A rather serious problem can be a helminthic infection of the human body. Invasion can manifest itself in anyone, regardless of gender, age and social status of the person.
Worms can settle in the small or large intestine, penetrating there in different ways.
They have a serious toxic effect on the organic system as a whole, producing products of their vital activity.
All this negatively affects a person's resistance to all types of infections that affect the body.
Division of worms into species
More than 300 different helminthic pathologies are known today. They are caused by nematodes and cestodes.
The former are round worms, while the latter are flat. They parasitize in various organs and their tissues.
It is precisely for this reason that experts have worked on the classification of parasites. Two groups of worms are known according to their ability to parasitize the human body:
- intestinal;
- extraintestinal.
Representatives of the intestinal group live in the area of the small or large intestine, while other extraintestinal ones live in the heart, liver, lungs, and even muscles.
They travel through the body thanks to the outflow of blood. As a rule, a person with a good immune system has several protective barriers that prevent worms from entering the body.
There is a special enzyme in the mouth that negatively affects them. If the worms have crossed this barrier, they enter the stomach, where the acidic environment kills their eggs.
It is also common to divide worms according to the diseases they cause. For example, liver flukes cause fascioliasis, bovine tapeworms - teniarynchosis, pinworms - enterobiasis, roundworms - ascariasis, etc.
Thanks to intestinal immunity, certain antibodies are created that resist helminths.
Only these barriers are not of particular importance in the case when the person was seriously ill, i. e. the immune system is weakened.
Emergence of human worms
To date, a large number of helminths have been presented that differ in appearance and have special characteristics. Not everything will be described in this article, but the main features are still worth identifying.
Helminths in adults can be presented in the form of round worms, which are usually called pinworm, aroundworm, trichina.
The next variety is elongated individuals with pointed edges, but flukes have a flattened body.
They are named so for a reason, because they stick in the area of the excretory pathways in the human body.
This is a special type of worm, which does not have its own respiratory and circulatory system. Butterflies feed on feces and mucous membranes, blood.
A special group should include tapeworms, they have a flattened body shape, similar to a ribbon.
Their habitat is the intestines. The intermediate habitat can be fish and animals for individuals of the strip.
They have special rubber cups that allow them to attach to the intestinal walls. There the worms settle and lead their lives, feed and reproduce.
Appearance of human worm eggs
For a long time, helminths can live in people, symptoms will not be visible.
Many people only accidentally become aware of their pathology when they start taking stool tests or feel much worse.
In feces, it is not always possible to see them with the naked eye, and even if there is no microscope at hand.
The presence of worm eggs in humans, whose symptoms are also not noticeable at first, cannot be detected without the use of special laboratory tools.
If you pass the analysis of feces, then the laboratory assistant will be able to determine whether there are worms in the body and determine the type of these parasites.
The data will be based on the type and type of worm eggs that differ from each other.
Those. if the question is asked: "how to determine if a person has worms? ", the answer will come down to the fact that to begin with it is worth going to the hospital and taking the tests prescribed by the doctor.
Ways of infection of the organism
Worms are found in the human body in the form of several modes of infection. Oral is the most important.
In this case, worms enter the human body through dirty hands, unwashed fruits and vegetables. Parasite eggs are found in humans, because they live in the soil. For this reason, after gardening, it is worth washing your hands well before sitting down to eat. Otherwise, only a few will be able to avoid the question of how to treat helminthic invasion.
It is also important not to eat meat and fish that has not been thermally processed and has not been approved by sanitary control.
It is worth noting here that some types of helminth eggs remain alive even if the meat is cooked.
Another way to infect the body with worms is through contact. Those. infection occurs through feces.
Fecal matter of infected people or animals may contain helminth eggs. They enter the human body and begin to reproduce when they become sexually mature.
Experts identify other ways of infection. One of them is related to the skin. Helminths from the aquatic environment penetrate the human body using the epidermis.
Invasion of worms is also possible through the bite of an insect vector. This method is widespread in tropical countries.
But even in the south of our country or in exotic countries, this type of parasite is very easy to intercept, which will lead to the fact that a person will have to be interested in how to treat helminths.
There are really countless ways of transmitting worms, there is also a path from an infected person to a healthy one.
But this does not mean at all that, while you are together with an infected person, you will get helminthiasis from him.
Pathology cannot be transmitted by droplets in the air, there is only a contact method for transmitting worms. Here it is necessary to determine other nuances.
The peculiarity of the way of infection with worms is that parasite eggs can enter the human body. They will lose the ability to develop and become adults.
They will be able to grow if they are in the environment. If, together with the larva, the necessary nutrients are found, then the egg will begin to develop and grow.
Inactive helminth eggs will be excreted together with feces from the body, the person will begin to get infected and harm others, if the principles of hygiene regime are not followed.
Clinical picture of the presence of helminths in the human body
Many people are interested in the question of how to understand that you have worms. You can get the answer to it if you pay attention to your own good.
Symptoms of worms in an adult vary depending on the type of parasite found in the body.
Many of them live in the digestive tract, so the signs of the presence of worms in humans will be as follows:
- state of drowsiness;
- loss of previous performance;
- weakness;
- intoxication of the body with helminths;
- increased appetite or, on the contrary, its sharp lack;
- weight loss with a normal diet;
- prison;
- diarrhea;
- scanty stools with blood;
- feces with worms;
- itching sensation in the anus;
- headache with migraine attacks;
- violation of sound sleep;
- allergic reactions to certain products, this is due to the fact that some types of worms secrete special substances.
Signs of worms in adults can be accompanied by symptoms similar to hepatitis.
The point is that the parasites affect the liver and the gallbladder area. There are types of trematodes that can be confused with the manifestation of pancreatitis.
