Worms in humans - symptoms, diagnosis, treatment

When worms enter the human body, they begin their parasitic activity, which makes a person feel unwell. Helminthic infestations often cause severe allergic reactions, gastrointestinal diseases and other pathologies not related to the gastrointestinal tract. However, traditional treatment of these diseases does not bring recovery. Worms in humans can be suspected with high probability on the basis of certain symptoms, but helminthosis is clinically manifested only when the worms multiply massively. In case of asymptomatic cases, laboratory tests will help to reliably diagnose helminthiasis. Symptoms of worms in humans can be different, but first of all, abdominal pain, discomfort near the anus, nausea and general weakness appear. To restore good health, it is necessary to get rid of worms using anthelmintic drugs or folk remedies.

What are worms

Worms are parasites of humans and animals that belong to the class of flatworms or roundworms. Worms have a fairly common structure.
In their development, worms traditionally pass through several stages: egg - larva - adult. Most worm infections in a person occur when they ingest worm eggs.

Larvae quickly hatch from swallowed eggs in the human intestinal tract, which begin to migrate to the place of permanent residence, where they turn into adults. In the process of movement, almost all helminths make "journeys" through the human body.

Only a few parasites (eg pinworms) hatch from eggs in the intestinal tract and remain there. Usually, tissue and organ destruction and symptoms caused by larvae and other developing forms of helminths during movement are most pronounced, compared to symptoms caused by mature forms of the parasite.

As we have already said, adult worms traditionally have a stable localization in the body, and their developing forms often migrate to different organs and tissues, and the path of their movement is often quite complex. For example, with ascariasis, a person becomes infected by eating food contaminated with worm eggs (ascaris eggs mature in the soil).

In the cavity of the intestinal tract, the larvae hatch from the eggs of the roundworm, which within a few hours enter the blood vessels through the wall of the intestinal tract and are transported by the bloodstream to the lungs. Roundworm larvae grow and mature in the lungs. The growing larva slowly bites the neighboring bronchi and crawls along them, first into the trachea, and then into the oral cavity, where it is swallowed again and transferred to the intestinal tract.

A roundworm larva that re-enters the intestinal tract turns into an adult worm. Pulmonary migration of roundworm larvae is manifested by an abundance of symptoms (cough, asthma attacks, elevated body temperature, allergic rash on the skin), and the presence of a small number of adult worms in the intestinal tract may not be manifested at all.

What are worms? Worms are scientifically called helminths. Helminths are all worms that parasitize the bodies of humans, animals and plants. Accordingly, worms are not a specific type of parasite, but a whole group of different worms, of which three are the most common.

Some scientists claim that almost the entire population of the Earth is infected with this or that parasitic worm. However, in this case, helminthic infestations would have to be the most common type of disease in the world, and besides, numerous serious studies prove that it's actually not all that bad. But the thought that a person still has helminths makes him immediately look for an answer to the question of how to get rid of worms.

It should also be understood that helminthic infestation is not something rare and insignificant. There are more than three hundred species; In humans, the larvae enter far beyond the intestines and continue to develop there, gradually poisoning the body. Let's understand what are the symptoms of worms in humans, because he is forewarned, as we know, armed. And then we will find out how to effectively get rid of worms and what is needed to prevent them from returning.

In fact, it is very easy to determine the presence of worms in the body of any person - you just need to do a stool test. However, the problem is that most people don't even think about passing such a test. The problem is that helminths in adults and children manifest themselves, masquerading as a huge number of diseases, and at first they do not reveal their presence at all.

A person can treat the intestines, liver, kidneys, stomach, gall bladder for years, and the root of evil will be helminthosis and parasites, which feel great when not fighting.

Often, infestation with helminths causes the development of diseases that have nothing to do with the helminths themselves. And in this case, you can be treated endlessly if you do not understand in time what is happening.

All this proves that worms are not just an unpleasant phenomenon. And given the presence of a large number of ways of infection, knowing the signs of worms in humans is vital.

How do worms (parasites) appear?

Symptoms of helminthic diseases depend on the stage of parasite development. The development of helminthiasis is usually divided into acute and acquired phases.

• The acute phase of parasite development begins from the moment the patient is infected with worms and lasts 2-3 weeks (in case of severe disease - up to 2 months).This phase is characterized by the dominance of allergic manifestations (rash, dry suffocating cough, increased levels of eosinophils in the blood), which develop in response to the appearance of antigens (fragments) of migrating larvae in the blood. The immune response is very pronounced in the phase when the early forms of the parasite (larvae) are in the organism of the infected person;
• the acquired stage of worm development occurs after the acute stage and lasts for several weeks, months or years (for some helminthic diseases - up to 10 years).For us, the symptoms of this stage depend on the location of the worms, their number and feeding habits.
  In places where they spread, parasites damage tissues with their fixation organs (hooks, spines, cutting plates, cuticular spines). The damage causes tissue irritation and the development of an inflammatory reaction.

