Helminthiases are a common problem among some categories of the population. In children, as a rule, worms parasitize, in people who frequently consume fish, diphyllobothriasis is diagnosed and trichinosis is common in hunters.
The fact that human worms provoke the development of many diseases that, apparently, are not related to helminthiasis, is currently confirmed by a wide variety of 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 toxins in the body, it does not mean that the patient will exhibit symptoms of such an infection. Signs of their presence can be disguised as other diseases of the liver, gallbladder, gastrointestinal tract. As a result, a person can use different tools for a long time and not detect infection. And once the correct scheme of anthelmintic treatment for the patient is chosen, the disease can be cured. Therefore, by asking yourself the question: "What should I do if I have poisons, how to check for the presence of parasites and will I infect my loved ones? ", You should not be afraid to contact your doctor and get all the answers, and also find out what to do if you are lousy.
For answers to the questions of 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 what are 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 types of infection:
Biohelmintiazat. Worms can be found in raw or thermally processed meat, as well as in fish. You can become infected by consuming lard, grill, dried fish, sushi, etc.
Geohelminthiases. Roasted helminth eggs that are on the ground and in water enter the body. In this environment they find themselves and since human feces, as well as animal feces, get there. Infections also occur when a person comes in contact with animals, for example, by constantly removing cat or dog feces, as well as when food is contaminated with fly eggs.
Contact. The most common worms, needles, are transmitted from person to person. In this case, the risk of being affected by this disease is the highest.
A number of parasites can enter the body when insects bite a person.
In trying to find an answer to the question of what causes worms and how they are transmitted, it should be borne in mind that the main mode of infection with parasites is oral-fecal. That is, a person simply swallows the eggs of worms when eating food, drinking water. In rarer cases, worms in a person are found after the bite of an infected insect.
Infection with worms through the soil
After contact with soil, sand, etc. , you should not only wash your hands very well, but also clean your nails. It is better for children to cut their nails very short. All vegetables that grow in the ground should be washed very carefully and, if possible, scalded with boiling water.
Animals and flies
Wikipedia shows that worm eggs can be displayed at home and by pets - cats, dogs walking the streets. There is a high risk of infection if children play with such animals. Therefore, you should take immediate action if there is a suspicion that the worms have started in cats. Symptoms and treatment of infection in animals can be obtained from a veterinarian or watch the relevant video online. 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 unclear: yes, it is possible.
Another carrier of helminths is flies. Initially they can land on feces, livestock waste, and then they can fly inside and land on food. As a result, they spread helminth eggs and people develop helminthic diseases after infection.
How are worms transmitted from person to person?
How can you get worms and are these parasites transmitted from person to person? The answer to this question is simple: if a female worm crawls from the intestines along the rectum to the baby's pope at night, she can lay a large number of eggs near the anus - up to 5000 pieces. As a result, severe itching occurs, the baby itches and the eggs fall into his hands. Further, from the baby's hands, eggs fall on clothes, bedding and other items that the baby touches. It is clear how worms are further transmitted: children and other adults become infected with eggs, after which small white worms multiply in the body. This is why it is very important to wash your hands before eating, after returning home from public places.
Infection through water
Many parasite eggs are found in open water bodies as well as in well water. This is why 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 the dishes prepared from it. It is very dangerous to swallow water from reservoirs.
It should be borne in mind what is helminthic infestation, that this is a disease that mainly affects children, as they are very susceptible to helminthiasis. The fact is that in children the protective barriers have not yet developed to the same extent as in an adult, their stomach acidity is lower.
Also, the signs of the presence of worms in a child appear very often due to the fact that young children, in the process of mastering the world, enjoy everything that comes to hand. Therefore, parents very often notice the symptoms of helminthic infestation in children, in particular, itching of the anus, poor appetite, cough in children during infection, etc. But still, it is impossible to teach the baby to strictly follow 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.
When talking about egg worm - what it is and how to treat this disease, it should be remembered that worms do not multiply in the human body. Worms in the human body die over a period of time. For example, foot worms live for several weeks, roundworms - about a year. Eggs that adult parasites lay in the body will certainly be removed from the intestines - either when feces or baby feces come out, or when they enter the skin near the anus, as is the case with breast worms. When eggs are outside the human body, they mature in the external environment, after which they re-enter the human body and again parasitize on it.
