Many people do not understand why, when applying for a job, they are asked to take a test for "worm eggs". Even more often, hospitalized patients with severe symptoms - vomiting, pain in the abdomen, heart or lungs, constipation, allergies or headaches - are surprised by the diagnosis of helminth infestation. It turns out that parasites are far from safe for humans, and the above symptoms are just the beginning. 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 host's organs and tissues, causing serious illness and even death. Such an infection is called an invasion. Parasites are divided into different groups, depending on their structure and their "habitat", and they are all very dangerous.
Ectoparasites
This group includes parasitic organisms that live on or within 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 from 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 the name suggests, scabies. The female parasite, 0. 25–0. 38 mm long, gnaws at the epidermis (layers of skin) to lay eggs. Scabies forms in the thickness of the skin. Parasitism causes itching, skin rashes and allergic reactions. Affected: armpits, inguinal area, abdomen, interdigital spaces. The disease spreads rapidly, because the female lays 3-4 eggs every day, from which the larvae hatch after 2-3 days.
Endoparasites
Internal parasites live in host organs (intestines, kidneys, liver) and in the blood, causing infections (invasion). There are more than 25 species of endoparasites. Every year 15-16 million people die through their own fault.
Endoparasites include worms (worms) and protozoa. In recent years the number of infestations has increased. Hidden forms of parasitism prevail; 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. Gathering into a ball, the worms block the intestinal lumen and cause obstruction. Sometimes during surgery huge balls of tangled roundworms are removed from a person.
- Tapeworms (large tapeworms) are tapeworms that, once they enter the human body, do not show symptoms for a long time. The growing helminth causes swelling, anemia, disorders of the gastrointestinal tract and intestinal obstruction. People become infected with tapeworms by eating poorly processed fish.
- Pork and bovine tapeworms enter the body when they eat undercooked meat that contains cysts (larvae) of the worm. Parasites multiply rapidly, populating the host's body. The case of a person parasitized by 104 pork tapeworms, whose total length 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 intestine. They are not as harmless as they seem. The infection causes allergic reactions; helminths crawl into the appendix, causing inflammation.
- Roundworms are a group of roundworms that parasitize the intestinal tract. The worms cause irritation of the intestinal wall and blockage of the bile ducts. 45 species of roundworms inhabit the human body. The most common are intestinal eel and whipworm.
Some worms live outside the gastrointestinal tract, causing extraintestinal helminthiasis (flukes, echinococcus, pork tapeworm cysts). They cause damage to the nervous system, brain and internal organs. Patients present with 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 spread widely, 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 mucosa and reduce immunity.
- Dysenteric amoebae 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 get helminth infection: 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 "carriers of parasites". Uninvited "guests" enter the body with food, water from pets, through dirty hands and insect bites.
The infection is favored by those who buy homemade lard, raw meat, dried and smoked fish in unauthorized markets. You can contract the infection in a canteen or cafe if hygienic conditions are not maintained there. Undercooked meat and fish dishes are dangerous.
Pests also benefited from the passion for Japanese cuisine, where non-heat-treated fish is added to dishes. Not all sushi bar chefs follow adequate sanitation practices. As a result, a person becomes infected with helminths.
How to suspect a parasitic infection
In the presence of external parasites (lice, scabies mites, demodex), skin itching occurs, which worsens during the night. Areas of irritation, redness, blisters and pustules appear on the skin. Sometimes allergies occur and the temperature may rise.
In case of helminth infection, the clinical picture varies, but in all cases digestive problems (diarrhea or constipation), anemia and weakness occur. People also lose weight with an increased appetite, some people's taste preferences change: a person craves fatty, salty foods, etc. This is how the body tries to replenish the loss of vitamins and microelements caused by worm parasitism.
Helminth infections are accompanied by swelling of the abdomen, pain in various parts, itching around the anus, and 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 appears in the right or left hypochondrium.
With helminthiasis, neurological manifestations caused by poisoning by waste products of parasitic creatures are common: insomnia, irritability, constant tiredness, bruxism (grinding of 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 alone, especially since they can coexist in a complex and by eliminating some you will only make room for others. Each clinic has a parasitologist; he is the one who cures the infestations. If there is no such specialist, you can make an appointment with a therapist.
Your doctor will prescribe a series of tests:
- Blood for clinical analyses. 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 roundworm infection.
- Analysis of bile, mucus, sputum, muscle tissue.
Worm infestations are often masked by other diseases. People undergo operations during which a consumed 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 do the same test for "worm eggs" in a timely manner. To make a diagnosis, endoscopy of the intestine and stomach is prescribed.
Diseases caused by parasitic protozoa are difficult to detect. The infection proceeds latently and destroys the body until the patient experiences severe organ changes.
Treatment of helminthiasis
To cure a patient, he is freed from 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 helminth's head does not remain in the body, otherwise the parasite will regrow. To prevent reinfection, anthelmintic treatment is carried out in several courses.
After expelling the worms, drip infusions of solutions, tonics 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 "catching" exo- and endoparasites, it is necessary:
- wash your hands, vegetables and fruit thoroughly before eating;
- remove dirt under nails;
- do not use other people's combs, shoes and household items;
- in public places do not walk on the ground barefoot and when swimming in the pool wear a cap;
- do not buy food in "spontaneous" markets and do not eat in 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;
- Arriving from an exotic country, undergo a comprehensive examination and take tests.
Parasites quickly infect people, so when they are detected, people living with the patient are checked and, if necessary, treated too.
In a modern clinic you can get tested for the presence of worms and get a consultation with a general practitioner for quick treatment from parasites.