Some fast-growing parasites, such as cysticercosis or hydatid cysts, being in the brain, eyeballs and liver, compress the surrounding tissues, often causing dysfunction of vital organs, which leads to serious consequences.

In the acquired phase of helminthiasis, metabolic disorders occur, because the parasite constantly absorbs valuable nutrients, such as proteins, minerals, carbohydrates and vitamins. In addition, the absorption process of digested food in the intestinal tract is disturbed. The acquired phase in most digestive helminthic infestations is often asymptomatic, especially in cases where the parasites are represented by a single individual.

All symptoms of the disease appear only when the parasite is huge, such as roundworm or tapeworm.
With other helminthiasis, for example, with enterobiasis, night itching in the anal area may occur; intensive invasion with trichuriasis contributes to the development of hemorrhagic colitis; in children, symptoms of rectal prolapse may occur.

How can you get worms?

You can get parasites in different ways. In this case, worms carry larvae that are almost invisible to the naked eye.

Main methods of infection:

• lack of hygiene skills - dirty hands, working on the ground;
• eating food contaminated with helminths - unwashed fruit and food eaten by husbands, as well as insufficiently thermally processed meat and fish (kebabs, rare steak, smoked food, sushi, etc. );
• drinking unboiled water contaminated with worm eggs;
• contact with animals that are natural reservoirs for worms - cats and dogs, wild animals (hunting, fishing, working on fur farms);
• contact with a person with helminthiasis - handling, through bedding, door handles, etc.

In which organs can worms live?

Helminth parasites are divided into two categories, which correspond to the location of activity in the body of the donor:

• cavity– worms that live in different parts of the gastrointestinal tract. There are about 100 species of intestinal parasites, and there are several dozen species for each part of the intestine. The small intestine is ready to accept roundworms, antelostomes, broad tapeworms and other less common "brothers". The small intestine will "share living space" with pinworms, dwarf tapeworms and others. Medical literature describes cases when one person was simultaneously infected with severaltype of parasite;
• fabric- worms localized in organs, tissues, and even in blood. Modern medicine successfully deals with paragonimiasis (lungs), cysticercosis (brain), echinococcosis (liver) and filariasis (lymphatic vessels). Some worm larvae move through the body through the circulatory system and randomly attach to any organ. If many eggs are ingested, the whole body can be infected.

How can you get worms?

To protect yourself, you need to know about 4 ways to spread and get infected with worm eggs:

• through soil and water - geohelminthosis. They develop in sand, soil and water, then enter the human body and lay eggs there. Then, the eggs of the worms enter the external environment along with the feces and wait in the wings to infect a new person. Eating poorly washed vegetables and fruits, dirty hands and dust that gets on food can lead to a person becoming infected with geohelminths. Some parasite eggs enter the human body through the skin of the feet and ankles;
• through direct contact.Worms in domestic animals and humans are transmitted by hand contact, play and shared activities.
• consumption of contaminated food of animal origin - biohelminthiasis. Eating raw and lightly processed meat (kebabs, lard, canned meat, local game) and fish (sushi, dried fish, canned fish) is potentially dangerous. There is a possibility of infection with intestinal infections and biohelminths;
• for insect bites. This type of infection is quite rare. These include intestinal myiasis, canthiasis and scoleciasis. Do not mix parasite eggs and insect larvae, which also settle under the skin of animals and people (for example, gadfly larvae).

Symptoms of worms

To understand how to remove worms from a person, you should know the symptoms that manifest each type of tapeworm. Depending on the location of the dislocation, helminthic infestations can be:

• luminous.Cavity species of worms inhabit the area of the small and large intestine. For example, the area inhabited by roundworms and tapeworms is the small intestine. Pinworms live in the lower part of the small intestine, whipworms live in the large intestine;
• muscle (cellular).They live in muscle cells, lung tissue, brain cells, liver, lymph nodes and eyes. Some of the worms are luminal and cellular, because in the early stages they migrate with the bloodstream and inhabit the above-mentioned organs.

Symptoms of worms in an adult can be different. As mentioned above, they are often easily mistaken for signs of other diseases. In some cases, everything happens according to the classic scenario of mass infection. In this case, the signs of worms in an adult and a child will be similar, most likely, in children - more pronounced.

Obvious symptoms of worm infection: itching in the anus, especially at night; sudden weight loss or, on the contrary, weight gain; anemia, which is manifested externally by pale skin; a tired, haggard look.

