Worms in humans, the symptoms and treatment of which will be prompted by a doctor, in the human body are caused by two types of worms - round (filamentous) and flat (swellings and bands). Each of the parasites causes significant damage to the body, especially if the appropriate treatment is not provided in time.
Be sure to wash your hands when you return home and also rinse vegetables or fruits under a stream of hot or warm water, as parasite eggs may be found on them. Products such as fish meat or beef must be heat treated. Under the action of high temperature, the meat gets rid of the eggs of various helminths and may be suitable for consumption.
Varieties of round worms
Pinworms are small parasitic flat gray-white worms that evoke enterobiasis.
Such parasites enter the human body in the following ways:
- digestive (through the oral cavity).
- through unwashed / dirty hands.
Worm eggs can be found in unwashed fruits or vegetables or in the hair of a sick animal. Children who scratch areas of the skin that cause itching and then swallow eggs (for example, along with contaminated food) are more likely to become infected with enterobiasis. It takes two weeks for pinworm larvae to develop in the digestive tract and after full development, a full-fledged worm lives in all parts of the colon.
Trichinella - these parasites have a round body no larger than 5 mm in length and stimulate trichinosis in the body. The larvae and eggs prefer to be in badly fried meat (wild boar, pork, bear meat). In the human body it takes up to 4 days for Trikinella to become an adult and its life cycle is 40 days. The main purpose of this type of worm is to enter the bloodstream through the intestinal wall and settle in the muscles. In addition, the muscles of the respiratory and musculoskeletal systems are often affected.
Roundworms are large, spindle-shaped, reddish-yellow in color. Males of this species reach a size of 15-25 cm and females - up to 40 cm. Their body lacks adaptations for attachment to the intestine, they simply move independently to the food mass through the intestines.
You can become infected with roundworms by swallowing mature eggs when you eat unwashed vegetables or fruits, on which the smallest soil particles remain. After the eggs enter the internal environment of the body, adult larvae hatch from them, terrorizing the intestinal walls. Through the bloodstream, parasites can reach the heart muscle and later the lungs.
Only in this, the cycle of travel through the body does not end, because the larva moves through the airway to the mouth.
By re-ingesting the parasite, the body already creates a favorable environment for its growth.
The path of a complete worm will be through the small intestine. Their life cycle is 12 months and then they die and are excreted in the feces.
Vlasoglavy - worms in humans, the symptoms and treatment of which are determined at any time after infection, preferring to live directly in the intestines. This worm eats the blood component or otherwise feeds on the intestinal mucosa.
Females lay eggs directly on the walls of the affected organ, then come out with the feces and grow in environmental conditions. An already mature larva, whose body is narrow and long, and does not exceed the limits of 5-15 mm. enters the human body nutritionally.
These parasites have a round body no larger than 5 mm in length and stimulate hair growth in the body. Egg larvae are found in badly fried meat (wild boar, pork, bear meat).
The human body needs a maximum of 4 days for Trichinella to mature and its life cycle does not exceed 40 days. The main purpose of this type of worm is to enter the bloodstream through the intestinal wall and settle in the muscles. In addition, the muscles of the respiratory and musculoskeletal systems are often affected.
Necator / hookworm. The connection between these parasites is direct, in relation to the diseases caused and the biological signs. They live in the duodenum, and due to their small size (10-15 mm) move freely in its environment.
The larvae can only enter the body through the skin if a person has come in contact with contaminated soil. A further target of the worms is the lungs along with the digestive system. They feed only on the blood that comes out of the bitten blood vessels. As a result of the violent activity of these parasites, blood clotting is disrupted. Adults consume blood in the area from 0, 1-0, 35 ml per day.
Varieties of flat worms
Wide ribbon. The body length of the parasite, which is 10-20 meters, deserves attention.
The parasite comes from freshwater fish and crayfish, the larvae enter the eggs and fish fillets.
The formation of an adult worm takes a maximum of 25 days and then a person becomes ill with bifurcation (digestive tract is disturbed, vitamin B deficiency).
The liver is a flat worm, reaching 10-20 mm in size, and there is a second name for this parasite - cat fluke. In 50% of cases of infection suffer residents who have consumed infected fish (carp, crucian carp, sea bream, cockroach). The fish become infected with liver bloating through a consumed snail that has previously consumed freshwater helminth eggs.
