Throughout life, a person is exposed to the risk of infection by various parasites. The most common are helminths (worms in humans). These parasites in the human body lead to many complications, among which are: disorder of the gastrointestinal tract, physical damage to internal organs and helminthiasis. Helminthiasis is not a disease, but a group of diseases caused by parasites that live inside a person. All helminths are divided into 3 main types:
- nematodes (belong to the class of roundworms), prominent representatives - roundworms, pinworms, whipworms.
- Tapeworms, or cestodes (a class of flatworms), are represented by tapeworms, cattle tapeworms.
- the flukes, or trematodes (order of flatworms), are represented by the liver fluke.
Since helminths leave the host's body during the breeding season to maintain the species, to be transferred to another host or to the environment, they are also divided according to the type of transfer:
- Mechanical transmission involves movement over long distances, while no worm development occurs on the host's body. These include most arthropods (crustaceans, arachnids and millipedes), which are often carried on the legs of common flies.
- An intermediate host is a specific mode of transmission in which one of the developmental stages occurs in the host's body. For example, for bovine tapeworm, the vector (intermediate host) is cattle and humans are the final vector.
Helminths also differ in their mode of transmission:
- active (contact);
- passive (food).
Contact helminths are able to enter the human body through mucous membranes and skin (schistosoma, hookworm). Foodborne diseases are more common; they develop in a person after eating unwashed food, during contact with sick people or failure to comply with the rules of personal hygiene.
In total, there are more than 250 species of lower worms that parasitize humans in the world. Since the symptoms of the presence of worms in humans have different manifestations, at the slightest suspicion you should contact a specialist and get tested.
The life cycle of worms, their reproduction and development
An example of helminth development is the classic roundworm life cycle diagram. The eggs of the parasite are extremely resistant to external adverse effects and can remain in the soil for up to six months. The development of the larva itself requires from 2 weeks to 2 months, depending on the environmental conditions: temperature, humidity, availability of oxygen. A mature egg enters the stomach with food, where gastric juice eats away the eggshell, releasing the larva.
After that, the roundworm enters the bloodstream through the intestinal wall and begins to move through the entire system of blood vessels until it enters the alveoli of the lungs. The roundworm larva is aerobic, only here it becomes active and continues to grow. It feeds on blood, grows to a length of 3-4 mm. Having reached primary maturity 4-5 days after invasion, the roundworm begins to move towards the bronchi. Its movement causes a person to cough, as a result of which the larva, together with mucus, enters the oral cavity and again into the intestines. This is where the final stage of the larva's development into an adult occurs.
The life cycle of an adult roundworm lasts about a year, during which it lays up to 250, 000 eggs. Human health, and sometimes even life, directly depends on the presence of worms in the body and their quantity, so it is important to start treatment as early as possible. Ascariasis is accompanied by intoxication, and a complication will be intestinal obstruction, which in some cases requires emergency surgery.
Helminths reproduce in 2 ways, based on which worms are divided into biohelminths and geohelminths. Usually, the eggs of the parasites end up in the external environment, where they mature. The egg must then enter the host, where it either fully develops (geohelminths) or passes through the larval stage (biohelminths).
For biohelminths, the development process is more complex; the stages of development into an adult and maturation are separated from the stage of larval emergence. That is, from the external environment the egg first enters an intermediate carrier, where the larva hatches. It must then be ingested by its final host to reach its adult form. Sometimes biohelminths change up to 4 intermediate vectors before reaching their final host.
Symptoms
How to determine the presence of worms? Polymorphic symptoms and the absence of painful sensations in the early stages of the disease complicate the diagnosis. Often the reasons for the appearance of worms in humans are associated with the consumption of stale or contaminated food, and the parasites themselves live directly in the gastrointestinal tract, so the signs of their presence in the human body in most cases are related to the functioning of the intestines:
- loose (unstable) stools.
- pain and swelling;
- allergic skin rashes;
- inflation;
- motion sickness;
- vomit;
- lack or excessive appetite.
- at night - sleep disturbances, tossing, grinding of teeth, salivation.
- itching in the anus;
- the presence of mucus or blood in the stool.
These symptoms appear after infection and last for a short time (about 7 days). In case of re-infestation they are repeated after 2-3 weeks. In the absence of treatment or due to the appearance of an acute or chronic form of the disease, some symptoms do not disappear, and the consequences of the long stay of parasites in the body are added to them:
- Poisoning occurs almost simultaneously with infection, but in the initial stages it is not so noticeable. The greater the number of worms in the human body, the more strongly the symptoms of poisoning increase - from morning sickness to vomiting and abdominal pain.
