A rather serious problem can be a helminthic infection of the human body. The invasion can occur in anyone, regardless of a person's gender, age, and social status.
Worms can settle in the small intestine or the large intestine and enter it 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 strike 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 roundworms, while the latter are flat. They parasitize various organs and their tissues.
It is for this reason that specialists have conducted work on the classification of parasites. Two groups of worms are known based on the possibility of parasitism in the human body:
- intestinal;
- extraintestinal.
Representatives of the intestinal group settle in the region of the small or large intestine, while the second extra-intestinal live in the heart, liver, lungs and even muscles.
They travel through the body through the flow of blood. Generally, 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 affects them negatively. If this barrier has been breached by the worms, 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 - enterobiosis, roundworms - ascariasis, etc.
Thanks to the immunity of the intestine, certain antibodies resistant to helminths are formed.
Only these obstacles 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 all of them will be described in this article, but the main characteristics are still worth identifying.
Helminths in adults can appear in the form of roundworms, commonly known as pinworms, roundworms, trichinae.
The next variety are oblong individuals with sharp edges, but flukes have a flattened body.
They are so named for a reason, because they stick in the excretory tract area of the human body.
This is a special type of worm, 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.
Their habitat is the intestines. An intermediate place of residence can be fish and animals for band individuals.
They have special suckers that allow them to attach 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 become aware of their pathology accidentally 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 ascertained without the use of special laboratory tools.
If you pass an analysis of feces, 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 passing the tests prescribed by the doctor.
Ways of infection of the body
Worms are in the human body in the form of several routes of infection. The most important is the oral.
In this case, worms enter the human body through dirty hands, unwashed fruits and vegetables. Parasite eggs are inside a person because they live in the soil. It is for this reason that after gardening it is worth washing your hands well and then sitting down to eat. Otherwise, only a few will be able to avoid the question of how to treat helminthic invasion.
It is also important not to eat meat and fish that have not been heat-treated and have not been approved by health control.
It should be noted here that some types of helminth eggs remain alive even if the meat is cooked.
Another way to infect the body with worms is through contact. Those. infection occurs through feces.
The feces of 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 routes of infection. One of them is related to the skin. Helminths from the aquatic environment enter the human body through the epidermis.
Invasion by worms is also possible by receiving the bite of 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 catch, which will lead to the fact that a person will have to be interested in how to treat helminths.
The routes of transmission of worms are truly innumerable, there is also a way to pass from an infected person to a healthy one.
But this does not mean at all that, being with an infected person, you will get helminthiasis from him.
Pathology cannot be transmitted by airborne droplets, there is only a contact method to transmit worms. Here it is necessary to determine other nuances.
The peculiarity of the ways of infection with worms is that the eggs of parasites can enter the human body. They will lose the ability to grow 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.
Inactive helminth eggs will be excreted with feces from the body, a person will begin to infect himself and harm others if the principles of a hygiene regime 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.
Symptoms of worms in an adult vary depending on the types of parasites present in the body.
Many of them live in the digestive tract, and therefore the signs of the presence of worms in humans will be as follows:
- state of drowsiness;
- loss of previous performance;
- weakness;
- intoxication of the body with helminths;
- increased appetite or, conversely, its acute absence;
- weight loss with a normal diet;
- constipation;
- diarrhea;
- scanty stools with blood;
- feces with worms;
- itching sensation in the anus;
- headaches with migraine attacks;
- violation of healthy sleep;
- allergic reactions to certain products, this is due to the fact that certain types of worms secrete special substances.
Signs of worms in adults may be accompanied by hepatitis-like symptoms.
The fact is that the parasites affect the liver and the gallbladder area. There are types of trematodes that can be confused with the manifestation of pancreatitis.
With the manifestation of pain in the muscles, excessive sweating and a feverish state, it is worth suspecting that there may be trichinella in the body.
Very rarely, but still cases have been recorded when signs of the presence of worms in a person are accompanied by a deterioration in the functioning of the brain, eyes and lungs.
After all, these pests can settle even in those places, which are not at all characteristic of them. Therefore, the signs of worms in humans were accompanied by such pain sensations in the area of their establishment.