In the event of muscle pain, excessive sweating and a feverish condition, it is worth suspecting that there may be trichinella in the body.
Very rarely, but cases were still recorded when the signs of the presence of worms in a person were accompanied by a deterioration in the functioning of the brain, eyes and lungs.
After all, these parasites can settle even in these places, which are not characteristic of them at all. Therefore, the signs of worms in people were accompanied by exactly such painful sensations in the area of their settlement.
Symptoms of the appearance of helminths in an adult are different, for this reason there are different methods to understand that you have worms, but in reality they turn out to be ineffective.
Symptoms in adults appear only in cases where a severe infection is observed. A person may lose a lot of weight, his skin will become pale, and the itching in the anus will not stop.
As you can see, the symptoms of helminthic invasion in adults are very similar to other signs of pathology.
In the following, cases of deviations of some systems of the human body, if worms settle in certain organs, will be discussed.
Immune system disorders
Worms cause a strong weakening of the body's immune forces, taking away all useful elements and vitamins.
A person can begin to get seriously ill from a cold, although until recently he did not have a tendency to such pathologies.
It is vulnerable to many infectious or viral diseases, and therefore no minerals and vitamins can help restore immunity.
First of all, you need to find out if a person has worms, and then start treating the parasites.
Respiratory disease
If the worms find themselves in the respiratory system, they deal a merciless blow to it. It is possible that asthma, pneumonia, chronic bronchitis and other pathologies of the lung organs will begin to appear.
One way to determine if a person has worms is to pay attention to the presence of a constant runny nose.
Violation of the functions of the gastrointestinal tract
Helminths can settle in the intestinal area. In this case, the symptoms in an adult will manifest themselves in the form of problems with stool disorders or constipation.
Nausea and vomiting are not excluded. There are also pains in the intestines, excessive flatulence.
A person can eat more than normal and for a long time will not get better, or, on the contrary, suddenly refuse to eat.
There are cases when mild symptoms and treatment of pathologies of another kind do not bring the desired result.
But there are cases when signs of helminth infection are pronounced. Severe diarrhea can occur if helminths have settled in the body, when large worms block the intestinal passage, causing complete constipation.
CNS disorder
A huge number of helminths in the body requires the treatment of worms as soon as possible, because the central nervous system can be seriously affected.
The products secreted by the parasites can inflict a heavy blow on the nervous system, sending the body and causing malfunctions.
A person may suffer from memory loss, frequent headaches with migraine attacks, depression and fatigue.
It will not be easy for him to establish contact with other people and often communication can lead to disagreements.
Proper treatment of worms in adults is an important measure, because serious complications in the work of the central nervous system are possible.
They will be accompanied by a feverish condition and an increase in body temperature up to 39 degrees.
Lack of useful elements due to parasite infection can cause fatigue syndrome on a chronic level, start the process of anemia and make a person constantly irritated.
Skin pathologies
If the worms enter the human body, the skin deteriorates. In many cases, acne and pimples will be noticed.
No matter how hard a person tries, it is simply impossible to cure these pathologies.
Helminths cause such pathologies as dermatitis, seborrhea and papillomas. They can be manifested by cracks on the heels, itching of the skin and lamination of the nail plate.
A person begins to suffer from serious skin allergic reactions that cannot be treated, so it is important to start a course of treatment for worms in an adult. Otherwise, there is a chance that the skin will quickly age and turn pale.
It is important to note that the brightness of the clinical picture will largely depend on the number of individuals in the human body, their location and immunity.
Some helminths, for example, roundworms, can cause a general disturbance of normal well-being when filariasis goes through an incubation period throughout the year.
The danger of worms to humans
We understood what helminths are, now it remains to understand what harm they can do to a person.
In this case, it should be noted that helminths secrete active substances that poison the human body.
Helminths feed on digested nutrients, blood, and they also like different types of tissue. All this causes the loss of iron, protein and other vital vitamins for the development of the body.
Worms can cause a malfunction in the digestive tract, disturb the stool, it turns out that in the best case only the person will feel much worse.
An adult has every chance to get rid of worms if he seeks help from a doctor in time. Today, many means are known that help cleanse the body of parasites without damaging its integrity.
Diagnostic measures
During the week, the doctor will prescribe the patient 3 tests that can detect eggs. This measure is necessary to obtain a reliable result.
It is also very important to find effective pills for worms, for this purpose a person should undergo a comprehensive medical examination, which includes:
- general and biochemical blood tests;
- scraping;
- analysis of urine and feces.
The specialist has the serious task of interviewing the patient and examining him to identify the characteristic signs of worm infestation.
Symptoms may include itching of the anus, bitterness in the mouth, swollen lymph nodes, and joint and muscle pain.
The greater their number, the greater the risk of the presence of worms in the human body.
Medical therapy
After conducting the above tests, it is necessary to select special anthelmintic agents. The attending physician will be able to tell you what an anthelmintic drug is and how it works.
If it is chosen incorrectly, there is a chance that the body will suffer even more, but it will not be possible to remove the parasites.
Each patient will need to take medication according to a specific treatment regimen. The doctor will make it based on the weight of the patient, the form of parasite infestation, the age of the patient and the degree of the disease.
In order to avoid the facts of self-infection, it is recommended to take antihelmintic drugs again a few weeks after the treatment. This method allows you to remove the rest of the parasite's larvae and eggs from the body.
Traditional medicine for removing worms
Pumpkin seeds are known for their high efficiency, which help to remove parasites from the body. It should be clarified that such a medicine must be eaten with a thin film necessarily raw.
It is recommended to take it in the morning on an empty stomach. If necessary, you can mix them with honey or jam.
The next stage of treatment will be an enema. You can start eating only 2 hours after this measure. The course of treatment with pumpkin seeds should be repeated after another 14 days.