The most common helminthiasis around the globe is ascariasis. To this disease, a rather high susceptibility is manifested. This is due to the fact that after ascariasis there is no pronounced immunity. Therefore, in highly epidemic regions, about 90% of children can be infected with it.
According to the World Health Organization, more than a billion people in the world have ascariasis. About 100 thousand die from this disease annually. The most favorable environment for the propagation of roundworms are countries with a temperate and warm climate, with a sufficient level of humidity that lasts all year round.
What is the danger of ascariasis in children and adults? Symptoms, treatment, prevention - we’ll talk about this now.
What is ascariasis
Ascaridosis is a type of helminthiosis, it is a nematode helminth disease, accompanied by the movement of worm larvae throughout the body, which ultimately settle and multiply in the intestines.
This invasion is rare in regions with a dry and cold climate. Infection occurs orally by swallowing invasive eggs. It can occur when, for example, contaminated berries, vegetables and other food products, water are consumed, as well as through hands. Most often, children are affected.
If the climate is temperate, then the infection season will last about 7 months, or rather, from April to October. In areas with warm and humid weather, it is a whole year.
A person whose intestines parasitize roundworms is a source of infection. In any case, treatment of ascariasis in adults, as well as in children, must be carried out as soon as possible.
Etiology
The causative agent of this disease is the roundworm of roundworm. It multiplies and lives in the human small intestine. The female grows up to about 40 cm, and the length of the male is about 25 cm. Outwardly, they are very similar to earthworms, but their color is different, whitish-yellow. The mechanism of spread of ascariasis is fecal-oral. Flies play a large role in the transmission of this disease, as they carry the larvae of the worms on their legs.
Pathogenesis
The development of the worm takes place in several stages. In this case, a person will be infected only after swallowing eggs. After they reach the human intestines, larvae begin to appear from them. They, in turn, enter the bloodstream, where they will subsequently feed on red blood cells and plasma and grow. Then they are transferred to the lungs, where they pass into the bronchi with phlegm, and then into the pharynx, and then they return to the intestines. There, the larvae become mature individuals. Roundworms can also enter the veins, liver, or heart, which can cause inflammatory infiltrates to form there.
Sexually mature Ascaris females lay approximately 200 thousand eggs in the small intestine daily. At the same time, toxic metabolic products that cause allergies and poison the body are constantly released from them. Together with feces, ascaris eggs enter the soil. From there - through unwashed food, contaminated household items and hands - again into the human body.
The entire period from infection to the excretion of feces with new roundworm eggs takes about 3 months.
Symptoms
Before discussing the treatment of ascariasis in children and adults, it is necessary to understand how to determine it. The symptoms will help to do this. The first clinical signs of ascariasis begin to appear after 1-2 months.
Larvae begin to migrate through the body only 2 weeks after infection. Often this stage passes unnoticed by a person for the reason that at first the disease proceeds as bronchial asthma, pneumonia or allergy. Therefore, this stage is usually accompanied by shortness of breath, cough, weakness and a slight increase in temperature, the appearance of a rash on the skin that looks like urticaria, and pain behind the sternum. An increase in the spleen, lymph nodes, and liver is also common in patients.
In chronic ascariasis, the digestive tract is most affected. Vitamins and nutrients are less absorbed by the intestinal walls. All this is due to the rapid movement of food masses. Milk is absorbed worst of all, which may ultimately lead to its intolerance to the human body.
Blood pressure can drop significantly. Disorders from the nervous system are widespread: migraines, memory loss, fatigue, cramps, nightly fears, hysterical attacks, decreased intelligence. Therefore, treatment of ascariasis in adults must be done as soon as possible.
Diagnostics
Coprological examination is the main analysis for the presence of ascariasis. But at the same time, the eggs themselves in feces can be detected only in the intestinal stage of the disease. To make the most accurate diagnosis and prescribe a suitable treatment for ascariasis in adults, it is recommended to collect a fecal analysis several times over two to three weeks.
