A rather serious problem can be helminthic infection of the human body. The invasion can manifest itself in everyone, regardless of a person's gender, age and social status.
The worms can settle in the small or large intestine, penetrating there in different ways.
They have a serious toxic effect on the organ system as a whole, producing the products of their vital activity.
All this negatively affects a person's resistance to all kinds of infections that attack the body.
Division of worms into types.
Today more than 300 different helminthic pathologies are known. They are caused by nematodes and cestodes.
The former are round worms, while the latter are flat. They parasitize in various organs and their tissues.
That is why specialists have carried out classification work on parasites. Two groups of worms are known according to the possibility of parasitism in the human body:
- intestinal;
- extraintestinal
Representatives of the intestinal group settle in the area of the small or large intestine, while the second extraintestinal ones live in the heart, liver, lungs, and even in the muscles.
They travel through the body thanks to the outflow of blood. As a general 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 negatively affects them. If the worms have broken through this barrier, they enter the stomach, where the acidic environment kills their eggs.
It is also customary to subdivide worms according to the diseases they cause. For example, liver flukes cause fascioliasis, bovine tapeworm - teniarinhoz, pinworms - enterobiasis, roundworms - ascariasis, etc.
Thanks to the immunity of the intestine, certain antibodies are formed that resist helminths.
Only these barriers are not of particular importance in the event that a person has been seriously ill, that is. the immune system is weakened.
Appearance of human worms.
To date, a large number of helminths are presented, which differ in appearance and have special features. Not everything will be described in this article, but it is worth identifying the main features.
Helminths in adults can occur in the form of intestinal worms, which are commonly called pinworms, pinworm, whipworm.
The next variety is oblong individuals with pointed edges, but the fins have a flattened body.
They are called that for a reason, because they stick to the area of the excretory tract in the human body.
This is a special type of worms, which does not have its own respiratory and circulatory system. Flukes feed on feces and mucous membranes, blood.
A special group should include tapeworms, they have a flattened, ribbon-like body shape.
Its habitat is the intestines. An intermediate place of residence can be fish and animals for tape individuals.
They have special suction cups that allow them to stick to the intestinal walls. There, the worms settle and lead their lives, feeding and multiplying.
Appearance of human worm eggs.
For a long time, helminths can live in humans, the symptoms will not be noticeable.
Many people only accidentally become aware of their pathology when they start having stool tests or feel much worse.
In feces, it is not always possible to notice them with the naked eye, and even if there is no microscope at hand.
The presence of worm eggs in humans, the symptoms of which are also not noticeable at first, cannot be seen without the use of special laboratory tools.
If you pass a stool analysis, the laboratory assistant will be able to determine whether there are worms in the body and determine the type of these parasites.
The data will be based on the type and type of worm eggs that look different from each other.
Those. if the question arises: "how to determine whether a person has worms? ", The answer will come down to the fact that, for a start, it is worth going to the hospital and taking the tests prescribed by the doctor.
Ways of infection of the body
Worms are found in the human body in the form of various forms of infection. The most important is oral.
In this case, the worms enter the human body through dirty hands, unwashed fruits and vegetables. The eggs of the parasites are inside a person, because they live in the soil. That is why after gardening it is worth washing your hands well, and only then sit down to eat. Otherwise, only a few will be able to avoid the question of how to treat the helminthic invasion.
It is also important not to eat meat and fish that have not been thermally processed and have not been approved by health control.
It is worth noting here that some types of helminth eggs remain alive even if the meat is cooked.
Another way to infect the body with worms is contact. Those. infection occurs through feces.
Fecal matter from infected people or animals may contain helminth eggs. They enter the human body and begin to multiply when they become sexually mature individuals.
Experts identify other forms of infection. One of them is related to the skin. Helminths from the aquatic environment enter the human body through the epidermis.
Worm invasion is also possible when bitten by an insect vector. This method is widespread in tropical states.
But even in the south of our country or in exotic countries, this type of parasite is very easy to intercept, which will lead to the fact that a person will have to be interested in how to treat helminths.
The ways of transmission of worms are really innumerable, there is also a way to go from an infected person to a healthy one.
But this does not mean at all that, being next to an infected person, you will get helminthiasis from him.
Pathology cannot be transmitted by airborne droplets, there is only a contact method of transmitting worms. Here it is necessary to determine other nuances.
The peculiarity of the forms of infection with worms is that the eggs of parasites can enter the human body. They will lose the ability to develop and become adults.
They will be able to grow if they are in the environment. If, together with the larva, the necessary nutrients are found, the egg will begin to develop and grow.
Dormant helminth eggs will be excreted along with feces from the body, a person will begin to infect and harm others, if the principles of a hygienic regimen 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. The answer can be obtained if you pay attention to your well-being.
The symptoms of worms in an adult will vary depending on the types of parasites found in the body.
Many of them live in the digestive tract, so the signs of the presence of worms in humans will be the following:
- drowsy state;
- loss of previous performance;
- weakness;
- intoxication of the body with helminths;
- increased appetite or, conversely, its acute absence;
- weight loss with normal nutrition;
- constipation;
- Diarrhea;
- scanty stools with blood;
- feces with worms;
- itchy feeling 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 symptoms close to hepatitis.
