Worm eggs are microscopic in size. Invisible to view, they can be anywhere: in the ground, on transport handrails, on door handles, in the children's sandbox, on our pet's fur.
How to prevent worm infection or, if it has occurred, how to avoid dangerous complications?
Symptoms of helminths in humans
No one can be considered immune from worm infection. Even with the strictest respect for hygiene rules. To minimize the risk of infection, it is necessary to be as informed as possible about the symptoms of helminths in humans, the prevention and treatment of helminth infestations.
The most common helminths:
Nematode.Parasites belong to the class of nematodes, round worms in cross section. The length of the female reaches 350 mm, the males are much smaller. Nematodes are dangerous in both the intestinal and migratory phases.
The intestinal localization of parasites in complicated forms can lead to blockage of the intestine, the exit of adult nematodes into the respiratory tract with the risk of asphyxiation, blockage of the bile ducts and other complications. The migratory stage threatens the penetration of larvae into the lungs and other organs with the occurrence of serious pathologies.
Ascariasis infection occurs from parasite eggs that leave the patient's intestines with feces and mature in the soil to the invasive stage.
- Diphyllobotrium latum.This is a class of tapeworms, one of the representatives of which is a broad tapeworm. Their characteristic is that they have 3 owners. The main organism in which worms develop in a sexually mature individual is a person and some animals (cats, dogs, pigs, etc. ). The intermediate hosts of diphyllobotrium latum are freshwater crustaceans. Additional intermediate - fish (perch, pike, burbot). The broad tapeworm becomes infected by eating undercooked fish infested with parasite larvae - plerocercoids.
pinworms.These are roundworms, like roundworms, but much smaller in size. The female has a length of up to 10 mm, the male - up to 5 mm. Enterobiasis is one of the most common helminthiases. Children are particularly sensitive to them.
The most characteristic manifestation of enterobiasis is itching in the anus. It is explained by the exit of females in the perianal zone for egg laying. In the folds of the skin, embryos mature to the invasive stage in 5-6 hours. Putting them on your hands when scratching and then swallowing leads to reinfection.
Ways of infection
The methods of infection with worms are determined by the invasive form of the parasite and the ways of their penetration into the host organism.
Most parasitic worms have two infectious forms: eggs (in some tapeworms they are called oncospheres) and larvae. The latter are sometimes called Finns or Cysticerci. The eggs are microscopic in size, usually several tens of micrometers. The larvae can reach sizes from several to tens of millimeters.
Most often, worms are infected orally, through the mouth.But some types of parasites can be invaded through the skin or with insect bites. When the eggs are ingested, the embryos contained in them lose their shells, penetrate the intestinal wall into the bloodstream and are carried by the blood throughout the body. Depending on the type of parasite, they can settle in the liver, lungs, heart, pancreas, kidneys, brain, eyes.
When infected with larvae, the intestinal localization of the parasite most often occurs. Due to their large size, the larvae cannot penetrate the vessels and migrate along with the blood. They remain in the intestine, stick to its wall and grow into a sexually mature state, after which they begin to multiply.
Worm eggs usually leave the gastrointestinal tract with feces. In some cases, for example, with cestodosis, the evacuation of eggs from the intestinal tract can be carried out by fragments of worms - proglottids. They leave the intestine on their own through the anus.
The main types of helminth injuries
The effectiveness of the treatment of helminths in humans depends on the accuracy with which the clinical picture and the nature of the lesion inflicted by parasites on the body are determined. And, in turn, they depend on the stage of the invasion: intestinal or migratory.
Intestinal phase of invasion.During the intestinal phase, the main damage is done to the patient's digestive system, especially the gastrointestinal tract. Worms damage the intestinal mucosa with their suckers. This leads to inflammatory processes and disruption of the functionality of the gastrointestinal tract.
In addition to the fact that some of the nutrients are absorbed by worms, the absorption function of the intestine is also impaired.Due to the release of anti-enzymes by parasites, the digestive capacity of the gastrointestinal tract is reduced. All this leads to a deficiency in the patient's body of nutrients, vitamins and trace elements.
