Helminthiasis is a common problem in certain categories of the population. In children, as a rule, pinworms parasitize, in people who often eat fish, diphyllobothriasis is diagnosed, and trichinosis is common among hunters.
The fact that human worms cause the development of many diseases that do not seem to have anything to do with helminthiasis is currently confirmed by numerous studies. In particular, there is a theory that helminthic diseases are associated with the development of oncological processes.
In addition, you should be aware that if there are helminths in the body, it does not mean that the patient will show symptoms of such an infection. Signs of their presence can be disguised in other diseases of the liver, gallbladder, gastrointestinal tract. As a result, a person may use different means for a long time and not detect the infection. And once the right anthelmintic treatment regimen is selected for the patient, the disease can be cured. Therefore, asking yourself: "What should I do if I have helminths, how to check for parasites and will I infect my loved ones? ", You should not be afraid to contact a doctor and get all the answers and also find out what to do if you have worms.
For answers to questions about what worms are, how dangerous such parasites are and how not to get infected with different types of parasites, read the article below. We will also talk about the signs of worm infection, general and specific.
How can you get helminths?
Helminth eggs can enter the human body in a variety of ways. There are four main ways of infection:
Biohelminthiasis. Worms can be found in raw or poorly cooked meat, as well as in fish. You can get infected by consuming lard, barbecue, dried fish, sushi, etc.
Geohelminthiasis. Mature helminth eggs found in the soil and in the water enter the body. They are found in that environment, and since human feces, like animal feces, end up there. Also, infestations occur when a person comes in contact with animals, for example, constantly removing cat or dog feces, as well as when food is contaminated with fly eggs.
Contact. The most common worms, pinworms, are transmitted from person to person. In this case, the risk of getting this disease is the highest.
Numerous parasites can enter the body when insects bite a person.
When trying to find an answer to the question of what causes worms and how they are transmitted, it should be taken into account that the main way of infection with parasites is oral-fecal. That is, a person simply swallows worm eggs when eating food, drinking water. In rare cases, worms are found in a person after being bitten by an infected insect.
Infection with worms through the soil
After contact with earth, sand, etc. it is necessary not only to wash your hands well, but also to clean your nails. It is better for children to shorten their nails. All vegetables growing in the ground must be washed very carefully and, if possible, steamed with boiling water.
Animals and flies
Wikipedia shows that worm eggs can also appear in the house from pets - cats, dogs walking on the street. There is a high risk of infection if children play with such animals. Therefore, you must take immediate action if there is a suspicion that the worms have started in cats. Symptoms and treatment of the infection in animals can be obtained from a veterinarian or watch the appropriate video online. In this way, any type of worm can appear in the body. Therefore, the answer to the question of whether they are transmitted from a dog to a person and whether it is possible to be infected by a dog is unequivocal: yes, it is possible.
Another carrier of helminths are flies. At first they can land on feces, animal waste, and then run in and land on food. As a result, helminth eggs spread, and people develop helminthic diseases after infection.
How are worms transmitted from person to person?
How can worms be obtained and are these parasites transmitted from person to person? The answer to this question is simple: if a female pinworm crawls out of the intestines at night along the rectum in the baby's pap, she can lay a large number of eggs near the anus - up to 5, 000 pieces. As a result, severe itching occurs, the baby itches, and eggs fall on his hands. Furthermore, from the baby's hands, eggs fall on clothes, bedding and other objects that the baby touches. It is clear how worms are further transmitted: other children and adults become infected with eggs, after which small white worms multiply in the body. That is why it is very important to wash your hands before eating, after returning home from public places.
Waterborne infection
Many parasite eggs are found in open water bodies as well as in well water. Therefore, people who use such water should use a special bactericidal filter. It is also very important to boil the water that people drink and eat meals prepared from it. It is very dangerous to swallow water from the tank.
It should be taken into account, when talking about helminthic invasion, that it is a disease that mainly affects children, because they are very susceptible to helminthiasis. The fact is that in children the protective barriers are not yet developed to the same extent as in adults, the acidity of the stomach is lower.
Also, very often there are signs of the presence of worms in a child due to the fact that small children in the process of mastering the world taste everything that comes to hand. Therefore, parents very often notice the symptoms of helminthic invasion in children, especially itching of the anus, poor appetite, cough in children during infection, etc. But it is still impossible to get the baby used to strictly following the rules of hygiene. in the first years of his life. Therefore, at this time, the risk of infection is high for all family members.
Speaking of egg worms - what it is and how to treat this disease, it should be borne in mind that worms do not multiply in the human body. Worms in the human body die over a period of time. For example, pinworms live for several weeks, roundworms - about a year. Eggs laid by adult parasites in the body will certainly leave the gut - either when feces or baby feces come out, or reach the skin near the anus, as happens with pinworms. When the eggs are outside the human body, they mature in the external environment, after which they re-enter the human body and parasitize in it again.
Because worm reproduction does not occur in the body, a large number of helminths are only observed if re-infection occurs, if eggs re-enter the body through the mouth.