Since the reproduction of worms does not occur in the body, a large number of helminths are observed only if re-infection occurs, if the eggs again enter the body through the mouth.
Therefore, if re-infection does not occur, the worms that live in the body die in about 4 weeks. And if you follow all the preventive measures very carefully, then 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, the first few symptoms of worms appear in humans. You can learn in detail from a specialist what symptoms with worms appear if you have an infection. But some signs of worms in humans can be seen on their own.
So the most surprising sign that a parasitic infection has occurred is the presence of a sharp drop in weight. Also, the patient's skin fades - this is how anemia appears. In the picture, there are also signs of the presence of helminthic invasion - a person looks exhausted, his level of fatigue may increase.
Helminths cause itching in the anus if the intestines are infected. However, they can also parasitize other organs - the lungs, liver, bladder, and even the arm or leg, etc.
However, all the symptoms of parasites in the human body listed above are just the first general signs of infection that develop when the body is massively damaged by worms and make it possible to distinguish that something is wrong with health. There are other, more specific symptoms of helminthiasis in adults. The patient may perceive 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 - helminthiasis - is determined. More details about this can be found in the relevant videos on the network.
What are the symptoms of worms in an adult and a child?
Digestive disorders
If the parasites are localized in the intestines, and not in other organs, then the main signs in an adult and in a child are a violation of digestive function. A person may be bothered by persistent diarrhea or constipation, which manifests periodically with nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, pain in the right hypochondrium, near the navel, intestinal disorders. If intestinal parasites are injured, bloating is often bothersome.
All of these signs can be strong and weak, long-term 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 (like tapeworms), they block the intestines and cause constipation.
General disease, disorders of the nervous system
Worms live and secrete very large amounts of toxic substances, regardless of whether the parasites live in a person's blood, liver, lungs. The more massive the infection, the more pronounced are the signs of intoxication of the body, which negatively affects the nervous system.
As a result, headaches, dizziness and vomiting occur. Some people confuse such signs with the development of migraine and, as a result, drink sedatives.
Sometimes when infected with parasites, the temperature rises, joint pain is distressing. In addition, helminthic lesions provoke a lack of vitamins and nutrients in the body. This phenomenon, as well as depression of the nervous system, lead to the appearance of chronic fatigue syndrome. The patient feels tired, he is worried about drowsiness, a feeling of weakness in the body. If we are talking about a child, he is bad, constantly nervous. Young children have disturbed sleep, they cry or scream at night. School-age children, due to inattention and fatigue, may study poorly.
Allergies and skin manifestations
Signs of helminths Worms cause skin deterioration. Toxins with which worms infect the body negatively affect its overall condition and can provoke the appearance of various reactions on the skin. Outbreaks appear to be exacerbated by the release of histamine from mast cells and the accumulation of fluid in the tissues as the epidermis rises.
The 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 bloom, brittle hairs are noticed and cracks appear in the heel.
Deterioration of immunity and infectious diseases
Since worms feed on the body, they secrete toxic waste products. Toxic effect, a decrease in vitamins and minerals in the body leads to the fact that the immunity of the infected person significantly deteriorates. As a result, the health condition in chronic diseases also deteriorates, inflammatory processes in the nasopharynx begin to bother - sinusitis, stomatitis. In women and girls, vulvovaginitis, bacterial vaginosis are possible. There is evidence that with prolonged infection with needle worms, the development of inflammation of the appendages is possible. In this case, it is very important to detect their presence in a timely manner. Parasites in the liver also cause bad breath, a persistent bad taste.
There is also an opinion that worms in a person provoke the appearance of snoring and gnashing of teeth at night. However, this relationship 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 where exactly in the body they live. How to determine the presence and how to remove parasites from the body depends on their type.
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These worms live mainly in the intestines, living in its various departments. Hookworms, roundworms, tapeworms and other tapeworms are localized in the small intestine. In the small intestine live pygmy tapeworms, breast worms, in the large intestine - whipworm. In total, there are about a hundred species of cavity parasites. Photos and images can be found online.
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These types of worms in humans do not live in the gut, but in organs and tissues. There are varieties that live in the brain (cysticercosis), liver (echinococcosis), lung (paragonimiasis), muscle, lymphatic (filariasis) and other helminths.
