Parasitic infestation often goes unnoticed. And the first symptoms of worms in humans are nonspecific, so the sick person does not go to the doctor for a long time. So, the patient may think that he is overworked, suffering from gastritis or intoxication, experiencing an exacerbation of allergies or arthritis.
How to suspect the appearance of worms
Signs of helminths in the body depend on the type and localization of the parasite. Some symptoms appear shortly after infection. Others appear after some time and indicate the invasion of worms into the body, an increase in intoxication, a lack of nutrients or vitamins.
The most common signs of worms in adults are:
- increase in body temperature. Fever can be unspoken - in the short term up to 37. 5 ° C. Episodes of temperature increase coincide with periods of deterioration, accompanied by an increase in various groups of lymph nodes.
- One of the most common signs of the presence of helminths is abdominal pain. Discomfort sensations have a specific localization - in the navel, in the liver or on the move. The pain is accompanied by a violation of the stool, the appearance of impurities in the feces - mucus, blood. Attacks of diarrhea occur more often, but with obstruction of the intestinal lumen by parasites, the development of obstruction is also possible.
- Itching in the anus is the first sign and characteristic symptom of pinworms. It occurs at night, forcing a person to scratch the anus.
- Helminths cause allergic reactions of the skin or respiratory tract as a result of the circulation of their decay products, toxins, in the body. So, a person complains of an exacerbation of bronchial asthma, the appearance of dermatitis, eczema.
- When infected with worms, beriberi develops. It manifests itself in the form of a deterioration in the condition of hair, nails, characteristic "jam" in the corners of the mouth, dry skin. The lack of iron in the body causes the development of anemia, pallor of the skin, the appearance of bruises under the eyes.
- Helminths also have a pathogenic effect on the nervous system, causing the patient to be disturbed by headaches, irritability, poor performance, intermittent sleep, and emotional instability.
- Worms (ascarids) migrating through the respiratory system cause bouts of dry hacking cough in a person. With the movement of parasites in the muscles, the development of intoxication, sick people complain of pain, muscle and joint pain.
On a note!
The first symptoms of infection can appear within a few days after helminths enter the body of an adult. They appear more often 2-3 weeks after contact with the parasite, and with wandering worms - after months, years.
The combination of different symptoms does not clearly indicate a specific disease, but it is a reason to be concerned about your health and to consult a doctor. If a sick person is engaged in self-diagnosis and is looking for information on how to understand that you have worms, he risks wasting time and getting life-threatening complications.
What is the danger of parasitic infection?
Helminths in the body absorb not only the necessary nutrients and vitamins from a person. Worms poison the patient with putrefactive products, adversely affect the internal organs. Parasitic worms in humans can lead to such serious diseases that require urgent surgery, and in some cases removal of part of the organ:
- acute intestinal obstruction;
- violation of the integrity of the intestine with the development of peritonitis;
- Appendicitis;
- obstruction of the bile ducts;
- eye damage.
Important!
The delayed consequences of the invasion, leading to a worsening of the condition and death of the patient, include cirrhosis and liver cancer, pneumonia, pleurisy, sclerosis of the lung tissue, myocarditis, meningitis, hearing and visual impairment, episyndrome.
How does a worm infestation occur?
In order to solve the problem of helminth prevention, it is necessary to have information about where the parasites come from. The most common mechanisms of infection include: alimentary, contact-household, percutaneous, transmissible (associated with blood-sucking insects).
Here are the most typical situations when worms appear in the body:
- The use of vegetables, fruits, berries or greens contaminated with eggs of the parasite.
- Eating poorly cooked meat, fish with helminth larvae. Feeding game that has not passed veterinary inspection. In this way, trichinella also survive prolonged stewing of meat and retain their viability.
- Violation of hygiene rules: formal attitude to washing hands after returning from the street, contact with pets or street animals.
- Bathing in reservoirs with worm larvae.
- Contact with soil containing parasite larvae while gardening.
- Working in conditions where there is an increased risk of infection with helminths: in children's groups, food, animal husbandry, poultry farming.
Where are worms found in the human body?
There are many medical myths about where worms live in the human body. Not all are based on parasitological data. Some helminths occupy different sections of the intestine and multiply in them. Humans may be the primary host of the parasite. The so-called human worms go through the stage of sexual reproduction in the body, and then go out with feces. In animal helminths, humans are intermediate hosts, within which only an asexual (parthenogenetic) phase is possible. Parasites spread to internal organs and damage them. Here is how worms can be detected in the human body:
- under the skin;
- in the liver;
- in the bladder;
- In the eyes;
- in the muscles;
- in lungs and heart;
- in the brain.
If we look at the descriptions of the life cycle of the worm in the form of a photo with explanations, we can trace its migration through the body and guess what the main symptoms of the disease will be.
Diagnosis of worms
The appearance of abdominal pain, fever, skin rashes, cough with sputum, inflammatory and allergic changes in the blood picture are the basis for examining a person for parasites. Infectiologists recommend laboratory tests to detect the worm or the immune response to its presence in the body.
The following methods will help identify worms in a person:
- Analysis of faeces for eggs of the parasite;
- scraping or smear for enterobiasis;
- immunological tests to detect antibodies against the worm;
- PCR analyzes for worm DNA fragments;
- Detection of the worm in the contents of the duodenum, tissue biopsy samples.
