Speaking of helminths in humans, the symptoms, the treatment of which is known to many even from childhood, one can not help but notice that they are conditionally divided into different categories. The different types of parasites differ not only in the form of damage to the human body, but also in the method of infection. Some of them are specific. For hunters, for example, this is trichinosis, which is found in large quantities in wild birds, less often in ungulates. But how to correctly determine from the symptoms that a person has worms and what methods to get rid of them are proposed by modern medicine?
Ways of infection
Worms in humans in 99% of cases occur due to violation of the basic rules of personal hygiene. And they enter the body through the oral-fecal route, that is, through contact with the waste of certain animals or infected people (as long as you visit a public toilet). It is impossible to pinpoint the exact signs of the disease (spread of parasites) in the human body, since there are many varieties of worms and each of them has its own clinical picture. And even those complex preparations used to destroy them act only on 2-3% of the types of helminths, which are the most common in the world. These include: pin worms, trichinosis, bifurcation, tape, 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, the helminths are infected mainly through water, which does not go through the necessary stages of purification and is simply full of pathogens and parasites.
Considering the species of worms in humans, it is necessary to note those that enter the body through the meat of infected animals. These, for example, include the same worms that are mainly found on the ground. But as soon as they rise to the meat, they begin to actively multiply. By the way, their distributors are often flies.
Very often, the infection occurs through the water of the wells. And here no filter will help - just passing the liquid through a special thermal station, where it is heated to about 80-100 ° C. But these are quite expensive, so they are rarely installed in practice.
And, of course, if worms are found in a person, then it means that he is also a carrier of the parasite. Worms can be transmitted even by shaking hands if the patient does not wash their hands thoroughly after using the toilet. For this reason, everyone can be infected, regardless of their place of residence, their social status.
Note that helminths are more common in children. There are several reasons for this:
- Parents care little about their children's hygiene, they do not say about the basic rules that before eating, after visiting the toilet, it is necessary to wash your hands with soap and water.
- The child's body is less resistant to helminths. Similarly, even a few pin worms can lead to the rapid spread of parasites in the baby's body.
By the way, when talking about pin worms, remember that they are helminth worms that can not reproduce while in the human body. That is, they are distributed only when the eggs re-enter the oral cavity. Consequently, if an infected person follows strict hygiene rules, then after 3-4 weeks he will be perfectly healthy - part of the helminths will be destroyed by immunity, the rest will leave the body naturally along with the feces.
Varieties of pests
Which helminths are recognized as the most common in the world? Of course, pin worms, which are found in almost every country on our planet. This is due to the fact that they freely infect both humans and domestic animals and can be transmitted, including through food and water. The symptoms of their appearance on the body are classic: violation of the stool, functions of the gastrointestinal tract, signs of primary poisoning.
These types of pests, such as roundworms, are found mainly in domestic and wild animals, but almost never infect humans. They easily enter our body, but die in just a few days. In severe cases, for example, when the patient's immunity is very weak, the parasites settle in the lungs, sometimes in the liver, which is accompanied by a sharp rise in temperature. As a rule, at the same time, roundworms are clearly visible in the feces, even with visual examination.
Trichin is another type of common helminth that enters the body mainly through poorly processed (heat) 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 the film, as it can even cause a spasmodic episode, as its metabolic products affect the functioning of the nervous system. It is also dangerous that this type of helminth can live safely in our body for about 30 years, reaching several meters in length. In the later stages of the infection, it can only be removed surgically, as it can create tunnels in the organs for rapid movement.
Schistosomiasis - helminths that are more common in men (this is due to differences 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 pass through the urethra. It should be noted that these types of worms are more common in Africa, as the infection occurs only through water or food.
Symptoms of pathology
How do you know if 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 roundworms and worms are easily identified even when you get a smear from the rectum. Such an analysis is necessarily performed when a medical committee passes the school, after receiving a hygiene book.
But the primary symptoms of a worm infection appear much later, when their number in the body increases significantly and this is accompanied by poisoning with the parasite waste. For example, if we are talking about flatworms, then the patient may not be aware of them even after several years from the onset of the infection. Suspicion only causes rapid weight loss (despite eating a healthy diet), as well as lethargy. By the way, many people know that in the 19th century (as well as the early 20th century), worms were generally used in medicine to quickly get rid of excess weight. But that was only until scientists realized that such a treatment was irreparably harmful to health.
Speaking of helminths, it should be noted that most of them can cause allergic reactions. And this is probably one of the most dangerous symptoms. In some patients, this can lead to sudden anaphylactic shock and even death due to rapid inflammation of the airways. And all this is due to the fact that in the waste of helminths there is a large percentage of those substances that cause allergies. Roundworms are the most common worms, the symptoms of which include such a reaction.
For diagnosis, doctors often use the so-called symptomatic test. This is a small sheet with about 20 questions. They offer to describe how often a person has headaches, after eating what kind of food the diarrhea starts, etc. In 80% of cases, test results are reliable, which is why many doctors still use such diagnostic tools.
Therapeutic measures
Given the fact that there are worms and how different they are from each other, they should be treated with different means. Most types of helminths are easily eliminated with the use of pesticides. These, in turn, destroy the positive microflora for them, thus making the body temporarily unfit for life. However, the use of such drugs is quite detrimental to our immunity, so they should only be used as prescribed by the treating physician.
Do not forget that all worms are conditionally divided into round, flat and inflatable and different types of anthelmintic preparations are used to get rid of them. The variety of pests, despite the harsh climate, remains high - over 70 subtypes. Also, when determining the dose of the pesticide used, it is necessary to take into account factors such as the patient's age, body weight, duration of infection (conditionally, based on complex analysis data).
However, most helminths can be easily eliminated with the help of anthelmintic drugs. But keep in mind that you should receive treatment within 3-4 months, having completed 2 cycles of treatment. And here it will be very important to follow a strict diet, recommendations for weight control.
The symptoms, the treatment that is inherent in one or another type of parasite, practically in no case depends on their subtype. The clinical picture mostly depends only on the physiological characteristics of a particular patient and the period that has passed since the infection.
Precautionary measures
As mentioned above, the most effective prevention of helminths is to follow the basic rules of personal hygiene, eating only well-processed foods. But those who love meat with blood belong to the most vulnerable category of patients, in whom worms are detected in almost 97% of cases. The same goes for those who like to eat fresh vegetables and fruits that they buy in a store or in the market, without then washing them under running water. And all this is due to the fact that people working in the harvest do not observe hygiene (because it is not provided by the employer).
Therefore, in order to know with certainty that in a person the symptoms with which he goes to the clinic are in no way connected with helminthiasis, he also does blood, stool and urine tests. In addition, some types of worms cause symptoms similar to those of an infectious lesion. These include, for example, bifurcation, the infection of which is very similar to a simple flu. However, such a reaction of the organism is connected with the properties of the toxins that the parasite will release in our organism. This is accompanied by a sharp rise in body temperature, runny nose and sore throat. But everything is due to dehydration. And these roundworms and the toxins they secrete cause the same symptoms as in a violation of the gastrointestinal tract.