Helminths rather than dangerous worms-parasites for humans

According to the WHO, every second person on the planet is infected with helminths every year. Many people believe that parasitic worms do not cause much harm to health. However, not everything is so simple: helminths can affect important internal organs: the heart, lungs and brain.

Helminths - who are they?

Helminths are parasitic worms that can choose a human, animal or plant organism as a host. In total there are three categories of helminths:

• movie. This category includes about 3. 5 thousand species of helminths. The length of parasitic worms ranges from a few mm to 10-15 meters.
• stings.Parasites are so named because they have burrows that they use to get food. The human body can be infected by about 4 dozen types of flatworms. As a rule, the length of worms does not exceed 5 cm.
• round worms.This category of helminths has more than 24 thousand species. Roundworms are spindle-shaped. Usually their length does not exceed 0. 5 meters.

You can become infected with helminths in several ways. However, most often parasitic invasion occurs for the following reasons:

1. Poor hand hygiene.
2. Unwashed vegetables, fruits. meat, fish, undercooked or well - the use of such products increases the risk of parasitic invasion many times over.
3. Keep food open outside the refrigerator. Insects are able to transfer helminth eggs to products stored without packaging.
4. Contact with pets.

The main symptoms of the presence of parasites in the body:

• nausea, vomiting, diarrhea;
• weight loss;
• allergic rashes;
• inflation?
• itching in the anus;
• grinding teeth in a dream.

Learn more about the signs of parasites on the bodyread our article.

Which helminths are most often found in our country? Review the most common types of parasitic worms and the diseases they cause.

Tapeworms

The body of a tape consists of segments, the total number of which varies from 3 to 5000. The main element of attachment of the helminth is the head, additional ones are suction cups, hooks.

The most common causes of film are:

Diphyllobothriasis

The causative agent of the disease is a broad tape that affects the human intestines.Development of worm eggs occurs in fresh water. The scheme for introducing the film into the human body is as follows:

1. Worm eggs are ingested by crustaceans living in a tank.
2. Infected crustaceans are eaten by fish.
3. A person becomes infected with the parasite by eating fish that has undergone insufficient heat treatment.

Symptoms of the disease develop 1. 5 months after infection. The main sign of pathology is the presence of whitish fragments of the helminth in the feces.

Adhering to the intestinal mucosa, the film absorbs large amounts of vitamin B12. For this reason, people with diphyllobothriasis often experience anemia. In addition, the film can cause an increase in the liver, spleen, intestinal obstruction.

Teniarinhoz

The causative agent of the disease is the bovine tapeworm, which lives mainly in the human small intestine. During its growth cycle, the helminth replaces two owners: the intermediate one is cattle, the main one is man. Bull tape can live in the body for 20 years, multiplying and causing damage to health. The disease is common in many regions, but is more common in regions where it is cold.

As a rule, people get taenencephalitis after eating undercooked or undercooked beef.

The disease often progresses without severe symptoms and is detected by chance when a person sees helminthic elements in his feces. In some people, in addition to the main signs of helminth infection, pain may appear on the right side of the anterior abdominal wall.

Adult helminths are able to penetrate the appendix, pancreatic duct, bile ducts, causing acute inflammatory processes in them. With multiple parasitic invasion, intestinal obstruction may develop.

teniasis

The causative agent of the disease is swine tapeworm, which initially infects the human small intestine.Human infection occurs through consumption of raw or improperly cooked pork.

The parasite can penetrate various organs and tissues, causing pain in the abdomen, back and limbs. The most favorable pathology occurs when the worm is located in subcutaneous fat and skeletal muscle tissue. When they penetrate the muscles of the eyes, helminths cause a decrease in visual acuity, lacrimation and photophobia. Defeat of the pig tape of the brain can be fatal.

stings

Flakes have a leaf shape and are distinguished by a high ability to reproduce at various periods of the life cycle. Reproduction of worms is possible not only sexually with fertilization, but also without it. In addition to the worms, the worms have many hooks and spikes, due to which they are securely attached to the mucous membranes of the organs.

Common pathologies caused by pimples:

• Fasciolosis;
• retroorchiosis;
• parafertilization.

Fascioliasis

Fibrosis occurs when the liver or gallbladder has been damaged by a liver puncture.Basically, contamination occurs when eating vegetables, which were irrigated with water from open tanks.

In addition to the typical signs of parasite infection, a person may experience asthmatic attacks, which are accompanied by shortness of breath, facial redness, dilated pupils and tachycardia. If an adult has caused a blockage of the bile ducts, then obstructive jaundice develops. Signs of pathology:

• cramping pain in right hypochondrium.
• yellowing of the skin;
• fever;
• colorless stools.