If you or your children start to experience such phenomena, you must definitely visit a doctor and insist on testing for the presence of parasite eggs in the stool. Of course, it might not be their fault. Symptoms of helminthic infestation are not always to blame for poor health, but communication with a doctor will be useful in any case, because disorders in the body are obvious.

Symptoms of worms in humans, the first signs

The first signs of worms in humans are always absent; symptoms of parasitic infestation appear only when there are more worms (pinworms, roundworms) or the tapeworm reaches a large size, for example. The clinical picture of helminthiasis often mimics gastrointestinal pathology.

However, in addition to those characteristic of gastrointestinal lesions, there are signs that indicate the dysfunction of other organs.

Symptoms that indicate the presence of helminths in the body:

• lack of appetite or, conversely, gluttony, bitterness in the mouth and excessive salivation;
• strong desire to eat sweets (worms feed on carbohydrates);
• nausea, vomiting - sometimes worms crawl into the stomach, or their parts (segments) are found in the vomit;
• itching of the anus and grinding of the teeth during sleep often indicate enterobia;
• unstable stool - always causes intestinal dysbiosis, helminthiasis occurs with frequent changes in diarrhea and constipation; with significant infestation, worms may be excreted in feces;
• flatulence - bloating and rumbling in the stomach caused by toxins produced by worms;
• periodic pain in the abdomen - diffuse, often localized in the navel area, the pain is sometimes spastic in nature;
• skin manifestations - sudden allergic rashes and purulent formations (acne, ulcers), caused by a decrease in local immunity and the release of toxins through the skin, often occur in a severe form, along with nail weakness and excessive hair loss;
• irritable bowel syndrome - disturbed absorption of nutrients leads to the development of anemia and weight loss, especially with numerous colonies of helminthic organisms;
• cough is a dry symptom that occurs in the pulmonary phase of helminthosis (ascaris larvae enter the lungs with blood); severe infestation can cause pneumonia;
• obesity - strangely enough, it can also be triggered by intestinal parasites, which, when they feed on carbohydrates, cause a sharp drop in blood glucose and force a person to consume more food, and the body stores fat in reserve;
• symptoms from the nervous system - increased irritability, poor sleep or drowsiness, constant depression, reduced attention and memory problems are especially pronounced in children with helminthosis;
• chronic fatigue syndrome - parasites often cause constant weakness, a prolonged rise in temperature up to 37-37. 5 C, a flu-like condition and muscle pain;
• pathology of the upper respiratory tract - sluggish runny nose, untreatable cough, even pneumonia and asthmatic conditions are often caused by the presence of helminths;
• reduced immunity - accompanying helminthiasis, intestinal dysbiosis and chronic intoxication lead to frequent colds and pathologies that are indicators of immunodeficiency (herpes, warts, etc. ), including oncopathology.

The effect of helminthiasis on the nervous system deserves special attention. Any type of parasite during its life produces products that the body perceives as foreign substances. Their toxic effect, above all, affects the nervous system, causing irritability, depressive states and other disorders of emotional stability.

Flat parasites in humans. Symptoms

Fluke

The fluke is found in the tubules of the liver. It causes cancer of the digestive organs. You can become infected if you eat lightly salted, raw fish products. Symptoms of worms in an adult: elevated body temperature; vomiting attacks; dyspepsia; pain in the spleen, liver; allergy. The person occasionally feels dizzy and sleep is disturbed; migraines are observed; becomes irritable; mood swings often. Treatment of helminthiasis is carried out in a hospital.

Schistosoma

Routes of schistosome infection include swimming in ponds and drinking dirty water. It parasitizes in the small veins of the large intestine, abdominal cavity, small pelvis, uterus, bladder. It can be localized in the brain.

Symptoms of worm infection include loss of appetite; digestive system disorder; pale skin; abdominal pain; dyspepsia; intestinal and uterine bleeding, weight loss, intestinal obstruction. In women, it causes menstrual irregularities, abortions during pregnancy due to the presence of worms have been recorded.

Men develop impotence; sperm quality decreases (infertility). Children suffer from delays in growth and mental development. When brain cells are damaged, consciousness is impaired, and paralysis and convulsions can develop. Such conditions can cause death

Paragon

Paragonoma - lung fluke: what causes worms in humans: from consumption of freshwater crustaceans, fish, pork. The worm affects the bronchial organs and lungs. Signs of worms in adults: increase in temperature; the person begins to cough, and for a long time.

When you cough, sputum is produced. A migraine was observed; shortness of breath appears in lack of movement; impaired vision; vomiting attacks.

