Many people do not understand why, when applying for a job, they are asked to take a test for "worm eggs. "More often, patients who admit to experiencing serious symptoms - vomiting, pain in the stomach, heart or lungs, constipation, allergies or headaches- surprised by the diagnosis of helminthic attack. It turns out that parasites are far from safe for humans and the above symptoms are just the beginning. Let's get to know them better?
Parasites are everywhere: outside and inside
The word "parasite" comes from the Greek word parasite, which means parasite. These organisms live and multiply in the host's organs and tissues, causing severe disease and even death. Such an infection is called an invasion. Parasites are divided into several groups, depending on their structure and "habitat" and they are all very dangerous.
Ectoparasites
This group includes parasitic organisms that live in or on the skin. They cause itching, dermatitis, allergies, and carry dangerous infections.
- Head, body and genital lice use their mouths to pierce the host's skin and drink blood. Infection with them is called pediculosis. Insects carry dangerous diseases - typhus and relapsing fever.
- Demodex mites (mites) are the causative agents of the disease called demodicosis. The length of the parasite is 0. 48 mm, so it cannot be seen with the naked eye. The mites live in human hair follicles, causing inflammation (folliculitis) and dermatitis. Damage to the eyebrows and eyelashes also leads to eye infections.
- Scabies mites cause, as the name suggests, scabies. Female parasite, 0. 25–0. 38 mm long, gnaws the epidermis (skin layer) to lay eggs. Scabies form in the thickness of the skin. Parasitism causes itching, rashes, and allergic reactions. Affected: armpits, groin area, abdomen, interdigital space. The disease spreads quickly, because the female lays 3-4 eggs every day, from which the larvae hatch after 2-3 days.
Endoparasites
Internal parasites live in the host's organs (intestines, kidneys, liver) and blood, causing infection (invasion). There are more than 25 species of endoparasites. Every year, 15-16 million people die because of their mistakes.
Endoparasites include worms (worms) and protozoa. In recent years, the number of attacks has increased. Hidden forms of parasitism predominate; in 80% of cases, the owner does not know that an uninvited "guest" has settled in his body. Deaths from parasitic diseases are also becoming more frequent. The development of tourism with visits to exotic countries has led to the infection of tropical parasites, which in the conditions of our country are difficult to identify and destroy.
Helminths
The most common of these parasites are:
- Roundworms are roundworms up to 40 cm long that live in the small intestine. Females lay up to 200 thousand eggs per day. Worms weaken the body, causing anemia and digestive disorders. After gathering into a ball, the worms clog the intestinal lumen and cause obstruction. Sometimes a large tangled ball of roundworm is removed from a person during surgery.
- Tapeworms (broad tapeworms) are tapeworms that, when they enter the human body, do not show symptoms for a long time. Helminths, growing, cause flatulence, anemia, disorders of the gastrointestinal tract and intestinal obstruction. People get tapeworms by eating poorly processed fish.
- Pork and cattle tapeworms enter the body when eating undercooked meat containing worm cysts (larvae). The parasite multiplies rapidly, filling the host's body. A case of a person parasitized by 104 pig tapeworms, the total length of which was 128 meters, is described. Sometimes tapeworm larvae begin to "walk" throughout the body, causing tissue swelling, high fever and muscle pain.
- Pinworms are small worms that live in the intestines. They are not as dangerous as they seem. Infection causes an allergic reaction; helminths crawl into the appendix, causing inflammation.
- Nematodes are a group of roundworms that are parasites of the intestinal tract. Worms cause irritation of the intestinal wall and blockage of the bile ducts. 45 species of nematodes inhabit the human body. The most common are intestinal eels and whipworms.
Some worms live outside the gastrointestinal tract, causing extraintestinal helminthiases (flukes, echinococcus, pig tapeworm cysts). They cause damage to the nervous system, brain and internal organs. The patient has fever, swelling, and blood in the urine. Dirofilariasis is dangerous, where the parasite is found in the liver. Parasites cause pain similar to the manifestations of ischemic heart disease.
Protozoa
In recent years, protozoan parasites have become widespread, affecting various organs and tissues:
- Giardia is an organism that affects the small intestine and leads to peristalsis disorders. This disease is often asymptomatic.
- Trichomonas and chlamydia are protozoa that cause inflammation of the genitourinary system.
- Blastocysts are intestinal parasites that irritate mucous membranes and reduce immunity.
- Dysenteric amoeba is a protozoan that causes a chronic form of ulcerative colitis. A person experiences abdominal pain, loose stools, and fever. This disease is dangerous because of intestinal penetration.
