In the human body, various types of helminths can parasitize. Some of them are not particularly dangerous. Others are a serious threat to health and sometimes life. Symptoms of worms in humans can be different. At the slightest suspicion of helminthiasis, you should consult a doctor.
What harm do parasites cause to the body?
Often helminthiases occur without pronounced manifestations. However, worms secrete toxic substances that harm the human body. He also suffers from mechanical damage to various organs and tissues in those places where helminths parasitize. In cases of larval migration, the natural movement of blood and lymph may be impaired, and obstruction of the bronchi or intestines may develop. For example, roundworms and whipworms can cause allergic rashes. The causative agents of trichocephalosis sharply reduce the percentage of hydrochloric acid in the composition of gastric juice. Because of this, its antiseptic properties are significantly reduced, the digestive process is disrupted, a predisposition to poisoning appears, which is very similar to food. Especially helminthiases are dangerous for children.
Worms in the body of a child can cause impaired physical and mental development, stunted growth and puberty. They can also trigger the development of anemia, impaired memory and overall well-being. In addition, helminth infections reduce the level of immunity.
Worms and Cancer
According to many experts, more than 40 types of parasites can cause cancer. As early as the beginning of the 20th century, it was noticed that schistosomes provoke the occurrence of cancerous tumors of the liver and bladder. There is evidence of the development of cancer with echinococcosis. For some helminths, the proliferation of host tissues is a prerequisite for their parasitism. Many researchers see the similarity of biochemical processes that occur in endoparasites and in malignant tumors.
The main symptoms of worms in humans
The main symptoms of helminthiases include: coughing, nighttime sleep disturbance (screaming, moaning, throwing, nightmares, frequent waking up, crying, insomnia), fever, skin rash, short stomach pain, loss of body weight, loss of appetite or seizures " wolf "hunger, nausea, vomiting, a sense coil in the throat, flatulence, constant rumbling in the stomach, belching, hiccups, bad breath, excessive salivation and teeth grinding at night, intermittent emptying, a tendency to constipation, itching and redness of the skin wok HS anus. Another indirect symptom of worms is the appearance of mucus and blood in the stool. With helminthiases, a decrease in immunity can be observed. Symptoms of worms in humans are various. Only a doctor can make a correct diagnosis. Symptoms of worms in children are usually the same as in adults.
Diagnosis of helminthiases
First of all, to detect the presence of worms, an analysis of feces for their eggs is given. However, not all types of helminthiases can be diagnosed in this way. Worm eggs in feces are not found in certain types of diseases. In such cases, more complex analyzes may be needed. For example, serological blood tests for the presence of antigens to a specific type of helminth. The diagnosis itself is made when parasites or their markers are detected in the body. And they are detected only in laboratory tests of blood, sputum, feces, etc. None of the symptoms of worms is as reliable as the results of laboratory tests. With self-diagnosis, there are sometimes curious cases. When eating bananas in the feces, dark threads sometimes appear. Many people believe that these are black worms in the feces, and they sound the alarm.
Helminthiasis treatment
Helminthiasis is treated persistently, patiently and for a long time. Sometimes you may need several courses of treatment. Especially if a person has been infected with several types of helminths. For the treatment of helminthic diseases, there are specific medications that are prescribed by a doctor, and proven folk remedies. The selection of drugs and the treatment regimen depend on the type and severity of helminthiasis. For treatment, drugs such as Albendazole, Pirantel, Carbendacim, Mebendazole, piperazine and others are used. With helminthic diseases, general strengthening drugs, antioxidants, probiotics are also prescribed, desensitizing therapy is carried out. If symptoms of worms are observed in humans, but the type of helminthiasis is not yet clear, universal folk remedies can be used for treatment. It is recommended to eat carrots as much as possible, drink carrot juice. Helps with helminthiasis infusion of birch buds.
