The causative agent of opisthorchiasis is helminths (hepatic trematodes) that affect the liver and pancreas. According to statistics, the number of infected around the world is approximately 21 million people, with two-thirds of all patients suffering from opisthorchiasis live in the Russian Federation. The most pressing issue of carriage of helminths is in the Dnieper and in the Siberian region (in Western and Eastern Siberia).
Symptoms
Symptoms of opisthorchiasis in adults are characterized by pronounced antitoxic and allergic reactions of the body to the resulting source of intoxication (the parasite that has got into the body and the results of its vital activity). The acute form of opisthorchiasis is manifested by the following symptoms and signs:
- The appearance of allergic reactions, namely skin rashes, urticaria, localized on the arms, legs, face and accompanied by itching, psoriasis.
- Disorders of the functioning of the organs of the gastrointestinal tract, including impaired appetite, reflux, excessive gas formation, pain in the abdomen, nausea, which leads to vomiting.
- Symptoms of opisthorchiasis in adults with general malaise: disturbance of the rhythm of sleep, rapid unreasonable fatigue, weakness, muscle aches and pains, disturbance of the psychoemotional background.
- When probing the area of the liver, pancreas and spleen, you can feel their increase. In addition, enlarged lymph nodes.
- If the respiratory system is affected, then there is a cough, shortness of breath on exertion, a feeling of suffocation in a calm state. In the event that the appropriate drug therapy was not received on time, opisthorchiasis can become chronic.
Drug treatment
Treatment of opisthorchiasis in humans must begin with the preparatory phase. Its essence is to reduce the inflammatory process in the intestines and stomach, eliminating allergic reactions. At this stage of treatment, the specialist prescribes the following medications:
- allergy medications;
- intravenous administration of glucose or saline;
- choleretic drugs;
- broad-spectrum antibiotics.
Your doctor may prescribe additional medications.
From pain
If pain is present, it is necessary to take antispasmodic tablets from opisthorchiasis, such as No-shpa, Baralgin, Buskopan. To improve the functioning of the gastric system, you can take "Creon", "Motilium", "Penzital."
Depending on the duration of the disease, the presence or absence of complications, the severity of symptoms, the duration of the preparatory phase may be different. Usually enough for 2 weeks of taking tablets from opisthorchiasis. In the presence of other concomitant serious illnesses, the period is extended to 3 weeks.
Allergic reactions
During the main treatment of opisthorchiasis, the main goal is to eliminate allergic reactions that arose against the background of pathologies. For this, the specialist prescribes the following medications for opisthorchiasis to the patient:
- antihistamines ("Tavegil", "Suprastin");
- valerian;
- bromine;
- calcium chloride.
Anti-inflammatory
To increase the effectiveness of treatment, you can take anti-inflammatory drugs for opisthorchiasis, such as Ascorutin. The most popular drugs for the treatment of opisthorchiasis are Praziquantel, Albendazole, Chloxil.
Praxiquantel is considered one of the most effective medications for controlling parasites. The drug contains a substance that helps the active components to easily penetrate the body of the worm, causing its paralysis and subsequent death.
Most often, treatment takes only one day, but the course can be increased by a doctor. The daily rate of the drug should not exceed 75 mg. Take tablets 3 times a day with an interval of 4-6 hours. Take the medication carefully, as it can cause serious side effects.
"Albendazole" is another drug that can cure opisthorchiasis at home. It negatively affects the digestive system of the parasite, which leads to its death. In this case, the treatment course is 3 days. Take the medicine twice a day at 400 mg. You can take "Albendazole" from 2 years.
Chloxyl also helps to quickly get rid of parasites, disrupting their carbon metabolism. The calculation of the duration of the course is determined by the doctor. It can last two, three and even five days. Usually, the dosage is calculated based on the weight of the patient, 0.3 mg of the drug per 1 kg.
Hepatoprotectors
The last stage of drug treatment is recovery. At this stage, you will need to take hepatoprotective drugs daily. The patient may be prescribed medications that restore the functioning of the liver and other organs ("Darsil", "Karsil", "Silegon"). Additionally, the patient takes antispasmodic and choleretic drugs ("Hofitol", "Allohol"). It will not be superfluous to take medications that have a general strengthening and anti-inflammatory effect, drugs that normalize the functioning of the biliary system.
Alternative treatment
Opisthorchiasis is easily treatable with folk remedies if the patient does not have severe concomitant diseases. Treatment methods can be combined to find out which component helps a person better.
