In medicine, the term "schistosomiasis" is used to describe the condition of people infected with worms from the genus Schistosoma. You can also find another name for this pathology - bilharziosis or Manson's disease. These parasites really pose a danger to human health. Lack of timely treatment can even result in death. In this article, we will describe in more detail the main ways of infection and the forms of such a pathological condition as schistosomiasis.
Description of the disease
Symptoms of this ailment begin with the development of dermatitis. Fever and severe intoxication of the whole organism subsequently join him. The clinical picture with this disease is due to the development of an immunoallergic reaction to parasite eggs.
Schistosomiasis is a chronic disease that causes damage to the digestive tract, as well as to the organs of the genitourinary system. This disease is most prevalent in countries with a tropical climate and low living standards, where people do not have constant access to clean drinking water. According to reports, at present, more than two hundred million people on the planet are already infected. In the Russian Federation, these figures are significantly lower. Basically, the diagnosis is confirmed in travelers who have recently returned from a vacation from hot countries. On the African continent, more than two hundred thousand people die every year from a diagnosis of schistosomiasis. Symptoms, treatment and prevention of this disease today attract the attention of specialists from around the world.
What triggers the development of the disease?
The causative agents of this disease are the so-called trematodes (flukes of the genus Schistosoma). Direct infection by their larvae, as a rule, occurs when swimming in fresh water or when drinking contaminated water. Eggs of parasites penetrate the environment along with urine or feces of sick people and animals. Then, within five days, the eggs develop and begin to invade the mollusks. When the causative agents of the disease grow up a little, they leave the body of the mollusk and, being in the aquatic environment, penetrate the human body. Here they reach their puberty, lay eggs in the internal organs. Based on the location of the larvae, intestinal, genitourinary and gastrointestinal schistosomiasis are isolated. Symptoms of each form vary.
Intestinal schistosomiasis
Infection occurs while swimming in a pond or otherwise in contact with contaminated water. After the penetration of parasites into the skin, they begin to migrate through the blood and lymph vessels. On the seventh day of stay in the body, trematodes enter the heart and lungs, and then into the liver. Then the helminths penetrate the so-called mesenteric venules, where they continue to ripen for 40 days. At the end of this time, the female begins to actively lay eggs. Per day, their number increases to 300 pieces. 50 days after invasion, the feces of an infected person can reveal signs of trematodes. Mature forms of parasites can live in the human body for up to 30 years.
How does intestinal schistosomiasis manifest? Symptoms of this form of the disease begin with severe fever, dermatitis, and hives with itching. During direct laying of eggs, a person may show signs of intoxication (headache, fever, muscle weakness).
Genitourinary schistosomiasis
Infections of the parasitic type, which include this disease, require special attention. The main localization of the causative agents of the urogenital form of the disease is the area of the venous plexus of the small pelvis. Mature females lay their eggs in the veins of the fallopian tubes, bladder, ureters and spermatic cord.
The main symptom of this form of the disease is hematuria, that is, the presence of blood impurities in the urine. In especially serious cases, patients are diagnosed with bladder fibrosis. The lack of timely therapy often entails the development of oncology. In the fair sex, the disease affects mainly the genitals, which is expressed in the form of erosion, compaction and vaginal bleeding. In men, pathology very often causes infertility.
Gastrointestinal schistosomiasis
You can find other names for this pathology: Katayama disease, Japanese schistosomiasis. Symptoms of this form of the disease are similar to the intestinal variant of the disease, but in this case, the female parasites lay 10 times more eggs. Damage to the tissues of the stomach and intestines provoke the appearance of fibrosis of varying severity.
The fulminant stage of the disease is especially dangerous when the likelihood of a fatal outcome increases. The following symptoms are characteristic of it: fever, severe allergy symptoms, hypereosinophilia.
In the chronic stage, there is a violation of the normal activity of the gastrointestinal tract, acute pain in the abdomen, diarrhea with blood, and liver enlargement. About five years after infection, a rather serious disease called cirrhosis develops.
Establishing diagnosis
First of all, doctors are concerned about what signs are accompanied by schistosomiasis (symptoms). Treatment is prescribed only after a detailed examination. The main indicator for confirming this disease is the presence of helminth eggs in the feces. This situation is observed only during oviposition or with a high intensity of invasion.
A blood test is also prescribed to patients, since in the case of the development of this pathology anemia is possible.
How to confirm urogenital schistosomiasis? Symptoms of this form of the disease are the main indicator of the presence of parasites in the body. Allergic reactions, hematuria, pain discomfort - all these signs indicate the presence of an ailment. Based on the data of x-ray and cystoscopy of the genitourinary system, the doctor makes a final diagnosis. Additionally, a biopsy of the bladder itself can be prescribed.
Essential therapy
How can I overcome schistosomiasis? Symptoms and treatment of each form may vary. However, today the only drug called Praziquantel is used to treat this disease. This is a modern antiparasitic drug that is used to treat all forms of this pathology. The drug is prescribed once (30 mg per 1 kg of patient weight).
When an allergic reaction to helminth eggs appears, corticosteroids are prescribed. As for surgical treatment, they resort to its help in exceptional cases, for example, with stenosis of the ureter. It is this problem that patients who have been diagnosed with schistosomiasis very late have to face.
Symptoms, diagnosis, treatment - these are three components of a competent approach to combating this pathology. If primary signs appear, seek medical advice immediately. After a full examination, which includes taking tests, appropriate treatment may be prescribed. With this approach, the forecast is almost always favorable.
How to understand that treatment really helped?
In order to make sure that the therapy turned out to be effective (adult parasites in the body have died), at the end of the course of treatment, the doctor may recommend re- testing the feces and urine. In many patients, a duplicate test shows that the eggs continue to actively secrete, but the larvae themselves died. This situation is considered normal and may continue for several months.
On the other hand, if the analysis shows that live larvae are present in the eggs, a second course of treatment is recommended.
Preventative measures
WHO’s strategy to combat this disease is based primarily on the accounting and treatment of patients with this diagnosis, the use of anthelmintic drugs for people at risk, and purification of water for food and domestic needs. Specialists from all over the world today continue to actively combat this ailment.
As for personal preventive measures, when going on vacation to hot countries, do not forget about basic safety rules. It is not recommended to swim in dirty water, drink raw water. Thanks to such measures, you can significantly reduce the risk of contracting a disease such as schistosomiasis (bilharziosis). Symptoms of the disease (allergic reaction, fever, itching throughout the body) should alert and become the reason for seeking qualified help. If the diagnosis is confirmed, you should immediately take tests and begin treatment.
Conclusion
Unfortunately, today more and more tourists and indigenous people of the African continent are diagnosed with Manson's schistosomiasis. The description, causes, symptoms and treatment methods of this pathology can be found by reading this article. This disease is characterized by the appearance of signs of general intoxication of the body, dermatitis and urticaria. The main reason for its occurrence is swimming in polluted waters. Parasites living in water are able to penetrate the human body and lay eggs in the organs. Depending on the chosen "place", experts distinguish three forms of this ailment. A modern approach to the treatment of the disease allows you to forget about such a problem forever. The main thing in this matter is to timely pass tests to confirm the diagnosis and clearly follow the doctor’s instructions. Be healthy!