Worms in humans: possible causes, symptoms, diagnosis, therapy and preventive measures

worms in the human intestine

Worms in humans are a very unpleasant phenomenon that may not appear for very long. The parasitic worms in science are called helminths. Human infection is called helminthiasis. This happens as a result of worm eggs entering our body. Contrary to the popular belief that worms are a purely childhood disease, adults are also susceptible to a severe attack from parasites. Scientists believe that one in four people on Earth is a carrier of this disease.

human body worm parasite

where can they live

Adult helminths move through the body until they settle in the organs that are best for them. Parasite eggs enter the intestine and settle there. This is the most common location. It's easy to find worms in the intestines and remove them.

Second in popularity among worms is the liver. The lungs follow. There are very rare forms of the disease in which the worms penetrate the eyeballs and muscles.

Classification

Human worms are classified according to their location. There are luminal and fabric types.

Tissue are those that live in organs. They can cause the following illnesses:

  • paragonimiasis is a type of damage to lung tissue caused by worms;
  • echinococcosis - liver damage;
  • cysticercosis - of the brain;
  • filariasis - lymph nodes.

The second type of human worm is the luminal. This is the most common type of disease that affects the intestines. Worms can be completely different: hookworms, roundworms, hookworms, whipworms, broad hookworms, worms and others.

human esophagus parasitic worm

stages of development

Worms in an adult can arise from completely different sources. In order for the parasite to start developing in the body, it must enter through the mouth. Worm eggs can be in raw meat, in untreated water from reservoirs, in dirty hands. In this form, they enter the oral cavity, then the stomach and are absorbed by the intestine.

In the stomach, the larva leaves an egg, which begins its journey through the human body until it finds an ideal environment for further development. If it's intestinal parasites, you won't need to move for a long time. If it's pulmonary or cerebral, the larva will move through the bloodstream until it settles in the right place.

In the third stage of development, the larva transforms into an adult helminth, which feeds on vitamins and minerals destined for the human body. The parasite lays eggs again and reproduces at a very high rate.

The deadline for completing all steps is from several hours to several days. During this period, it is important to find a good worm remedy for a person.

Symptoms

There are not always clear signs of worms in humans. Symptoms may only appear during certain periods of disease development, or they may not appear at all. When an adult lives in the body, it's extremely difficult to tell because you can confuse a disease with any other disease. Helminths can be randomly detected by donating feces for testing.

To imagine what happens in the body, consider an example with the life cycle of a roundworm. This type of worm loves to travel and, in the process of moving through the body, can break free.

Ascaris infection can be caused by consuming unwashed fruits and vegetables. The parasite lays eggs on the ground and they can easily enter plants.

Once the worm's egg enters the mouth and stomach, it starts to grow into a larva, which very quickly (within 2-3 hours) enters the circulatory system and starts moving along the small blood stream. Your target is the lungs.

In lung tissue, the larva grows into an adult, which will have little space, and will have to eat the cells of the alveoli and small bronchi. At this stage, the first symptoms appear, and if the diagnosis is correct, the worm medicine will quickly help the person get rid of them.

The patient starts coughing, attacks of shortness of breath and the body temperature rises. In rare cases, an allergic rash appears. This is how worms appear in humans. Symptoms and treatment depend on the stage of development, as all these signs can be confused with a common cold.

After the adult gnaws its way through the respiratory tract to the mouth, it lays eggs for the person to swallow again, and for them to stay in the gastrointestinal tract, where the circle will begin again.

abdominal pain with worms

Stages of the disease course

The symptoms of worms in an adult will be different depending on the stage of the disease course. There can be two of them:

  1. Sharp
  2. Acquired.

The first stage appears in the first days after infection, during the larvae's journey through the body. A person may feel itchy, their skin will be red, and a rash will appear. There may be a dry cough with choking attacks. If you donate blood for testing, the result will show a significant increase in eosinophils.

The transition to the second stage indicates that a person's worms have settled in the right place and exist calmly, without interfering with anyone. This is a latent stage that may not appear for several years.

A drug for worms in a person will only help get rid of them if an infection is accidentally detected. Men and women must listen carefully to their bodies. As the months pass that people will feed the parasites, the general state of the body will change. Metabolism suffers first. After all, the peculiarity of helminths is that, by attaching themselves to the walls of the organs, they suck all the nutrients and minerals from the cells, impairing the functionality of the affected areas.