What are the worms in a person still, you can find out from a specialist.
Roundworm is a species that belongs to both luminal parasites and tissues, as in the first stage of their development they can move through the bloodstream and infect any organ. How to get rid of ascaris, will tell the doctor who prescribes the treatment regimen for infection with such parasites.
What worms look like in humans can be found by looking at the image of the respective type of parasite. Special literature shows what worm eggs look like.
Signs of infection depending on the type
How worms appear 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, then health deteriorates after 2-3 days. When infected with other types of helminths, the first signs are noticed 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 a single individual in the intestine, then it is impossible to understand that a person is infected, as there are no signs. Some symptoms may be distressing only if the worms are long (ascaris, broadband, etc. ), or if a massive infection has occurred. Almost all helminthiasis is associated with headaches, fatigue, dizziness, irritability.
What are worms, what are they called and what do they look like?
Needle worms (enterobiasis) - you can determine the presence of this type of helminth 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 worms in the body, the itching may appear for a few days, 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. At the stage when the larvae migrate to the heart, lungs and other organs, there is weakness, subfebrile fever, cough, in which sputum is released, sometimes with pus and blood. If a lung radiograph is taken at this time, unstable infiltrates are noticed, which later disappear. Allergic reactions develop, a blood test shows a large percentage of eosinophils. If the invasion is strong, the development of bronchitis, pneumonia, asthma attacks is possible. Often people are wondering if there might be a cough when they get infected? Indeed, it is possible. You may also feel a sore throat. The signs of the second stage are associated with digestive disorders. Roundworms 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. With ascariasis, sometimes manifest complications - pancreatitis, obstructive jaundice, intestinal obstruction, appendicitis.
Ankylosing spondylitis, schistosomiasis, difilobothriasis, trichuriasis - with such lesions develop anemia and beriberi. After all, the toxins secreted by the helminths of these varieties significantly worsen the intestinal microflora, provoking the development of dysbacteriosis.
Opisthorchiasis, fascioliasis, clonorchiasis are parasites of the liver. The consequences of the invasion are icteric syndrome, enlargement of the liver, spleen, pancreatitis, cholecystocholangitis, neurological disorders, pathologies of the digestive system.
Trichinosis - with such a lesion, the most common symptoms are muscle aches, swelling of the eyelids, swelling of the face, fever.
Strongiloidiasis - cause roundworms, the symptoms are very different. There may be signs of indigestion, allergies, bile duct 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 lesions of the prostate, pathology of the seminal vesicles. In women it causes consequences in the form of vaginal bleeding, genital lesions. Fibrosis can appear in the bladder.
Cestodosis - caused by tapeworms. It is about bovine tapeworm, sheep brain, echinococcus, wide 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 you are concerned about certain symptoms that indicate infection, a person is naturally concerned about how to find out if you have helminths. Of course, it can be said with certainty whether or not there is an infection only after visiting a doctor and having performed all the necessary tests. But there are other ways that are convenient for those who are interested in how to detect that you have worms. To do this, you need to carefully monitor your state of 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 tell if you have worms.
Prevention of worm infection
To prevent infection, you need to clearly understand what are the causes of the invasion, what is helminthiasis, what are the worms. It is important to take all preventive measures, which significantly reduce the likelihood of infection.
- It is necessary to thoroughly wash fruits and vegetables, pour boiling water over them.
- It is important to fight flies, cockroaches, mosquitoes - track where they come from, destroy them.
- Cooking meat and fish should be at least 40-60 minutes.
- You should only use your own hygiene items - a towel, a comb (so that lice are not transmitted), etc.
- It is important to teach the child before eating, as well as after any contact with animals, immediately go and wash your hands with soap and water.
- If there are animals, large and small, in the house, you should constantly give them funds to prevent worms. To find out which ones, you should contact your veterinarian.
- It is important that younger children only play with clean toys and the pacifier or dropped pacifier should be washed immediately.
- Children need to get rid of bad habits - sucking on fingers, biting nails, taking various things in the mouth.
- The child should have clean and short nails.
- To prevent re-infection with worms, the baby should wear tight panties at night, which prevent the spread of parasites and eggs in bed.
- It is important to iron the baby's clothes after bathing.
- In the morning you should change panties and wash the baby well.