Worm eggs are microscopic in size. Invisible to the naked eye, they can be everywhere: on the floor, on the railings of transport, on door handles, in the children's sandbox, on our pet's fur.
How to prevent infection with worms or, if it has occurred, how to avoid dangerous complications?
Symptoms of helminths in humans.
No one can be considered immune from 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:
Round worm.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.
The intestinal location of parasites in complicated forms can lead to obstruction of the intestine, exit of adult worms into the respiratory tract with the risk of suffocation, obstruction of the bile ducts 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 caused by parasite eggs that leave the patient's intestines with feces and mature in the soil to the invasive stage.
- Diphyllobotrium latum.This is a class of cestodes, one of whose representatives is a broad tapeworm. Their characteristic is that they have 3 owners. The main organism in which the worms develop to a sexually mature individual is a person and some animals (cats, dogs, pigs, etc. ). The intermediate hosts of Diphyllobotrium latum are freshwater crustaceans. Intermediate additional: fish (perch, pike, burbot). The wide tapeworm is infected by eating undercooked fish infested with larvae of parasites - plerocercoids.
Intestinal worms.These are nematodes, like roundworms, but much smaller in size. The female has a length of up to 10 mm, the male - up to 5 mm. Enterobiasis is one of the most common helminth infections. Children are especially susceptible to them.
The most characteristic manifestation of enterobiasis is itching in the anus. It is explained by the exit of the females to the perianal area to lay eggs. In skin folds, embryos mature to the invasive stage in 5 to 6 hours. Getting them on your hands by scratching and then swallowing leads to reinfection.
forms of infection
The methods of infection with worms are determined by the invasive form of the parasite and the ways of penetration into the host organism.
Most parasitic worms have two infective forms: eggs (in some cestodes they are called oncospheres) and larvae. The latter are sometimes called Finns or cysticerci. The eggs are microscopic in size, usually several tens of micrometers. The larvae can reach a size of several to tens of millimeters.
Most of the time, the worms are infected orally, through the mouth.But some types of parasites can be invaded through the skin or with insect bites. When the eggs are swallowed, the embryos contained in them break out of 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 and eyes.
When infected with larvae, the intestinal localization of the parasite most often occurs. Due to their considerable size, the larvae cannot penetrate the vessels and migrate together with the blood. They remain in the intestine, adhere to its wall and grow until they reach a state of sexual maturity, after which they begin to multiply.
Worm eggs usually pass out of the gastrointestinal tract with feces. In some cases, for example, with cestodosis, the evacuation of eggs from the intestinal tract can be carried out by fragments of worms - proglottids. They leave the intestines on their own through the anus.
The main types of helminthic lesions.
The effectiveness of the treatment of helminths in humans depends on the accuracy with which the clinical picture and the nature of the injury inflicted by the parasites on the body are determined. And they, in turn, depend on the stage of invasion: intestinal or migratory.
Intestinal invasion stage.During the intestinal stage, the main damage occurs in the patient's digestive system, in particular, in the gastrointestinal tract. The worms injure the intestinal lining with their suckers. This leads to inflammatory processes and disruption of the functionality of the gastrointestinal tract.
In addition to the fact that the worms absorb some of the nutrients, the absorption function of the intestines is also affected.Due to the release of antienzymes by 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, the worms secrete other metabolites that act as toxins in the host organism. Added to this is the decomposition of the bodies of the dead worms. As a result, the patient's body is subject to severe intoxication.
Some types of parasitic worms can penetrate from the gastrointestinal tract into adjacent organs and tissues: the biliary tract, gallbladder, liver parenchyma and other systems. Adult roundworms, for example, with a high intensity of infection can penetrate the respiratory tract of the host. With a large number of parasites, mechanical blockage of the intestine is possible. This can be seen with both roundworms and tapeworms.
When parasitic worms enter the liver parenchyma, abscesses may develop that require surgical intervention.Perforation of the intestine with the penetration of the contents of the gastrointestinal tract into the abdominal cavity and the development of peritonitis is not excluded. Due to the damaging effect of adult worms, pancreatitis, cholecystitis and cholangitis can develop.
migratory phase.Because of the possibility of penetration by larval embryos into almost any organ, the migratory stage of invasion may exceed the intestinal stage in severity of consequences.
Larvae that develop from eggs in organs and tissues form swellings and infiltrates. If this happens in the lungs, the invasion manifests itself as bronchitis, pneumonia, asthmatic syndrome.
If the parasite's eggs penetrate the brain (as do, for example, cestode oncospheres), single or multiple blistering Finns form on its tissues. Its size can reach the size of a tennis ball. Due to the proximity of the cysts to the brain tissues, 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 decomposition of their carcasses causes allergic reactions. Its result is fever, skin manifestations, headaches and dizziness.
