The eggs of worms are microscopic in size. Invisible to the eye, they can be anywhere - in the ground, on the railings of vehicles, door handles, in children's sandbox, on the fur of our pet.
How to prevent worm infections or, if so, how to avoid dangerous complications?
Symptoms of helminths in humans
No one can be considered immune to a worm infection. Even with the strictest observance of hygiene rules. To minimize the risk of infection, you should be as informed as possible about the symptoms of helminths in humans, the prevention and treatment of helminth infestations.
The most common helminths:
Ascaris.The parasites belong to the class of nematodes, roundworms in cross section. The length of the female reaches 350 mm, the males are much smaller. Roundworms are dangerous in both the intestinal and migratory stages.
Intestinal localization of parasites in complex forms can lead to intestinal obstruction, the release of adult roundworms in the airways at risk of asphyxia, biliary obstruction and other complications. The migratory stage threatens the penetration of larvae into the lungs and other organs with the appearance of serious pathologies.
Infection with ascariasis is carried out by the eggs of parasites that leave the patient's intestines with feces and mature in the soil to an invasive stage.
- Diphyllobotrium latum.This is a class of cestodes, one of the representatives of which is a broad tapeworm. Their peculiarity is that they have 3 owners. The main organism in which worms develop into a sexually mature individual is man and some animals (cats, dogs, pigs, etc. ). Intermediate hosts for diphyllobotrium latum are freshwater crustaceans. Intermediate additional - fish (perch, pike, mime). Tapeworm is infected by eating undercooked fish infected with larvae of parasites - plerocercoids.
Oysters.These are nematodes, such as roundworms, but much smaller in size. The female has a length of up to 10 mm, the male - up to 5 mm. Enterobiosis is one of the most common helminthiasis. Children are especially susceptible to them.
The most characteristic manifestation of enterobiosis is itching in the anus. It is explained by the release of females in the perianal area for laying eggs. In the folds of the skin, the embryos mature to an invasive stage in 5-6 hours. Getting on your hands when scratched and then swallowed leads to re-infection.
Ways of infection
Methods of worm infestation are determined by the invasive form of the parasite and the ways in which they enter the host's body.
Most parasitic worms have two forms of infection - eggs (in some cestodes they are called oncospheres) and larvae. The latter are sometimes called Finns or Cysticers. The eggs are microscopic in size, usually several tens of micrometers. The larvae can reach a size of several to tens of millimeters.
Worms are most often infected orally - through the mouth.But some types of parasites can invade the skin or be bitten by insects. When the eggs are swallowed, the embryos they contain separate 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.
Intestinal localization of the parasite most often occurs when infected with larvae. Due to their considerable size, the larvae cannot penetrate the vessels and migrate with the blood. They remain in the intestine, attach to its wall and grow to sexual maturity, after which they begin to multiply.
Worm eggs usually leave the gastrointestinal tract with feces. In some cases, such as cestodes, the evacuation of eggs from the intestinal tract can be done through fragments of worms - proglottids. They come out of the intestines by themselves through the anus.
The main types of helminthic lesions
The effectiveness of the treatment of helminths in humans depends on how accurately the clinical picture and the nature of the lesion caused by parasites on the body are determined. And they in turn depend on the stage of invasion - intestinal or migratory.
Intestinal stage of invasion.During the intestinal stage, the main damage is inflicted on the patient's digestive system, in particular on the gastrointestinal tract. Worms injure the intestinal mucosa with their suction cups. This leads to inflammatory processes and dysfunction of the gastrointestinal tract.
Apart from the fact that some of the nutrients are absorbed by the worms, the absorption function of the intestines is also disturbed.Due to the release of antienzymes from 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 antienzymes, worms release other metabolites that act as toxins on the host's body. To this is added the disintegration of the bodies of dead worms. As a result, the patient's body is subjected to severe intoxication.
Some types of parasitic worms are able to penetrate from the gastrointestinal tract into neighboring organs and tissues - bile ducts, gallbladder, liver parenchyma and other systems. Adult roundworms, for example, at high intensities of infection are able to penetrate the airways of the host. With a large number of parasites, mechanical obstruction of the intestine is possible. This can be seen in both roundworms and tapeworms.
When parasitic worms enter the liver parenchyma, abscesses may develop that require surgery.Perforation of the intestine with penetration of the contents of the gastrointestinal tract into the abdominal cavity and the development of peritonitis is not excluded. Due to the damaging effects of adult worms, pancreatitis, cholecystitis and cholangitis can develop.
migration phase.Due to the possibility of larval embryos penetrating almost any organ, the migratory stage of the invasion may exceed the intestinal phase in terms of the severity of the consequences.
The larvae, which develop from eggs in organs and tissues, form inflammations and infiltrates. If this happens in the lungs, the invasion manifests itself as bronchitis, pneumonia, asthma syndrome.
If parasitic eggs enter the brain (such as the oncospheres of cestodes), single or multiple blisters form in its tissues. Their size can reach the size of a tennis ball. Due to the proximity of cysts to brain tissue, their surgical removal is associated with a high risk of rupture of the purulent bladder and the development of secondary infection.