In the initial stages of the disease, larvae can be detected in sputum, with various kinds of surgical interventions, as well as in an X-ray image in the form of infiltrates. A general blood test most often shows an increased number of eosinophils and white blood cells.
Ascaridosis treatment regimen
Each person infected with ascariasis undergoes mandatory therapy. The treatment regimen for ascariasis in children involves complex therapy, so it is most often carried out in a hospital. In this case, a protein diet and symptomatic drugs (multivitamins, etc.) are prescribed to patients.
Treatment is carried out with anthelmintic drugs such as Albenazole and Mebendazole (prescribed for children over two years of age), Medamine, Levamisole, Pamoat and Pirantel.
Enzymatic preparations are prescribed (Mikrazim, Mezim, Pancreatin, etc.) in order to improve the digestive function of the intestine.
Antihistamines are also indicated (Zirtek, Tavegil, Diphenhydramine, etc.). They are prescribed in a short course at the same time as antiparasitic drugs in order to avoid the appearance of allergies in the destruction of helminth.
Probiotics (Bifiform, Linex, etc.) are used to correct the normal intestinal microflora.
This treatment regimen for ascariasis in adults is quite effective. If you adhere to the correct regime and recommendations, then soon the worms will be gone.
How effective was the treatment of ascariasis in adults, checked a month after its completion. Only if there are three negative results for the presence of worms in the feces, the patient can be removed from the dispensary. If the helminth eggs were again detected, a second course of treatment is prescribed.
Complications
If treatment of ascariasis in adults has not been successful enough or has not been taken on time, serious consequences can occur. The most common complication is bowel obstruction, which occurs as a result of the closure of the lumen with a ball of worms.
The entry of roundworm into the gallbladder or bile ducts can cause even greater problems. In this case, patients usually complain of severe pain, which is not even amenable to the action of strong analgesics. In the end, if the treatment regimen for ascariasis in adults is not changed, this can lead to the appearance of jaundice.
Ascaridosis and traditional medicine
Is it possible to get by with little blood and not go to specialists? The answer, of course, is unequivocal. No! The doctor will prescribe drugs and diet, as well as advise and tell in detail about the treatment of ascariasis with alternative methods. Only in this way can you completely protect yourself from the dire consequences of self-medication.
Here are some recipes that traditional medicine suggests using in the fight against worms:
1. Garlic copes with roundworms. It should be taken up to two times a day: it irritates the helminths, and they tend to get out. The garlic odor also does a good job of this. The clove can simply be cut and put next to it.
2. Onion infusions are also effective. To do this, you need to take one small onion, place it in a bowl and fill it with water only to half. Fill the remaining space with alcohol. Then cover the container with a lid and insist for 10 days, then use 2 tbsp. l preferably before meals. The course of treatment lasts 1 week.
3. In the fight against ascariasis in children, herbal infusions are very effective. For cooking, you need to take 2 tbsp. l leaves of walnuts, pour them with 0.5 liters of boiling water. Insist for 2 hours and give the child at a time when he sits down to eat.
All of the above methods are a kind of home treatment for ascariasis in adults. Reviews of these recipes in most cases indicate, of course, visible and tangible improvements in well-being. However, as statistics show, they are effective only with consultation and supervision by a specialist. Remember, therapy should be comprehensive!
Prevention
It is not enough to know everything about ascariasis and its treatment to avoid infection. For complete safety, the recommended preventive measures, such as:
- Careful observance of the rules of personal hygiene: be sure to wash your hands before eating, eat only well-washed fruits, vegetables and herbs, etc.
- It is necessary to refuse to drink raw water.
- Break the habit of constantly biting your nails or licking your fingers.
- Playgrounds should preferably be placed in more sunny places, since roundworms die under the influence of hot rays.
- Be sure to monitor the cleanliness of the yards and prevent their contamination with animal feces. Soil should be fertilized only with composted feces.
Better to prevent a disease than to cure it. These few tips will help you avoid getting infected with ascariasis.