Worms in humans: causes, symptoms, treatment

The distribution of worms among the population is very high. Many diseases occur in the context of the body being weakened by the parasites. A theory of the relationship between oncology and worm infection is being developed. Therefore, you should not initiate the situation, but it is better to take preventive measures.

abdominal pain as a symptom of the presence of worms

Infection routes

The rate of spread of parasites depends on the conditions. In places with high temperatures and high humidity, helminths multiply more quickly. This indicator is influenced by hygiene habits and standards.

There is an opinion that only children are infected with worms. An adult can become infected with parasites throughout life without realizing it. Some categories of people are at risk - hunters, fishermen, pet owners, gardeners.

In the soil (water) there are many eggs of mature helminths, which appear there in the feces of animals and humans. Any contact with the ground can be infected by parasites. Pets, children in their toys, adults in shoes, flies on their legs and wings bring soil particles into the home. Food products that have come into contact with the soil may also contain soil residue.

In an infected person, the worm eggs will be on hands, household items, clothing, furniture. It is not necessary to have direct contact with this person for an infection to occur (eg, handshake). Just use his house doorknob.

Among the adult population, the method of infection by helminths through food is widespread. Eating insufficiently thermally processed meat, fish becomes the cause of the disease. You can become infected with river fish that have been improperly salted, smoked or frozen. Infected undercooked meat poses a danger. In open reservoirs, there are large numbers of helminth eggs. They penetrate the human body if accidentally swallowed while swimming or diving. It is not recommended to use this water for cooking, or you need to boil it for a long time.

Worm eggs are transmitted when insects bite; in the future, the parasites will live under the skin. This method of infection is most common in humid tropical climates. But there are cases of the spread of parasites by blood-sucking insects elsewhere.

Manifestation of infection

The signs of worms in the body can appear at different times from the time of infection. When ascaris enters the body, symptoms appear on the third day. Symptoms of infection with all other helminths become pronounced after about 3 weeks.

As this invasion is parasitic, the worms feed on the host's resources. The signs of its presence will be based on the loss of nutrients by the human body. The course of pathologies (helminthiasis) is acute and chronic. In the acute form, the duration is not longer than three weeks. There is usually a connection with parasite infestation. In the chronic form, the duration extends for months, years, decades. It is difficult to make a correct diagnosis as there is no connection between health problems and the presence of worms. Symptoms are cloudy, suitable for other ailments.

Helminths live in different internal organs. Depending on where they accumulate, characteristic signs appear. There may be pain in the joints, muscles - this is a symptom that the parasites are located in the joint fluid, muscle fibers. Arthritis is often misdiagnosed. A sign of the presence of worms in the lungs is asthma, pneumonia, a persistent cough that is difficult to treat.

Each parasite releases toxic waste over the course of its life. Its action causes the aggravation of chronic pathologies, the emergence of new inflammatory processes. In the nasopharynx, sinusitis, sinusitis can start, in the oral cavity - stomatitis, in the genitals, appendix disease, thrush.

Diagnosis

Modern diagnostic methods make it possible to determine the presence of parasites in the body, identify their type, age and stage of development. This makes it easier for doctors to come up with a treatment plan, speeds up the person's recovery.

Fecal analysis cannot always determine infection. For an accurate result, you will have to be tested several times, but the stool can contain eggs of all known helminths. The analysis of venous blood is more informative. Scraping the anus makes it possible to identify a set of helminths in the intestine, for example, roundworms and pinworms.

A highly accurate enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay shows the presence of adult worms, eggs in the human body, their variety. If necessary, a study of the duodenal secretions is performed.

Your doctor may recommend repeating the tests for a more accurate result. A single negative result cannot guarantee the absence of parasites.

getting rid of worms

The treatment of the body against helminths is carried out by specialists - parasitologists. Modern medicines have a specific broad and narrow nature orientation for different types of worms. The exact cause of the illness must be established, so self-medication is frivolous and dangerous. Medicines are toxic, it is necessary to choose exactly the medicine that will be effective against a certain type of parasite.

The main drugs are:

All anti-worm medications have side effects. These are dizziness, drowsiness, weakness, abdominal pain, bouts of nausea and other signs of chemical poisoning. Enterosorbents, for example activated charcoal, will help to get rid of these negative phenomena (take the rate of 1 pill per 10 kg of a person's weight).

There are earthworm drops for sale. It is a convenient dosage form that allows you to measure dosage more accurately. This is difficult to do with pills because they are covered in a protective layer that must never be broken.

What does it mean to treat, the doctor must choose, this will avoid intoxication. After all, it is not enough to destroy the parasites, it is necessary to remove their remnants from the human body. Continuing to remain in the human body, they rot, releasing toxins into the blood. From then on, you may start to hurt again.

The final step in treatment should be recovery. The entire body was destroyed, the destructive effect of toxins. Where the parasites moved, traces of their suckers remained. An infection easily joins these bleeding wounds and secondary illnesses arise. To prevent this event from developing, special medications are taken.

There is a special outline of what to do when treating a parasitic disease. With self-treatment, the patient does not go through all these steps, so you need to seek help from a doctor. Folk remedies will be a good complement to classic treatment methods, effective in the recovery period.

prevention measures

Parasites do great damage to the body. Preventive measures must be taken, especially for those at risk. In spring and before the first frosts, drug abuse prevention should be carried out. For this, anthelmintics are administered in a single dose. It is better to choose a drug with a doctor, especially for children.

The rest of the prevention measures are to prevent parasites from entering the body. If the helminth does not enter the host's body in a timely manner, it dies. By blocking all penetration pathways, respecting cleanliness and hygiene rules, you can prevent the multiplication of parasites in your body.