Therefore, if re-infection does not occur, the pinworms that live in the body die in about 4 weeks. And if you follow all the preventive measures very carefully, you can get rid of the presence of worms without treatment. However, in the case of children, following all these rules is a very difficult task.
Signs of helminths
When infected with parasites, certain first symptoms of worms appear in humans. You can find out in detail from the experts about the symptoms of worms that appear if you have an infection. But some signs of worms in humans can be seen on their own.
So, the most striking sign that a parasite infection has occurred is the presence of severe weight loss. Also, the patient's skin pales - so anemia manifests itself. The appearance also shows signs of the presence of helminthic invasion - the person looks exhausted, the level of fatigue may increase.
Helminths cause itching in the anus if the intestines are infected. However, they can also parasitize other organs - in the lungs, liver, bladder, and even in the arm or leg, etc.
However, all the above symptoms of parasites in the human body are only the first general signs of infection that develop when the body is massively damaged by worms and make it possible to recognize that something is wrong with health. There are other, more specific symptoms of helminthic invasion in adults. The patient can understand them as a manifestation of other diseases. At the same time, he can treat such diseases for a long time, of course, without success. This lasts until the exact cause of such symptoms is determined - helminthiasis. You can find more details about this in the corresponding videos online.
What are the symptoms of worms in adults and children?
Digestive disorders
If the parasites are localized in the intestines and not in other organs, then the main signs in adults and children are violations of digestive function. The person may be disturbed by constant diarrhea or constipation, occasionally manifested by nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, pain in the right hypochondrium, near the navel, intestinal disorders. If intestinal parasites are coiled, bloating is often a concern.
All of these signs can be both strong and weak, long-lasting and periodic. It all depends on the severity of the infection. There are types of helminths that produce hormone-like substances, under the influence of which permanent diarrhea develops. If large worms grow (such as tapeworm), they block the intestines and cause constipation.
General weakness, nervous system disorders
Worms live and secrete very large amounts of toxic substances, regardless of whether the parasites live in the blood, liver, lungs of man. The more massive the infection, the more pronounced the signs of intoxication of the body, which negatively affects the nervous system.
As a result, headache, dizziness and nausea develop. Some people mistakenly consider such signs to develop migraines and as a result take painkillers.
Sometimes when infected with parasites, the temperature rises, the pain in the joints is disturbing. In addition, helminthic lesions cause a lack of vitamins and nutrients in the body. This phenomenon, as well as depression of the nervous system, lead to the manifestation of chronic fatigue syndrome. The patient feels tired, worried about drowsiness, feeling weak in the body. If we talk about a child, he is mischievous, constantly nervous. Young children have disturbed sleep, crying or screaming at night. School-age children may learn poorly due to inattention and fatigue.
Allergies and skin manifestations
Signs of helminths Worms cause skin deterioration. Toxins that worms infect the body negatively affect its general condition and can cause various skin reactions. Eruptions occur as a result of the release of histamine from mast cells and the accumulation of liquid blood in the tissue with the rise of the epidermis.
These same reasons lead to the development of allergic reactions. In particular, itching, red spots, acne, urticaria, as well as dry cough, allergic rhinitis, manifestations of bronchial asthma may occur. Also, when infected, nails can peel off, brittle hair is noticed and cracks appear on the heels.
Deterioration of immunity and infectious diseases
Because worms feed on the body, they secrete toxic waste products. Toxic effect, reduction of vitamins and minerals in the body leads to the fact that the immunity of an infected person significantly deteriorates. As a result, the health condition of chronic diseases worsens, inflammatory processes in the nasopharynx begin to disturb - sinusitis, stomatitis. Vulvovaginitis, bacterial vaginosis, is possible in women and girls. There is evidence that with prolonged pinworm infection, inflammation of the appendages may develop. In this case, it is very important that their presence is detected in time. Parasites in the liver also cause bad breath, persistent bad taste.
There is also an opinion that worms cause snoring and night gnashing of teeth in a person. However, this connection has not yet been proven.
Where do parasites live in the human body?
The types of parasites in the human body are determined depending on exactly where they live in the body. How to determine the presence and how to remove parasites from the body depends on their type.
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These worms mainly inhabit the intestines, living in different wards. Anchistolists, roundworms, broadworms, and other tapeworms are localized in the small intestine. In the small intestine live tapeworms, pinworms, in the large intestine - whips. In total, there are about a hundred species of cavity parasites. Pictures and images can be found online.
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These types of worms in humans do not live in the intestines, but in organs and tissues. There are variants that live in the brain (cysticercosis), liver (echinococcosis), lungs (paragonimiasis), muscles, lymphatics (filariasis) and other helminths.
You can find out what worms are in a person from an expert.
The roundworm is a species that belongs to both luminal and tissue parasites, because in the first phase of its development, they can move through the blood and infect any organ. How to get rid of ascaris, will tell the doctor who prescribes a regimen to treat infection with such parasites.
