Worms in humans - symptoms, diagnosis, treatment

When worms enter the human body, they begin their parasitic activity, making the person feel unwell. Helminth infestations often cause severe allergic reactions, gastrointestinal diseases, and other pathologies unrelated to the gastrointestinal tract. However, traditional treatment of these diseases does not bring recovery. One can suspect worms in humans with a high probability based on certain symptoms, but helminthiasis manifests itself clinically only when the worms multiply massively. In the case of asymptomatic cases, laboratory tests will help to safely diagnose helminthiasis. The symptoms of worms in humans can be different, but first of all abdominal pain, discomfort near the anus, nausea and general malaise appear. To restore good health, it is necessary to eliminate worms with anthelmintic drugs or folk remedies.

What are worms

Worms are parasites of humans and animals belonging to the class of flatworms or roundworms. Worms have a fairly common structure.
In their development, worms traditionally go through several stages: egg - larva - adult. Most of a person's infection with worms occurs when they ingest worm eggs.

Eggs ingested in the human intestinal tract quickly hatch into larvae, which begin to migrate to their permanent home, where they transform into adults. In the process of movement, almost all helminths make real "journeys" through the human body.

Only some parasites (e. g. pinworms) hatch from eggs in the intestinal tract and remain there. Generally, the destruction of tissues and organs and the symptoms caused by larvae and other forms of helminths developing during movement are the most pronounced, compared to the symptoms caused by parasites of mature forms.

As we said above, adult worms traditionally have a stable location in the body, and their developing forms often migrate to different organs and tissues, and often the path of their movement is 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, roundworm eggs hatch into larvae, which within a few hours enter the blood vessels through the wall of the intestinal tract and are transported to the lungs via the bloodstream. In the lungs, roundworm larvae grow and mature. The growing larva slowly gnaws through the adjacent bronchi and crawls along them, first into the trachea and then into the oral cavity, where it is swallowed again and transported to the intestinal tract.

The roundworm larva that re-enters the intestinal tract transforms into an adult worm. Pulmonary migration of roundworm larvae is manifested by an abundance of symptoms (cough, asthma attacks, increased body temperature, allergic skin rash), and the presence of a small number of adult worms in the intestinal tract may not manifest itself in a some.

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

Some scientists claim that almost the entire population of the Earth is infected with one parasitic worm or another. However, in this case, helminthic infestations should be the most common types of disease in the world and, in addition, a series of serious studies prove that in fact everything is not so bad. But the idea 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; larvae in humans enter far beyond the intestines and continue to develop there, gradually poisoning the body. Let's find out what the symptoms of worms are in humans, because the warned, as we know, are prepared. And then we'll find out how to get rid of worms effectively and what it takes to make sure they don't come back.

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

A person can spend years treating the intestine, liver, kidneys, stomach, gallbladder, and the root of the disease will be helminthiasis and parasites, which are great when they are not combated.

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

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

How do worms (parasites) appear?

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

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

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

In the acquired phase of helminthiasis, metabolism is disturbed, as the parasite constantly absorbs valuable nutrients such as proteins, minerals, carbohydrates and vitamins. In addition, the process of absorption 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.

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

How can you get infected with worms?

You can acquire parasites in several ways. In this case, the worms are carried by larvae that are almost invisible to the naked eye.

Main infection methods:

• lack of hygiene skills – dirty hands, working on the floor;
• eating food contaminated with helminths - unwashed fruits and foods that husbands ate, as well as insufficiently heat-treated meat and fish (kebabs, undercooked steak, smoked foods, sushi, etc. );
• drinking unboiled water contaminated with worm eggs;
• contact with animals that are natural reservoirs of worms - dogs and cats, wild animals (hunting, fishing, working on fur farms);
• contact with a person with helminthiasis - shaking hands, through bedding, door handles, etc.

What organs can worms live in?

