There is a risk of becoming infected with worms without even leaving the house.Different types of helminths can be found on household items, banknotes, dishes, food and drinking water.
Parasites enter the human body in a way convenient for them: they can enter through the digestive system with food, water, through dirty hands or through insect bites.
Then helminths infect some 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 helminthiasis includes a group of diseases caused by worms of different types.Most often, ascariasis (roundworms), enterobiasis (pinworms), hookworm (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 number 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 remaining microelements.
- Pain in the stomach, navel and itching in the rectum are caused by the movement of worms, mechanical damage caused by them, 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 stools, nausea, vomiting.In some cases, adult parasites may be found in the stool.
- The human body can react to the appearance of parasites with allergic reactions and phenomena of intoxication caused by helminth waste.Most often this is manifested by itching of the skin, redness in certain areas, 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 accumulates 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:
- Sharp pain in the right hypochondrium is caused by the mechanical action of helminths.Thus, echinococcus forms cysts in the tissues of the organ, causing the development of inflammatory processes and even necrosis.
- Adult worms (roundworms) can obstruct the bile ducts, disrupting the flow of bile, making the digestion process in the body difficult, and the patient shows signs of jaundice.The visible mucous membranes of a person acquire a yellow tint, and as the pathology develops, the skin also becomes colored.
- Non-specific 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 give 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: hypertrophy, inflammation and in some cases parasitic cysts may be noted.
What does it mean to have lungworms?
Some parasites (roundworm, 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 echinococci) form cysts, damaging 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, difficulty breathing, chest pain and increased temperature indicate the need for additional examination of the patient's body.
For the diagnosis of pulmonary helminthiasis, the radiographic method will be the most informative method.The photographs will show lesions of the human body caused by echinococcus (cysts) and bovine tapeworm (fibrous formations), which will then need to be distinguished from neoplasms, cysts of various etiologies and pneumonia.
Parasites that live in the blood
In the lumen of blood vessels, single-celled protozoan worms are found.Babesia, plasmodia (malaria plasmodium), 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 certain time, signs of anemia develop in the body: pallor then cyanosis of the mucous membranes, dizziness, sudden weight loss and deterioration in health.Without prompt medical attention, blood parasites can pose a serious threat to human life.
Diagnosis involves performing microscopic blood tests, during which single-celled parasites and destroyed red blood cells can be detected, as well as the type of worm.The treatment is long-term and carried out in hospital under the supervision of a qualified doctor.
Unusual parasite habitats
Some types of helminths can penetrate the human heart, subcutaneous tissues (heartworms), brain and spinal cord (cysticerci, echinococci).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 (tremors) of the limbs, changes in tactile sensitivity, impaired coordination of movements, sharp deterioration in hearing and vision - signs of the development of the 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 stinging, as well as in the eyes, ear canals and other locations.
What to do if signs of worm infestation are noticed
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 narrow or broad spectrum of action are prescribed, general strengthening and symptomatic treatment are carried out and they help to eliminate worms from the body.In some cases, surgical intervention is indicated.
The prognosis for most diseases is favorable if treatment is initiated in a timely manner.If you postpone a visit to the doctor or start taking medications on your own, the healing process may be delayed and many types of parasites can damage vital organs or body systems or even lead to death.