Speaking of helminths in humans, the symptoms, the treatment of which is well known to many since childhood, can not be overlooked that they are conditionally divided into several classes. Different types of parasites differ from each other not only in the form of damage to the human body, but also in the mode of infection. Some of them are specific. For example, for hunters it is trichinosis, which is found in large quantities in wild birds, less often in ungulates. But how to correctly determine according to the symptoms that a person has worms and what methods for solving them are suggested by modern medicine?
Ways of infection
Worms in humans in 99% of cases occur due to violations of basic norms of individual hygiene. And they enter the body through the oral-fecal route, ie contact with waste products of some animals or infected people (it is quite enough to visit a public toilet). It is impossible to point out the exact signs of the disease (spread of parasites) in the human body, because there are many types of worms, and each of them has its own clinical picture. And even those complex preparations used to destroy them act on only 2-3% of the types of helminths, which are the most common in the world. These include: pinworms, trichinosis, difilobotriosis, tapeworms, etc. These are the ones that are most often found in our body. But their greatest diversity is found in Africa, where only 1 in 10 people is healthy. In them, helminths are mostly infected through water, which does not go through the necessary stages of purification and is simply full of pathogens and parasites.
Considering the types of worms in humans, it is necessary to mention those that enter the body through the meat of infected animals. This, for example, includes the same pinworms found mostly in the soil. But as soon as they come to meat, they begin to actively reproduce. By the way, their distributors are often flies.
Often the infection occurs through well water. Here, too, no filters will help - just leaking liquid through a special thermal station, where it is heated to about 80-100 ° C. But they are quite expensive, so they are rarely installed in practice.
And, of course, if worms are found in a person, then that means that he is also a carrier of parasites. Helminths can be transmitted even by handling if the patient does not wash his hands well after going to the toilet. For this reason, anyone, regardless of place of residence, social status can be infected.
Keep in mind that helminths are most common in children. There are several reasons for this:
- Parents pay little attention to the hygiene of their children, they do not talk about the basic rules that before eating, after going to the toilet, it is necessary to wash your hands with soap and water.
- A child's body is less resistant to helminths. Accordingly, even a few pinworms can lead to the rapid spread of parasites in a baby’s body.
By the way, speaking of pinworms, remember that these are helminths that cannot reproduce while in the human body. That is, their distribution occurs only when the eggs re-enter the oral cavity. Accordingly, if an infected person adheres to strict hygiene rules, then after 3-4 weeks he will be completely healthy - part of the helminth will be destroyed by immunity, the rest will leave the body naturally along with the feces.
Types of parasites
Which helminths are recognized as the most common in the world? Of course, pinworms, which are found in almost every country on our planet. This is due to the fact that they are free to infect both humans and domestic animals and can be transmitted, including food and water. The symptoms of their appearance in the body are classic: stool disorders, functions of the gastrointestinal tract, signs of primary intoxication.
Such types of parasites as roundworms are mostly found in domestic and wild animals, but they almost never infect humans. They easily enter our body, but they die in just a few days. In severe cases, for example, when the patient's immunity is severely weakened, the parasites settle in the lungs, sometimes in the liver, which is accompanied by a sudden rise in temperature. As a rule, at the same time, roundworms are clearly visible in the feces, even with visual inspection.
Trichinosis is another type of common helminth that enters the body mainly through poorly processed (thermally) meat of fish and animals. It causes muscle pain, sometimes swelling of the face and general intoxication of the body.
But the most dangerous of the common helminths is tapeworm, because it can cause even a seizure, because its metabolic products affect the functioning of the neural system. It is also dangerous that this type of helminth can safely live in our body for about 30 years, growing up to several meters in length. In the later stages of the infection, it can only be removed surgically, because it can make tunnels in the organs for fast movement.
Schistosomiasis - helminths that are more common in men (this is due to differences that are inherent in the process of urination in men and women). Infection with such worms is accompanied by multiple symptoms, and in severe cases, helminths can come out through the urethra. It should be noted that these types of worms are more common in Africa, since the infection occurs only through water or food.
Symptoms of pathology
How can you find out that a person has been exposed to helminths in the body? In the early stages - only through a comprehensive blood test, as well as feces, urine. In the laboratory, they study the change in the composition of these substances, the change in the background of antibodies. But round and pinworms are easily determined even when a swab is taken from the rectal cavity. Such an analysis must be performed when taking the medical commission at the school, after receiving the sanitary booklet.
But the primary symptoms of worm infection appear much later, when their number in the body increases significantly, and this is accompanied by intoxication with parasite waste products. For example, if we are talking about flatworms, then the patient may not know about them even after a few years from the beginning of the infection. Suspicion causes only rapid weight loss (despite adherence to a healthy diet), as well as lethargy. By the way, many people know that in the 19th century (as well as the beginning of the 20th century) worms were mainly used in medicine to quickly get rid of excess weight. But that was only until scientists discovered that such therapy was irreparably harmful to health.
Speaking of helminths, it should be noted that most of them can cause allergic reactions. And this is perhaps one of the most dangerous symptoms. In some patients, this can lead to sudden anaphylactic shock and even death due to rapid airway inflammation. And all this is due to the fact that in the waste products of helminths are a large percentage of those substances that cause allergies. Strongyloidiasis is the most common worm, whose symptoms include such a reaction.
Doctors often use a so-called symptom test to make a diagnosis. This is a small sheet with about 20 questions. They offer to describe how often a person has headaches, after eating what type of food diarrhea starts, etc. In 80% of cases, the test results are reliable, which is why many doctors still use such diagnostic tools.
Therapeutic measures
Due to the fact that there are worms and how different they are from each other, they should be treated in different ways. Most types of helminths are easily eliminated by using pesticides. They, in turn, destroy the positive microflora for them, making the body temporarily unfit for life. However, the use of such drugs is quite harmful to our immunity, so they should be used only according to a doctor's prescription.
Remember that all worms are conditionally divided into round, flat and fluke, and different types of anthelmintic preparations are used to remove them. The diversity of parasites, even in spite of the harsh climate, is still great - over 70 subtypes. Also, when determining the dose of the used pesticide, it is necessary to take into account factors such as the age of the patient, his body weight, the duration of the infection (conditionally, based on the data of a complex analysis).
However, most helminths can be easily eliminated with the help of anthelmintic drugs. But keep in mind that you will have to be treated within 3-4 months, after you have completed 2 courses of therapy. And here it will be very important to adhere to a strict diet, a recommendation for weight control.
Symptoms, treatment inherent in one or another type of parasite, practically in no way depend on their subtype. The clinical picture largely depends only on the physiological characteristics of the individual patient and the period that has passed since the infection.
Preventive measures
As mentioned above, the most effective prevention of helminths is to follow the basic rules of personal hygiene, eating only well-treated food. But those who like meat with blood belong to the most vulnerable category of patients, in whom worms are found in almost 97% of cases. The same goes for those who like to eat fresh vegetables and fruits bought in the store or on the market, without washing them afterwards under running water. And all because of the fact that people who work at the harvest do not adhere to hygiene (because it is not provided by the employer).
Therefore, in order to know with certainty that a person's symptoms with which he goes to the clinic are in no way related to helminthiasis, he also takes blood, feces and urine. After all, some types of worms cause similar symptoms to those that occur in infectious lesions. This includes, for example, difilobotriosis, whose infection is very similar to the common flu disease. However, such a reaction of the organism is connected with the properties of the toxins that the parasite will release into our organism. This is accompanied by a sudden rise in body temperature, runny nose and sore throat. But it's all because of dehydration. And these roundworms and the toxins they secrete cause the same symptoms as damage to the gastrointestinal tract.