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

• cavity– worms that live in various parts of the gastrointestinal tract. There are about 100 species of intestinal parasites, and for each part of the intestine, there are a few dozen species. The small intestine is ready to accept roundworms, antelostomas, broad tapeworms and other less common "brothers". The small intestine will "share living space" with pinworms, dwarf tapeworms and others. Medical literature describes cases in which a person was simultaneously infected with several types of parasites;
• tissue- worms located in organs, tissues and even in the blood. Modern medicine successfully copes with paragonimiasis (lungs), cysticercosis (brain), echinococcosis (liver) and filariasis (lymphatic vessels). Some worm larvae move throughout the body through the circulatory system and attach themselves randomly to any organ. If too many eggs are introduced, the entire body can become infected.

How can you get infected with worms?

To protect yourself, you need to know four ways to spread and become infected with worm eggs:

• through soil and water - geohelminthiasis. They develop in sand, soil and water, then enter the human body and begin to lay eggs there. Then the worm eggs enter the external environment along with the excrement and wait in the wings to infect a new person. Eating poorly washed vegetables and fruits, dirty hands and dust in food can cause a person to become 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 through hand contact, games and joint activities.
• through the consumption of contaminated food of animal origin – biohelminthiasis. Eating raw and lightly processed meat (kebabs, lard, preserved meat, homemade game) and fish (sushi, dried fish, preserved 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, canthariasis and scoleciasis. Do not confuse parasite eggs and insect larvae, which are also deposited under the skin of animals and people (for example, fly larvae).

Worm symptoms

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

• luminous.Cavity types of worms inhabit the area of the small and large intestines. 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;
• muscular (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 initial stages they migrate with the blood circulation and populate the organs above.

Symptoms of worms in an adult may be different. As mentioned above, they are often easily confused with signs of other diseases. In some cases, everything happens according to the classic scenario of massive 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 loss or, on the contrary, weight gain; anemia, manifested externally by the pallor of the skin; tired and haggard appearance.

If you or your children begin to experience such phenomena, you should definitely visit a doctor and insist on getting tested for the presence of parasite eggs in the feces. Of course, it might not be their fault. Symptoms of helminth infestation are not always to blame for health problems, but communication with a doctor will be helpful in any case, because disorders in the body are obvious.

Symptoms of worms in humans, first signs

The first signs of worms in humans are always absent; Symptoms of parasitic infestation only appear when there are a large number of 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 dysfunction of other organs.

Symptoms indicating the presence of helminths in the body:

• lack of appetite or, conversely, gluttony, bitterness in the mouth and excessive salivation;
• a strong desire to eat sweets (earthworms feed on carbohydrates);
• nausea, vomiting - sometimes worms crawl into the stomach or their parts (segments) are found in vomit;
• itching in the anus and grinding of teeth during sleep usually indicate enterobiasis;
• unstable stools - always causing intestinal dysbiosis, helminthiasis occurs with frequent changes of diarrhea and constipation; with significant infestation, worms may be excreted in feces;
• flatulence - bloating and rumbling in the stomach are caused by toxins produced by worms;
• periodic abdominal pain - diffuse, often localized in the navel area, the pain is sometimes spastic in nature;
• skin manifestations - sudden allergic rashes and purulent formations (acne, boils), caused by a decrease in local immunity and elimination of toxins through the skin, often occur in a severe form, at the same time there is weakness of the nails and excessive hair loss;
• irritable bowel syndrome - impaired absorption of nutrients leads to the development of anemia and weight loss, especially with numerous helminth colonies;
• cough is a dry symptom that occurs in the pulmonary phase of helminthiasis (roundworm larvae enter the lungs with blood); severe infestation can cause pneumonia;
• obesity - interestingly, it can also be triggered by intestinal parasites, which, when feeding on carbohydrates, cause a sharp drop in blood sugar levels and force you to consume more food, and the body stores fat in reserve;
• symptoms from the nervous system - increased irritability, lack of sleep or drowsiness, constant depression, decreased attention and memory problems are especially pronounced in children with helminthiasis;
• chronic fatigue syndrome - parasites often provoke constant weakness, prolonged increases in temperature to 37-37. 5 C, a flu-like condition and muscle pain;
• pathology of the upper respiratory tract - sluggish runny nose, intractable cough, even pneumonia and asthmatic conditions are often caused by the presence of helminths;
• decreased immunity - associated helminthiases, intestinal dysbiosis and chronic intoxications 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 throughout its life produces products that are perceived by the body as foreign substances. Its toxic effect mainly affects the nervous system, causing irritability, depressive states and other disorders of emotional stability.