Licensing

The causative agent of the disease is the feline. The name of the parasite is due to the fact that, in addition to humans, it often infects cats and other mammals that eat fish.

As a rule, feline affects the liver and pancreas, causing inflammation in the organs. Symptoms vary and depend on the number of parasites. The patient may experience:

• symptoms of poisoning;
• fever,
• urticaria;
• itchy skin;
• pain in muscles, joints, right hypochondrium.

In some cases, helminths cause an increase in lymph nodes, the development of jaundice. The chronic form of pathology often leads to hepatitis, cirrhosis of the liver.

Fertilization

The culprit of the disease is a lung hole that enters the human body with infected crustaceans.

First, the parasite enters the human intestine and then the abdominal cavity. The end point of its journey is lung tissue. In addition, the worm is able to penetrate the brain and affect the central nervous system.

Special signs of parasitic invasion of the lungs:

• chest pain syndrome.
• coughing up sputum, which may contain pus and blood.
• fever.

In some cases, helminths cause a violation of the ventilation function of the lungs and gas exchange during breathing.

round worms

Due to their structure, roundworms (nematodes) are able to survive even in extreme conditions.Their body is covered with a three-layer skin-muscle bag, which reliably protects the parasites from external influences.

Common diseases caused by nematodes:

• ascariasis;
• enterobiasis?
• trichinosis.

Ascariasis

The development of the disease causes a roundworm, which initially attaches itself to the small intestine. The average length of adults is 40 cm.Larvae of parasites can enter the human digestive system with unwashed vegetables and fruits, contaminated water.Also, often the cause of ascariasis is poorly washed hands before eating.

During the penetration of the larvae into the body, a person may experience low-grade fever, allergic rashes, cough with clear sputum. Signs of the intestinal stage of ascariasis (diarrhea, abdominal pain) are observed only in the presence of many parasites. As a rule, the stay in the intestines of a worm is asymptomatic.

Complications with multiple parasitic invasion:

• obstruction of the bile duct;
• purulent inflammatory processes in the gallbladder, liver.
• inflammation of the appendix;
• intestinal obstruction.

Enterobiasis

The provocateurs of the disease are pinworms - small worms up to 1 cm long.Helminths penetrate the human digestive system in the same way as roundworms.

Currently, enterobiasis is the most common parasitic pathology in the world. Basically, the disease is diagnosed in children under 10 years of age.

Symptoms, as in previous cases, develop only with numerous parasitic invasions. Children often have diarrhea, mucus in the stool, difficult and painful digestion, itching in the anus, and nausea. In severe cases of the disease, leg cramps may occur. In addition, pinworms are able to penetrate the genitals, causing acute inflammation in them.

Trichinosis

This disease is caused by Trichinella - one of the smallest parasitic worms. The length of the parasite rarely exceeds 4 mm. In the larval stage, worms can infect skeletal muscles. The exception is the myocardium - the muscle tissue of the heart. Adults parasitize in the small intestine.

As a rule, human infection occurs when eating undercooked pork.At the same time, for the development of the disease, it is enough to consume only 30 grams of meat affected by parasites.

The pathology manifests itself with typical symptoms of parasitic invasion. In an advanced stage, swelling of the eyelids, face, hands and feet, pain in the lower back, masticatory muscles may appear. Possible complications are complete or partial loss of mobility, paralysis of the respiratory tract.

How to avoid helminth infection?

To reduce the risk of infection by parasitic worms, it is important to observe the following rules:

18 signs of the presence of parasites in the body

Being present in the human body, the parasite has a serious, pathogenic effect. At the same time, the same parasite can simultaneously produce several mechanisms of action in humans.

The WHO believes that currently about four and a half billion people in the world are constantly affected by various parasites.

This problem is very topical also because it is very difficult to diagnose parasitism. Worm infestation (a large collection of parasitic diseases) exists in humans even when the parasite is already gone. And if the patient has noticed this, then in this case, of course, he will come to the medical facility. Parasitism can also be detected during screening. But unfortunately, these cases are a drop in the ocean.

Mechanisms of action:

mechanical impact.For example, if the roundworm is in the intestines, it will naturally press on and injure the intestinal wall. In some cases, they cause an inflammatory process. If, for example, the echinococcus is located in the liver, lungs or kidneys, tissue compression will occur accordingly. This is a classic, mechanical effect: explosion, pressure, malfunction of the organ or system in which the parasite exists. There are many not only lumen parasites that exist in the gastrointestinal tract, but there are also many tissue parasites that can fully carry out the so-called mechanical action.

