A fairly serious problem can be helminth infection of the human body. Invasion can manifest in anyone, regardless of a person's gender, age, and social status.
Worms can settle in the small or large intestine and enter there in different ways.
They have a serious toxic effect on the entire organ system, producing the products of their vital activity.
All this negatively affects a person's resistance to all kinds of infections that hit the body.
Classification of worms into types
Today, more than 300 different helminthic pathologies are known. They are provoked by nematodes and cestodes.
The former are roundworms while the latter are flat. They parasitize in various organs and their tissues.
Because of this, specialists have carried out work on the classification of parasites. According to the possibility of parasitism in the human body, two groups of worms are known:
- Colon;
- extraintestinal.
Representatives of the intestinal group settle in the area of \u200b\u200bthe small or large intestine, while the second extraintestinal ones live in the heart, liver, lungs and even muscles.
They travel through the body thanks to the outflow of blood. As a rule, a person with a good immune system has several protective barriers that prevent worms from entering the body.
There is a special enzyme in the mouth that affects them negatively. Once worms have passed this barrier, they reach the stomach, where the acidic environment kills their eggs.
It is also common to classify worms according to the diseases they cause. For example, liver flukes cause fascioliasis, beef tapeworm - teniarinhoz, pinworms - enterobiasis, roundworms - ascariasis, etc.
Thanks to the immunity of the intestines, certain antibodies are formed that resist worms.
However, these barriers are not of particular importance when a person is seriously ill, i. H. Immune system is weakened.
appearance of human worms
To date, a variety of helminths are presented, differing in appearance and having distinctive features. All of them will not be described in this article, but the main characteristics are still worth identifying.
Helminths in adults can be in the form of roundworms, commonly called pinworms, roundworms, trichinella.
The next variety are elongated individuals with pointed edges, but the flukes have a flattened body.
They are not called that for nothing because they stick to the excretion pathways in the human body.
This is a special type of worms that do not have their own respiratory and circulatory systems. Flukes feed on feces and mucous membranes, blood.
Tapeworms should belong to a special group, they have a flattened body shape, resembling a ribbon.
Their habitat is the gut. An intermediate place of residence can be fish and animals for band individuals.
They have special suction cups that allow them to attach themselves to the walls of the intestine. There the worms settle and lead their lives, feeding and multiplying.
Appearance of human worm eggs
Helminths can live in humans for a long time, the symptoms are not noticeable.
Many people only become aware of their pathology incidentally when they start having stool tests or start feeling much worse.
They cannot always be seen in the feces with the naked eye, even if a microscope is not at hand.
The presence of worm eggs in humans, the symptoms of which are also not noticeable at first, cannot be detected without the use of special laboratory instruments.
If you pass a fecal analysis, the laboratory assistant can determine whether there are worms in the body and determine the nature of these parasites.
The data are based on the type and type of worm eggs that differ from each other.
This. If the question arises: "How to tell if a person has worms? ", The answer to this will boil down to the fact that first of all it is worth going to the hospital and taking the tests prescribed by the doctor.
routes of infection in the body
Worms occur in the human body in the form of several routes of infection. The most important thing is oral.
In this case, the worms enter the human body through dirty hands, unwashed fruits and vegetables. Parasite eggs are inside a person because they live in the soil. For this reason, after gardening, it is worth washing your hands well and only then sitting down to eat. Otherwise, few will be able to avoid the question of how to treat a helminth invasion.
It is also important not to eat meat and fish that have not undergone thermal processing and have not been approved by sanitary control.
It is worth noting that some types of worm eggs remain alive even on cooked meat.
Another way of infecting the body with worms is through contact. This. Infection occurs via feces.
Feces from infected people or animals may contain worm eggs. They invade the human body and begin to multiply when they become sexually mature.
Experts identify other routes of infection. One of them is related to the skin. Helminths from the aquatic environment enter the human body through the epidermis.
Invasion by worms is also possible through the bite of an insect vector. This method is widespread in tropical countries.
But even in the south of our country or in exotic countries, this type of parasite is very easy to catch, which will lead to the fact that a person will have to take an interest in the treatment of helminths.
The ways of transmission of worms are really countless, there is also a way from an infected person to a healthy person.
But this does not mean at all that you will get helminthiasis from him along with an infected person.
Pathology cannot be transmitted by airborne droplets, there is only one contact method of transmission of worms. Here it is necessary to determine other nuances.
The peculiarity of the routes of infection with worms is that eggs of parasites can get into the human body. They lose the ability to develop and grow up.
They can grow if they are in the area. When the necessary nutrients are found together with the larva, the egg begins to develop and grow.
Inactive helminth eggs are excreted from the body along with the feces, a person begins to infect himself and harm others if the principles of a hygienic regime are not followed.
The clinical picture of the presence of helminths in the human body
Many people are interested in the question of how to understand that you have worms. You will get the answer if you pay attention to your well-being.
The symptoms of worms in an adult depend on the type of parasites that are in the body.
Many of them live in the digestive tract, and therefore the signs of the presence of worms in humans are as follows:
- state of drowsiness;
- loss of previous performance;
- weakness;
- intoxication of the body with helminths;
- increased appetite or, on the contrary, its sharp absence;
- weight loss with a normal diet;
- Constipation;
- Diarrhea;
- scanty stools with blood;
- feces with worms;
- itching sensation in the anus;
- headache with migraine attacks;
- violation of healthy sleep;
- allergic reactions to certain products, this is due to the fact that some types of worms secrete special substances.
Signs of worms in adults may be accompanied by hepatitis-like symptoms.
The thing is that the parasites affect the liver and gallbladder area. There are types of trematodes that can be confused with the manifestation of pancreatitis.