Take 1 tsp. kidneys, pour a glass of water, boil in a water bath for about 30 minutes and insist 2 hours. Take the infusion for one week, 1/2 cup twice a day. It is also recommended to drink 200 g of ripe melon juice on an empty stomach. Many people are interested in which drug for the prevention of worms is best suited? Only a specialist can answer this question correctly. Independently, you can use folk anthelmintic drugs. Most of them are relatively safe for the body.
Prevention of worms in humans
Soap and water are our first friends. You can protect yourself from infection with eggs or helminth larvae by adhering to basic hygiene rules. You should wash your hands with soap before every meal, after going to the toilet, talking with animals, gardening, playing in the playground.
Clean home. In the kitchen: thoroughly wash dishes, knives and boards (they must be separate for vegetables, fish, meat and bread). It is imperative to pour vegetables, fruits, which are planned to be consumed raw, in boiling water. Fish and meat need to be very thermally processed. Very important is a complete diet, which will fully provide the body with all the necessary substances, especially vitamins C, D and A. The rooms should be regularly cleaned wet. It should be understood that pets can be a source of infection, especially if the family has small children.
Safety system. An increase in general immunity is of positive importance. A high level of immune response reduces the likelihood of invasion, prevents the migration of helminths throughout the body, and shortens their lifespan. If the human immune system is strong, then coping with parasites is much easier. To strengthen immunity, tinctures of Eleutherococcus, ginseng, Rhodiola rosea, Schisandra chinensis are taken; use garlic, onions, horseradish. Once every six months, you need to check for the presence of helminths, take preventive courses under the guidance of a doctor, taking medications with a wide spectrum of action. Which drug for the prevention of worms is better, again only a doctor will determine.
Pork tapeworm
In the intestines of pigs from the egg appears a larva, which is called the oncosphere. It is a ball, consisting of a huge number of cells, which is equipped with six chitin hooks. Actively working with them, the larvae penetrate the blood, and then it is carried by it into the muscles and internal organs. There they turn into larval blisters - cysticerci (Finns).
You can notice small pits on them, inside of which are undeveloped suction cups and hooks. This is the future head of the worm (scolex), pulled inward. In the human intestines, the head goes out. Suction cups and hooks she firmly clings to the walls, and the tapeworm begins to grow new segments. It happens that more than one such parasite lives in the human body. There is a known fact when, during the course of treatment, 104 chainhead heads and a huge number of segments (total length - 128 m) moved away from the patient.
An adult copy of this tapeworm has a white body and a ribbon-like shape. Sizes: from 1.5 to 6 meters. This parasite is much easier to get rid of than bovine tapeworm, but it is much more dangerous because it can parasitize not only in the human intestine.
Finns of this worm can develop in the brain, liver and even in the eyeballs. Such cases are almost incurable and often end in the death of the patient. How to determine whether worms of this type are present in the body? The main manifestations of the disease: diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite. However, the basis for the diagnosis is an analysis of worms.
Bull tapeworm
Bull tapeworm is larger than pork tapeworm. In length, it reaches 10 m and is considered the largest tapeworm that lives in the human body. This parasite is the cause of the disease teniarinhoz. By structure, the bull tapeworm is similar to pork, but there are no hooks on its head. In the arsenal of the worm there are only suction cups. Each segment can multiply. It has a length of 1.5-3 cm and a width of 5-7 mm. Sexually mature segments are able to independently crawl out of the anus of the owner, move through his body and underwear. The life cycle of a bovine tapeworm is similar to the pork cycle, however, the eggs of this parasite cannot develop in the human body. Therefore, the final stage of infection with the bovine tapeworm is absent. Unlike a swine parasite, bovine does not cause such a dangerous complication as cysticercosis. If you do not get rid of it, the helminth can live in the human body for more than 18 years, producing up to 600 million eggs a year, and 11 billion over the full life cycle. How to get rid of tape worms, the doctor makes a decision after diagnosing the disease. Infection with bovine tapeworm is usually manifested by stomach upsets, unstable stools, allergic reactions, abdominal pains, and disorders of the nervous system. Prevention of worms in humans involves the use of thoroughly roasted or boiled meat.
