Helminths are dangerous worms-parasites for humans

According to the WHO, every second person on the planet is infected with helminths every year. Many people think 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 their host. In total, there are three classes of helminths:

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

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

1. Poor hand hygiene.
2. Unwashed vegetables, fruits; undercooked or undercooked meat, fish - the use of such products multiplies the risk of parasite invasion.
3. Keep food outside the refrigerator open. Insects can 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 rash;
• flatulence;
• itching in the anus;
• grinding teeth in sleep.

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

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

Tapeworms

The tapeworm's body consists of segments, the total number of which ranges from 3 to 5, 000. The main element of fixation of the helminth is the head, additional rubber cups and hooks.

The most common causes of tapeworms are:

Diphyllobothriasis

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

1. Worm eggs are ingested by crustaceans living in the tank.
2. Fish eat infected crabs.
3. A person becomes infected with the parasite by eating fish that has not been subjected to 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 helminths in feces.

Attaching to the intestinal mucosa, the tapeworm absorbs large amounts of vitamin B12. For this reason, people with diphyllobothriasis often develop anemia. In addition, tapeworm can cause enlargement of the liver, spleen, intestinal obstruction.

Teniarhynchosis

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

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

The disease often passes without pronounced symptoms and is discovered accidentally when a person sees elements of helminths in his feces. In some people, in addition to the main signs of helminth infection, pain may occur in the right side of the front abdominal wall.

Adult helminths can penetrate the appendix, pancreatic duct, bile ducts, causing acute inflammatory processes in them. Intestinal obstruction may develop with multiple parasite invasion.

taeniasis

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

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

flukes

Butterflies have the shape of leaves and are characterized by a high ability to reproduce in different periods of the life cycle. Reproduction of worms is possible not only sexually with fertilization, but also without it. In addition to suckers, worms have many hooks and spikes, thanks to which they are securely attached to the mucous membranes of the organs.

Common pathologies caused by fluke:

• fasciolosis;
• opisthorchiasis;
• paragonimiasis.

Fascioliasis

Fascioliasis occurs when the liver or gallbladder is damaged by liver fluke.Generally, infection occurs when eating vegetables that have been irrigated with water from open tanks.

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

• spasmodic pain in the right hypochondrium;
• yellowing of the skin;
• fever;
• colorless feces.

Opisthorchiasis

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

As a rule, cat fluke 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 intoxication;
• fever,
• beehives;
• 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 the pathology often leads to hepatitis, cirrhosis of the liver.

Paragonimiasis

The culprit of the disease is a lung fluke that enters the human body with infected crabs.

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 can penetrate the brain and affect the central nervous system.

Specific signs of parasitic lung invasion:

• chest pain syndrome;
• cough with 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) can 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 is caused by a roundworm, which is initially fixed in the small intestine. The average length of adults is 40 cm.Parasite larvae 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 a subfebrile temperature, allergic rashes, cough with clear sputum. Signs of the intestinal phase of ascariasis (diarrhea, abdominal pain) are observed only in the presence of several parasites. As a rule, the stay in the intestines of one worm is asymptomatic.

Complications with multiple parasitic invasions:

• blockage of the bile duct;
• purulent inflammatory processes in the gallbladder, liver;
• appendicitis;
• 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, enterobiosis is the most common parasitic pathology in the world. Basically, the disease is diagnosed in children under 10 years old.

Symptoms, as in the previous cases, develop only with numerous parasite invasions. Children often have diarrhea, mucus in their feces, difficult and painful digestion, itching in the anus, and nausea. In severe cases of the disease, leg cramps may occur. In addition, pinworms can 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. Adult parasites parasitize in the small intestine.

As a rule, people become infected when they eat half-cooked pork.At the same time, it is enough to consume only 30 g of meat affected by parasites for the development of the disease.

