When talking about helminths in people whose treatment is well known to many since childhood, it should not be overlooked that they are conventionally divided into several classes. Different types of parasites differ from each other not only in the form of damage to the human body, but also in the method of infection. Some of them are specific. For hunters, for example, it is trichinosis, which is more common in wild birds and less common in ungulates. But how do you know for sure that a person is a worm from symptoms, and what methods does modern medicine offer to get rid of them?
Ways of infection
In humans, worms occur in 99% of cases due to violation of the basic norms of personal hygiene. And they come into contact with the body orally, ie the waste of some animals or infected people (it is enough to visit a public toilet). It is impossible to pinpoint the exact symptoms of the disease (spread of parasites) in the human body, because there are many types of worms, and each of them has its own clinical picture. And even the complex drugs used to destroy them affect only 2-3% of the most common helminth species in the world. These include: pinworms, trichinosis, diphyllobothriasis, tapeworms, etc. These are the most common in our body. However, their greatest diversity is in Africa, where only 1 in 10 people is healthy. In them, helminths are mainly transmitted through water, which does not go through the necessary stages of purification and is simply full of pathogens and parasites.
Given the types of worms in humans, it is important to note those that enter the body through the meat of sick animals. These include, for example, the same pinworms that are found mainly in the soil. However, as soon as they fall on the meat, they begin to actively reproduce. By the way, their distributors are often flies.
Infection often occurs through well water. And no filter will help here - just pass the liquid through a special heating station, which heats it to about 80-100 ° C. However, they are very expensive, so they are rarely installed in practice.
And, of course, if worms are found in humans, it means that they are also carriers of the parasite. If the patient does not wash his hands thoroughly after going to the toilet, helminths can pass even during a handshake. For this reason, anyone can be infected, regardless of place of residence or social status.
Note that helminths occur most often in children. There are several reasons for this:
- Parents pay little attention to their children's hygiene, not to mention the basic rules of washing their hands with soap and water before eating and going to the toilet.
- The child's body is less resistant to helminths. Accordingly, even a few pinworms can cause the parasites to spread rapidly in the baby's body.
By the way, when talking about pinworms, keep in mind that they are helminth worms that cannot reproduce in the human body. That is, their distribution occurs only when the eggs re-enter the oral cavity. Accordingly, if an infected person follows strict hygiene rules, after 3-4 weeks he will be completely healthy - some of the helminths will be destroyed by immunity, and the rest will leave the body naturally with the feces.
Types of parasites
Which helminths are the most common in the world? Of course, pinworms are found in almost every country on the planet. This is due to the fact that they can be freely transmitted to both humans and pets, including food and water. The symptoms of their appearance in the body are classic: stool disorders, gastrointestinal tract functions, signs of primary intoxication.
Parasitic species such as roundworms are found mainly in domestic and wild animals, but they are almost never transmitted to humans. They enter our body easily, but die within a few days. In severe cases, for example, when the patient's immunity is very weak, the parasites are located in the lungs, sometimes in the liver, which is accompanied by a sharp rise in temperature. As a rule, at the same time, roundworms are clearly visible in the feces, even by visual inspection.
Trichinosis is another common type of helminth that enters the body mainly through the poorly processed (thermal) meat of fish and animals. It causes muscle pain, sometimes swelling of the face and general intoxication of the body.
But the most dangerous of the common helminths is tapeworm, because it can even cause a spasmodic attack, because its metabolic products affect the functioning of the nervous system. It is also dangerous for this type of helminth to live safely in our body for about 30 years, reaching a length of several meters. It can only be removed surgically as it can create tunnels in the organs for rapid movement in the later stages of infection.
Schistosomiasis - helminths more common in men (this is due to differences in the process of urination in men and women). Infection with such worms is accompanied by numerous symptoms, and in severe cases, helminths can come out of the urethra. It should be noted that this type of worm is more common in Africa, because the infection occurs only through water or food.
Symptoms of pathology
How to find out if a person is exposed to helminths in the body? In the early stages - only through a thorough blood test, as well as feces, urine. In the laboratory, they study changes in the composition of these substances, changes in the background of antibodies. However, roundworms and pinworms are so easily identified when taking a smear from the rectal cavity. Such an analysis must be carried out during the medical examination at the school, after obtaining a sanitary book.
However, the initial symptoms of worm infection appear later, when their number in the body increases significantly, and this is accompanied by intoxication with parasite waste products. For example, in the case of flatworms, the patient may not know about them for several years after the onset of the infection. Doubt not only leads to rapid weight loss (despite a healthy diet), but also lethargy. By the way, many people know that in the 19th century (as well as in the early 20th century) worms were generally used in medicine to quickly lose weight. However, this was only until scientists discovered that such therapy was irreparably harmful to health.
When talking about helminths, it should be noted that most of them can cause allergic reactions. And this is perhaps one of the most dangerous symptoms. In some patients, this can lead to sudden anaphylactic shock and even death due to rapid inflammation of the airways. And all this is due to the fact that helminths contain a large amount of substances that cause allergies in waste products. Strongyloidiasis is the most common worm, the symptoms include such a reaction.
Doctors often use the so-called symptomatic test for diagnosis. This is a small sheet of paper with about 20 questions. They find out how often a person has a headache, what food they start eating after a meal, and so on. offer to describe. In 80% of cases, the test results are reliable, so many doctors still use such diagnostic tools.
Therapeutic measures
Given the presence of worms and how different they are from each other, they must be treated in different ways. Most types of helminths are easily eliminated by the use of pesticides. These, in turn, destroy the positive microflora for them, thereby making the body temporarily unfit for life. However, the use of such drugs is quite harmful to our immunity, so they should be used only as prescribed by the attending physician.
Keep in mind that all worms are conventionally divided into round, flat and flukes, and different types of anthelmintic drugs are used to get rid of them. The diversity of parasites, despite the harsh climate, is still high - more than 70 subspecies. Also, when determining the dose of pesticide used, factors such as the patient's age, body weight, duration of infection (conditional, based on complex analysis data) should be taken into account.
However, most helminths can be easily eliminated with the help of anthelmintic drugs. But keep in mind that you will need treatment for 3-4 months after completing 2 courses of therapy. And here it will be very important to follow a strict diet, recommendations for managing body weight.
The symptoms of this or that type of parasite, the treatment of which in virtually no way depends on their subtype. The clinical picture often depends only on the physiological characteristics of a particular patient and the time elapsed after infection.
Preventive measures
As mentioned above, the most effective prevention of helminths is to follow the basic rules of personal hygiene, eat only well-processed foods. However, those who love meat with blood, in almost 97% of cases belong to the most vulnerable category of patients with worms. The same goes for those who like to eat fresh vegetables and fruits bought in a store or market without washing them under running water. And all this is due to the fact that people working in the harvest do not follow hygiene (because it is not provided by the employer).
Therefore, a person also takes blood, stool, and urine tests to make sure that the symptoms he or she sees at the clinic are in no way related to helminthiasis. After all, some types of worms cause symptoms similar to those that occur with an infectious lesion. These include, for example, diphyllobotriasis, which is very similar to a simple flu infection. However, such a reaction of the body is precisely related to the characteristics of the toxins that the parasite will release into our body. This is accompanied by a sharp rise in body temperature, runny nose and sore throat. But it's all about dehydration. And those roundworms and the toxins they secrete cause the same symptoms as disorders of the gastrointestinal tract.