Helminths, which people commonly call worms, can penetrate the body of animals and humans. A disease caused by worms is called helminthiasis. In the modern world, doctors count several hundred different types of worms. Some species do not cause much harm to the human body, while others can lead to various diseases, sometimes fatal. The infection happens unnoticed and many do not even realize that the parasites and their larvae are the cause of constant diseases and deterioration of health.
What are the causes of worm infection?
Worms in the human body can appear for various reasons:
- consumption of vegetables and fruits that have not undergone heat treatment or have not been washed before consumption;
- when preparing food, one does not follow hygiene rules;
- improper heat treatment of meat and fish products;
- frequent contact with animals infected with worms;
- care for pets that often walk outside;
- complete lack of hygiene rules after visiting the toilet, before eating, after going outside;
- eating raw fish;
- living together, communicating with a person suffering from helminthiasis;
- water procedures in a river, lake;
- in rare cases with insect bites.
Children between the ages of 3 and 10 are most often exposed to sedges due to poor hygiene. Human tapeworms are highly contagious and can be transmitted by animals or another person. Many young children neglect the rules of personal hygiene, so they are more likely to become infected with worms than adults. Parents should instill in their children the concepts of personal hygiene from childhood, because often in kindergarten the teacher cannot monitor everyone and an infection can occur. The basic skills of good hand washing and not touching the mouth after playing in the sandbox can protect the child from infection.
People who work with different animals, those who constantly cut meat and fish, are at high risk of infection. Simply touching the mouth after direct contact with contaminated fish or meat is a direct cause of parasite infection.
Some types of worms can enter the human body through food, others enter through contact with an infected person or animal, and still others live in water that is often used for cooking or water treatments.
Worms in humans symptoms
Some types of parasites can be easily detected, others are carefully disguised in the human body. The symptoms of worms in a person infected with roundworms and pinworms are severe itching in the anus, abdominal distension and disturbed bowel movements. These worms live in the intestines and when going to the toilet, they can leave the body along with the feces. The symptoms appear due to the vital activity of the parasite, they release strong allergens into the intestinal microflora, causing damage to the intestinal walls, after which inflammatory processes begin in the stomach.
It should be noted that not every parasite can live in the stomach. Echinococcus most often affects the lungs and liver. A small worm penetrates deep into the organ and creates a protective shell around itself. During the examination, specialists may mistake the parasite's protective capsule for a tumor.
If a person has worms, what symptoms can appear:
- Chronic headache.
- Weakness.
- nausea
- Digestive disorders.
All of these symptoms can indicate some type of parasitic infection. Signs of the presence of worms in a person are increased allergic reactions, special attention should be paid to this symptom by people who were not prone to allergies before. In this case, such a reaction is one of the signs of the presence of worms and their active activity in the body.
Signs of the disease
Signs of worms in humans can vary depending on the type of parasite the patient is infected with and where they are. The first signs of worms.
- Inflammation of the lymph nodes.
- Allergic skin damage.
- diarrhea
- constipation
- Excessive gas formation.
- Stomach ache.
- nausea
- Enlarged spleen, liver.
- Dry cough.
- General weakness.
- Strong itching - on the skin, genitals, rectal area.
- Losing weight.
- Increased body temperature.
- Constant headaches.
Worms in humans may not cause any symptoms for a long time. Echinococcus most often affects the liver and can manifest six months or more after entering the body. The worm begins to manifest itself at the moment when the protective capsule grows to such a size that it presses the internal organs, the structure of the connective tissue, due to which there is pain in the right side, a yellowish tint of the skin, nausea and indigestion.
In rare cases, the lung fluke, Echinococcus, can parasitize the brain or muscle tissue. They usually live in the liver and lungs, so a chronic dry cough and shortness of breath can occur. Each of the parasites that enter the human body causes intoxication - general weakness, muscle pain, headache, increased body temperature. Symptoms may not appear simultaneously, but separately and at different times. Ignoring the symptoms that appear for a long time will only worsen the situation, the body's defenses will be greatly weakened and the person will constantly suffer from viral or other diseases. Internal organs will also be subject to long-term negative effects and will take a long time to recover.
Symptoms and treatment of worms
Today, there are many ways to get rid of worms that traditional folk medicine offers. It should be noted that worms, symptoms and treatment in adults, left unattended, will negatively affect the well-being and the parasite will continue to progress. Worms provoke inflammatory processes in the body, suppress the immune system and worsen overall well-being and health.
The method of cleaning the body of worms is called deworming, which is carried out with the help of specific drugs. Before prescribing the drug, the specialist conducts a complete diagnosis to determine what type of worms are parasitizing the body and whether the patient has an allergic reaction to the individual components of the drug.
During treatment with anthelmintic drugs, the doctor may additionally prescribe antihistamines, which will help reduce or eliminate an allergic reaction to the components of the main drug.
Also, to get rid of worms, you can resort to traditional medicine, which has proven itself in the fight against parasites. However, it should be remembered that before you start taking folk remedies, it is better to consult your doctor. Self-medication should be avoided, especially given the severity of the disease. After completing the course of the prescribed treatment, as a rule, the specialist prescribes drugs that restore the normal functioning of all internal systems and organs. If necessary, a person is prescribed sorbents.
Traditional means of combating worms
The symptoms of worm infection will help the specialist to choose the right drugs to remove the worms from the body.
The drug, which helps to naturally remove worms from the body, has a paralyzing effect on parasites and is suitable for both adults and children over two years of age.
In cases where drug treatment does not help in the fight against worms, specialists prescribe surgical intervention. Doctors must remove the parasitic worm and the area of the organ in which it resides.
Precautions
Initially, the worm itself does not enter the body, but only the eggs of the worms, which after some time grow into adult parasites. In order to avoid the penetration of certain types of parasites into the body, you must adhere to certain hygiene rules:
- After a walk outside, when you get home, you should wash your hands well with soap.
- Before cooking or eating, vegetables and fruits should be thoroughly washed.
- Meat and fish must undergo complete heat treatment before consumption.
- Kitchen tools used for cutting meat and fish should be thoroughly washed and disinfected.
- If you have a pet, it is good to monitor its health. Visit a veterinarian at least once a quarter for preventive purposes.
- If you suspect the presence of worms, be sure to go to the hospital for an examination and timely medical assistance.
Traditional medicine in the fight against worms
mixture. Mix tansy, wormwood and cloves in equal proportions. Grind each ingredient. Blend until smooth. In the morning when you wake up, take 1 tsp of dry mixes. After consumption, you can drink a glass of water to remove the bitter taste. The course of admission is 1 month.
Garlic for sedges. Grind the garlic until it becomes a paste. Mix 1 teaspoon of porridge with 200 ml of warm boiled water. Leave for 1 hour. 2 hours before going to bed, an enema is made with this infusion. To get rid of the parasite completely, you need to do the procedure every night for a week.
In folk medicine, there are a large number of recipes for removing worms. However, it should be remembered that self-medication can worsen an already existing situation, and folk remedies are best used as additional treatment. It is best to discuss the use of any medication with your doctor.
A parasitic infection with helminths may not bother you for a long time, the worms will develop, parasitize and slowly poison the body. The combination of characteristic signs of the disease is the main reason to seek help from a specialist and strictly follow all his recommendations.