Wide tape
Lovers of sushi and raw fish in general can become infected with tapeworm - a wide ribbon. The disease that causes this parasite is called diphyllobothriasis. Worm in the small intestine can parasitize up to 28 years. It is the largest of the human parasites. In length, it can reach 10, and often 20 meters. With insufficient heat treatment of fish products or the use of frozen stroganina, as well as insufficiently salted caviar, infection with this type of helminth can occur. The ultimate owner of the lentets is man. In the intestines, sexually mature larvae attach to the walls and eventually turn into adult individuals. Symptoms of worms in humans are manifested in the form of anemia (due to a lack of vitamin B12) and general intoxication. The accumulation of dozens of helminths can provoke intestinal obstruction, which often has to be removed promptly. As a rule, the prevention of diphyllobothriasis is a thorough thermal treatment of freshwater fish. Complete destruction of this parasite in nature is not yet possible.
Echinococcus
Echinococcus is a worm that parasitizes in the human body only in the Finnish stage. The intermediate hosts of this helminth are animals. Echinococcus worm is the cause of echinococcosis. Helminths can live in any internal organ - the lungs, brain, and tubular bones, but worms in the liver most often parasitize. The symptoms of echinococcosis in the early stages are not easy to recognize, because helminths may not manifest themselves for a long time.
Echinococcus is a small worm (up to 0.5 cm). Its posterior segment is the largest. It makes up more than half the body of the parasite. Separating, he can move independently.
Finn echinococcus has the form of a bubble. At this stage, the worm parasitizes in cattle, dogs and rabbits.
Adult segments of echinococcus can leave the dog's body. They cause itching in the perianal zone. The animal’s coat is intensely contaminated with parasite eggs. These are the main symptoms of worms in dogs. People can become infected with echinococcus by contact with them. Mature segments of parasites can crawl out of the body. On open soil, grass, they actively lay eggs. Ruminants swallow them along with plants. Then, in the intestines, eggs turn into oncospheres, which penetrate the bloodstream. In this way, they enter the lungs, liver, brain and other organs. There they are transformed into Finns, who have a rather complex structure.
Bubbles are surrounded by two protective shells - the internal germinal and external chitinous. Inside, they are filled with fluid, in which daughter bubbles may be present. In humans, the weight of the Finns can reach 1 kg. If daughter bubbles grow outward, then they eventually destroy the internal organ. Without surgery, a person can die. Finns can develop in the body for several years. When the bubble ruptures, the body is poisoned with a toxic liquid.
Roundworm
Ascaridosis is a very common disease. The parasites that cause it live in the intestines. The length of male helminths reaches 25 cm, and females - 40 cm. Ascaris have no attachment organs. They constantly move towards food and are thus retained in the human intestine. Females lay more than 200 thousand eggs every day, which enter the external environment with the feces of the host. Ascaris eggs are rather large, oval in shape, stable in the external environment. They are protected by 5 shells, which can only be destroyed by alcohol, ether, gasoline, boiling water and direct sunlight.
Unlike sexually mature individuals, the larvae require oxygen. They enter the human body with herbs, fruits and vegetables. In the intestines, the membrane dissolves. Through the walls of the intestine, the larvae enter the bloodstream, which carries them throughout the body. They penetrate the liver, atria and ventricles of the heart, into the pulmonary alveoli. Holes in the capillary walls are also made, and then roundworm worms are introduced into the bronchi and trachea. Symptoms in this case are cough and sputum discharge. When coughing, the larvae can get into the throat, where they are swallowed by the host. In the small intestine, they reach maturity. This process takes about 75 days. A common phenomenon is the release of helminths with vomit. This always strongly affects not only the patient, but also those around him.