What can be the consequences

There are parasites that cause dangerous conditions in the body. For example, the existence of trichinella or schistosome leads to anemia and vitamin deficiency.

Don't forget that worms also release their wastes into the human intestine as a result of the development of dysbiosis and over-reproduction of opportunistic organisms.

The immune system suffers. It weakens, allergies appear. A person becomes susceptible to viral attacks and falls ill more often.

If human worms are not treated, the consequences can be unpredictable. Each type of parasite affects different organs, and they are the first to suffer. If the liver is damaged, jaundice can occur. Hookworm infection leads to anemia, as this type of helminth feeds exclusively on blood. Therefore, the most important thing at any stage is to find a worm remedy for a person.

Diagnosis

Just two analyzes will help save lives. This is a general blood and stool test. With an annual physical exam, the risks of missing an illness are minimal.

There will be changes in the blood: leukoketosis - a shift in the white blood cell formula to the right and an increase in the number of eosinophils.

Worms in human feces are the safest and fastest way to detect them. You need to do a new analysis, then the result will be correct.

Pills for worms for prevention for humans

The drugs produced in our country can be divided into two groups: those with a broad spectrum of action and those that kill a certain type of helminth. As there are more than 70 types of worms that infect humans, it is impossible to determine without testing which parasite has entered. Pills for worms for prophylaxis for one person should be prescribed by a physician.

In medicine, all worms are divided into three groups:

  • nematodes;
  • Cestoids;
  • trematodes.

Treatment will depend on the type of helminths that inhabit the body.

a man gets infected with worms from a dog

Cure for nematodes (roundworms)

This species includes: pinworms, roundworms, trichinella, vagoslav, toxocara. In children and adults, the first two representatives are found most often.

The most suitable medicine in the form of suspensions or chewable tablets will be selected by a specialist.

Medicines for cestodes (tapeworms)

Cestodes are a large number of representatives of helminths. The most common are teniarinchiasis, cenurosis, alveococcosis, sparganosis, large tapeworm and others.

Most of the time, drugs with a broad spectrum of action are used, as they are also used to treat roundworms. Also suitable for prophylaxis.

Medicines for worms (worms)

Representatives of this class can be enumerated for a long time. Most of the time, the organism is affected by opistocosis (cat worm), fascioliasis, clonorchiasis (Chinese worm), lung worm and others.

Don't self-medicate; a specialist will select tablets for flat worms.

How to take worm pills

Regardless of the type of worm that has entered the body of an adult or a child, remember the basic and most important rule: if a worm is found in a family member, they must all be treated. All items in the house need to be disinfected. If there are pets then you need to check them out first as well as our pets could be the source of the problem.

All worm drugs work in adults, without touching eggs and larvae. So the second rule sounds like this: two weeks after taking the drug, the course must be repeated. This is especially true for worm cases. These parasites are so cunning that they leave the larvae outside the body and a person can self-infest again.

It is recommended to take the pills in the morning and in the evening for a cleansing enema.

Be careful! All medications should be taken as directed by your doctor. This is especially true for cases of infection with flatworms and tapeworms. They are so dangerous that treatment is carried out in a hospital. When removing them, the dosage must be strictly observed, with calculation of the patient's weight and age, since the drugs are very toxic. Self-medication in these cases is unacceptable!

Worm prevention

Mothers' disputes over whether or not to take worm prevention pills never cease. Some are sure this is a good way to protect themselves from dangerous consequences, because children are more susceptible to infection. Others consider this unnecessary and don't want to overload the body with unnecessary pills.

Often, school-age and pre-school children are affected by worms. A test for enterobiasis can be false-negative, and so a sick child, having brought parasites to a home or school, can infect anyone. The transfer of moth eggs takes place through household items, handshake, pet hair, doorknob, and other surrounding objects.

The main methods of prevention include following personal hygiene rules. It is essential to wash your hands with soap and water after diffraction, before eating, after leaving the house or visiting public places.

What if the child complains of itchy anus? This is one of the most pronounced symptoms of moth infection. In that case, you need to get the enterobiasis test done as soon as possible. Let's say the child complained at night, so in the morning you need to run to the clinic.

If the result of the first scrape is negative and the itching continues, the test should be repeated two days later for one week and then two weeks later.