To clean the fish from the parasite, heat treatment is required, otherwise the larva will enter the internal environment of the body, destroying the gallbladder with the intestines. The signs of the acute phase of the development of helminthiasis in humans are a feeling of nausea, which turns into vomiting, pain in the upper abdomen, allergic reactions, muscle spasm. The parasite causes irreversible changes in the body and even after its elimination from the body of patients, it is certain that all kinds of inflammation and disorders will occur.
Pork / bovine tape. The body length of the parasite is 5-6 meters and its larvae hide in the meat of large animals (pork, cattle). The disease that arises from these helminths is called tenesmus and teniarrhea.
The larvae of both species of finches, the Finns, are whitish bubbles attached to the walls of the small intestine. It takes 3 months for the parasite to reach and form an adult and the worm grows every day. The total number of sections reaches 2000, the final of which "grooves" the large intestine freely.
The worms then leave the body along with the stool through the anus. The most common and obvious symptom of helminthiasis is a disorder of the digestive system, as well as the intake of food in large volumes and the patient does not gain weight visually.
Echinococcus. In this case, a person acts as an intermediate host, because the latter are wolves, cats, dogs. Animals can be infected through direct contact with infected objects or people. As soon as the parasite's eggs enter the intestines, larvae with six hooks develop, which in medicine are called oncospheres.
The worm's favorite habitat is the lungs and liver and the larva becomes an echinococcal cyst, increasing in size. All tissues near it are rapidly destroyed.
Doctors often do not detect echinococcosis and confuse it with a malignant or benign formation. In addition to compression of blood vessels and internal organs, echinococcal cyst ruptures are common.
If this happens, not only does toxic shock appear immediately in the body, but a ruptured bladder causes many new ones to form.
The last type of parasite is the honeycomb, in the medical literature they are referred to as echinococci. It is this worm that awakens a terrible disease that causes damage similar to cancer and cirrhosis of the liver. The worm's spheres enter the intestines, then the embryos hatch from the eggs and begin to destroy the intestinal walls. After the walls are pierced, the parasite enters the bloodstream and spreads throughout the body.
Most of the time, as mentioned earlier, honeycombs terrorize the liver, where the larva gradually grows. In the process of development, the larva forms in the worms - an aggressive formation that rapidly increases in size (a multi-chamber vesicle, which gradually grows). These vesicles penetrate the liver cells, on the same principle as cancer metastases.
Nearby tissues feel a violation of blood flow and later necrotic changes occur in them. Fibrous nodules form in nearby structures with such multi-chamber blisters and can remain in the human body for several years. That is why doctors, when they detect this parasite, resort to surgery.
Note
Modern science knows about 280 species of worms. It is these microorganisms that can parasitize and grow in various tissues and organs of the human body.
Every year, these human worms, whose symptoms and treatment are prescribed by a doctor, affect the organs and tissues of about 15 million people and most, to be precise, 80% of them are children.
How to get worms:
- The use of meat dishes with poor heat treatment or generally raw meat. Thus, beef is the habitat of the film and pork bears the film of pork.
- Consumption of infected fish in lightly salted or raw form. River water is often contaminated with helminth larvae.
- Water can also cause worms. This is due to the fact that a person can drink raw water or wash food, dishes with contaminated water. The risk is particularly high when you are outdoors.
- Ground can also cause worms to appear. Because it may contain animal or human feces. But how do worms enter the human body? The answer is simple - through unwashed hands after garden work or outdoor recreation.
In addition, you can become infected through direct contact with a person who has helminthiasis. That is, the infection is transmitted through dishes, linen or personal hygiene items.
If the case is completely neglected and the parasitic infection is in the acute phase of its development, then doctors prescribe detoxification and desensitization treatment. And if the disease is very difficult, then glucocorticoids are prescribed.
When talking about a specific treatment, it takes into account the nature of the pathogen and includes special chemotherapeutic agents of anthelmintic nature.
In addition, patients are advised to take various antihistamines. At the end of the treatment, you will need to take a series of probiotics. All this is necessary for the restoration of the intestinal microflora. During the treatment process, the patient must follow a special diet, which consists of digestible foods with a minimum of fat.
During treatment, it is very important to maintain good personal hygiene, otherwise there is a risk of re-infection.
In addition, all family members, as well as other individuals who have been in constant and close contact with the patient, should undergo anthelmintic therapy.