Stimulation of allergic reactions.Unfortunately, when a person has allergic reactions, he begins to make rounds: to a dermatologist, a pediatrician, a general practitioner, an allergist, but doctors do not always rule out the presence of parasitic invasions in the body. the first place.

Any parasite, even a common worm, can lead to the formation of severe allergic reactions and they can vary, both on the skin and in the bronchopulmonary tree. For example, frequent obstructive bronchitis in children may be due to the fact that some kind of parasite lives in the intestines.

Effect on microflora.It's no secret that man is a sphere for the vast world of microflora. The microflora that inhabits all our mucous membranes, skin, organs, tissues is this friendly microflora that produces vitamins, minerals, hormones, enzymes for us and helps our body to live normally. And now, unfortunately, with the presence of parasites, it begins to actively die.

immunosuppressive effect.Today it is clearly proven that parasite waste dramatically suppresses the immune system. They just block it. In addition, parasites over millions of years have learned to mimic and hide from the immune system, producing special anti-enzymes. By thus blocking the immune system, and sometimes a person can suffer from various parasites for decades. Something that sooner or later leads to serious diseases in the body as a whole, or in a separate organ or system.

The effect of antienzymes. Unfortunately, parasites can not only exhaust our bodies. If we try to consume vitamin foods, demineralized, drink vitamins and minerals as a complex, they will not always benefit us, because our freeloaders will take the lion's share of them.

Neural reflex mechanism of action.Parasite waste poisons the nervous system. And very often this can affect the psycho-emotional state of both an adult and a child. Any psychosomatic illness can be associated with parasitic invasion. A child can have hyperreactivity or vice versa, lethargy, tearfulness, a tendency to depression - all this can be a consequence of the presence of a parasite in the body. For example, even the simplest Giardia produces toxins. Let it be in small doses, but they are still toxins identified with psychotropic substances. Of course, a child or an adult with such persistent poisoning will experience a severe strain on the functioning of the central nervous system. And from here all kinds of psychological and mental disorders can follow: sleep disorders, nervous disorders, various psychological problems. In addition, neither the parents, nor the patient himself, if he is an adult, cannot even come up with the idea that this is due to a parasitic invasion.

In my opinion, the most serious and terrible is the stimulation of neoplasms by parasites. The prolonged presence of parasitism in the body can cause such a problem as the formation of neoplasms: benign and malignant. In addition, the stimulation of neoplasms can be associated with two factors.

The first factor is the direct, destructive effect of the tissues of a particular organ.

The second factor is the action mediated through a sharp inhibition of the immune system. The point is that the part of the immune system that is responsible for anti-parasitic protection is also responsible for anti-cancer protection. As a result of improper division, a cancerous cell may appear in the human body. In this case, the deficiency of the immune system will manifest itself in such a way that this cell will not be recognized in time by our immune cells and will not be killed in time.

When can one suspect the presence of parasites?

I will now tell you a list of clinical manifestations of parasitic invasions, in the presence of which, you should quickly contact your doctor in order to clarify whether you really have this diagnosis.

• The most common clinical symptom is itching in the anus. This is heard by many people, so it is associated with the presence of parasites, especially in the practice of children.
• Grinding teeth in a dream. Again, very often this can be in pediatric practice. Moms suddenly notice that the child began to grind his teeth in his sleep. Why is this happening? Very often, squeaking in children is associated with scary dreams. This is exactly the mechanism of the toxic effects on the central nervous system that we talked about. The child sees a terrible dream and in his sleep he clenches his teeth in fear. This is one of the reasons. There are other reasons too. The formation of trismus or increased tone of the masticatory muscles, this can also be a symptom in this case.
• Drooling during sleep, morning salivation, morning sickness while brushing teeth. All these are manifestations that can indirectly indicate the presence of a parasitic invasion of the organism.
• Peeling of hands and feet, peeling of the skin in layers.
• Increased hunger, sometimes to the point of fainting.
• Allergic skin rashes. When I lecture doctors, I very often draw attention to the fact that doctors are in no hurry to give anti-allergic drugs to one or another patient. Understand first to the end - there are helminthic invasions. Because a high degree of allergy, which suddenly appears in a person within a short period of time, may indicate first of all that the patient has a parasitic invasion.
• Rashes on the eyelids, peeling, swelling. , mental disorders without known causes.
• Any itchy skin. Especially in children's practice. First of all, it is necessary to exclude the presence of parasitic invasions.
• It is disturbed by symptoms such as bloating, heartburn, loose stools. Any problems with the gastrointestinal tract.
• There is a lack of body weight, or vice versa, overweight. With parasitism, it can be both.
• The presence of several chronic diseases at the same time. Diseases of the joints, bronchopulmonary tree, gastrointestinal tract. If suddenly a person begins to get sick gradually, then one, then the second, then the third, then the fifth, then the tenth and initially there were no visible reasons for this, then this is an opportunity to think about the presence of parasites in the body.
• Poor health and the diagnosis is unclear. Such patients can also go to various specialists, try to examine one or the other. And in the end, the diagnosis will still be unclear and the state of health will remain poor.
• Inexplicable abdominal pains, volatile, sudden spasms, pulling pains. It is also necessary to exclude, especially in pediatric practice, the presence of parasites.
• Prolonged toxic-allergic manifestations. Periodically, sudden, incomprehensible allergic reactions to food occur.
• Persistent anemia. When hemoglobin is significantly reduced and difficult to correct. It is worth considering, first of all, the presence of parasitic invasions in the human body.
• In children: retardation in physical, psychosomatic, psychoemotional development, hyperreactivity or vice versa, lethargy, in schoolchildren, poor assimilation of material - all this may indicate the presence of hidden parasitism in the body.
• Prolonged lymphadenopathy (a condition manifested by an increase in the nodes of the lymphatic system), recurrent lymphadenitis can also indicate the presence of parasitic invasions.

