There is a risk of becoming infected with worms without even leaving home.Various types of helminths can be found in household items, banknotes, dishes, food and drinking water.
Parasites enter the human body in a way that is convenient for them: they can enter through the digestive system with food, water, through dirty hands or through insect bites.
In addition, helminths infect certain internal organs, use the resources of the human body, cause mechanical damage and actively reproduce.Their vital processes are accompanied by unpleasant and often dangerous symptoms and damage to various organs.
How to recognize intestinal helminths
Intestinal helminthiases comprise a group of diseases caused by worms of different types.Most often, ascariasis (roundworms), enterobiasis (pinworms) and hookworms (hookworms) can be identified.These parasites live in the lumen of the human intestine, feed on its contents and their presence can be suspected by a series of characteristic symptoms:
- Drastic weight loss without changing your diet and physical activity.Helminths of the intestinal group use nutrients from the human body as a source of energy for growth and reproduction, and their anchoring devices in the intestine (suction cups, hooks) damage its walls and interfere with the absorption of the remaining microelements.
- Pain in the stomach, navel and itching in the rectum are caused by the movement of the worms, the mechanical damage they cause, as well as the release of larvae or adults from the body into the external environment.
- Various digestive disorders: diarrhea or constipation, flatulence, presence of mucus, foam or blood in the stool, nausea, vomiting.In some cases, adult parasites can be found in feces.
- The human body can react to the appearance of parasites with allergic reactions and intoxication phenomena caused by helminth waste products.Most often this is manifested by itching of the skin, redness of certain areas, skin rashes (vesicles, blisters of different sizes).
Diagnosis of intestinal helminthiasis includes stool examinations, clinical and biochemical blood tests (eosinophilia, leukocytosis) and, if necessary, ultrasound data of the body.
Signs of parasites in the liver.
A large amount of nutrients accumulate in the human liver and intensive blood circulation also occurs, which is convenient for parasites.Common hepatic helminthiasis: fascioliasis, opisthorchiasis, dicroceliosis, caused by worms of the liver fluke group.
They can be identified by specific signs:
- Acute pain in the right hypochondrium is caused by the mechanical action of helminths.Thus, the echinococcus forms cysts in the tissues of the organ, causing the development of inflammatory processes or even necrosis.
- Adult worms (roundworms) can clog the bile ducts, as a result of which the outflow of bile is disturbed, the digestion process in the body becomes difficult, and the patient has signs of jaundice.The visible mucous membranes of a person acquire a yellow tint, and as the pathology develops, the skin also becomes colored.
- Nonspecific symptoms of the appearance of parasites will be a deterioration in the general condition of the body, weight loss, nausea and lethargy.
To clarify the diagnosis, they donate blood for analysis.Leukocytosis, eosinophilia are detected, and biochemical tests will indicate an increase in the activity of liver enzymes (ALT, AST).When performing an ultrasound, liver damage will be visible in the body: enlargement, inflammation and, in some cases, parasitic cysts may be found.
What does the presence of lungworms mean?
Some parasites (ascaris, toxoplasma, echinococcus, acenur) can enter the human lungs from the gastrointestinal tract through blood or lymph.They multiply in the alveoli, making breathing difficult, and some species (unilocular echinococcus) form cysts that damage the structure of the organ.
Determining the presence of parasites in the lungs can be difficult, since the symptoms are similar to the manifestations of respiratory diseases of viral and non-infectious etiology (bronchitis, ARVI).Cough, shortness of breath, chest pain, increased temperature indicate the need to conduct additional examination of the patient's body.
For the diagnosis of pulmonary helminthiasis, the most informative method will be the radiographic method.The photographs will show lesions on the human body caused by echinococci (cysts) and bovine tapeworms (fibrous formations), which must then be distinguished from neoplasms, cysts of various etiologies and pneumonia.
Parasites that live in the blood.
Unicellular protozoan worms can be found in the lumen of blood vessels.Babesia, plasmodia (malaria plasmodia), trypanosomes, microfilariae and schistosomes cause dangerous diseases that pose a threat to human life.
By destroying the formed elements, they disrupt the processes of energy metabolism in the body and block the flow of nutrients to organs and tissues.
In most cases, human infection occurs after an insect or tick bite.After a while, signs of anemia develop in the body: pallor and then cyanosis of the mucous membranes, dizziness, sudden weight loss and deterioration of well-being.Without timely medical care, blood parasites can pose a serious threat to human life.
Diagnosis involves conducting microscopic blood tests, during which single-celled parasites and destroyed red blood cells can be found, as well as determining the type of worm.The treatment is long-term and is carried out on an inpatient basis under the supervision of a qualified doctor.
Unusual parasite habitats.
Some types of helminths can penetrate the human heart, subcutaneous tissue (heartworm), brain and spinal cord (cysticerci, echinococcus).You can become infected not only in exotic countries, but also by eating familiar foods that have not been properly cooked, and pets can become carriers.Signs of invasion depend on the degree of damage to a particular organ.
In the brain, worms can form cysts and fibrous formations that cause nervous phenomena.
Headaches of unknown etiology, tremors (shaking) of the limbs, changes in tactile sensitivity, impaired coordination of movements, acute impairment of hearing and vision - signs of the development of an invasion depend on the location of the worms and their larvae.
Adult parasites can be detected visually under the skin, usually accompanied by itching and tingling sensations, as well as in the eyes, ear canals, and other locations.
What to do if you notice signs of worm infestation
Diseases of parasitic etiology are treated under the supervision of a doctor after all the necessary examinations have been carried out and the type of parasite has been established.Anthelmintic drugs with a broad or narrow spectrum of action are prescribed, general symptomatic and strengthening therapy is carried out, and they help eliminate worms from the body.In some cases, surgery is indicated.
The prognosis for most diseases is favorable with timely initiation of treatment.If you postpone a visit to the doctor or start taking medications on your own, the recovery process can be delayed and many types of parasites can damage vital organs or systems in the body or even lead to death.