Talking about helminthiasis in humans, symptoms, and treatment of the disease, many people know from childhood, one cannot help but notice that they are conditionally divided into many classes. Types of parasites differ not only in the form of harm to the human body, but also in the mode of infection. Some of them are specific. For hunters, for example, this is trichinosis, found in large numbers in wild birds, less often in ungulates. But how to determine exactly from the symptoms that a person has worms, and what methods of getting rid of them are proposed by modern medicine?
Ways of infection
Worms in humans in 99% of cases occur due to a violation of basic standards of personal hygiene. And they enter the body through the oral-fecal route, that is, contact with the waste of some infected animals or people (just going to a public toilet is enough). It is not possible to indicate the exact signs of the disease (spread of the parasite) in the human body, because there are many types of worms, and each has its own clinical picture. And even the complex preparations used to destroy them only work on 2-3% of helminths, the most common helminths in the world. These include: pinworms, trichinosis, diphyllobothriasis, tapeworms, . . . These are the types commonly found in our bodies. But their greatest diversity is found in Africa, where only 1 in 10 people are healthy. In it, helminths are mainly transmitted through water, do not go through the necessary purification stages and are simply filled with pathogens and parasites.
Considering the types of worms in humans, it is important to note those that enter the body through the flesh of infected animals. For example, they include the same type of wireworm found primarily in soil. But as soon as they eat meat, they begin to actively multiply. By the way, their distributors are usually flies.
Infection occurs quite often through well water. And here no filters will help - just passing the liquid through a special heating station, where it heats up to about 80-100°C. But these are quite expensive and are rarely installed in practice. economic.
And, of course, if worms are found in a person, then this means that the person is also a carrier of the parasite. Worms can be transmitted even by shaking hands if an infected person does not wash their hands thoroughly after using the toilet. For this reason, everyone can be infected, regardless of location or social status.
Note that helminthiasis most commonly occurs in children. This has a few causes:
- Parents pay little attention to keeping their children's hygiene, not to mention the basic rule that before eating and after going to the toilet, they must wash their hands with soap and water.
- A child's body is less able to fight off helminths. Accordingly, even a few pinworms can lead to the rapid spread of parasites in the baby's body.
Speaking of pinworms, by the way, you should remember that these are helminths that cannot reproduce while in the human body. That is, their distribution occurs only when the eggs re-enter the oral cavity. Accordingly, if the infected person adheres to strict hygiene rules, then after 3-4 weeks he will be completely healthy - part of the helminths will be destroyed by the immune mechanism, the rest will come out. the body naturally in feces.
Types of parasites
What types of helminths are recognized as the most common in the world? Pinworms, of course, are found in almost every country on our planet. This is because they are free to infect both people and pets and can be transmitted, including through food and water. The symptoms of their appearance in the body are classic: a violation of the stool, the function of the gastrointestinal tract, the main signs of intoxication.
Parasites such as roundworm are mainly found in domestic and wild animals, but they almost never infect humans. They easily enter our body, but will die after only a few days. In severe cases, for example, when the patient's immunity is greatly weakened, the parasite settles in the lungs, sometimes in the liver, accompanied by a sharp rise in temperature. As a rule, at the same time, roundworms are clearly visible in the feces, even when examined visually.
Trichinosis is another common helminth that enters the body primarily through poorly prepared (heat) fish and animal meat. It causes muscle pain, sometimes facial swelling, and general intoxication of the body.
But the most dangerous of the common helminths is the tapeworm, since it can even cause contractions, since its metabolic products affect the functioning of the nervous system. It is also dangerous that this worm can safely live in our body for about 30 years, growing up to several meters in length. In the later stages of the infection, it can only be removed surgically, as it can create tunnels in the organs to move quickly.
Schistosomiasis - the type of worm that is more common in men (this is due to the inherent difference in the process of urination in men and women). Such a worm infection is accompanied by many symptoms, and in severe cases, the worms can pass out through the urethra. It should be noted that these worms are more common in Africa, as infection occurs only through water or food.
Symptoms of illness
How can you detect that a person has been exposed to helminths in the body? In the early stages - only through a comprehensive blood test, as well as stool, urine. In the laboratory, they study changes in the composition of these substances, changes in the background of antibodies. But roundworms and pinworms are easily identified even when a smear is taken from the rectal cavity. Such an analysis is necessarily carried out when passing the health committee at the school, upon receipt of the hygiene book.
But the initial symptoms of infection with worms appear much later, when their number in the body increases significantly, and this is accompanied by intoxication with the waste products of the parasites. For example, if we are talking about flatworms, then the patient may not know about them even after several years from the onset of infection. Doubt only leads to a rapid loss of body weight (despite adherence to a healthy diet), as well as a state of lethargy. By the way, many people know that in the 19th century (as well as at the beginning of the 20th century), worms were often used medicinally to quickly get rid of excess body weight. But this was only until scientists discovered that such therapy was irreparably harmful to health.
Speaking of helminths, it should be noted that most of them can cause allergic reactions. And this is perhaps one of the most dangerous symptoms. In some patients, this can lead to sudden anaphylaxis and even death from rapidly inflamed airways. And all this is due to the fact that in the waste products of helminths there is a large proportion of such allergens. Strongyloidiasis is the most common type of worm, the symptoms of the disease include such a reaction.
To make a diagnosis, doctors often use so-called symptom tests. This is a small piece of paper with about 20 questions. They give a description of how often a person has a headache, after eating what kind of food begins to have diarrhea, etc. v. In 80% of cases, the test results are reliable, which is why many doctors still use such diagnostic tools.
Therapeutic measures
The fact that there are worms, and how far they are from each other, should be treated with different methods. Most helminths are easily eliminated using pesticides. On the contrary, those things destroy the active microflora for them, thereby making the body temporarily unsuitable for them to live. However, the use of such drugs is quite harmful to our immunity, so they should be used only as prescribed by the attending physician.
Do not forget that all worms are conditionally divided into round, flattened and helminthic, and different types of deworming preparations are used to get rid of them. Parasite diversity, even in extreme climates, remains high - more than 70 subtypes. In addition, when determining the dose of pesticide to be used, factors such as the patient's age, body weight, duration of infection should be taken into account (conditional, based on complex analytical data). ).
However, most helminths can be easily eliminated with the help of dewormers. But keep in mind that you will have to be treated for 3-4 months, that is, 2 courses have been completed. And here it will be quite important to follow a strict diet, the recommendations for controlling body weight.
Symptoms, treatment, inherent in one or another type of parasite, practically do not depend on their subtype. The clinical picture largely depends solely on the physiologic features of a particular patient and the length of time that has elapsed since infection.
Precautions
As mentioned above, the most effective prevention of helminths is to observe the basic rules of personal hygiene, eating only foods that have been processed well. But those who prefer to eat meat and blood are among the most vulnerable, with worms found in nearly 97 percent of cases. The same goes for people who prefer to eat fresh vegetables and fruits bought in the store or at the market without rinsing them under the tap. And all because the people who do the harvesting work do not comply with the hygiene (because it is not provided by the owner).
So, to know for sure that a person has the symptoms that he comes to the clinic with that are not related to helminthiasis, he also does blood, stool and urine tests. After all, some types of worms cause symptoms similar to those that occur with an infected lesion. For example, they include diphyllobothriasis, an infection very similar to a simple flu. However, such a response of the body is precisely related to the properties of the poison that the parasites will release into our body. This is accompanied by a sharp increase in body temperature, runny nose and sore throat. But it's all about dehydration. And those roundworms and the toxins they secrete cause symptoms similar to a violation of the gastrointestinal tract.