Many people do not understand why, when applying for a job, they are asked to take a test for "worm eggs. "Even more often, patients admitted with serious symptoms - vomiting, pain in the abdomen, heart or lungs, constipation, allergies or headaches - are surprised by the diagnosis of helminthic infestation. It turns out that parasites are far from safe for humans and the above symptoms are just the beginnings. Let's get to know them better?
Parasites are everywhere: outside and inside
The word "parasite" comes from the Greek parasites, meaning parasite. These organisms live and multiply in the organs and tissues of the host, causing severe illness 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 on or inside the skin. They cause itching, dermatitis, allergies, and carry dangerous infections.
- Head, body and pubic lice use their mouthparts to pierce the host's skin and drink blood. Infection with them is called pediculosis. Insects carry dangerous diseases - typhus and relapsing fever.
- The demodex mite (mite) is the causative agent of a disease called demodicosis. The length of the parasite is 0. 48 mm, so it is not visible to the naked eye. The mite lives in human hair follicles, causing inflammation (folliculitis) and dermatitis. Damage to the eyebrows and eyelashes also leads to eye infections.
- The scabies mite causes, as its name suggests, scabies. The female parasite, 0. 25–0. 38 mm long, gnaws through the epidermis (layers of skin) to lay eggs. Scabies are formed in the thickness of the skin. Parasitism causes itching, rash, and allergic reactions. Affected: armpits, groin area, abdomen, interdigital spaces. The disease spreads quickly, because the female lays 3-4 eggs every day, from which larvae hatch after 2-3 days.
Endoparasites
Internal parasites live in the host organs (intestines, kidneys, liver) and blood, causing infection (invasion). There are more than 25 species of endoparasites. Every year, 15-16 million people die due to their fault.
Endoparasites include worms (worms) and protozoa. In recent years, the number of infestations has increased. Hidden forms of parasitism predominate; in 80% of cases, the owner does not know that uninvited "guests" have settled in his body. Deaths due to parasitic diseases have also become more frequent. The development of tourism with visits to exotic countries has led to infection with 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. The female lays up to 200 thousand eggs per day. Worms weaken the body, cause anemia and digestive disorders. Having gathered into a ball, the worms clog the intestinal lumen and cause obstruction. Sometimes huge balls of tangled roundworms are removed from a person during surgery.
- Tapeworms (wide tapeworms) are tapeworms that, once they enter the human body, do not show symptoms for a long time. The helminth, growing, causes bloating, anemia, disruption of the gastrointestinal tract and intestinal obstruction. People become infected with tapeworm by eating poorly processed fish.
- Pork and bovine tapeworms enter the body when eating undercooked meat that contains cysts (larvae) of the worm. Parasites multiply quickly, populating the host's body. A case of one person being parasitized by 104 pork 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 harmless as they seem. Infection causes allergic reactions; helminths crawl into the appendix, causing inflammation.
- Nematodes are a group of roundworms that parasitize 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 eel and whipworm.
Some worms live outside the gastrointestinal tract, causing extraintestinal helminthiases (flukes, echinococcus, pork tapeworm cysts). They cause damage to the nervous system, brain and internal organs. Patients have a fever, swelling, and blood in the urine. Dirofilariasis is dangerous, in which parasites are found in the heart. The parasite causes pain similar to the manifestation 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. The disease is often asymptomatic.
- Trichomonas and chlamydia are protozoa that cause inflammation of the genitourinary system.
- Blastocysts are intestinal parasites that irritate the mucous membrane and reduce immunity.
- Dysenteric amoebas are protozoa that cause a protracted form of ulcerative colitis. A person experiences abdominal pain, loose stools, and fever. The disease is dangerous due to intestinal perforation.
How to become infected with helminths: raw water, exotic cuisine and unwashed hands
There is no need to think that parasites live only 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 "parasite carriers. "Uninvited "guests" enter the body with food, water from pets, through dirty hands and insect bites.
Infection is encouraged by people buying homemade lard, raw meat, dried and smoked fish at unauthorized markets. You can become infected in a canteen or cafe if sanitary conditions are not maintained there. Undercooked meat and fish dishes are dangerous.
The parasites have also benefited from the passion for Japanese cuisine, where thermally unprocessed fish is added to dishes. Not all sushi bar chefs follow proper sanitation practices. As a result, a person becomes infected with helminths.
How to suspect a parasite infection
In the presence of external parasites (lice, scabies mites, demodex), skin itching occurs, worsening 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 - a person craves fatty, salty, etc. This is how the body tries to replenish the loss of vitamins and microelements caused by worm parasitism.
Helminth infections are accompanied by bloating of the abdomen, pain in its various parts, itching around the anus. Sometimes, during bowel movements, worms fall out of the anus or come out with feces. With severe infestation, vomiting occurs with the release of helminths. In a sick person, 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 in sleep).
Parasites weaken the body, undermine the immune system, and cause allergies. Manifestations of bronchial asthma are often associated with the presence of helminths (pinworms, whipworms, echinococci).
How to identify dangerous parasites
It is impossible to identify and treat dangerous residents on your own, especially since they can exist in a complex and by eliminating some, you will only make room for others. Every clinic has a parasitologist; it is he who treats infestations. If there is no such specialist, you can make an appointment with a therapist.
The doctor will prescribe a number of 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 these indicators is typical for infection with nematodes.
- Analysis of bile, mucus, sputum, muscle tissue.
Worm infestations are often disguised as other diseases. People undergo operations during which a eaten away pancreas or liver is found. It is not always possible to cure a patient with an advanced form, so you should not hope for a miracle - you need to take the same test for "worm eggs" in a timely manner. To make a diagnosis, endoscopy of the intestines and stomach is prescribed.
Diseases caused by parasitic protozoa are difficult to detect. The infection proceeds latently and destroys the body until the patient exhibits serious organ changes.
Treatment of helminthiasis
To cure a patient, he is relieved of 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, since 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, restoratives and vitamins are prescribed. Restore the functions 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 a number of other drugs are used to treat scabies. Demodicosis is treated with complex external agents, which include mercury, tar, zinc, and sulfur.
Prevention of parasitic infestations
To avoid "catch" exo- and endoparasites, you need to:
- wash your 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 the pool;
- do not buy food at "spontaneous" markets and do not eat at questionable catering establishments;
- boil or fry meat or fish;
- monitor the health status of pets by carrying out deworming on time;
- when traveling, use insect repellent;
- Having arrived from an exotic country, undergo a full examination and take tests.
Parasites quickly infect people, so when they are detected, people living with the patient are checked and, if necessary, they are treated too.
In a modern clinic you can get tested for the presence of worms and get a consultation with a general practitioner for a speedy cure for parasites.