Helminths poison the body with toxic metabolic products. Symptoms of roundworm worms: intestinal pain, digestive disorders, decreased performance, loss of appetite, allergic reactions. In the lungs, larvae can cause hemorrhages and pneumonia. If a very large number of eggs is ingested, a fatal outcome is possible. In pregnant women, larvae can penetrate the placenta, and then penetrate the fetal body. If there are too many roundworms in the body, they can clog the intestines. In this case, surgery may be required. Prevention of ascariasis implies the observance of elementary rules of personal hygiene. You need to wash your hands very well before eating (especially after the street and contact with animals), as well as fruits and vegetables. Food should be protected from insects (flies, cockroaches, etc.).
Pinworms
These worms cause enterobiosis. It is very common and most often occurs in childhood. Pinworm is a small white worm. The length of females reaches 1 cm, and males - 5 mm. At the front end of the parasite's body is a swelling that surrounds the mouth opening. With it, worms stick to the walls. They feed on food found in the intestines and can swallow blood. These parasites live in the appendix and cecum. During operations with appendicitis, pinworm worms are often found. Symptoms of the disease are manifested as follows. Females crawl out of the anus and lay up to 13 thousand eggs on the skin of the perineum, thighs and buttocks. Because of this, itching begins. When combing the skin, the eggs fall on the hands of a person. The main symptom of enterobiasis is itching in the anus. Most often, it begins at night and in the evening. Doctors will tell you how to get rid of worms to a child. But, as a rule, twice taking Vermox type drugs with an interval of ten days is enough for this. .
Alveococcosis is not as common as echinococcosis, but the disease is almost like an oncological disease. First of all, the liver suffers, where the size of the nodes of the alveococcus can reach 15 cm in diameter. This disease is extremely difficult to detect in a timely manner. The diagnosis is made, as a rule, in the later stages, when even surgery can no longer help a person.
The structure of the dwarf tapeworm is similar to other tapeworms, but its size is much smaller. The length of the helminth does not exceed 2 cm. This parasite very often affects young children. The disease is asymptomatic, except in some cases.
Vlasoglav
This helminth takes 3rd place in terms of prevalence. Infection causes the disease trichocephalosis. Worms parasitize in the intestine: in the appendix, cecum, the first part of the colon. Helminths with the front ends of their bodies damage the walls and mucous membranes. They feed on blood. The eggs of the parasite in their shape resemble a lemon with corks at the poles. Females lay them directly in the intestines. With feces, they go outside. In the external environment, the development of larvae. The parasite has no intermediate hosts. Helminths enter the human body with unwashed fruits and vegetables, with raw water, through dirty hands. Whipworms can parasitize in the human body for up to 5 years. Single instances do not manifest themselves in any way. Mass infection can lead to disruption of the digestive system and loss of appetite. A person develops pain, often constipation and diarrhea occur. In the work of the nervous system, failures begin: convulsive seizures, dizziness. On the damaged walls of the intestine, a secondary infection often develops. These helminths often provoke appendicitis.
Liver fluke
Helminth is popularly called cat fluke, and biologists are called opisthorchis. The worm lives in organisms of fish, cats and humans. The results of his life are: inflammatory processes, blockage of the bile and hepatic ducts, allergic reactions. People and cats become infected with the parasite when they eat raw fish or are not thermally processed. The main risk group are lovers of sushi and stroganina.
Pulmonary fluke
The scientific name for this parasite is paragonimus. Its intermediate owners are crayfish. As a rule, they are cooked until they turn red. However, not everyone knows that redness is not an indication that all bacteria and worm larvae have died. Therefore, the crayfish need to be boiled more carefully. When ingested, the larvae penetrate the lungs, where they develop in adults. Infectious people suffer from cough with profuse sputum production. It is often stained with blood. The mucus contains worm eggs. In children, this parasite can lead to pleurisy. This helminth is especially common in the Far Eastern region.