Flat parasites in humans. Symptoms

Fluke

The worm is found in the liver tubules. It causes cancer in the digestive organs. You can become infected by eating lightly salted raw fish products. Symptoms of worms in adults: increased body temperature; vomiting attacks; dyspepsia; pain in the spleen, liver; allergy. The person periodically feels dizzy and sleep is disturbed; migraines are observed; he gets irritated; mood changes frequently. Helminthiasis treatment is carried out in a hospital setting.

Schistosoma

Schistosoma infection routes include swimming in flooded ponds and drinking dirty water. Parasitizes in the small veins of the large intestine, abdominal cavity, small pelvis, uterus, bladder. It may be located in the brain.

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

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

Model

Paragonom - lungworm: what causes worms in humans: from the consumption of freshwater crabs, fish, pork. The worm affects the bronchial organs and lungs. Signs of worms in adults: increase in temperature; the person starts coughing and for a long time.

When you cough, sputum is produced. Migraine is observed; shortness of breath appears in the absence of movement; impaired visual acuity; vomiting attacks.

Echinococcus

Echinococcus is a very dangerous tapeworm. It can cause death. He lives with a person for a long time and is capable of not expressing himself. The route of infection is through domestic animals, usually dogs. A person becomes infected without following hygiene rules.

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

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

Wide tapeworm

The broad tapeworm is one of the largest parasites. Lives in the small intestine. The route of infection is the consumption of lightly salted caviar, fish that has not been subjected to adequate heat treatment.

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

Bull tapeworm

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

Pork tapeworm

Pork tapeworm lives in different organs. The ways of infection are poor hygiene, unwashed fruit. You can determine that a person has worms by dizziness, prolonged and regular migraines. The person sleeps poorly, often wakes up in a "cold sweat" due to nightmares and, therefore, becomes irritated as time goes by. Appetite is disturbed and belching appears.

Dwarf tapeworm

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

Roundworms in humans. Symptoms

Ascaris

Ascaris: You can become infected after eating unwashed fruits and vegetables. Tapeworms live in the small intestine. Signs of the appearance of worms in a person: the anus itches, the person feels the movement of the worms, which causes incredible discomfort. The temperature may rise, the lymph nodes may enlarge, and there may be a headache at night. The liver enlarges, manifestations of allergies are visible (hives on the feet and hands, dermatosis). Due to damage to the central nervous system, mental disorders occur - depression, convulsions, attacks of aggression, night nightmares. The functioning of digestion is disturbed.

Pinworm

moth: 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 in the anal area (worse at night); I have a stomach ache; be sick; sleep is disturbed. The person is restless and irritable; gets tired quickly.

Some people develop urinary incontinence in this context; 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 close to pastures. Helminthic infestation affects all systems and organs without exception.

The following symptoms cause worms in humans: loss of appetite; people feel nauseous constantly and a gag reflex occurs periodically. The stool is disturbed and there is pain in the abdomen. A distinctive feature is swelling of the face. Muscle aches; rashes appear on the skin; temperature increase.

Hookworms

Hookworms are dangerous worms in adults. Symptoms may be severe or absent. The gastrointestinal tract (small intestine, duodenum) is affected. Routes 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: itchy skin allergies; coughing attacks (blood stains are visible in the sputum); increased body temperature, migraine. People feel dizzy and weak; pain and pain in the bones (as with ARVI). I suffer from hunger pangs.

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

Is it worth taking anti-worm pills for prevention?

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

Indications for prophylactic use of drugs against helminths:

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