In addition to anti-enzymes, worms secrete other metabolites which act as toxins on the host organism. Added to this is the decay of the bodies of dead worms. As a result, the patient's body is subject to severe intoxication.
Some types of parasitic worms are able to penetrate from the gastrointestinal tract into adjacent organs and tissues: the biliary tract, gallbladder, liver parenchyma and other systems. Adult nematodes, for example, with a high intensity of infection are able to penetrate the respiratory tract of the host. With a large number of parasites, mechanical blockage of the intestine is possible. This can be observed with both roundworms and tapeworms.
When parasitic worms enter the liver parenchyma, abscesses can develop that require surgery.Perforation of the intestine with the penetration of the contents of the gastrointestinal tract into the abdominal cavity and the development of peritonitis is not excluded. Due to the harmful effect of adult worms, pancreatitis, cholecystitis and cholangitis can develop.
migration phase.Due to the possibility of penetration of larval embryos into almost all organs, the migratory phase of the invasion can exceed the intestinal phase in terms of the severity of the consequences.
The larvae that develop from eggs in organs and tissues form inflammation and infiltrates. If this happens in the lungs, the invasion manifests itself as bronchitis, pneumonia, asthmatic syndrome.
If parasite eggs penetrate the brain (as do, for example, cestode oncospheres), Finns with single or multiple blisters are formed in its tissues. Their size can reach the size of a tennis ball. Due to the proximity of the cysts to the brain tissues, their surgical removal is associated with a high risk of rupture of the purulent bladder and the development of a secondary infection.
Intoxication of the patient's body with metabolites of live worms and toxins from the decay of their corpses leads to allergic reactions. Their result is fever, skin manifestations, headache and dizziness.
Symptoms
Symptoms of helminth infection depend on many factors. There are characteristic manifestations of a certain type of invasion, but there are few.Most parasitic worms exhibit symptoms similar to other diseases.This makes it difficult to make a diagnosis. These common symptoms include the following:
- Total deterioration of the state, physical and mental weakness.
- Nausea.
- Stool disorder, constipation and diarrhea.
- Discomfort, heaviness, abdominal pain of various locations.
- Change in appetite up or down.
- Weight loss without explanation. Also against the background of an increase in the amount of food consumed.
- Itching in the perianal region, feeling as if something is moving there.
- Allergic manifestations in the form of skin rashes.
- Cough.
- Breathing difficulties, asthmatic syndrome.
- Bruxism. Teeth grinding in sleep is typical of children with itchy anus.
- Increased excitability, irritability, insomnia, chronic fatigue, depression.
- Headache.
- High temperature, most often subfebrile. But sometimes it rises to high values.
- Dizziness.
In the initial phase of the invasion, symptoms may be absent altogether or be so insignificant that they don't really matter. In the future, with an increase in the intensity of the disease, the symptoms become more pronounced.
Symptoms of helminths in human blood can vary depending on which organ the migratory embryos have established themselves in.If the place of their localization turns out to be the lungs, the patient may have a fever and breathing problems may occur.Usually in these cases, the infection is accompanied by a cough - unproductive or with sputum, which may have an orange color. The latter suggests that the larvae damaged the small blood vessels in the lungs.
Symptoms of helminths are accompanied by nausea, vomiting, heaviness and abdominal pain, profuse salivation, impaired stool and weight loss.
Caution.In severe liver invasion, abscesses can develop with an infiltration of purulent contents into the abdominal cavity. This development of the disease threatens the life of the patient.
Treatment with drugs
Treatment of invasions depends on many factors. The main ones are the type of parasitic worms, the place of their localization, the stage of the disease (migratory or intestinal), the intensity of the infection, the patient's condition. But in any case, treatment should be preceded by the diagnosis of the disease.
