Various types of helminths can parasitize the human body. Some of them are not particularly dangerous. Others are a serious threat to he alth 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 do to the body
Often helminthiases occur without pronounced manifestations. However, worms emit 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 migration of larvae, the natural movement of blood and lymph may be disturbed, obstruction of the bronchi or intestines may develop. For example, roundworms and whipworms can cause an allergic rash. 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,digestive process, there is a predisposition to poisoning, which is very similar to food. Especially helminthiases are dangerous for children.
Worms in a child's body can cause disturbances in physical and mental development, growth retardation and puberty. They can also provoke the development of anemia, memory impairment and general well-being. In addition, helminthiases reduce the level of immunity.
Worms and cancer
According to many experts, more than 40 types of parasites can cause cancer. Back in the early 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 against the background of echinococcosis. For some helminths, the growth of host tissues is a prerequisite for their parasitism. Many researchers see similarities in the biochemical processes that occur in endoparasites and in malignant tumors.
The main symptoms of worms in humans
The main symptoms of helminthiases include: coughing, disruption of night sleep (screaming, moaning, tossing, nightmares, frequent awakenings, crying, insomnia), fever, skin rash, short stomach pains, weight loss, loss of appetite or bouts of "wolf" hunger, nausea, vomiting, sensation of a ball in the throat, flatulence, constant grumbling in the stomach, belching, hiccups, bad breath, salivation and grindingteeth at night, unstable emptying, tendency to constipation, itching and redness of the skin around the anus. Another indirect symptom of worms is the appearance of mucus and blood in the stool. With helminthiasis, a decrease in immunity can be observed. Symptoms of worms in humans are different. 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. Eggs of worms in the feces are not found in some types of diseases. In such cases, more complex analyzes may be needed. For example, serological blood tests for the presence of antigens to a certain type of helminth. The diagnosis itself is made when parasites or their markers are found in the body. And they are detected only in laboratory tests of blood, sputum, feces, etc. Not a single symptom of worms is as reliable as the results of laboratory tests. With self-diagnosis, sometimes there are funny cases. When eating bananas, dark threads sometimes appear in the feces. Many people believe that these are black worms in the stool, and sound the alarm.
Treatment of helminthiases
Helminthiases are treated persistently, patiently and for a long time. Sometimes multiple treatments may be needed. Especially if a person has been infected with several types of helminths. For the treatment of helminthic diseases, there are specificmedications 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, Karbendacim, Mebendazole, Piperazine and others are used. For helminthic diseases, fortifying drugs, antioxidants, probiotics are also prescribed, and 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 helminthiases infusion of birch buds.
Take 1 tsp. kidneys, pour a glass of water, boil in a water bath for about 30 minutes and leave for 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 larvae of helminths by adhering to the elementary rules of hygiene. Hands should be washed with soap and water before each meal, after going to the toilet, interacting with animals, gardening, playing in the playground.
Clean home. In the kitchen: thoroughly wash dishes, knives and planks (they should be separate for vegetables, fish, meat and bread). It is imperative to pour boiling water over vegetables, fruits that are planned to be consumed raw. Fish and meat need to be thermally processed very well. Good nutrition is very important, which will fully provide the body with all the necessary substances, especially vitamins C, D and A. Wet cleaning should be carried out regularly in the rooms. It should be understood that pets can be a source of infection, especially if the family has small children.
Security system. The increase in general immunity has a positive value. 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 it is much easier to cope with parasites. To strengthen the immune system, take tinctures of Eleutherococcus, ginseng, Rhodiola rosea, Schisandra chinensis; eat garlic, onion, horseradish. Once every six months, you need to be checked 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 the doctor will determine.
Pork tapeworm
In the intestines of pigs, a larva appears from the egg, which is called the oncosphere. It is a ball consisting of a huge number of cells, which is equipped with six chitinoushooks. Actively working with them, the larvae penetrate into the blood, and then they are transferred by it to the muscles and internal organs. There they turn into larval blisters - cysticerci (Finns).
You can notice small pits on them, inside of which undeveloped suckers and hooks are hidden. This is the future head of the worm (scolex), drawn inward. In the human intestine, the head comes out. With suction cups and hooks, it clings tightly to the walls, and the tapeworm begins to grow new segments. It happens that more than one such parasite lives in the human body. It is known that during the course of treatment, 104 tapeworm heads and a huge number of segments (total length - 128 m) departed from a patient.
The 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 practically 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 the analysis for worms.
Bull tapeworm
The bovine tapeworm is larger than the 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 bovine tapewormsimilar to pork, but there are no hooks on its head. In the arsenal of the worm, there are only suckers. Each segment can reproduce. 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 host's anus, move along his body and underwear. The life cycle of the bovine tapeworm is similar to that of the pig, however, the eggs of this parasite cannot develop in the human body. Therefore, the Finnose stage of infection with bovine tapeworm is absent. Unlike the pig parasite, the bovine one does not give 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, generating up to 600 million eggs annually, and 11 billion over a full life cycle. How to get rid of tapeworms, the doctor decides after diagnosing the disease. Infection with bovine tapeworm is usually manifested by gastric disorders, unstable stools, allergic reactions, abdominal pain, and disorders of the nervous system. Prevention of worms in humans involves eating thoroughly fried or boiled meat.
