What are worms? The worms are scientifically called helminths. Helminths are worms that parasitize the organisms of people, animals, and plants. Consequently, worms are not a specific type of parasite, but a whole group of different worms, three of which are the most common.
Some scientists maintain that almost the entire population of the Earth is infected with one or another parasitic worm. However, in this case, helminthic infestations should be the most common type of disease in the world, in addition, a series of serious studies show that in reality not everything is so bad. But the idea that helminths are still present in a person makes you immediately look for an answer to the question of how to get rid of worms.
It should also be understood that the Helminthic invasion is still not something rare and insignificant. There are more than three hundred species of them, the larvae in humans not only enter the intestines and continue to develop there, gradually poisoning the body. Let's find out what are the symptoms of parasites in humans, because the forewarned, as you know, is armed. And then we will learn how to get rid of worms effectively and what is needed to prevent them from returning.
What is the danger of not realizing it?
Actually, it is very easy to determine the presence of parasites in the body of any person; you only need to pass a stool test. However, the problem is that most people don't even think about getting tested. The problem is that helminths in adults and children manifest themselves, disguising themselves as a large number of diseases, and at first they do not give away their presence at all. A person can heal the intestines, liver, kidneys, stomach, gallbladder for years, and the root of the evil will be helminthiases and parasites, which feel very good when they are not fought.
Helminth invasion often leads to the development of diseases that have nothing to do with the helminths themselves. And in this case, it can be treated endlessly, if you do not understand in time what the problem is.
All of this shows that worms are not just a nasty phenomenon. And given the presence of a large number of forms of infection, it is vitally important to know the signs of worms in humans.
Infection routes
How do parasites enter the human body? Worms in an adult, we will look at their symptoms a little later, we will start with four main sources. Your list looks like this:
- Geohelminthiasis: In this case, helminth eggs are transmitted through the soil. This happens in a circle. First, the waste products of a person, animal or bird, infected with mature eggs, appear on the ground. Then they end up in our hands, food. The next destination is the mouth and then the intestines, where the worms hatch and begin to develop. Insects also play an active role in the transfer of eggs (for example, flies, with them parasite eggs can fly long distances) and pets, whose dirty wool we iron. Also, everything is extremely simple.
- Contact helminthiasisis a route of transmission from one person to another, as the name implies, through various contacts. In this way, for example, pinworms move.
- Biohelminthiasis: Despite people's love of delicious food, situations often occur where you don't eat fully cooked meat or fish. For example, we all love kebabs, now Japanese cuisine, which involves the use of raw fish, has gained immense popularity. These products, if infected with parasites, become their suppliers for the human body. As a result, we contract helminthiasis, the symptoms of which will be discussed below.
- Insects- This infection route is the rarest of those listed, however it should not be ruled out or discarded.
No treatment for worms will be effective enough if a persistent source of infection is not ruled out. The fact is that in order for new individuals to appear in the human body, it must somehow swallow them. Otherwise, the eggs of the parasites that have come out with the feces will remain there, unable to return.
Why do worms appear? They are not able to reproduce within the body, the eggs must leave it temporarily for maturation to occur. At the same time, the worms themselves in humans, the symptoms of which are very important to know, do not live long, some - only a few weeks.
If everything is clear about how soil worms penetrate a person, I would like to talk in more detail about contact infection. Pinworms are generally transmitted in this way. At night, the female leaves the intestines and lays thousands of eggs near the anus. They soon begin to cause an uncomfortable itch, so the person scratches the area without knowing it. As a result, the eggs fall under the nails, on clothing, on the bed, and then elsewhere. So how do you determine if a person has worms? Observe their behavior carefully. This will help to notice the first signs of worms and will begin the surgical treatment of helminthiasis. This method of infection is especially common in children.
Water is another medium that contributes to the spread of helminths. Everything here is similar to the ground. The eggs of the worms, whose treatment we will talk about later, fall into the water and the person drinks it. Therefore, you should never swallow liquid while swimming in open water. Germicidal filters need to be used, especially in villages without running water.
Signs
The symptoms of parasites in an adult can vary. As mentioned above, they are often easy to mistake for signs of other diseases. In some cases, everything happens according to the classic scenario of massive infection. In this case, the signs of worms in an adult and a child will be similar, more likely in children, more pronounced.
Obvious worm infestation symptoms:
- Itching in the anus, especially at night;
- sudden weight loss or vice versa;
- anemia, externally manifested in pale skin;
- looking tired and haggard.
If you or your children begin to experience similar phenomena, it is imperative to visit a doctor and insist that tests be performed for the presence of parasite eggs in the stool. Of course, it may not be about them. Symptoms of helminthic invasion are not always to blame for discomfort, but communication with a doctor will be helpful in any case, because disorders in the body are obvious.