Pathology is manifested by standard symptoms of parasitic invasion. In an advanced stage, swelling of the eyelids, face, hands and feet, pain in the lower back, and chewing muscles can occur. 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 with parasitic worms, it is important to follow 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 many mechanisms of action on humans.

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

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

Mechanisms of action:

mechanical impact.For example, if a 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, Echinococcus is in the liver, lungs or kidneys, tissue compression will occur. This is a classic, mechanical effect: bursting, pressure, dysfunction of the organ or system in which the parasite is present. There are many not only luminal parasites that are present in the gastrointestinal tract, but there are also many tissue parasites that can fully realize the so-calledmechanical action.

Stimulation of allergic reactions.Unfortunately, when a person has allergic reactions, he starts going around in circles: to dermatologists, to pediatricians, to general practitioners, to allergists, but doctors do not always rule out the presence of parasitic invasions in the body in the first place.

Any parasite, even a banal pinworm, can lead to the creation of serious allergic reactions, and they can be diverse, both on the skin and on 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 globe for the vast world of microbiota. The microflora that inhabits all our mucous membranes, skin, organs, tissues is that friendly microflora that produces vitamins, minerals, hormones, enzymes for us and helps our body to live normally. And now, unfortunately, in the presence of parasites, it begins to actively die.

immunosuppressive action.Today, it is clearly proven that the waste products of parasites dramatically inhibit the immune system. They just block it. Moreover, parasites have learned over millions of years to mimic and hide from the immune system, producing special anti-enzymes. Thus, the immune system is blocked, and sometimes a person can suffer from various parasitosis for decades. Which sooner or later leads to serious diseases in the body as a whole, or in a particular organ or system.

Antienzyme effect. Unfortunately, parasites can not only exhaust our organism. If we try to consume vitamin food, mineralized, drink vitamins and minerals in a complex, it will not always benefit us, because our freeloaders will take the lion's share of them.

Nervous reflex mechanism of action.Parasite waste products poison the nervous system. And very often it can affect the psycho-emotional state of both adults and children. Any psychosomatic illness can be associated with parasite invasion. A child may be hyperreactive, or vice versa, lethargic, tearful, prone to depression - all of this can be a consequence of the presence of parasites in the body. For example, even the simplest Giardia produces toxins. Let them be in microdoses, but they are still toxins identical to psychotropic substances. Of course, a child or an adult with such persistent poisoning will experience a serious burden on the functioning of the central nervous system. And all kinds of mental and psychological disorders can follow from here: sleep disorders, nervous disorders, various psychological problems. Moreover, neither the parents, nor the patient himself, if he is an adult, the idea that it is due to the invasion of parasites cannot even arise.

In my opinion, the most serious and terrible thing is the stimulation of neoplasms by parasites. The long-term presence of parasitosis in the body can cause such a problem as the formation of neoplasms: benign and malignant. Moreover, the stimulation of neoplasms can be related to two factors.

The first factor is the direct, harmful effect of the tissue of a certain organ.

Another factor is the action mediated by 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-tumor protection. As a result of improper division, a cancer cell can appear in the human body. In this case, the lack of the immune system will manifest itself so that our immune cells will not recognize this cell in time, nor will it be killed in time.

When can a person suspect the presence of parasites?