Wide Tape
Sushi lovers and generally raw fish can become infected with a tapeworm - a wide tapeworm. The disease caused by this parasite is called diphyllobothriasis. A 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. In case of insufficient heat treatment of fish products orthe use of frozen stroganina, as well as insufficiently s alted caviar, can cause infection with this type of helminth. The final owner of the tapeworm is man. In the intestines, sexually mature larvae attach to the walls and eventually turn into adults. 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 eliminated surgically. As a rule, the prevention of diphyllobothriasis is a thorough heat treatment of freshwater fish. The 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 Finn stage. Intermediate hosts of this helminth are animals. Echinococcus worm is the cause of echinococcosis disease. Helminths can live in any internal organ - lungs, brain, tubular bones, however, worms most often parasitize in the liver. Symptoms of echinococcosis in the early stages are not easy to recognize, because helminths may not show 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 of the body of the parasite. Separated, it can move independently.
Finn echinococcus is shaped like a bubble. At this stage, the worm parasitizes cattle, dogs and rabbits.
Adult segments of echinococcus can leave the dog's body. They cause itching in the perianalzone. The wool of the animal is intensively polluted by the eggs of the parasite. 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, the eggs turn into oncospheres that enter the bloodstream. In this way, they enter the lungs, liver, brain and other organs. There they transform into Finns, which have a rather complex structure.
Bubbles are surrounded by two protective shells - internal germinal and external chitinous. Inside they are filled with liquid, which may contain child bubbles. In humans, Finns can weigh up to 1 kg. If child bubbles grow outward, then they destroy the internal organ over time. Without surgery, a person can die. Finns can develop in the body for several years. When the bladder bursts, the body is poisoned with a toxic liquid.
Ascarids
Ascariasis 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. Roundworms have no organs of attachment. They constantly move towards food and in this way are kept in the human intestine. Females lay more than 200 thousand eggs every day, which enter the external environment with the host's feces. Ascaris eggs are quite 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, larvae require oxygen. They enter the human body with greens, fruits and vegetables. The shell dissolves in the intestine. Through the walls of the intestine, the larvae enter the bloodstream, which carries them throughout the body. They penetrate into the liver, atria and ventricles of the heart, into the pulmonary alveoli. They also make holes in the capillary walls, and then roundworms are introduced into the bronchi and trachea. Symptoms in this case are coughing and sputum discharge. When coughed up, the larvae can enter the throat, where they are swallowed by the host. In the small intestine, they reach maturity. This process takes about 75 days. A common occurrence is the release of helminths with vomit. This always has a strong effect not only on the patient, but also on others.
Helminths poison the body with toxic metabolic products. Symptoms of roundworm worms: pain in the intestines, indigestion, decreased performance, loss of appetite, allergic reactions. In the lungs, the larvae can cause hemorrhages and pneumonia. If a very large number of eggs enter the body, a fatal outcome is possible. In pregnant women, the larvae can penetrate the placenta, and then invade the body of the fetus. 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 withanimals), as well as fruits and vegetables. Protect food from insects (flies, cockroaches, etc.).
Pinworms
These worms cause the disease enterobiasis. It is very common and most often occurs in childhood. The pinworm is a small white worm. The length of females reaches 1 cm, and males - 5 mm. At the anterior end of the body of the parasite is a swelling that surrounds the mouth opening. With it, the worms stick to the walls. They feed on food that is in the intestines and can swallow blood. These parasites live in the appendix and caecum. During operations for 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. This causes itching. 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. How to get rid of worms to a child, doctors will tell you. But, as a rule, for this it is enough to take drugs like "Vermox" twice with an interval of ten days. And compliance with the rules of personal hygiene and careful processing of underwear and bed linen.
Alveococcus and pygmy tapeworm
Alveococcosis is not as common as echinococcosis, but the disease proceeds almost like an oncological disease. First of all, the liver suffers, where the size of the alveococcus nodes 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 pygmy 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 the 3rd place in terms of prevalence. Infection causes the disease trichuriasis. Worms parasitize in the intestines: in the appendix, the 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. Parasite eggs are shaped like lemons with corks at the poles. Females lay them directly in the intestines. With feces, they come out. In the external environment, larvae develop. 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 show themselves. Mass infection can lead to disruption of the digestive system and loss of appetite. A person has pain, constipation and diarrhea often occur. In the work of the nervous system, failures begin: convulsive seizures, dizziness. A secondary infection often develops on damaged intestinal walls. These helminths often provoke appendicitis.
Liver fluke
Helminth is popularly called the cat fluke, and biologists - opisthorchis. The worm lives in the organisms of fish, cats and humans. The results of his life are: inflammatory processes, blockage of the bile and hepatic ducts, allergic reactions. Humans and cats become infected with the parasite by eating raw or undercooked fish. The main risk group are lovers of sushi and stroganina.
Pulmonary fluke
The scientific name of this parasite is paragonimus. Its intermediate hosts are crayfish. As a rule, they are boiled until they turn red. However, not everyone knows that redness is not an indicator that all bacteria and worm larvae have died. Therefore, crayfish need to be boiled more carefully. When ingested, the larvae enter the lungs, where they develop into adults. Infected people are tormented by a cough with copious sputum. It is often stained with blood. Mucus contains worm eggs. In children, this parasite can lead to pleurisy. This helminth is especially common in the Far East region.