The thing is that parasites affect the liver and gallbladder area. There are types of flukes that can be confused with the manifestation of pancreatitis.
In case of manifestation of pain in the muscles, excessive sweating and feverish state, it is worth suspecting that there may be trichinella in the body.
Very rarely, but cases were still recorded when the 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 these places, which are not characteristic of them at all. Therefore, the signs of worms in humans were accompanied by such pain sensations in the area of their settlement.
The symptoms in an adult of the appearance of helminths vary, which is why there are different methods to understand that you have worms, but in reality they are ineffective.
Symptoms in adults appear only in cases where a serious 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 in adults of helminthic invasion are very similar to other signs of pathologies.
Cases of deviation of some systems of the human body, if the worms settle in certain organs, will be considered below.
Immune system malfunction.
Worms cause a sharp weakening of the body's immune forces, removing all useful elements and vitamins.
A person can begin to get seriously ill with a cold, although until recently he had no tendency to such pathologies.
It is vulnerable to many infectious or viral diseases, and therefore minerals and vitamins cannot help restore immunity.
First of all, you need to find out if a person has worms, and then begin treatment for parasites.
Respiratory disease
If the worms are found in the respiratory system, they give it a merciless blow. Asthma, pneumonia, chronic bronchitis and other pathologies of the pulmonary organs may begin to appear.
One of the ways to determine if a person has pinworms is to pay attention to the presence of a constant runny nose.
Violation of the functions of the gastrointestinal tract.
Helminths can settle in the intestinal area. Symptoms in an adult will manifest themselves in this case in the form of problems with defecation or constipation.
Nausea and vomiting are not ruled out. There is also pain in the intestines, excessive swelling.
A person can eat more than usual and not get better for a long time, or, on the contrary, abruptly refuse to eat.
There are cases when mild symptoms and treatment of other pathologies do not give the desired result.
But there are cases when the signs of infection with helminths are manifested. There may be severe diarrhea if the helminths have settled in the body, when large worms block the intestinal passage and cause complete constipation.
CNS alteration
A large number of helminths in the body requires the earliest possible treatment for worms, since the central nervous system can be seriously affected.
The products secreted by parasites are capable of inflicting a severe blow on the nervous system, they send to the body and cause malfunctions.
A person may experience memory loss, frequent headaches with migraine attacks, depression, and fatigue.
It will not be easy for him to get in touch 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 will be accompanied by a feverish state and an increase in body temperature of up to 39 degrees.
The lack of useful elements due to parasitic infection can cause chronic fatigue syndrome, start the process of anemia and make a person constantly irritable.
skin pathologies
If the worms enter the human body, the skin worsens. In many cases, acne and pimples will be seen.
No matter how much effort a person makes, it is simply impossible to cure these pathologies.
Helminths cause pathologies such as dermatitis, seborrhea and papillomas. They can be manifested by cracks in the heels, itchy skin and lamination of the nail plate.
A person begins to suffer from severe allergic skin reactions that cannot be treated, so it is important to start treatment for worms in an adult. Otherwise, there is a possibility that the skin will quickly age and turn pale.
It is important to note that the brightness of the clinical picture will largely depend on the number of individuals in the human body, the place of their localization, and immunity.
Some helminths, for example roundworms, can cause a general disturbance of normal well-being when filariasis undergoes an incubation period throughout the year.
The danger of worms for people
We found out what helminths are, now it remains to understand what harm they can cause a person.
In this case, it is necessary to indicate 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 causes the loss of iron, proteins and other vital vitamins for the development of the organism.
Worms can provoke a malfunction in the digestive tract, disrupt the stool, it turns out that at best only a person will feel much worse.
An adult has every chance to get rid of worms if he seeks help from a doctor in time. Today, many means are known to help cleanse the body of parasites without violating its integrity.
Diagnostic Measures
During the week, the doctor will prescribe 3 tests for the patient that can detect eggs. This measurement is necessary to obtain a reliable result.
It is also very important to find effective tablets for worms, for this purpose a person must undergo a full medical examination, which includes:
- general and biochemical blood tests;
- scraped off;
- Urine and stool analysis.
The specialist has the serious task of interviewing the patient and examining him to identify the characteristic signs of worm infestation.
Symptoms can include itchy anus, sour mouth, swollen lymph nodes, and joint and muscle pain.
The higher their number, the greater 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 agents. What is an anthelmintic drug and how it works, the attending physician will be able to tell.
If it is chosen incorrectly, there is a chance that the body will suffer even more, but it will not be possible to eliminate parasites.
Each patient will need to take the medication according to a specific treatment regimen. The doctor will do this based on the patient's weight, the form of parasitic infestation, the patient's age and the degree of the disease.
To avoid the occurrence of autoinfection, it is recommended to resume taking anthelmintic drugs a few weeks after the course of treatment. This method allows you to remove 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, which help eliminate parasites from the body. It should be clarified that such a remedy must be eaten with a thin film necessarily raw.
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. Only 2 hours after this measurement, you can start eating. The course of treatment with pumpkin seeds should be repeated after another 14 days.