According to statistics, more than a billion people in the world are infected with worms. This occurs regardless of the social status and age of the individual. Worms in the intestines parasitize for years and even decades, causing significant harm to he alth. Therefore, everyone should know the signs of their appearance and methods of struggle.
Types of intestinal parasites
Worms are a large detachment of parasitic worms that live off a living organism. There are over a hundred varieties, with ten of them being the most common. Below is a list of what worms live in the human intestine:
- Pinworms are the most common inhabitants of children under the age of fourteen. Small parasites whitish in color and about a centimeter long inhabit the small, caecum and colon. To lay eggs, they crawl out through the anus. A child, combing the folds of the anus, is re-infected with helminths through dirty hands.
- Ascaris - have a spindle shape and reach a length of up to forty centimeters. Mainhabitat - the small intestine, but with the bloodstream enter the heart, lungs, liver and brain. They feed on blood, which eventually leads to anemia.
- Giardia is the habitat of this type of worms: intestines, gallbladder and liver. They break down the cell walls of the small intestine. A disease with untimely treatment leads to intoxication and damage to the nervous system.
- Trichinella - sexually mature individuals reach sizes up to 4 mm and settle in the small intestine. Only larvae enter the muscle tissues, gradually destroying them. Infection occurs through poorly processed meat products.
- Vlasoglav - a round fluke worm parasitizes in the caecum, its size reaches up to five centimeters. Infection occurs through dirty food and unwashed hands. With a long stay of this type of worms in the intestines, its walls are covered with cysts and polyps, anemia is possible.
- The main cause of infection is the consumption of poorly processed fish products. The parasite attaches itself to the walls of the small intestine, causing damage, atrophy, and obstruction. It can reach ten meters in length and live in the human body for up to 25 years.
- Hookworms are parasitic worms up to one and a half centimeters long. An individual becomes infected with them by working with the earth through a damaged skin surface. With the bloodstream enter the intestines, lungs and heart, causing intoxication.
- Toxocara - worms live in the stomach, large intestine,bronchi, eyes and even in the brain. Cause significant harm to the body.
- Beef and pork tapeworm - parasitize in the digestive organs up to twenty years, reach ten meters in length. They destroy the intestinal wall, remaining unnoticed for a long time.
- Echinococcus and alveococcus - infection is carried out through dirty hands and water. From the intestines, parasites enter the liver with the bloodstream, causing tissue damage and the formation of cysts.
Ascaris eggs remain in the ground for up to five years.
All worms feed at the expense of a person, taking away valuable nutrients from him.
Intestinal parasite habitats
All helminths, depending on their location, are divided into two classes:
- Translucent - they most often live in the small and large intestines, occupying their different departments. For example, tapeworm, hookworms, roundworms and pinworms are mainly located in the small intestine, while whipworms occupy the large intestine.
- Tissue - settled in muscles, tissues and organs. They can appear in the liver, lungs, heart, brain, eyes, blood vessels.
Some worms fall into both classes. For example, roundworms can live in the intestines and infect any organ in the human body.
Clinical picture
People infected with worms tend to be emaciated, pale-skinned and prone to weight loss. Often, helminthiasis causes symptoms in a person that resemble a variety of ailments, depending on their location. Consider the main signs of worms in the intestines:
- Frequent diarrhea or systematic constipation, constantnausea and periodic vomiting, pain in the abdomen: near the navel and in the right side under the ribs, bloating and flatulence. With a large accumulation of parasites, intestinal obstruction is possible.
- Persistent mood swings, apathy, irritability, dizziness and migraine-like headaches, sleep disturbance, frequent insomnia, chronic fatigue.
- Dry or mucus-producing cough, shortness of breath. Asthma attacks and manifestations of pneumonia may occur.
- Worms in the human intestine, actively eating, destroy a large amount of valuable nutrients. As a result, a person develops vitamin deficiency, anemia, and immunity decreases.
- Migrating into the muscles and joint fluid, helminths, in the place of their localization, cause pain, which is easily confused with the pain of arthritis.