Symptoms in an adult of the appearance of helminths vary, it is for this reason that there are different methods to understand that you have worms, but in reality they turn out to be ineffective.
Symptoms in adults appear only in cases where a severe 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.
Below will be considered cases of deviation of certain systems of the human body, if the worms settle in certain organs.
Immune system dysfunctions
Worms cause a strong weakening of the body's immune forces, taking away all useful elements and vitamins.
A person can begin to get seriously ill with a cold, although until recently he has not had a tendency to such pathologies.
It is vulnerable to many infectious or viral diseases, and therefore no minerals or vitamins can help restore immunity.
First of all, you need to find out if a person has worms, then start treatment for parasites.
Breathing illness
If the worms get into the respiratory system, they deal a merciless blow to it. It is possible that asthma, pneumonia, chronic bronchitis and other pathologies of the pulmonary organs will begin to appear.
One of the ways to determine if a person has worms is to pay attention to the presence of a constantly 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 stool disorders or constipation.
Nausea and vomiting are not excluded. There are also pains in the intestines, excessive bloating.
A person can eat more than normal and not get better for a long time or, on the contrary, suddenly refuse to eat.
There are cases when mild symptoms and treatment for pathologies of another type do not bring the desired result.
But there are cases when the signs of infection with helminths are pronounced. There may be severe diarrhea if helminths have settled in the body, when large worms block the intestinal passage, causing complete constipation.
CNS disturbance
A large number of helminths in the body requires the earliest possible treatment against worms, since the central nervous system can be seriously affected.
Products secreted by parasites are able to inflict a severe blow on the nervous system, they send the organism and cause malfunctions.
A person may suffer from 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 often communication can lead to arguments.
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 up to 39 degrees.
Lack of useful elements due to parasitic infection can cause fatigue syndrome at a chronic level, trigger the process of anemia and make a person constantly irritated.
Skin pathologies
If the worms enter the human body, the skin worsens. In many cases, acne and pimples will be observed.
No matter how hard a person tries, it is simply impossible to cure these pathologies.
Helminths cause pathologies such as dermatitis, seborrhea and papillomas. They can manifest as cracks in the heels, itching of the skin and rolling 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 risk that the skin will age quickly 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 location and their immunity.
Some helminths, for example roundworms, can cause a general disturbance of normal well-being when filariases go through a year-round incubation period.
The danger of worms for humans
We figured out what helminths are, now it remains to figure out what harm they can do to 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 love different types of tissues. All this causes the loss of iron, protein and other vitamins vital for the development of the body.
Worms can cause a malfunction in the digestive tract, disrupt bowel movements, it turns out that at best only a person will feel much worse.
An adult has every chance to get rid of worms if you seek help from a doctor in time. Today, many means are known to help cleanse the body of parasites without harming its integrity.
Diagnostic measures
During the week, the doctor will prescribe 3 tests to the patient that can detect eggs. This measurement is necessary to obtain a reliable result.
It is also very important to find effective tablets against worms. For this purpose, a person must undergo a complete medical examination including:
- general and biochemical blood tests;
- scraping;
- analysis of urine and feces.
The specialist has the difficult task of interviewing the patient and examining him to identify the characteristic signs of worm infestation.
Symptoms may include itchy anus, bitterness in the mouth, swollen lymph nodes, and joint and muscle pain.
The greater their number, the greater the risk of the presence of worms in the human body.
medical therapy
After carrying out the above tests, it is necessary to select special deworming agents. What is an anthelminthic drug and how it works, the attending physician will be able to tell.
If it is incorrectly chosen, it is possible that the body will suffer even more, but it will not be possible to eliminate the parasites.
Each patient will have to take medication according to a specific treatment regimen. The doctor will do this depending on the weight of the patient, the form of parasite infestation, the age of the patient and the degree of the disease.
In order to avoid the facts of self-infection, it is recommended to resume anthelmintic drugs a few weeks after the start 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 high efficiency, which helps to eliminate parasites from the body. It should be clarified that such a remedy should be consumed 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. Treatment with pumpkin seeds should be repeated after another 14 days.