Often, the deterioration of well-being is caused by various types of parasites, which are replaced by stress or vitamin deficiency. Where and what type of analysis should you take to identify the infection?
Parasite tests - how and what to take - this question arises when the health condition worsens for no apparent reason.
Various types of parasites, ideally adapted to exist in the human body, may not manifest over a long period of time. Usually children who attend school or kindergarten are checked for helminths from time to time. However, it is very often infected with parasites in adults.
Some symptoms of helminthic infection, such as:
- decrease in hemoglobin in the blood;
- poor appetite;
- sleep disorder;
- weight loss;
- increased body temperature.
They have similarities with different types of pathological conditions.
The probability of infection is very high. Many people, unaware of this, are carriers of this or that species. In addition, not only worms, but also some protozoa can cause damage to human health. Their presence in the human body leads to toxoplasmosis and other dangerous diseases. It is obvious that an analysis for parasites in the human body must be passed in order for the infection to be detected in time and appropriate treatment prescribed as soon as possible. The local therapist will tell you which tests will be passed on the parasites.
When adults should be tested for parasites
Experts recommend testing for parasites if you have one or more symptoms from this list:
- Problems in the digestive tract: tendency to constipation, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, bloating.
- The skin is pale due to lack of vitamins and nutrients.
- There is rapid fatigue, loss of energy, apathy.
- Body weight dropped rapidly.
- Allergic manifestations appeared in the absence of obvious irritants (such a reaction is caused by waste products of worms).
It is recommended to take tests (do a comprehensive analysis for parasites) if, as a result of reduced immunity, the body's resistance to colds has deteriorated.
In addition, itchy skin around the anus indicates the presence of helminthic invasion (enterobiase), which can be confirmed if tested for parasites.
What tests are usually done to identify parasites in the human body?
If we suspect that we are infected with helminths or other types of parasites, we want to start treatment immediately. However, in order to prescribe the necessary medications, you must first check for the presence of parasites, as it is necessary to understand what type of them have settled in the body. You can find out where they can be tested for parasites by contacting the nearest clinic.
Stool analysis
The simplest and most common solution in this case is fecal analysis, in which experts will look for helminth eggs.
This type of analysis allows you to determine the presence of:
- roundworms;
- trematodes or flukes;
- ribbons.
However, this type of analysis has a significant drawback: the results of the analysis of feces for parasites are not always reliable, because the parasites multiply at certain periods and may not lay eggs for long. Therefore, for greater reliability, the analysis of feces for parasites is repeated 2-3 times with an interval of several days.
Extended stool analysis
In addition to standard fecal analysis, there is a detailed one, whose reliability and accuracy are much higher. This type of diagnostics, which is based on PCR technology, helps detect DNA parasites, including dead or inactive ones. This method allows the detection of types of worms in the body, which means that the doctor will be able to determine which drug will deal with the disease more effectively.
Scraping for enterobiasis
Earthworms are one of the most common types of helminths. To get tested for this type of parasite, you need to write off the folds of skin around the anus, where you can find their eggs. To improve the accuracy of the results of such a study, it must also be repeated after a few days. This method of examination is painless, as well as the usual analysis for parasites, it is suitable for both adults and children.
Blood test
It is possible to detect parasite infestation with great precision if you perform an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. If you go through this type of analysis, you can detect the presence of antibodies and antigens of almost all types of parasites. Antigens are, in this case, waste products of parasites and themselves, and antibodies are immunoglobulins that are synthesized in the human body to fight infection. Using this method it is possible to diagnose the disease in its early stages, when there are not many parasites yet and it is easy to deal with them.For this analysis it is necessary to donate blood from a vein. The result, whose reliability is at least 95%, will be known in 9 days at the latest. Of course, such research is more suitable for adults.
In addition to this method, some other blood test methods are used to identify parasites, especially in the acute form of helminthiasis. They are based on different testing methods that allow diagnosing different types of infection in children and adults with great precision.
Some medical facilities offer a comprehensive blood test to detect different types of helminths.
To prepare for the analysis, you must:
- that the last meal was no later than 10 - 12 hours before the test;
- exclude fatty, smoked and salty foods from your diet the day before;
- 24 hours before the test, exclude smoking and alcohol consumption.