There is a risk of getting infected with worms without even leaving the house.Different types of helminths can be found in household items, banknotes, dishes, food and drinking water.
Parasites enter the human body in a way convenient for them: they can enter through the digestive system with food, water, through dirty hands or insect bites.
Next, helminths infect certain internal organs, use the resources of the human body, cause mechanical damage and reproduce actively.Their life 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 worms of various types.More often, ascariasis (roundworms), enterobiasis (needleworms), breastworm disease (breastworms) can be identified.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 your 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 (suction cups, hooks) damage its walls and interfere with the absorption of the remaining microelements.
- Pains 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, the presence of mucus, foam or blood in the stool, nausea, vomiting.In some cases, adult parasites can be found in the feces.
- The human body can react to the appearance of parasites with allergic reactions and intoxication phenomena caused by the remains of helminths.Most often this is manifested by itching of the skin, redness of certain areas, rashes (blisters, blisters of various sizes).
The diagnosis of intestinal helminthiases includes stool examinations, 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 an intensive blood circulation also occurs, which is suitable for parasites.Common helminthiasis of the liver: fascioliasis, opisthorchiasis, dicroceliosis, caused by worms of the group of liver flukes.
They can be identified by special signs:
- Sharp pain in the right hypochondrium is caused by the mechanical action of helminths.Thus, the echinococcus forms cysts in the tissues of the organ, provoking the development of inflammatory processes or even necrosis.
- Adult worms (roundworms) can block the bile ducts, as a result of which the outflow of bile is disrupted, the digestion process in the body becomes difficult and the patient shows signs of jaundice.A person's visible mucous membranes take on a yellow tint, and with the development of pathology, the skin also becomes colored.
- Non-specific symptoms of the appearance of parasites will be the deterioration of the general condition of the body, weight loss, vomiting and lethargy.
To clarify the diagnosis, they donate blood for analysis.Leukocytosis, eosinophilia is detected, and biochemical tests will show an increase in the activity of liver enzymes (ALT, AST).During an ultrasound, liver damage will be visible in the body: enlargement, inflammation and in some cases parasitic cysts can be found.
What does it mean for the presence of lungworms?
Some parasites (ascaris, toxoplasma, echinococcus, acenur) can enter the human lungs from the gastrointestinal tract through blood or lymph.They multiply in the alveoli, making it difficult to breathe, and some types (unilocular echinococci) form cysts, damaging the structure of the organ.
Determining the presence of parasites in the lungs can be difficult, since the symptoms are similar to the manifestations of respiratory diseases of viral and non-infectious etiology (bronchitis, ARVI).Cough, difficulty in breathing, pain in the chest, increased temperature indicate the need to conduct an additional examination of the patient's body.
For the diagnosis of pulmonary helminthiasis, the most informative method will be the radiographic method.The photographs will show lesions on the human body caused by echinococcus (cysts) and bovine tapeworm (fibrous formations), which must then be distinguished from neoplasms, cysts of various etiologies and pneumonia.
Parasites that live in the blood
In the lumen of blood vessels, single-celled protozoan worms can be found.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, the signs of anemia develop in the body: paleness and then cyanosis of the mucous membranes, dizziness, sudden weight loss and deterioration of health.Without timely medical care, blood parasites can pose a serious threat to human life.
Diagnosis involves conducting microscopic blood tests, during which single-celled parasites and destroyed red cells can be found, and the type of worm can be determined.The treatment is long-term and is carried out on an inpatient basis under the supervision of a qualified doctor.
Unusual habitats of parasites
Some types of helminths can penetrate the human heart, subcutaneous tissue (dirofilaria), brain and spinal cord (cysticerci, echinococci).You can get infected not only in exotic countries, but also by eating familiar food that has not been cooked properly, 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 nervous phenomena.
Headaches of unknown etiology, tremors (tremors) of the limbs, changes in tactile sensitivity, impaired coordination of movements, a sharp deterioration of hearing and vision - the signs of the development of the 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 tingling, 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 the necessary examinations have been performed and the type of parasite has been determined.Anthelmintic drugs with a narrow or broad spectrum of action are prescribed, general strengthening and symptomatic therapy are carried out and help remove worms from the body.In some cases, surgery is indicated.
The prognosis for most diseases is favorable with early treatment.If you postpone a visit to the doctor or start taking medication yourself, the recovery process can be delayed, and many types of parasites can damage vital organs or body systems or even lead to death.