children

The following symptoms of enterobiasis (infection of the body with roundworms and pinworms) in children are less common, but still they occur:

• The baby can feel sick and even vomit.
• Excessive and frequent salivation is observed.
• The appearance of halitosis.
• The baby suddenly has a frequent causeless cough.
• Change in basal temperature.
• The baby may complain of dizziness.
• The skin has an unhealthy appearance, often it is too pale.
• The child often has colds and viral diseases.

If any crumbs are present in your crumbs, you should immediately seek help at the hospital.

How to diagnose yourself?

Despite the fact that helminthiasis has various symptoms, it is sometimes very difficult to understand whether this is really enterobiosis in a child. Perhaps the tummy hurts for another reason, maybe the baby has problems with the stomach or other organs. Therefore, parents must first conduct the experiment themselves (of course, if the baby is feeling fine). If they have doubts about whether their child has pinworms or roundworms, they should offer the baby to lie on his back. Mom bends the legs of the child in the knees, while the baby should be asked to relax. Then, with warm hands, massage the tummy. If the child has worms, then the baby will feel discomfort.

Preparations against pinworms and roundworms for children and adults

Most often, doctors prescribe the following drugs for the treatment of helminthiasis:

• Pirantel tablets - they are prescribed for both children and pregnant women;
• medication "Vermox" - this tool paralyzes the nervous system of the worms, as a result of which they stop moving and die;
• tablets "Vormil", "Nemozo" - are used to treat both adults and children.

Therapy with these drugs is usually carried out in courses with a two-week break, so that you can finally get rid of parasites in case of re-infection. What dose is required to take a particular patient, determines only the doctor. That is, self-medication is unacceptable, only competent therapy will bring results.

Prevention

The effectiveness of the treatment of helminthiasis is significantly increased when performing hygienic procedures aimed at preventing re-infection. Such events include:

• washing hands after the street, toilet, contact with animals;
• washing the area around the anus twice a day;
• wearing clean cotton underwear;
• regular nail cutting in children;
• conducting daily wet cleaning in the apartment;
• eating only thoroughly washed vegetables and fruits.

Parasites in the body of pets

Symptoms of helminthiasis in humans are all defined, now is the time to find out what are the signs of this ailment in our pets. After all, animals living with us in the same apartment can also become infected with worms. Most often this comes from feeding the pet raw meat, fish, so it is important to identify and cure helminthiasis in cats in time. The symptoms of this ailment in our pets are obvious and are expressed in the following:

• at first, the animal’s appetite rises sharply, but against its background the cat does not gain weight, but, on the contrary, loses it;
• the pet's hair loses its luster, and the general condition worsens;
• the cat has an indigestion;
• white worms appear in the feces of the animal;
• the cat has miscarriages, premature birth begins.

Treatment of helminthiasis in animals

Before treating your pet, you must show it to the veterinarian. Only he will select the right drugs that will help to kill certain types of worms. The following medicines are most often used to treat helminthiasis in cats:

• special sugar cubes - they are given to the animal with food;
• tablets from worms "Pratel", "Envir", "Drontal", etc .;
• suspension "Prazitsid";
• special drops at the withers.

Today you learned about such an unpleasant disease as helminthiasis, symptoms and treatment of this ailment. We found out that there can be a lot of signs of the presence of worms in people , and therefore you need to carefully monitor your body. Well, in order not to get infected with these parasites again, you need to undergo adequate treatment and observe the rules of personal hygiene.