There is a risk of getting infected with worms even without 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 that suits them: they can enter through the digestive system through food, water, dirty hands or insect bites.
Then, 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 helminthiasis includes a group of diseases caused by different types of worms.Ascariasis (roundworms), enterobiasis (pinworms), ankylostomiasis (hookworm) can be identified most often.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 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 devices for anchoring in the intestine (rubbers, 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 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, bloating, presence of mucus, foam or blood in the stool, nausea, vomiting.In some cases, adult parasites can be found in the stool.
- The human body can react to the appearance of parasites with allergic reactions and intoxication phenomena caused by helminth waste products.It is more often manifested by itching of the skin, redness of certain areas, rash (vesicles, bubbles of different sizes).
The diagnosis of intestinal helminthiasis includes stool examination, 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 occurs, which is suitable for parasites.Common helminthiasis of the liver: fascioliasis, opisthorchiasis, dicroceliosis, caused by worms from the liver fluke group.
They can be recognized by specific signs:
- Sharp pain in the right hypochondrium is caused by the mechanical action of helminths.Thus, the echinococcus creates cysts in the tissues of organs, causing the development of inflammatory processes or even necrosis.
- Adult worms (roundworms) can block the bile ducts, due to which the outflow of bile is disturbed, the digestion process in the body becomes 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 worsening of 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).During ultrasound, damage to the liver will be visible in the body: enlargement, inflammation, and in some cases, parasitic cysts.
What does this mean about the presence of lungworms?
Some parasites (ascaris, toxoplasma, echinococcus, acenura) can enter the human lungs from the gastrointestinal tract via blood or lymph.They multiply in the alveoli, making breathing difficult, and some species (echinococcus unilocular) form cysts, damaging the structure of the organ.
Determining the presence of parasites in the lungs can be difficult, because the symptoms are similar to the manifestations of respiratory diseases of viral and non-infectious etiology (bronchitis, ARVI).Cough, difficulty breathing, chest pain, elevated temperature indicate the need for an additional examination of the patient's body.
For the diagnosis of pulmonary helminthiasis, the most informative method will be the radiographic method.Lesions in the human body caused by echinococcus (cysts) and bovine tapeworm (fibrous formations) will be visible in the photographs, which must then be distinguished from neoplasms, cysts of different etiology and pneumonia.
Parasites that live in the blood
Protozoan single-celled worms can be found in the lumen of blood vessels.Babesia, plasmodia (malarial 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 some time, signs of anemia develop in the body: pallor, then cyanosis of the mucous membrane, dizziness, sudden weight loss and deterioration of health.Without timely medical help, parasites in the blood can pose a serious threat to human life.
Diagnostics includes conducting microscopic blood tests, during which one-celled parasites and destroyed red blood cells can be found, as well as determine the type of worm.The treatment is long-term and is carried out on an inpatient basis under the supervision of a qualified physician.
Unusual habitats of parasites
Some types of helminths can penetrate the human heart, subcutaneous tissue (dirofilaria), brain and spinal cord (cysticerci, echinococcus).You can get infected not only in exotic countries, but also if you eat familiar food that is not 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 nerve phenomena.
Headaches of unknown etiology, tremors (shaking) of the limbs, changes in tactile sensitivity, impaired coordination of movements, sharp deterioration of hearing and vision - signs of the development of invasion depend on the location of the worms and their larvae.
Adult parasites can be visually detected under the skin, usually accompanied by itching and burning, as well as in the eyes, ear canals and other places.
What to do if signs of worm infestation are observed
Diseases of parasitic etiology are treated under the supervision of a doctor after all necessary examinations have been performed and the type of parasite has been determined.Antihelmintic drugs with a narrow or broad spectrum of action are prescribed, general strengthening and symptomatic therapy are carried out, and they help to remove worms from the body.In some cases, surgery is indicated.
The prognosis for most diseases is favorable with timely initiation of treatment.If you delay seeing a doctor or start self-medication, the recovery process can be delayed, and many types of parasites can damage vital organs or body systems or even lead to death.