Echinococcus

Echinococcus is a very dangerous tapeworm. May cause death. He lives next to a person for a long time and is capable of not expressing himself. The route of infection is via domestic animals, often dogs. A person becomes infected without following hygiene rules.

Echinococcus causes the formation of cysts in human organs. Treatment of worms in adults is carried out only surgically. It often affects the digestive system, respiratory system, brain, bone tissue. Symptoms in adults depend on which organ is affected.

Liver: pain in this area, of various nature, heaviness, fatigue, skin allergies, jaundice. Lungs: chest pain, coughing fits, shortness of breath. Brain: migraine, dizziness, paralysis, mental disorders, epilepsy. Bones: muscles, joints hurt; frequent fractures are observed.

Broad tapeworm

The broad tapeworm is one of the biggest parasites. It lives in the small intestine. The route of infection is the consumption of lightly salted caviar, fish that has not undergone proper heat treatment.

Worms in the human body are characterized by frequent bouts of vomiting; abdominal pain; dyspepsia; lack of appetite; fatigue; anemia; lowered blood pressure; migraines. Moreover, sometimes the pain is so strong that it leads to fainting.

Bull tapeworm

Beef tapeworm: route of entry is contaminated beef. Helminthic infestation colonizes the small intestine. How to understand that there is an infection? Signs of worms in humans: stomach pain; severe nausea; excessive increase in appetite; weight loss; rumbling in the stomach; flatulence; increased stool frequency.

Pork tapeworm

Pig tapeworm lives in different organs. Ways of infection are lack of hygiene, unwashed fruit. You can determine whether a person has worms by dizziness, long-term and regular migraines. The person sleeps poorly, often wakes up in a "cold sweat" due to nightmares, and becomes irritable over time. Appetite is disturbed and belching occurs.

Dwarf tapeworm

The dwarf tapeworm reaches humans through the oral cavity with dirty fruits and vegetables. It lives in the area of the small intestine. Symptoms: fever, nausea, salivation, belching, heartburn, rhinitis, dry mucous membranes.

Roundworms in humans. Symptoms

Ascaris

Ascaris: you can get infected after eating unwashed vegetables and fruits. Tapeworms live in the small intestine. Signs of the appearance of worms in a person: the anus itches, the person feels the movement of worms, which causes incredible discomfort. The temperature may rise, the lymph nodes may enlarge, and a headache may occur in the evening. The liver is enlarged, manifestations of allergies are visible (urticaria in the area of the feet and hands, dermatosis). Due to damage to the central nervous system, psychological disorders arise - depression, convulsions, attacks of aggression, nightmares. The functioning of digestion is disturbed.

Pinworm

pinworm: this parasite starts with dirty hands. It lives in the large and small intestine of humans. The source of infection is sick people and non-compliance with hygiene standards.

The first signs of worms: itching of the anal area (worse at night); I have a stomach ache; be sick; sleep is disturbed. The person is restless and irritable; he gets tired quickly.

Some people develop urinary incontinence against this background; allergic manifestations. Girls with worms have abundant vaginal discharge.

Trichinella

Trichinella is a dangerous helminthic infestation. Symptoms do not always appear immediately. Routes of infection: consumption of pork, vegetation near pastures. Helminthic infestation affects all systems and organs without exception.

The following symptoms cause the appearance of worms in humans: loss of appetite; people feel nauseous all the time, and occasionally the gag reflex occurs. The stool is disturbed and there is pain in the abdomen. A characteristic feature is swelling of the face. Muscle pains; rashes appear on the skin; rise in temperature.

Hookworms

Hookworms are dangerous worms in adults. Symptoms can be severe or absent. The gastrointestinal tract (small intestine, duodenum) is affected. Ways of infection: contact with soil where larvae are present; through the mouth with vegetables and herbs contaminated with soil.

Signs of the presence of worms: allergies to itching of the skin; coughing fits (there are traces of blood in the sputum); elevated body temperature, migraine. People feel dizzy and weak; pain and bone pain (as in ARVI). I am suffering from hunger pangs.

After eating, the person feels nauseous and may vomit. Almost always after eating, the stomach swells and hurts. After eating, diarrhea occurs two hours later. Many, on the contrary, are constipated due to impaired intestinal motility caused by worms. A person becomes sleepy and fatigue appears even in the absence of physical activity.

Is it worth taking worm pills for prevention?

If one of the family members has worms, preventive treatment is always carried out for the whole family.

Indications for the prophylactic use of antihelminth drugs:

• presence of pets;
• constant contact with the earth (playing in the sand, villagers);
• if children constantly live in closed children's groups;
• regular trips to exotic countries;
• Hobbies: fishing, hunting, beach volleyball, football.