I have listed the main clinical signs of parasitism. Notice how wide they are. And with these symptoms, a patient can turn to almost any of the doctors. It is believed that if a person has found two or three such signs in himself, then he is already undergoing a more thorough examination for the presence of parasitism, or an antiparasitic program.

During the consultation, you will be able to express your problem, the doctor will clarify the situation, decipher the tests, answer your questions and give the necessary recommendations.

I want to draw the attention of people who wish to treat themselves. If you come to a pharmacy and ask the pharmacist: "Give me something for worms", then you are making a gross mistake - these things cannot be done. First, the pharmacist is not responsible for how you take this medicine. Second, he is not responsible for the consequences. Third, you can hurt yourself a lot. Do not do that. To understand whether you have a parasitic infection or not, it is very important to contact a specialist, go through a certain list of studies and only after that undergo an adequate course of treatment.

What tests will show the presence of parasites in the human body?

According to WHO statistics, about 4. 5 billion people in the world are constantly infected by parasites. This situation is complicated by the fact that the diagnosis of parasitic infestations is very difficult. How to find out if there are parasites in the body? What laboratory and instrumental research methods can detect parasitism? Let's examine these questions in detail.

Complications

Helminthiasis caused by common types of parasites can be treated with medications prescribed by a doctor. But if you do not pay attention to alarming symptoms, deterioration of health, weakness, undue fatigue, reduced immunity, the disease can lead to serious complications.

If the parasites entered the lungs and the patient did not go to the doctor with complaints of cough, shortness of breath, chest pain, shortness of breath, pneumonia or even bronchial asthma may develop.

Parasites in the digestive system can cause cirrhosis, liver abscess, hepatitis, bowel cancer, gastrointestinal bleeding, accumulation of fluid in the abdominal cavity (ascites) and peritonitis. They also often cause the development of chronic kidney disease, meningoencephalitis, vision loss. Some cestodes (ribbons) grow over 1 meter in length and small roundworms can form dense balls. This disrupts the normal functioning of the body, leads to severe poisoning, severe allergic reactions. Without immediate medical attention, death is likely.

Prevention

Helminthiasis often occurs when hygiene rules are not followed or when food is not properly processed. To prevent helminthic invasion, you need:

• Do not wear someone else's underwear, do not share a towel with strangers.
• Wash your hands well before eating - it is important to do this not only before breakfast, lunch, dinner, but also a snack.
• Wash hands after using the toilet.
• Wash your hands thoroughly after working in the beds and do all gardening with thick rubber gloves.
• Use only clean water for drinking and cooking.
• Wash fruits and vegetables thoroughly under running water.
• Eat heat-treated meat, fish, seafood.
• Do not buy products in spontaneous markets, from people who cannot confirm the safety of the goods.
• Monitor the health of pets, deworm regularly, even if the pet lives in an apartment and does not go outside. To choose drugs and calculate the dose, contact your veterinarian.
• Maintain cleanliness in living and working areas. Sometimes people carry helminth eggs on the soles of their shoes. To reduce the risk of infection, you should regularly wet clean, disinfect all surfaces.

Even if you follow these rules, the risk of infection cannot be completely eliminated. To prevent the development of the disease, consult a therapist. The doctor will prescribe drugs to prevent helminthiasis. Be sure to let us know how often you travel, if there are pets at home, a personal plot. Medicinal prophylaxis against helminthiasis is recommended to be carried out 2 times a year.