Signs of worms in humans: symptoms in children and adults
The signs of worms in humans, the symptoms of which may be the same, can be observed in acute form, both in adults and children:
- Unjustified increase in appetite and profuse salivation, and at the same time, weight is lost quickly.
- Another variant of the development of symptoms may also occur - the appetite disappears, after eating the person feels sick.
- Maybe the appearance of headaches and dizziness.
- Loose stools or constipation may also indicate the presence of worms.
- Stomach ache.
- Sudden onset of allergy with incomprehensible symptoms.
- Weakening of hair and nails (their fragility increases due to lack of iron and vitamin B12).
- Due to the weakening of the immune system, various inflammations appear in the nasopharynx and in the area of the genitals.
If the body is heavily infected with worms, a large amount of toxic substances that occur due to the vital activity of helminths are released into human blood. This condition can significantly affect a child's health. First of all, the nervous system suffers. Therefore, if a child develops sudden aggression, irritability, insomnia and other signs of nervous disorders, the child should be checked for the presence of helminths.
Even if there are no strong signs and no functional disorders, the worms may be present in the human body and it is necessary to do regular examinations to detect them.
It often happens that after preventive vaccinations, a child develops an allergic reaction due to the presence in the body of toxic substances secreted by helminths.
In fact, determining whether or not there are worms based on only superficial markings is quite a difficult task. After all, the symptoms that appear may be a sign of another disease. This task is especially difficult for pregnant women. Since all of the above signs of worms in humans, the symptoms of which were described above, in pregnant women occur due to the procedure itself.
For this reason, the signs of helminth infection in pregnant women can be distinguished from such symptoms: itching in the anus and burning in the vaginal area, which increase at night, weight loss, fatigue, fever.
A number of measures are taken to diagnose helminth infection, including the following procedures:
- Souvenir collection to identify possible sources of infection.
- The study of stool and blood samples, rectal and anal mucus, muscle tissue, sputum and bile in the laboratory. During the performance of these activities, signs of the presence of helminths in the body (eggs or the worms themselves, as well as their parts) can be detected. It is also worth noting that an increased number of eosinophils can serve as a sign of the presence of worms in the body.
- Serological studies (ELISA, RSK, etc. ) make it possible to detect the presence of parasites in the stage of larvae or helminths living in muscle tissue.
- Ultrasound, computed tomography and endoscopy are prescribed to determine the presence of parasites affecting the liver.
Worms in the human liver: symptoms by type of worm
Worms in the human liver, the symptoms of which are highly dependent on the type of helminth, can also migrate to other organs.
The appearance of primary signs of worm infection does not appear immediately. In many ways, the timing of onset of traits depends on the composition of the species. Thus the presence of askari in almost two to three days is manifested by a deterioration of the general condition of a person.
The first symptoms of infection with other types of helminths in most cases begin to appear only two to three weeks after the end of the incubation period. There are such parasites (for example, filariasis) in which the incubation period exceeds six months.
The problem with determining the presence of helminths in the human body is that in the case of a primary infection with a small number of worms or an individual, there are virtually no visual signs. Symptoms begin to appear only after intensive reproduction of helminths or when they reach large sizes (wide tape, round worm).
It is more reliable to detect pinworm infection. In their presence there is a characteristic itching in the anus, which intensifies at night. Basically, the itching appears within a few days, then subsides for about two weeks and continues again.
When infected with helminths such as trichuria, hookworm, schistosomiasis, bifurcation, berry and anemia develop.
The appearance of symptoms of roundworm infection depends to a large extent on the period of growth of the parasites. Thus, if they are in the early stages of development, the larvae move through the blood to almost all internal organs and show the following symptoms of the disease: fever, weakness, cough with purulent sputum, volatile infiltrates are visible on X-rays of the lungs. then disappear.
With severe infection, bronchitis and pneumonia can develop. With the further development of parasites, there is a violation of the functions of the gastrointestinal tract.
Trichinosis - mainly manifested by muscle tissue pain, fever and swelling.
Such worms in the human liver, the symptoms of which are manifested by jaundice, such as denervation, regression, clonorchiasis, reveal their presence with an increase in the spleen and liver and other serious disorders of the body.
Almost all types of worms cause disorders of the central nervous system, while the patient feels severe headaches and fatigue, a generally calm person becomes irritable and impatient and irrational attacks of aggression may occur.