How to get infected with helminths: raw water, exotic cuisine and unwashed hands
Do not think that parasites only live in people who do not take care of themselves and lead an antisocial lifestyle. Anyone can become infected, because a person is not immune from communicating with sick people and "carriers of parasites. ""Uninvited guests" enter the body with food, water from pets, through dirty hands and insect bites.
Infection is promoted by people who buy homemade lard, raw meat, dried and smoked fish in unauthorized markets. You can get infected in a canteen or cafe if the hygiene conditions are not maintained there. Undercooked meat and fish dishes are dangerous.
Parasites have also benefited from the enthusiasm for Japanese cuisine, where unheated fish is added to dishes. Not all sushi bar cooks follow proper sanitation practices. As a result, a person is infected with helminths.
How to suspect a parasitic infection
With the presence of external parasites (lice, scabies, demodex), skin itching occurs, worse at night. Areas of irritation, redness, blisters, and pustules appear on the skin. Sometimes allergies occur and the temperature may rise.
When infected with helminths, the clinical picture varies, but in all cases there are problems with digestion (diarrhea or constipation), anemia and weakness. People lose weight even with an increased appetite, some people's taste preferences change - someone craves fat, salty, etc. This is how the body tries to compensate for the loss of vitamins and microelements caused by worm parasitism.
Helminth infection is accompanied by flatulence, pain in various parts, itching around the anus. Sometimes, during defecation, worms come out of the anus or come out with feces. With severe attacks, vomiting occurs with the release of helminths. In sick people, the liver and spleen become enlarged, and pain occurs in the right or left hypochondrium.
With helminthiases, neurological manifestations caused by poisoning by waste products of parasitic creatures are common: insomnia, irritability, constant fatigue, bruxism (grinding teeth during sleep).
Parasites weaken the body, weaken the immune system, and cause allergies. Manifestations of bronchial asthma are often associated with the presence of helminths (pinworms, whipworms, echinococci).
How to identify harmful parasites
It is impossible to identify and treat dangerous populations on your own, especially since they can exist in complexes and by eliminating some, you will only make room for others. Each clinic has a parasitologist, it is he who treats the infestation. If there is no such specialist, you can make an appointment with a therapist.
The doctor will prescribe several tests:
- Blood for clinical analysis. With helminthiasis, an acceleration of ESR, a decrease in hemoglobin and an increase in the number of eosinophils are observed.
- Biochemical blood test for ALT, AST, alkaline phosphatase, thymol test, amylase. An increase in this indicator is typical for infection with nematodes.
- Analysis of bile, mucus, sputum, muscle tissue.
Worm infestations often masquerade as other diseases. People undergo surgery where a destroyed pancreas or liver is found. It is not always possible to cure patients with an advanced form, so you should not expect miracles - you need to take the same test for "worm eggs" in time. To make a diagnosis, an endoscopy of the intestine and stomach is prescribed.
Diseases caused by parasitic protozoa are difficult to detect. The infection continues latently and destroys the body until the patient shows serious organ changes.
Treatment of helminthiasis
To cure the patient, he is freed from parasites and their metabolic products. For treatment, anthelmintic drugs are used, selected taking into account the type of parasite and the patient's condition. This should be done by a doctor, because all anti-worm tablets contain dangerous substances.
To expel large worms, the patient is prescribed a siphon enema. At the same time, make sure that the head of the helminth does not remain in the body, otherwise the parasite will grow again. To prevent re-infection, anthelmintic treatment is carried out in several courses.
After expelling the worms, drip infusions of solutions, recovery and vitamins are prescribed. Restores the function of organs affected by parasites.
Pediculosis is treated with the help of special sprays and mercury ointment. If pubic lice are detected, the hair in the groin area is shaved.
Sulfur ointment, benzyl benzonate and several other drugs are used to treat scabies. Demodicosis is treated with complex external agents, including mercury, tar, zinc, and sulfur.
Prevention of parasite infestation
To avoid "catching" exo- and endoparasites, you need to:
- wash hands, vegetables and fruits thoroughly before eating;
- remove dirt under nails;
- do not use other people's combs, shoes and household items;
- do not walk on the floor in public places with bare feet, and wear a cap when swimming in a swimming pool;
- do not buy food in "spontaneous" markets and do not eat in questionable catering shops;
- boiled or fried meat or fish;
- monitor the health status of pets by carrying out timely deworming;
- when traveling, use insect repellent;
- After arriving from an exotic country, undergo a full examination and take a test.
Parasites quickly infect people, so when they are detected, people who live with the patient are examined and, if necessary, they are also treated.
In modern clinics you can get a test for the presence of worms and get a consultation with a general practitioner for a quick cure for parasites.