- Fast weight loss or vice versa, obesity with a normal diet.
- Worms in the gut cause hives, eczema, dermatitis, pigmentation and cracking of the skin.
All symptoms with the appearance of helminths do not appear immediately. However, as they develop and multiply, he alth deteriorates, so if you suddenly feel unwell, you should consult a doctor.
Methods of infection
The ways of infection with helminths depend on their type. There are only three main ways that worm eggs enter the human body. These include:
- Pathogens that develop without the participation of an intermediate host. Eggs and larvae released from the body withfeces develop in the soil. Infection occurs through land and water.
- Contact - transmitted from person to person through dirty hands, clothes, various objects.
- Parasites that mature in living beings other than humans: domestic and wild animals, fish. Infection occurs through thermally poorly processed meat and fish products.
As you can see, the development of the worm takes place outside the human body, so the increase in their number occurs due to re-infection. Each type of parasite lives for a certain time after which it dies. If you follow the rules of hygiene, then, for example, you can get rid of pinworms in three to four weeks without any treatment.
How to remove parasites?
A whole range of measures is used for treatment. It all depends on the stage of infection and the type of worms. If parasites are detected at an early stage of development, then treatment is carried out with tablets from worms in the intestines, which are prescribed once. In advanced situations, therapy is longer.
When prescribing medicines, the doctor takes into account the individual characteristics of the patient: chronic diseases, intolerance to individual components of the drug. Pregnant and breastfeeding women, as well as those with weakened immune systems, require special attention. The effect of therapy depends on the correct dosage and compliance with the doctor's instructions. In very difficult cases and advanced helminthiasis, the intervention of surgeons is required. This happens when:
- necrosis and intestinal obstruction;
- brain atrophy;
- liver abscess;
- eye damage;
- rupture of the cyst.
The operation is performed only as a last resort, when there is no effect from conservative therapy.
Medications to get rid of parasites
How to remove worms from the intestines? This question is of interest to those who, during the examination, have revealed the presence of any parasites. To destroy them, drugs are used that act on the nervous system or the life process of worms. As a result of their impact, paralysis occurs in helminths or the feeding process is disturbed, as a result of which they die. Anthelmintic drugs according to the spectrum of action are divided into:
- Narrow - used to get rid of a certain type of worms. So, for the destruction of tapeworms in the intestine, Niclosamide is prescribed, and for the extraintestinal form, Albendazole.
- Wide - used for mixed helminthiases and make it possible to immediately get rid of various types of parasites. For example, the drug "Levamisole" contributes to the destruction of toxocara worms. The duration of therapy is from 7 to 20 days, depending on the location of the lesion. It also affects pinworms, ascaris, tapeworm, giardia, nematodes, cestodes, trematodes and many other species.
Depending on the situation, the doctor may use complex therapy, prescribing several drugs at the same time, or one broad-spectrum drug. Most of the medicines can only destroy adults, without affecting the larvae and eggs. Therefore, after 2-3 weeks, the course is repeated to completely cleanse the body. Most importantly, do not self-medicate. All drugs are toxic and should be prescribed by a doctor.
"Pirantel", suspension for a child. Instructions for use
Most often, children are exposed to helminthic invasions. Therefore, for their treatment it is very convenient to use the drug "Pirantel", produced in the form of a yellow suspension. This drug has a wide spectrum of action and is able to destroy several types of parasites.
It affects individuals of both sexes, except for larvae that are in the migratory stage. The drug in unchanged form is almost completely excreted from the body with feces and urine. It should not be given to children who are hypersensitive to it. Product details:
- Indications - "Pirantel" is used in the treatment of ascaris and pinworms, as well as mixed infestations by these parasites. For internal administration, a single dose is given after breakfast at the rate of 10 ml per kilogram of body weight. The course is repeated three weeks after the first dose to avoid self-infection.
- Side effects - sometimes there is nausea, vomiting, loose stools, pain in the stomach. Headache and dizziness, sleep disturbance, and weakness are possible. Very rarely hearing is impaired, skin rashes appear.