Intoxication of the patient's body with metabolites of live worms and toxins from the decay of their dead bodies leads to allergic reactions. The result is fever, skin manifestations, headache and dizziness.
Symptoms
The symptoms of helminth infection depend on many factors. There are manifestations characteristic of a certain type of invasion, but they are few.Most parasitic worms present with symptoms similar to other diseases.This makes diagnosis difficult. These common symptoms include the following:
- Complete deterioration of the condition, physical and mental weakness.
- Nausea, vomiting.
- Stool disorders, constipation and diarrhea.
- Discomfort, heaviness, abdominal pain with different localization.
- Change in appetite up or down.
- Weight loss without explanation. Including against the background of increasing the amount of food consumed.
- Itching in the perianal area, a feeling that something is moving there.
- Allergic manifestations in the form of skin rashes.
- cough.
- Difficulty breathing, asthmatic syndrome.
- Bruxism. Teething in sleep is typical of children with itchy anus.
- Increased excitability, irritability, insomnia, chronic fatigue, depression.
- headache.
- Fever, most often subfebrile. But sometimes it rises to high values.
- Dizziness.
In the initial stage of the invasion, the symptoms may be completely absent or so insignificant that they are not given much importance. In the future, as the intensity of the disease increases, the symptoms become more pronounced.
Symptoms of helminths in human blood can vary depending on which organ the migrating embryos are located in.If the location of their location turned out to be the lungs, the patient may have a fever, breathing problems may occur.Usually in these cases the infection is accompanied by a cough - unproductive or with sputum, which may be orange. The latter suggests that the larvae have damaged small blood vessels in the lungs.
Symptoms of helminths are accompanied by nausea, vomiting, heaviness and abdominal pain, profuse salivation, impaired bowel movements and weight loss.
attention.In severe hepatic invasion, abscesses may develop with a breakthrough of purulent contents in the abdominal cavity. This development of the disease threatens the patient's life.
Drug treatment
The 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 must be preceded by a diagnosis of the disease.
The most common diagnostic test for parasitic worm infections is a stool test. If it is not enough to make a diagnosis, a general, biochemical and / or enzyme immunoassay is performed.Hardware diagnostics can also be used - ultrasound, radiography, MRI, etc.Having a complete picture of the disease, the doctor prescribes anthelmintic drugs.
Important.Treatment with drugs with a potent active substance can cause side effects. This limits the use of medicines for certain 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 control intestinal nematodes and to destroy extraintestinal nematodes.
Important.Often there are two courses of treatment with a break between 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 emerge from them, the destruction of which will require a second course.
The use of folk remedies
Treatment with folk remedies takes more time than drug therapy. But this relative disadvantage is compensated by the softness of herbal medicines and the absence of side effects.
There are many herbs that have anthelmintic action - nettle, tansy, celandine, wormwood, horsetail and many others. Antiparasitic plants contain components that are toxic to cestodes, nematodes and trematodes and usually have a bitter taste.
Many anthelmintic herbs are also endowed with antiseptic and antibacterial action. Their effectiveness depends on the proper preparation and application of dosage 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 really exists.
Pumpkin seeds
It would not be an exaggeration to say that pumpkin seeds are the most popular anthelmintic. They contain cucurbitine, which is very effective against nematodes and cestodes. Pumpkin seeds can be used not only for treatment but also for prevention.
Most cucurbitine is contained in the film, which is located between the core and the shell.Therefore, the seeds are best consumed unpeeled. For treatment you need to eat 300 g of seeds at a time. 100 g for adults and 70 g for children are enough for prevention. From pumpkin seeds you can prepare solutions for enemas, which are effective against worms that are localized in the colon.
Garlic
Garlic is a universal medicine that is not as effective as pumpkin seeds. Contains phytoncides and essential oils that have a depressant effect on parasitic creatures of all kinds. Garlic is highly active against nematodes, especially roundworms.
Carbonated drinks
Parasitic worms do not tolerate alkaline conditions well, so baking soda is an effective remedy against them. It can be taken orally, but the greatest effect of sodium bicarbonate is achieved by preparing an enema solution from it. It should be used to locate nematodes or cestodes in the colon.
Honey
Honey should not be advertised as a medicinal product, but not everyone knows that it is effective as an anthelmintic. To take it for this purpose, you need half a teaspoon 9 times a day. You must refuse food throughout the day.
Only fresh vegetables are allowed the next day. As 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 sweetened with a teaspoon of honey.
carrot juice
Even official medicine, which is sometimes very strict with folk remedies, recognizes that carrot juice has an anthelmintic effect. The amount of juice taken at one time is not limited by any requirements, everything should be within reasonable limits.
Castor oil
Many species of nematodes and cestodes are localized in the intestine. Some laxatives work well against them, especially the well-known castor oil. For adults, this recipe is suitable. 80 ml of cognac is mixed with castor oil and drunk in one sip before bedtime.
The procedure is done for 3 days. Children at 1-2 o'clock 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 its own. Therefore, at the first appearance of symptoms that may indicate an infection, you should not hesitate to contact an infectious disease specialist.
There are tools in his arsenal that allow you to detect an invasion with one hundred percent probability. Delay in contact with a clinic or self-medication based on self-diagnosis can end sadly, even death.