Symptoms
Symptoms of helminth infection depend on many factors. There are characteristic manifestations of a certain type of invasion, but there are few.Most parasitic worms present symptoms similar to other diseases.This makes it difficult to make a diagnosis. These common symptoms include the following:
- Total deterioration of the state, physical and mental weakness.
- Nausea vomiting.
- Stool disorder, constipation and diarrhoea.
- Discomfort, heaviness, abdominal pain of various localization.
- Change in appetite up or down.
- Unexplained weight loss. Even against the background of an increase in the amount of food consumed.
- Itching in the perianal region, sensation as if something moved there.
- Allergic manifestations in the form of skin rashes.
- Cough.
- Difficulty breathing, asthmatic syndrome.
- Bruxism. Teeth grinding during sleep is typical for children with an itchy anus.
- Increased excitability, irritability, insomnia, chronic fatigue, depression.
- Headache.
- Elevated temperature, most often subfebrile. But sometimes it rises to high values.
- Dizziness.
In the initial stage of invasion, symptoms may be completely absent or so insignificant that they are not given much importance. In the future, with an increase in the intensity of the disease, the symptoms become more pronounced.
Symptoms of helminths in human blood may vary depending on the organ in which the migratory embryos have settled.If the place of its localization turned out to be the lungs, the patient may have a fever, and respiratory problems may occur.Usually in these cases, the infection is accompanied by cough, unproductive or with sputum, which may have an orange color. The latter suggests that the larvae damaged small blood vessels in the lungs.
Symptoms of helminths are accompanied by nausea, vomiting, heaviness and pain in the abdomen, profuse salivation, stool disturbance and weight loss.
Attention.In case of severe hepatic invasion, abscesses with penetration of purulent contents into the abdominal cavity may develop. This development of the disease threatens the life of the patient.
drug treatment
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, the treatment must be preceded by the 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 strong active ingredient can cause side effects. This limits the use of drugs for some categories of patients. In particular, for pregnant and lactating women, children under a certain age, patients with certain viral and infectious diseases.
To combat nematodes localized in the intestine and destroy extraintestinal nematodes, different drugs are prescribed.
Important.Two courses of treatment are often carried out with a break between them of 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 appear, 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 offset by the gentleness of herbal remedies and the absence of side effects.
There are many herbs that have an anthelmintic effect: nettle, tansy, celandine, wormwood, horsetail and many others.Antiparasitic plants contain toxic components for cestodes, nematodes and trematodes and usually have a bitter taste.
Many anthelmintic herbs are also endowed with antiseptic and antibacterial action. Its effectiveness depends on the correct preparation and administration of the pharmaceutical forms. Here are some of the most popular herbal products and remedies. But you need 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 medicine. They contain cucurbitin, which is very effective against nematodes and tapeworms. Pumpkin seeds can be used not only for treatment, but also for prevention.
Most of the cucurbitin is contained in the pellicle, which is located between the core and the shell.Therefore, the seeds are best eaten unpeeled. For treatment, you need to eat 300 g of seeds at a time. For prevention, 100 g for adults and 70 g for children are enough. From pumpkin seeds, you can prepare solutions for enemas, which are effective against worms that are located in the large intestine.
Garlic
Garlic is a universal medicine that is not inferior in effectiveness to pumpkin seeds. It contains phytoncides and essential oils, which have a depressing effect on parasitic creatures of all kinds. Garlic is very active against nematodes, in particular ascaris.
soda
Parasitic worms do not tolerate alkaline conditions well, so baking soda is an effective drug against them. It can be taken orally, but the greatest effect of sodium bicarbonate is obtained when preparing an enema solution. It should be used when locating nematodes or cestodes in the large intestine.
Sweetie
Honey does not need to be advertised as a medicine, but not everyone knows that it is also effective as an anthelmintic. To take it for this purpose, you need half a teaspoon 9 times a day.During treatment throughout the day you need to refuse food.
The next day, only fresh vegetables are allowed. Since honey has no contraindications and no side effects, it can be used to treat young children. It is recommended to give them a glass of water sweetened with a teaspoon of honey.
carrot juice
Even official medicine, which is sometimes very strict about folk remedies, admits that carrot juice has an anthelmintic effect. The amount of juice taken at one time is not limited by any requirements, everything must be within reason.
Beaver oil
Many types of nematodes and cestodes are found in the intestine. Some laxatives work well against them, in particular the well-known castor oil. For adults, this recipe is suitable. 80 ml of cognac is mixed with castor oil and drunk in one gulp before going to bed.
The procedure is carried out for 3 days. Children at 1-2 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 clearly manifest themselves (for example, in the form of whole individuals or their fragments in feces), then it is almost impossible to determine the presence of invasion on their own. Therefore, at the first appearance of symptoms that may indicate infection, you should not hesitate to see an infectious disease specialist.
In his arsenal there are tools that allow you to establish an invasion with a hundred percent probability. Delay in contacting a clinic or self-treatment based on self-diagnosis can end sadly, even in death.