- Release form - suspension in a volume of 15 ml is in a dark-colored bottle, there is a measuring cap. Shelf life three years.
After completing the course of treatment, according toinstructions for use of the suspension "Pyrantel", the child is recommended to re-take a control analysis of feces for the detection of worm eggs.
How to use pumpkin seeds in the fight against intestinal parasites? Doctor Komarovsky's opinion
Pumpkin seeds have long been used to expel helminths. In addition, they have a general strengthening effect on the body and help support the immune system, due to the high content of trace elements and vitamins. They contain an amino acid called cucurbitin, which paralyzes parasites. As a result, they die and leave the body of the individual with feces. Most of the active substance is contained in the green film that envelops the core. Therefore, in many recipes, it is necessary to use pumpkin seeds from worms along with the peel. This tool has a wide spectrum of action, is useful and tasty. You can use the seeds in any form: raw, fried, dried, baked, with the addition of honey and sugar, in the form of tea or decoction. Recommended Recipe:
- You will need 300 g of dry beans with skin, which must be ground in a coffee grinder or blender.
- Dilute the resulting powder to the state of liquid sour cream with cold boiled water. Add honey to taste.
- Eat the resulting potion on an empty stomach for an hour.
After three hours, give an enema or drink a laxative to cleanse the intestines.
Dr. Komarovsky notes that one should not rely on the removal of helminths only by folk remedies, includingpumpkin seeds. Firstly, it is problematic to eat 300 g of even peeled dried seeds, and secondly, parasites are found not only in the gastrointestinal tract, but also in other organs and tissues, so the remedy will be useless. Therefore, the best way to get rid of worms is to go to the clinic and follow the advice of your doctor.
The use of garlic as a traditional medicine
There are always many supporters of natural treatment among the people. So worms are recommended to be removed using garlic. There are many recipes with its use. Highly recommended:
- grind five cloves of garlic;
- pour a glass of milk and boil for 10 minutes, let it brew;
- drink a third of a glass before bedtime or throughout the day.
The substance that acts on parasites is called allicin. It is formed in case of any violation of the integrity of the garlic clove (rubbing, chewing, cutting). But when heated, it collapses and it will no longer be in the finished drug. Therefore, the prepared medicine will not rid you of parasites. It is also recommended to do an enema with milk and garlic from worms, as follows:
- grind three cloves of garlic;
- pour a glass of milk, insist.
Before going to bed, after straining the solution, make an enema. The procedure is carried out daily for a week. The fact is that helminths practically do not live in the large intestine. Their main location is the small intestine and other organs, so the injected medicine will not reach the parasites. Children should not be torturedadults with daily useless procedures that may result in:
- mechanical injury of the anus;
- burn of the rectal mucosa;
- disbalance of beneficial and harmful bacteria.
Before using any traditional recipes, please consult your doctor first.
Key preventive measures
To prevent helminth infection, it is recommended:
- Maintain personal hygiene – wash your hands thoroughly after using the toilet and before eating. Children should be taught this habit from early childhood.
- Use only boiled water for drinking.
- Do not eat vegetables, fruits and herbs without first rinsing them with running water.
- Meat and fish products subjected to heat treatment.
- Don't work in the garden without rubber gloves.
- Timely do wet cleaning in the apartment, keep the bathroom and toilet clean.
- Iron underwear and bedding.
If you suspect an invasion, immediately consult a doctor, do not self-medicate.
Instead of a conclusion
Now you know how to clean the intestines from worms. The latest developments in the field of parasitology allow us to successfully deal with helminths. In most cases, it is enough to take one tablet, and the parasites will disappear. Moreover, modern drugs, adversely affecting the worms, cause minimal harm to the individual. Aftertreatment, a fecal analysis is required three times for the detection of helminth eggs. In this case, the result of the study is very accurate. If in doubt, a blood test is additionally prescribed. If the answer is positive, the treatment is repeated.