If muscle pain, excessive sweating and a feverish condition occur, it is to be suspected that trichinella could be present in the body.
Very rarely, but cases were still recorded when signs of the presence of worms in a person were accompanied by a deterioration in the functioning of the brain, eyes and lungs.
After all, these parasites can settle even in those places that are not at all characteristic of them. Therefore, the signs of worms in humans were accompanied by precisely such pain sensations in the area of \u200b\u200btheir settlement.
Symptoms of the appearance of worms in an adult vary. Because of this, there are various methods to understand that you have worms, but in reality they turn out to be ineffective.
Symptoms in adults appear only in cases where severe infection is observed. A person can lose a lot of weight, his skin will turn pale, and the itching in the anus will not stop.
As you can see, the symptoms of worm infection in adults are very similar to other signs of pathologies.
Cases of deviations of some systems of the human body, when the worms settle in certain organs, will be considered below.
malfunctions of the immune system
Worms provoke a strong weakening of the body's immune forces, taking away all the useful elements and vitamins.
A person can get seriously ill with a cold, although until recently he had no propensity for such pathologies.
It is prone to many infectious or viral diseases, and therefore no minerals and vitamins can help restore immunity.
First of all, you need to find out whether a person has worms, and then start treatment against parasites.
respiratory disease
If the worms get into the airways, they deal this one relentless blow. It is possible to develop asthma, pneumonia, chronic bronchitis and other pathologies of the pulmonary organs.
One of the ways to tell if a person has worms is to look for the presence of a constantly runny nose.
Violation of the functions of the gastrointestinal tract
Helminths can settle in the intestinal area. Symptoms in an adult in this case are manifested in the form of problems with stool disorders or constipation.
Nausea and vomiting are not excluded. There is also pain in the intestines, excessive flatulence.
A person can eat more than normal and not get better for a long time, or, on the contrary, abruptly refuse to eat.
There are cases when mild symptoms and the treatment of pathologies of a different nature will not bring the desired result.
However, there are cases when the signs of infection with helminths are pronounced. When helminths become lodged in the body, severe diarrhea can occur when large worms block the intestinal passage and cause complete constipation.
CNS disorder
A large number of helminths in the body requires anti-worm treatment as early as possible, since the central nervous system can be seriously affected.
Products excreted by parasites can deliver a severe blow to the nervous system, sending the body and causing malfunctions.
A person may suffer from memory loss, frequent headaches with migraine attacks, depression and fatigue.
It will not be easy for him to socialize with other people, and communication can often lead to quarrels.
Proper treatment of worms in adults is an important measure, since serious complications in the work of the central nervous system are possible.
They are accompanied by a feverish state and an increase in body temperature up to 39 degrees.
The lack of useful elements due to a parasitic infection can provoke a chronic fatigue syndrome, trigger the process of anemia and constantly irritate a person.
skin pathologies
When worms enter the human body, the skin deteriorates. In many cases, acne and pimples are observed.
No matter how much effort a person makes, it is simply impossible to cure these pathologies.
Helminths provoke such pathologies as dermatitis, seborrhea and papillomas. They can be manifested by cracks in the heels, itching of the skin and lamination of the nail plate.
A person begins to suffer from severe allergic skin reactions that cannot be treated. Therefore, it is important to start anti-worm treatment in an adult. Otherwise there is a risk that the skin will age quickly and become sallow.
It is important to note that the brightness of the clinical picture largely depends on the number of individuals in the human body, the place of their localization and immunity.
Some helminths, for example, roundworms, can provoke a general disturbance of normal well-being when filariasis undergo an incubation period throughout the year.
The danger of worms to humans
We figured out what helminths are, now we still need to understand what harm they can do to a person.
In this case, it must be noted that helminths secrete active substances that poison the human body.
Helminths feed on digested nutrients, blood, and also like different types of tissues. All this leads to the loss of iron, proteins and other vitamins essential for the development of the body.
Worms can provoke a malfunction in the digestive tract, disturb the stool, it turns out that at best only a person feels much worse.
An adult has every chance to get rid of worms if you consult a doctor in time. Today, many means are known that help cleanse the body of parasites without violating its integrity.
diagnostic measures
During the week, the doctor prescribes the patient 3 tests that can detect eggs. This measure is necessary to obtain a reliable result.
It is also very important to find effective tablets against worms. For this purpose, a person must undergo a comprehensive medical examination, which includes:
- general and biochemical blood tests;
- Scrape;
- Analysis of urine and feces.
The specialist has a serious task of questioning and examining the patient in order to identify the characteristic signs of worm infestation.
Symptoms can include itching around the anus, bitterness in the mouth, swollen lymph nodes, and joint and muscle pain.
The greater their number, the higher the risk of the presence of worms in the human body.
Medical therapy
After conducting the above tests, it is necessary to select special anthelmintic drugs. What an anthelmintic is and how it works, the attending physician can say.
If it is chosen incorrectly, there is a chance that the body will suffer even more, but the parasites cannot be removed.
Each patient must take medication according to a specific treatment regimen. The doctor will make them based on the patient's weight, the type of parasite infestation, the patient's age and the severity of the disease.
In order to avoid the fact of self-infection, it is recommended to start taking anthelmintic drugs again a few weeks after the course of treatment. This method allows you to get rid of the rest of the larvae and eggs of parasites from the body.
Traditional medicine to get rid of worms
Pumpkin seeds are famous for their great effectiveness in helping to eliminate parasites from the body. It should be clarified that such a remedy must necessarily be eaten raw with a thin film.
It is recommended to take it in the morning on an empty stomach. If necessary, you can mix them with honey or jam.
The next stage of treatment will be an enema. Already 2 hours after this measure you can start eating. The cure with pumpkin seeds should be repeated after another 14 days.