Subcutaneous parasites, which live in the thickness of human skin, destroy it and cause inflammation. They can penetrate from the main site of "growth" to other organs and cause serious diseases. Most subcutaneous helminths are found in southern countries and an ordinary person can be infected by them during a vacation or business trip there.
The risk of subcutaneous helminth infestation is that it is asymptomatic during the incubation period, which can last for years. This then interferes with the treatment and reduces its effectiveness.
What are subcutaneous parasites?
Worms affect not only the internal organs of a person, but also his skin. Entering its thickness, they damage the skin, feed on its cells and defecate. Subcutaneous worm waste causes intoxication as it contains toxic substances. And the more worms there are under a person's skin, the more severe the symptoms of the invasion.
Subcutaneous worms cause many diseases, as they affect the immune and lymphatic systems of the human body. For example, parasites can cause elephantiasis - elephantiasis. It blocks the circulation of lymph in the body. This leads to an increase in the volume of the limbs and their deformation. In the last stage, the affected organ is covered with ulcers, necrosis develops.
Human helminths that live under the skin include:
- Nematodes of the genus Dirofilaria. Causes dirofilariasis. Infection of the body occurs through the bite of insects that suck blood: lice, fleas, ticks, which are larvae carriers from one host to another. An adult dirofilaria can reach 30 cm in length. The reproductive process occurs in the thickness of the skin and then the female places microfilariae in the bloodstream.
- Filariae. Causes filariasis. They are parasitic round worms. An adult can reach almost half a meter, while the diameter of the body is not more than 0. 3 mm. The carriers of filariasis are insects that suck blood and carry the larvae of the parasite from one host to another.
- Bullworm larvae. A person causes the development of cysticercosis. Infection occurs through the intestines, where the eggs of parasites penetrate along with water, food, dirt. Then, under the influence of gastric juices, their shell dissolves - the larvae come out. They are then transported throughout the body along with the bloodstream.
- Hemorrhoids from the genus Schistosoma. It is called schistosomiasis. An adult can reach 2 cm in length. Reproduction takes place through the penetration of larvae into the body - cercariae together with water.
Main events and treatment
If a person has parasites under the skin, then first of all this is reflected in his condition: he appears flabby, changes color, scars and small cracks appear. This is due to the fact that the "guests" damage the skin, feed on its cells and poison the waste.
Subcutaneous parasites in humans cause symptoms of helminth infestation:
- Allergic rashes?
- Cough;
- Decreased immunity?
- Itching;
- Peeling, redness of the skin.
- Appetite problems;
- Pain in the joints and muscles.
- Sleep disorder;
- Irritable?
- Apathy.
Skin parasites in a sick person cause dysfunctions of the whole organism: anemia develops, dysbacteriosis, etc.
The treatment of a parasitic disease is selected individually. The choice of method is influenced by the degree of damage to the body, the symptoms and the type of pathogen. In some cases, in addition to medication, surgery may be needed to remove the helminth under the skin or even the entire affected organ.
Along with anthelmintic drugs, antihistamines, vasoconstrictors are used. If inflammation has started due to worms living under the skin, then antibiotic treatment is required.
You should not try to get rid of helminths that live under the skin with the help of traditional medicine yourself - as practice shows, they are ineffective and can harm human health.
Symptoms of filariasis
The subcutaneous worms that cause this disease - filariasis - appear in the human body after the bite of an infected insect that sucks blood. The highest number of cases is recorded in tropical and subtropical countries.
These subcutaneous worms in humans are able to live in the human body and not manifest for a long time: the incubation period of the disease can last up to 7 years. This makes diagnosis difficult.
The symptoms and manifestations of the invasion appear gradually, as the parasite develops under the skin of a person and its effect on the surrounding tissues. The most common manifestations of filariasis include:
- Urticaria;
- Itching;
- warts;
- eczema;
- Small hard lumps under the skin.
As the disease worsens, fever, general weakness, headache and drowsiness may occur.
Treatment of filariasis should be performed in a hospital setting. Antiparasitic drugs are used to deworm drugs. The effectiveness of the treatment is monitored by a blood test. In cases that do not help, a patient undergoes surgery to restore lymph outflow from the affected organ.
Cysticercosis and schistosomiasis
The larvae of the film cause cysticercosis. This type of helminth is distinguished by the possibility of survival: it is enough for a parasite to enter the human body and it will quickly develop into an adult, which will then begin to multiply.
This feature makes it difficult to treat the disease - if part of the head remains after the worm is surgically removed, the parasite will grow again. Although the adult tapeworm is located in the human gut, its larvae spread throughout the body through the bloodstream, including the skin. Then they can stay there for a long time - from 5 to 30 years.
If, with cysticercosis, the worms are wrapped under the skin or in the muscle tissue, then for a person the disease is asymptomatic. However, the location of the parasite can be determined by tumors that look like a tumor that will grow over the skin. On palpation of the tubercle, it can be seen that it is hollow inside. The skin of the shoulders, the upper half of the chest and the palms usually become a favorite place for the film larvae.
With subcutaneous cysticercosis, no medication is administered, the patient must be under the supervision of a physician. This is because when the parasite dies after using antiparasitic agents, toxins begin to enter the body. These, in turn, can give a strong allergic reaction.
Schistosome larvae, cercariae cause schistosomiasis in humans. The infection is done through water. The first symptoms of worms under the skin appear 10-15 minutes after the invasion. This is due to the fact that worms under the skin secrete a large amount of their own secretory fluid, which causes a toxic-allergic reaction in a person.
First events:
- Intense itching;
- Urticaria;
- Skin rash.
Then there is a calm, after which (after 1-2 months) begins the acute stage of schistosomiasis, which indicates the neglect of the disease:
- Fever;
- Nocturnal hyperhidrosis?
- Urticaria;
- Dry cough;
- Changes in the quality composition of the blood.
Currently, the treatment of schistosomiasis is limited to the use of 2 anthelmintic drugs. In the acute stage of the disease, steroids, antihistamines, anti-inflammatory drugs are also used.
Dirofilaria and Morgellon virus
These two diseases have similar symptoms, with some differences. With dirofilariasis, a sick person finds in his body a small tubercle under the skin, which moves on palpation. This is what indicates that a subcutaneous worm has hit the body. The same invasion occurs with the Morgellon virus.
The essential difference between these two parasites is that dirofilaria does not bother their host: the blister under the skin does not cause discomfort, it can appear and disappear from time to time. Worms infest the arm, leg, near the eyes, nose, chest, men - the genitals. If dirofilaria is under a person's skin for a long time, then under the influence of toxins, his body temperature rises and he feels weak.
With the Morgellon virus, intense itching is felt on the skin of the helminth invasion. In the absence of medical help, a bleeding wound, eczema, soon appears. This increases the risk of infecting the body with other diseases several times over.
The best treatment for the parasite is surgical removal.