You can find out what worms look like in humans by looking at a picture of the appropriate type of parasite. Special literature shows what worm eggs look like.
Signs of infection depending on the species
How worms manifest and how dangerous they are depends on the type of parasite, where exactly they live in the body, as well as the intensity of the infection. Signs of invasion in humans can be detected after a few days. For example, if roundworms appear, health deteriorates after 2-3 days. When infected with other types of helminths, the first signs appear in the patient after 2-3 weeks. The incubation period for filariasis is 6 to 18 months.
Intestinal worms are dangerous from the point of view that if there is one individual in the intestine, then it is impossible to understand that the person is infected because there are no signs. Certain symptoms can be disturbing only if the worms are long (ascaris, broad tapeworm, etc. ) or if a mass infection has occurred. Almost all helminthiasis is accompanied by headache, fatigue, dizziness, irritability.
What are worms, what are they called and what do they look like?
Pinworms (enterobiasis) - the presence of this type of helminth can be determined by the manifestation of the main signs, as well as by the manifestation of itching in the anus, which becomes more intense at night. If there are only a small number of pinworms in the body, the itching may appear for a few days and then pass and reappear after a few weeks. With a strong invasion, itching can be felt constantly.
Ascaris - what are the signs of ascariasis, depends on the stage of development of these parasites. In the phase when the larvae migrate to the heart, lungs and other organs, there is weakness, subfebrile temperature, cough, in which sputum is released, sometimes with pus and blood. If an X-ray of the lungs is taken at that moment, volatile infiltrates can be seen on them, which later disappear. Allergic reactions develop, a blood test shows a high percentage of eosinophils. If the invasion is strong, the development of bronchitis, pneumonia, asthma attacks is likely. People often wonder if they can cough when they are infected? Indeed, it is possible. You may also feel sore throat. Signs of the second stage are associated with digestive disorders. Ocal worms produce substances that neutralize pepsin and trypsin, human digestive enzymes. As a result, proteins are not digested and the patient loses a lot of weight. Ascariasis sometimes manifests complications - pancreatitis, obstructive jaundice, intestinal obstruction, appendicitis.
Hookworm, schistosomiasis, difilobotriosis, trichuriasis - with such lesions develop anemia and beriberi. After all, the toxins secreted by helminths of these varieties significantly worsen the intestinal microflora, causing the development of dysbacteriosis.
Opisthorchiasis, fascioliasis, clonorchiasis are liver parasites. The consequences of the invasion are icteric syndrome, enlarged liver, spleen, pancreatitis, cholecystocholangitis, neurological disorders, pathologies of the digestive system.
Trichinosis - with such a lesion, the most common symptoms are muscle pain, swelling of the eyelids, swelling of the face, fever.
Strongyloidiasis - the cause of roundworms, the symptoms are very diverse. There may be signs of dyspepsia, allergies, biliary tract dysfunction, etc.
Genitourinary schistosomiasis - caused by flatworms, manifested by diuretic disorders. At the end of urination, blood is found in the urine. In men, it can lead to pathological prostate lesions, seminal vesicle pathology. In women, it causes consequences in the form of vaginal bleeding, genital lesions. Fibrosis can occur in the bladder.
Cestodosis - caused by tapeworms. These are beef tapeworm, sheep brain, echinococcus, broad tapeworm, etc. Signs of the disease are severe weight loss, weakness and dysfunction of the gastrointestinal tract.
How to determine the presence of worms in a person?
If there are certain symptoms that indicate an infection, the person is naturally worried about how to understand if you have helminths. Of course, it is possible to say with certainty whether there is an infection or not only after visiting a doctor and conducting all the necessary tests. But there are other ways that are suitable for those who are interested in finding out that you have worms. To do this, you need to carefully monitor your health and pay attention to the changes that occur in the body. After all, the presence of some pronounced symptoms provides an answer to the question of how to understand that you have worms.
Prevention of worm infection
To prevent infection, you must clearly understand the causes of the invasion, what is helminthiasis, what are worms. It is important to take all preventive measures, which significantly reduces the possibility of infection.
- Fruits and vegetables should be washed well, pour boiling water over them.
- It is important to fight flies, cockroaches, mosquitoes - keep track of where they come from, destroy them.
- Cooking meat and fish should take at least 40-60 minutes.
- You only need to use your own hygiene items - a towel, a comb (so that lice do not get transmitted), etc.
- It is important to teach the baby before eating, as well as after each contact with animals, to go immediately and wash your hands with soap and water.
- If there are animals in the house, large and small, you must constantly give them means to prevent worms. Contact your veterinarian to find out which ones.
- It is important that the youngest children play only with clean toys, and the dropped pacifier or pacifier should be washed immediately.
- Children need to be weaned off bad habits - sucking their fingers, biting their nails, taking various things into their mouths.
- The baby should have clean and short nails.
- To prevent re-infection of pinworms, the baby must wear tight panties at night, which prevents the spread of parasites and eggs throughout the bed.
- It is important to iron baby clothes after washing.
- In the morning you need to change your panties and wash your baby well.