Unfortunately, things are not always that simple. Next, we will talk about the symptoms of helminthiasis in adults and children, which are not obvious.
Gastrointestinal tract
How to know if a person has worms or not, if they are in the intestines? The signs of parasites in this case are the following:
- diarrhea;
- constipation;
- flatulence;
- nausea;
- vomiting;
- abdominal pain, often localized to the navel;
- painful right upper quadrant.
These symptoms of human worms do not occur naturally at the same time. However, constipation can easily be replaced by diarrhea within a few days, so you need to monitor your health carefully. Also, with parasites, health doesn't have to be bad all the time. There are days when a person appears to be completely healthy.
Nervous system
Parasites in humans, about the symptoms and treatment we are talking about, in the course of their lives, like all living beings, release waste. These are toxic substances that little by little infect our body. As a result, a worm infestation often develops. But even if this does not happen, the person's condition can only be worsened by the constant presence of toxins. Above all, in this case, the nervous system suffers, which is sensitive to the general intoxication of the body. The more parasites present, the more severe the symptoms.
The signs of the presence of worms of the nervous system are the following:
- headache (even so severe that it looks like a migraine);
- nausea;
- long-lasting low fever;
- chronic fatigue;
- drowsiness;
- irritability;
- anemia;
- sleep disorders, insomnia, nightmares.
Interestingly, but the signs of worms in adults are even problems at work, arising as a result of lack of sleep, impaired concentration, outbursts of aggression or apathy. Children may have poor school performance.
Skin reactions, allergies
How to identify worms in a person by the state of their skin? It would seem, what kind of connection can there be? Can you somehow find out if a person has worms? In fact, in view of the development of the same intoxication of a person, her appearance also suffers. The following are signs of infection:
- presence of skin rashes;
- itching;
- urticaria;
- allergic rhinitis;
- peel the nails;
- brittle hair;
- dry cough.
Many people noticed that these signs of helminth infection disappeared without a trace, as soon as they began to be eliminated from the body by various means.
If you are unsuccessfully drinking ultra-modern vitamins and not a single negative manifestation has disappeared from the list above, it's time for a stool test. You may have to buy completely different drugs at the pharmacy.
Immune system
Given the severe poisoning of the body, the immune system cannot help but suffer. What signs indicate a weakening of the body's defenses? Of course, first of all, this is the susceptibility of a person to various infectious diseases, as well as a sudden exacerbation of chronic ailments. Sufferers of helminthiasis often have stomatitis, they also notice various inflammations in the nasopharynx. Even many inflammatory processes in the female reproductive system are believed to be caused by parasites.
After all of the above, it is more than clear that timely identification of a problem will help save a person from very unpleasant consequences. How do you know if there are worms with 100% accuracy? Contact a specialist and pass the simplest analysis. This won't take long, but it will rule out or confirm the diagnosis.
Treatment
Parasites are easily removed from the body. There is a small list of drugs that affect them. The difficulty here is determining which parasite is being treated. Unfortunately, it is impossible to do this on your own, so you will need to consult a doctor.
The goal of treating worms for adults and children is to take anthelmintic medications. They must be dosed carefully as they are toxic in themselves. Overdose is especially dangerous for babies.
How to get rid of worms in humans without resorting to drugs? There are a number of home remedies that have long been established as effective parasite fighters. One of the most famous is pumpkin seeds. It is very important to buy them unroasted and uncooked. The fact is that a great benefit of milking lies in the thin films that are removed along with the husk. Treatment of worms involves long and regular use of seeds. You need to eat at least 300 grams every morning.
How to get rid of worms with carrot juice? It should be drunk freshly squeezed and on an empty stomach - one glass every day. For greater effectiveness, you can add a little minced garlic. Treatment lasts up to a month. However, doctors believe that it will not give the desired result without simultaneous drug therapy.
Treating worms with garlic is believed to work well. You can make a special broth with milk. A glass of the latter will require two large teeth. Milk should be boiled for 15 minutes, and then drink a tablespoon once a day. The treatment lasts about two weeks.
Much has been written about how to treat worms with hemp oil. This is an excellent remedy for children who are given simply with bread.
You can also read about how to get rid of worms by doing medicinal enemas. However, doctors do not recognize this method. The enema simply does not affect the areas of the intestine where most of the parasites live.
Before treating roundworms with folk methods, you should visit a doctor and find out which plan is better to choose. Most likely, the specialist will advise you on drugs that can be combined with the above methods. In general, home remedies are essential for prevention.
You can write anything you want about how to cure worms, but none of the methods will work if you don't follow basic hygiene rules, in which case they will reappear stably. After all, protecting yourself from parasites is really very simple. Therefore, we found out how to get rid of worms in adults and children.