These methods will help to find out the type of parasite and choose an effective drug. If the internal organs are damaged, the following will help diagnose the worm:
- chest X-ray;
- Ultrasound of the liver, heart, pancreas;
- cystoscopy;
- MRI of the brain.
If necessary, the infectiologist will refer a neurologist, ophthalmologist, cardiologist, urologist for consultation.
On a note!
You should not try to detect helminths yourself, resort to "unique computer diagnostics" outside the medical institution. This leads to loss of time and deterioration in health.
Treatment of worms in humans
If a disease is detected, the infectious disease specialist will provide comprehensive recommendations on how to treat the disease, treatment plan, and diet. If necessary, the doctor will suggest hospitalization. There is no single "magic" drug for worms, the symptoms and treatment of helminths in an adult can vary.
You need to know the basic principles of parasite therapy:
- Medicines are used to fight worms. The choice of treatment regimen (dosage, duration of the course, frequency of administration) depends on the type of helminth and the condition of the sick person's body.
- In cases of serious illness, assistance is provided in the hospital.
- You should not independently reduce the dosage, shorten the duration of treatment with tablets or a suspension of worms.
- Some drugs require a diet, refusal to drink alcohol.
- There are no "magic" remedies that will allow you to quickly get rid of helminths in a day. Although short courses are used for the treatment of some worms in humans, it is impossible to destroy all the parasites in the body with one tablet, tincture or ointment.
- Herbal preparations are used in patients for whom drugs in the form of tablets or suspensions are contraindicated for health reasons.
- As adjuvant therapy, antiallergic drugs, hepatoprotectors, enterosorbents, immunomodulators are prescribed. By themselves, they do not help to remove worms from a person, but improve a person's general well-being, eliminating unpleasant symptoms of the disease and side effects of treatment.
Important!
Folk remedies are used only as a supportive method of therapy. The independent use of alternative medicine is fraught with deterioration.
pharmacy fund
Treatment with drugs from the group of anthelmintics helps to destroy parasites and expel them from the body. Pharmaceutical drugs have different areas of application:
- disrupt the absorption of nutrients by parasites;
- disrupt the metabolism of worms;
- Cause paralysis of the muscles of helminths.
On a note!
With proper use and future prevention of helminthiasis, vermifuges really help to permanently rid a person of parasites that have settled in the intestines and internal organs. However, if the patient neglects the elementary rules of hygiene, re-infection with parasites is possible.
Also, an infectious disease specialist can prescribe herbal remedies to help poison and expel worms in humans. The doctor will recommend specific herbs based on information about the condition of the body and the type of parasites. To cure the patient apply: pumpkin seeds, tansy and centaury.
Folk remedies for worms
Many patients reject traditional therapy methods and hope for the help of conventional medicine. Infectiologists warn that attempts to get rid of worms at home using questionable solutions, infusions can lead to increased poisoning and allergic reactions. If you miss the time, the disease will progress, a fatal outcome is possible.
To expel helminths from the body, the following home remedies are widely used:
- onion broth;
- pomegranate bark;
- enemas and ingestion of pumpkin seeds;
- juices from vegetables and sour berries without sugar;
- garlic with milk;
- soda enemas;
- Tincture of wormwood.
treatment assessments
Before starting therapy, patients consider several ways to deal with parasites and try to understand how to properly poison helminths. In their reviews, people who have had an invasion of helminths describe traditional drug therapy as a fairly effective method. It is extremely rare to get rid of helminths with folk remedies.
- "I started to worry about the itching in the anus. Addressed to the therapist, received direction on scratching. It was very unpleasant that pinworms were found when scraping. I read how dangerous helminths are and decided not to poison myself with self-medication. On the advice of the doctor, she drank an anthelmintic - 1 tablet 1 time a week. The course lasted 2 weeks, I immediately felt relief, the itching disappeared. I don't think it was such a terrible infection, but the drug worked "perfectly well".
- "I got worms after eating fish at a party. Soon the diarrhea started. I lost weight, my skin got dry and itchy. I studied in detail the information on the treatment of parasites and subsequent restoration of the body. I started taking an anthelmintic myself. I was embarrassed to go to the doctor. The drug didn't help. I tried to fight worms with folk methods: I did a liver flush with bitterness, I drank milk with garlic and I did an enema. But it didn't get any better. I had to go to an infectiologist, I am being treated with a worm medicine from the benzimidazole class. As I "matured" for the doctor's visit, I lost 10 pounds, turned pale, jittery. "
prevention
Knowing how worms appear in the body, everyone can protect themselves and loved ones from infection. Prevention includes:
- Washing hands with soap after animal contact, returning home.
- Regular deworming of pets.
- Timely change of bed linen.
- Regular wet cleaning, airing, cleaning of carpets and upholstered furniture.
- Eating meat that has passed veterinary inspection.
- Thorough heat treatment of meat and fish.
- Refusal to eat raw meat, fish, offal.
Helminth infection requires immediate treatment. Watch for symptoms such as: diarrhea, abdominal pain, loss of appetite, weight loss, rash, cough, fever and seek medical attention immediately. After treatment, precautions should be taken to prevent re-infection.