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

• The most common clinical symptom is itching in the anus. Many people hear this, so it is associated with the presence of parasites, especially in children's practice.
• Grinding teeth in sleep. Again, very often this can be in pediatric practice. Moms suddenly notice that the child has begun to grind his teeth in his sleep. Why is this happening? Very often, squeaking in children is associated with frightening dreams. This is exactly the mechanism of the toxic effect on the central nervous system that we talked about. The child has a terrible dream and grinds his teeth in his sleep with fear. This is one of the reasons. There are other reasons as well. Trismus formation or increased masticatory muscle tone can also be a symptom in this case.
• Salivation during sleep, salivation in the morning, nausea in the morning when brushing the teeth. All of these are manifestations that may indirectly indicate the presence of a parasitic invasion in the body.
• Peeling of fingers and toes, peeling of the skin in layers.
• Increased feeling of hunger, sometimes to the point of fainting.
• Allergic rashes on the skin. While giving lectures to 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. First understand to the end - whether there are helminthic invasions. Because a high degree of allergy, which suddenly appears in a person in a short period of time, may first of all indicate that the patient has a parasitic invasion.
• Rash on the eyelids, their peeling, swelling. , mental disorders without known causes.
• Any itchy skin. Especially in the practice of children. First of all, it is necessary to exclude the presence of parasitic invasions.
• Troubled by symptoms such as bloating, boils in the abdomen, unstable stools. Any problems with the gastrointestinal tract.
• There is a lack of body weight, or vice versa, excess weight. Parasitosis can be both.
• The presence of several chronic diseases at the same time. Diseases of joints, bronchopulmonary tree, gastrointestinal tract. If suddenly a person starts to get sick in stages, then one, then the second, then the third, then the fifth, then the tenth, and at first there were no visible reasons for it, 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 go to various specialists, try to examine one or the other. And in the end, the diagnosis will still be unclear, and the health condition will remain poor.
• Inexplicable pains in the abdomen, changing, sudden spasms, pulling pains. It is also necessary to exclude, especially in pediatric practice, the presence of parasites.
• Prolonged toxic-allergic manifestations. Occasionally, sudden, incomprehensible allergic reactions to food appear.
• Persistent anemia. When hemoglobin is significantly reduced and difficult to correct. It is worth thinking, first of all, about the presence of parasitic invasions in the human body.
• In children: lag in physical, psychosomatic, psychoemotional development, hyperreactivity, or vice versa, lethargy, in schoolchildren, poor assimilation of materials - all this may indicate the presence of hidden parasitosis 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 parasitosis. Notice how wide they are. And with these symptoms, the patient can turn to almost any doctor. It is believed that if a person has found two or three such signs in himself, then he has already undergone a more thorough examination for the presence of parasitosis, that is, an antiparasitic program.

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

I want to draw attention to people who want to heal themselves. If you come to the pharmacy and ask the pharmacist: "Give me something against worms", then you are making a big mistake - these things cannot be done. First, the pharmacist is not responsible for the way you take this medicine. Second, he is not responsible for the consequences. Third, you can hurt yourself badly. Don't do it. To determine 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 then undergo adequate 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 with parasites. This situation is complicated by the fact that diagnosing parasitic infestations is very difficult. How to find out if there are parasites in the body? What laboratory and instrumental research methods can detect parasitosis? Let us consider 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, health deterioration, weakness, causeless fatigue, decreased 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 often cause the development of chronic kidney disease, meningoencephalitis, and vision loss. Some cestodes (tapeworms) grow over 1 meter in length, and the small round worms can form dense balls. This disrupts the normal functioning of the body, leads to severe intoxication, severe allergic reactions. Without emergency medical help, death is possible.

Prevention

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

• Do not wear other people's underwear, do not share a towel with strangers.
• Wash your hands thoroughly before eating - it is important to do this not only before breakfast, lunch, dinner, but also before snacks.
• Wash your hands after using the toilet.
• Wash your hands thoroughly after working on the beds and do all gardening in thick rubber gloves.
• Use only clean water for drinking and cooking.
• Wash fruits and vegetables well under running water.
• Eat meat, fish, seafood that has undergone heat treatment.
• Do not buy products on spontaneous markets, from individuals who cannot confirm the safety of the goods.
• Monitor the health of pets, regularly clean from worms, even if the pet lives in the apartment and does not go outside. For the selection of drugs and calculation of 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, it is necessary to perform wet cleaning regularly, disinfect all surfaces.

Even following 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, whether there are pets in the house, private plot. It is recommended to carry out medicinal prophylaxis of helminthiasis twice a year.