The most common diagnostic test for infections caused by parasitic worms is a stool test. If making a diagnosis is not enough, a general immunoassay, biochemical and / or enzymatic test is performed.It is also possible to use hardware diagnostics: ultrasound, X-ray, MRI, etc.Having a complete picture of the disease, the doctor prescribes anthelmintic drugs.
Important.Treatment with drugs with a powerful active ingredient can cause side effects. This limits the use of drugs for some categories of patients. In particular, for pregnant and lactating women, children under a certain age, patients with certain viral and infectious diseases.
Various drugs are prescribed to combat nematodes located in the intestine and to destroy extra-intestinal nematodes.
Important.Often two courses of treatment are performed with a break between them of 2-3 weeks. This is because most antiviral drugs only kill adults. Their larvae and eggs remain intact. After the incubation period, a new generation of worms may appear from them, the destruction of which will require a second course.
The use of folk remedies
Treatment with folk remedies takes longer than drug therapy. But this relative disadvantage is offset by the softness of herbal remedies and the absence of side effects.
There are many herbs that have an anthelmintic effect: nettle, tansy, celandine, wormwood, horsetail and many others.Pesticide plants contain toxic components for tapeworms, nematodes, and flukes and usually have a bitter taste.
Many antihelminthic herbs are also endowed with antiseptic and antibacterial action. Their effectiveness depends on the correct preparation and administration of the pharmaceutical forms. Here are some of the most popular herbal remedies and products. But you have to understand that this is only a small part of what actually exists.
Pumpkin seeds
It would not be an exaggeration to say that pumpkin seeds are the most popular anthelmintic medicine. They contain cucurbit, which is very effective against nematodes and tapeworms. Pumpkin seeds can be used not only for treatment, but also for prevention.
Especially the cucurbit is contained in the film, which is located between the core and the shell.Therefore, the seeds are best eaten unpeeled. For treatment, you need to eat 300 g of seeds at a time. For prevention, 100 g for adults and 70 g for children are sufficient. From pumpkin seeds you can prepare enema solutions, which are effective against worms located in the large intestine.
Garlic
Garlic is a universal medicine that is not inferior in effectiveness to pumpkin seeds. Contains phytoncides and essential oils, which have a depressing effect on parasitic creatures of all kinds. Garlic is very active against nematodes, especially roundworms.
Drink
Parasitic worms do not tolerate alkaline conditions well, so baking soda is an effective medicine against them. It can be taken orally, but the maximum effect of baking soda is achieved by preparing an enema solution from it. It should be used when locating roundworms or tapeworms in the large intestine.
treasure
Honey does not need to be advertised as a medicine, but not everyone knows that it is also effective as an anthelmintic. To take it for this purpose, you need half a teaspoon 9 times a day.During the treatment during the day it is necessary to refuse food.
The next day only fresh vegetables are allowed. Since honey has no contraindications and side effects, it can be used to treat young children. It is advisable to give them a glass of water softened with a teaspoon of honey.
carrot juice
Even official medicine, which is sometimes very strict on folk remedies, admits that carrot juice has an anthelmintic effect. The amount of juice taken at a time is not limited by any requirement, everything should be reasonable.
Castor oil
Many types of roundworms and tapeworms are located in the intestine. Some laxatives work well against them, most notably the familiar castor oil. For adults, this recipe is suitable. 80 ml of cognac is mixed with castor oil and drunk in one gulp before going to bed.
The procedure is carried out for 3 days. Children at 1-2 in the morning are given a sweet drink (compote, juice, tea), and after half an hour - 15-30 g of castor oil.
Conclusion
If the parasitic worms do not manifest themselves clearly (for example, in the form of whole individuals or their fragments in the feces), it is almost impossible to determine the presence of the invasion on your own. Therefore, at the first appearance of symptoms that may indicate an infection, you should not hesitate to contact an infectious disease specialist.
In its arsenal there are tools that allow you to establish an invasion with a hundred percent probability. Delay in contacting a clinic or self-treatment based on self-diagnosis can sadly end, even death.