If you are characterized by one of the following statements, you should take preventative measures:

  • the presence of furry pets;
  • constant games in the sandbox or on the ground;
  • travel to an exotic country;
  • the father is an avid fisherman or hunter.
wash your hands to prevent worm infection

popular recipes

Consider how to remove worms from a person at home. Prescriptions against helminths have been known since ancient times. And despite the fact that they are successfully replaced by synthetic substances, the popular method remains proven for prevention.

Let's consider the most effective recipes.

Onion, honey, aloe juice. Onions are considered the most versatile medicine. It has anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and anthelmintic effects. Mix in equal proportions with aloe vera juice and honey and get a real remedy against worms. Take 1 teaspoon several days before breakfast. Because the product is sweet, children will definitely drink it.

Carrot Juice. Fresh carrots not only contain a deposit of vitamins but also have an anthelmintic effect. By drinking on an empty stomach, you can enrich your body with energy throughout the day and, at the same time, prevent an unpleasant illness.

Garlic is one of the most effective remedies for worms. Consider recipes for how you can remove worms from a person at home:

  • Chop or squeeze the garlic. Wrap the resulting porridge in small portions in a cotton cloth so that it looks like a candle. Insert into anus at night for 10 days. This remedy is effective against worms and is used in adults and children.
  • Garlic enemas. Another way to remove nasty gut neighbors. The solution should consist of water and garlic, chopped into porridge in a proportion. For a cup, you need some cloves. The procedure is repeated twice a week.
  • Garlic with honey. Another children's medicine option. To prevent the garlic from burning, it is mixed using a natural method. Take 1 teaspoon twice a day.
  • Garlic with milk. For lovers of extraordinary tastes, a milk-based remedy is offered. There are five garlic cloves crushed per liter of beef. The mixture is boiled and consumed in small portions before bedtime.
absinthe to remove worms from the body

Herbal Infusions

From time immemorial, all medicines were prepared with herbs. Mother Nature knows best how to get rid of parasitic worms. It's time to systematize this knowledge.

To prepare an herbal remedy, you need to choose bitter plants like cloves, wormwood, thyme, calamus, cumin. Prepared infusions should be taken every day. It will take a month to completely clean the body, but improvement occurs within 2-3 weeks of the course.

Consider the most famous recipes for herbal tinctures to treat worms:

  • Based on tansy. Pour boiling water over the grass in the following proportion: 100 grams of dry mix per 150 ml of hot water. Close the lid and let it sit for 8 to 10 hours. You need to take 30 drops dissolved in a glass of water.
  • Absinthe-based. This herb needs alcohol for a week. The ratio is 1: 1. For 100 grams of gram, 100 ml of alcohol. Take 25 drops dissolved in a glass of water.
  • Dye effective in nut shells. It should be filled with alcohol per 100 grams of dry product, 150 ml of "fire" water.
  • Based on cloves. For the dye, use closed and dry clove buds. Pour 100 grams of aromatic spices into a glass of boiling water and leave for at least 3 days. The daily dose of the medicine is 30 drops per glass of water.

pumpkin seeds against worms

Pumpkin seeds are safe for children and adults. This is a very popular folk remedy for worms. Consider how to remove worms in humans using this product.

What is the secret? The fact that the husks of pumpkin seeds contain a substance like cucurbine, which is fatal to worms. Therefore, you only need to use unpeeled green seeds.

pumpkin seeds for earthworms

Cucurbin doesn't kill the worms, it just paralyzes them. Adults are deprived of the ability to move, grasp body cells, suck up nutrients, which means that they will soon die naturally and be excreted through a person's anus.

The most powerful recipe is pumpkin seeds and castor oil. A serving of unpeeled seeds worth 100 pieces should be consumed in the morning. Then wash off with a teaspoon of castor oil. The latter has a laxative effect to remove parasites from the body.

Mix the pumpkin with the honey. First, crush the seeds into a mush in a blender, then add a little honey. Eat "muesli" in the morning on an empty stomach. The course of treatment is several days. It is advisable to repeat it after 2 weeks.

Another healthy breakfast is pumpkin seeds and garlic. First, the beans are fried in a fat-free pan and water until golden. Then the mixture is poured into a blender, the garlic is added and ground until soft. Leave it to ferment overnight and in the morning take a tablespoon of the mixture.