Today, a disease such as giardiasis is very common . Its cause is parasites (giardia), which affect the human liver and small intestine . Most clearly, the disease does not occur in adults, but in children. To be sure of the absence of parasites, it is best to diagnose your own condition several times a year. The fact is that in adulthood, symptoms of lamblia may not occur.
Infection
The main source of the disease can be a sick person. Among other things, lamblia live in the body of pets. There is the possibility of infection in open water, or even drinking water from the water supply. Despite the fact that spring water has a very low temperature, parasites also live in it.
There are enough ingestion of 10-15 cysts of Giardia, the symptoms will not take long. Most often they become infected through the use of water and food. Parasite cysts on vegetables, herbs, in dairy dishes are perfectly preserved. Giardia is transmitted and sexually.
In just a few minutes, you can easily become infected with parasites. This contributes to:
- unwashed hands before eating;
- the use of unwashed fruits and vegetables;
- tap water;
- swallowing water while swimming in ponds;
- bad habits (taking toys in the mouth or biting nails).
Giardiasis: symptoms, treatment
The main manifestations of the disease may look like this:
- a significant decrease in appetite;
- bloating in some cases;
- rumbling constantly occurs in the intestines;
- the chair is very unstable. Constipation may occur or look fluid;
- pains appear in the abdomen (there are even severe ones);
- body weight decreases;
- swelling appears;
- pallor;
- worsening sleep patterns;
- frequent headaches;
- the appearance of ticks.
Depending on the place of parasitism and how lamblia behave, some symptoms may prevail. In this regard, several forms of the disease are distinguished.
The intestinal variant of the disease is expressed in problems with stool, abdominal pain, the occurrence of nausea, as well as weight loss and, consequently, developmental delay. The hepatobiliary form of the disease due to giardia symptoms manifests as follows:
- cholestasis;
- significant problems with the biliary tract.
Often this option can be combined with pancreatitis or gastritis.
There is another, astheno-neurotic form of the disease. First of all, there is a headache (sometimes very severe), excessive fatigue and incredible irritability. But the toxic-allergic variant of giardiasis is characterized by the appearance of urticaria and, in rare cases, even Quincke's edema.
Regardless of what symptoms appear in the presence of Giardia, you must immediately consult a doctor to prescribe a course of effective treatment. To destroy all parasites, it takes a long period of time.
In an adult, the number of parasites in the body can reach several million. In order to withdraw them, it is necessary to carry out not one, but several courses of antiparasitic therapy with appropriate drugs. Among other things, it is necessary to restore the microflora that reigns in the intestines. Detoxification is another very important event in the course of treatment.
In many ways, the effectiveness of getting rid of giardiasis depends on the patient himself. Indeed, first of all, therapy consists in following a strict diet that limits the amount of carbohydrate food in the diet.
Diagnostics
The cause of many diseases are lamblia. Symptoms, however, of this ailment are not always indicative. Therefore, to clarify the diagnosis, laboratory tests must be prescribed:
- examination of the duodenum using bioscopy. It is the most accurate source of information. True, this method is traumatic. In this regard, it is prescribed only in case of obvious signs of the presence of giardia.
- A coprological analysis of feces involves examining the presence of cysts.
- Immune Analysis It is used very rarely, but allows you to show the presence of antigen to Giardia.
Prevention
The desire to be healthy and not get infected with giardiasis exposes people to adhere to the basic rules of a healthy lifestyle and hygiene. It is necessary to keep your body and home clean. Be sure to follow the correct drinking regimen. But pets should be anthelmintic at least a couple of times a year.