- Congestion in the lungs (infiltrations), bronchial spasms, pneumonia. The main culprits are parasites that grow in the alveoli of the lungs and damage them, which causes inflammatory processes.
- Inflammation of the heart muscle (myocarditis). An infectious disease, the result of the vital activity of helminths and subsequent poisoning.
- Meningoencephalitis is a dangerous inflammation of the brain and its membranes caused by bacteria and protozoa.
Different pathogens have their own manifestations and consequences, but most symptoms are common to all helminths.
Diagnostics
The diagnosis is made in laboratory conditions. Only in this case, with the presence of worm eggs and their traces in the blood or feces, helminthiasis can be diagnosed with confidence. However, stool analysis is not always enough - some types of parasites do not manifest themselves in it. A special method for determining the presence of worms is a serological blood test for antibodies. The following are used to diagnose helminthiasis:
- bile studies;
- macroscopy (to detect roundworms and worms)
- biopsy of muscle tissue to check for trichinosis.
- X-ray and ultrasound.
Trichinosis is a parasitic disease in which the larvae of the pathogen spread throughout the host's body, causing extensive damage to organs and the central nervous system, after which they settle in muscle tissue. Parasites in human muscles gradually create a capsule of infiltration around them, and the symptoms of their presence in the body decrease, but at this time serious damage has already been caused to the health of the host.
One of the main symptoms can be considered eosinophilia, in which the number of eosinophils in the patient's blood increases sharply. Eosinophils are a subtype of leukocytes that respond to the presence of the smallest foreign objects in the circulatory system. In places where parasite larvae accumulate, internal swelling and spots on the skin quickly appear - traces of infiltration. They also remain in sputum and lung fluid.
Since the symptoms of helminthic diseases are extensive and largely overlap with signs of other diseases, self-diagnosis cannot be completely reliable. There are cases when, after eating bananas, people noticed dark threads in their feces, which were mistaken for worms. Before starting treatment, it is necessary to undergo all tests to determine the presence and type of parasites.
Treatment of helminthiasis
When treating parasitic diseases, several general rules must be followed:
- Thorough disinfection of the patient's linen and the room he is in. Keep contact to a minimum, separate dishes.
- Strict diet without alcohol. It is recommended to drink carrot juice and birch bud infusion.
- Maintaining personal hygiene, frequent hand washing and laundry, cleaning of living spaces.
- Monitoring treatment progress and effectiveness.
Modern treatment methods exclude the use of a separate drug, as this does not guarantee full coverage of all types of helminths. Most of the time, the doctor prescribes an initial action drug that weakens the parasites. After 3 days, depending on the age of the patient and the severity of the infection, anthelmintic drugs are prescribed. Pregnant women or people with drug contraindications are prescribed a non-toxic drug from the tetrahydropyrimidine group.
If it is not possible to see a doctor, use folk remedies. The following have good anthelmintic action:
- garlic infusion enema, taking garlic on an empty stomach.
- tansy infusion on an empty stomach 4 times a day before meals.
- tincture of wormwood in alcohol, taken 3 times a day, 20 mg.
Nowadays, helminthic infections are diagnosed and treated in a short period of time. If you do not neglect the disease and start treatment in time, this will help you avoid complications and relapse. Parasitic diseases pose the greatest danger to children: there is a delay in mental development, complications arise in the form of chronic diseases and inflammatory processes. It is extremely important to immediately explain to your child the need to wash hands and follow the rules of personal hygiene. Adults should also take other precautions.
Prevention of helminths
In addition to personal hygiene, there are several factors that affect the elimination of the cause of worms:
- washing vegetables and fruits in hot water.
- Keeping the house clean, regular wet cleaning.
- a balanced diet that provides the body with a sufficient amount of vitamins of all groups.
- monitoring the condition of pets, annual visits to the vet.
- proper heat treatment of fish and meat.
- fight against insects that live in the house.
- refraining from swimming and resting in areas where cattle graze.
Compliance with preventive measures and timely consultation with a doctor in case of infection will help to avoid complications. The correct dosage of drugs prescribed by a specialist doctor will quickly get rid of parasites, and folk remedies can be used in combination with prescription drugs.