At the moment, folk remedies for opisthorchiasis are allocated such:
- diet and proper nutrition;
- pumpkin seeds;
- Birch tar;
- black walnut;
- aspen bark;
- cloves;
- garlic;
- some other medicinal herbs.
Tar
For those who do not know how to cure opisthorchiasis at home, this method will help. Tar treatment lasts 9 days. You need to add a few drops of tar to the milk and drink the drink about an hour before eating. The number of drops should be gradually increased and decreased. On the first day, only 2 drops are enough. On each subsequent day, this amount increases by 2 times. On the fifth day, the maximum amount of tar (10 drops) is added. Then the daily dosage of tar is reduced by 2 drops. Starting from the tenth day, the patient takes a break of 3 weeks, repeats the course of treatment two more times, not forgetting the breaks.
Aspen
Aspen bark gives a good result, this is one of the methods that allows you to cure opisthorchiasis at home. Its extract can be bought at the pharmacy, but it is better to prepare the medicine yourself:
- bark is collected in the forest;
- it is cut and ground in a combine;
- bark is placed in a thermos (20 g plants per 400 ml of water), pour boiling water and insist the whole night.
In the morning you need to strain the medicinal drink. It is consumed at least 2 times a day half an hour before a meal. It is advisable that the course of treatment lasts 3 weeks.
Herbs
As an additional treatment, you can use various herbs that will positively affect the dynamics of recovery. For example, 8-10 g of St. John's wort is poured with a glass of boiling water and insisted for half an hour. The resulting infusion is cleaned with gauze, it is taken 5 times a day for 1 tbsp. l
Dandelion
A good medicine is tincture of dandelions. For its preparation, dandelions are finely chopped. It will take only 1 tbsp. l such plant material, which is poured with a glass of boiling water and insisted for 1-2 hours. A more original recipe is also known. At home, you can make coffee from dandelions. The plant is fried in a pan, and then ground into powder. A similar drink should be consumed at least 2 times a day.
Pumpkin seeds
In the fight against opisthorchiasis, pumpkin seeds are often used. They must be thoroughly ground beforehand. Then, egg yolk and a spoonful of honey are added to the resulting slurry, everything is mixed. The medicine is taken in the morning and only on an empty stomach, about 30 minutes before a meal. After that, it is recommended to lie down in bed for 1-2 hours, putting a heating pad on your stomach. A similar procedure should be repeated for 10 days, followed by a break of one week. The treatment course should be repeated two times.
Garlic
Throughout the treatment, garlic, which is known for its antibacterial properties, should be included in the diet. In addition, it perfectly helps fight parasites. It is best to use it with cloves. The garlic is crushed, added to milk and put on fire, then cloves are added to the container with boiling milk. The drink is kept on fire for about a minute, cooled and taken on the bottom glass before meals 2-3 times a week. The course of treatment is 7-10 days.
Diet
In the case of opisthorchiasis, the achievement of a stable therapeutic result is impossible without strict adherence to a special diet, which is often referred to as "Table No. 5", it is designed to normalize metabolic processes in the body. When opisthorchiasis should take into account some features of the organization of nutrition, which contribute to the effectiveness of treatment, namely:
- a meal is divided (crushed) into small portions that are consumed at intervals of two hours;
- heavy drinking;
- cooking methods should be limited to baking, boiling, steaming;
- It is not recommended to eat hot or cold food, it should be warm;
- meat dishes should have a ground structure so as not to overload the digestive tract.
How to cure opisthorchiasis at home with food?
Like any other, the diet divides foods into those that need to be consumed, and those that should be excluded from the diet. The list of foods that should not be consumed includes:
- Smoked and spicy dishes.
- Illegal drinks include any kind of alcohol, grape and citrus juices, carbonated drinks, coffee drinks, green and black teas, hibiscus.
- Fiber-rich foods (greens, raw vegetables) and foods that promote increased secretion of gastric juice are not recommended.
- The use of bread from the highest grades of wheat, freshly baked bread should be limited.
- Sweets should also be limited, as well as dairy products with high fat content.
- Fatty meats and offal are excluded.
- Legumes, nuts, pickled foods are not recommended.
Products that are indicated in the diet for opisthorchiasis include:
- pumpkin seeds go well with drug therapy;
- probiotics that normalize the microflora in the intestines;
- lean meat, fish (except river and red sea);
- vegetable or chicken broths;
- fruits that do not cause increased acid production in the stomach (banana, watermelon, dried fruits).
Nutrition correction is a quick way to recovery and restoration of the body.