Symptoms that indicate the presence of parasites in the human body are nonspecific.Furthermore, they are different in the acute and chronic phases of the disease.How to recognize them?
The invasion of parasites into the human body has always been and remains one of the most pressing issues in medicine.Despite the fact that the level of health culture of the population is constantly growing, the number of people suffering from the presence of parasites in the body does not decrease.Furthermore, due to the development of transport links and population migration, new types of parasites that were previously absent are constantly appearing.Thus, new symptoms appear indicating the presence of helminths in the human body.In addition, parasites living in the child's body require special attention.Let's try to find out when you need to pay attention to your health and consult a specialist.
Classification of parasites
There are a large number of species of parasites in the world, but not all of them are adapted to life in our climate.Therefore, in this article we will consider the classification and symptoms of only the most common parasites.Scientists divide all worms that can parasitize the human body into several groups.
According to their biological characteristics, parasites are divided as follows:
- Roundworms or nematodes (pinworms, roundworms, whipworms, hookworms, intestinal eels, trichinella).
- Tapeworms or cestodes (pork tapeworm, bovine tapeworm, dwarf tapeworm, cysticercus, broad tapeworm, alveococcus, echinococcus).
- Worms (liver, lung, feline, lanceolate, blood).
- Unicellular parasites (amoeba, lamblia, balantidium).
According to the characteristics of their life cycle, there are the following parasites:
- Biohelminths require intermediate hosts to go through different developmental phases.A sexually mature individual, capable of reproduction, lives in the body of the definitive host.
- Geohelminths - eggs mature and spread through the soil.
- Contagious helminths are transmitted directly from person to person.
Based on the body's habitat, it can be divided as follows:
- Cavity - parasites in the intestines and other cavity organs, e.g. bile ducts, bladder.
- Tissue - parasites in the internal organs and muscles of the parenchyma, that is, outside the intestine.
Clinical picture of helminthiasis
What signs should you pay attention to?Conventionally, the course of helminthiasis can be divided into two phases - acute and chronic.The acute phase develops immediately after the parasite “installs” in the human body and lasts from two weeks to two months.
Acute phase
The symptoms of this phase are due to the body's general response to the penetration of foreign proteins, that is, allergic mechanisms.The following syndromes come to light:
- intoxication;
- articulate;
- dermatological;
- catarrhal;
- bronchopulmonary;
- hepatolienal;
- abdominal;
- cerebral.
Intoxication syndrome is characterized by an increase in body temperature, chills, sweating, general weakness and muscle pain.The child may feel anxious, cry for no reason and sleep poorly.There is often enlargement of peripheral lymph nodes.
Given the non-specificity of symptoms, patients are in no hurry to consult a doctor, considering the symptom complex as the initial stage of ARVI.But even if parents seek advice because their child has a high temperature, not every pediatrician will suspect the presence of parasites in the body at this stage.
Joint damage occurs as a type of reactive arthritis, due to the presence in the human body of proteins similar in structure to parasite proteins.Antibodies produced in response to the penetration of the pathogen affect not only it, but also tissues similar in structure to it.Patients complain of severe joint pain, swelling, redness and an increase in local body temperature.
The skin lesions occur as allergic dermatitis and are characterized by itching and the appearance of various rashes.In some patients the rash is very pronounced, but there are others who do not notice its presence.
Catarrhal syndrome is accompanied by symptoms of runny nose, conjunctivitis and sore throat.Bronchopulmonary signs include prolonged coughing with sputum production, bronchial asthma attacks, clinical signs of pneumonia and pleurisy.
With almost all types of helminths, the liver and spleen enlarge.But these organs pay special attention when Giardia, Echinococcus and liver flukes settle in the human body.So patients complain about:
- bitterness in the mouth;
- pain and heaviness in the right hypochondrium;
- yellowing of the skin and mucous membranes.
Abdominal syndrome can be very pronounced in a child of preschool or primary school age.Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal pain are observed.These symptoms are often the cause of incorrect diagnoses, when helminthiasis is considered acute intestinal poisoning.
Cerebral manifestations are moderate and characterized by headache, dizziness and decreased performance.
The severity of the above symptoms in an adult patient and a child may vary.It depends on the strength of the immune system.Furthermore, the severity of the immune response depends on the morphological form in which the parasite is present in the body.The greatest amount of antibodies is synthesized in response to the penetration of larvae.
Over time, the strength of the immune response weakens and the disease becomes chronic.In this case, it can last for years, as its symptoms are mild and many simply do not pay attention to them.
Chronic phase
At this stage, the symptoms, or more precisely, their severity, are largely determined by the following factors:
- type of parasites that entered the body;
- number of parasitic individuals;
- localization of parasites in the body of an adult or child.
If the helminth is “armed” with suction cups, hooks, spikes or cutting plates, they mechanically damage the location, causing inflammation.
Volumetric formations that form as a result of the vital activity of helminths can compress neighboring structures.Furthermore, if this is a vital organ, for example the brain, the consequences can be disastrous.
As the parasite feeds on substances destined for the host's body, the host develops anemia, hypovitaminosis and protein deficiency.
To survive in the human body, parasites severely suppress the immune system.As a result, susceptibility to viral and bacterial diseases increases;they tend to have a severe and prolonged course, development of complications, formation of chronic forms and asymptomatic carriage.
Characteristics of some helminthiases
Some helminthiases have characteristic symptoms that allow them to be distinguished from other diseases.
- A child suffering from enterobiasis will feel itchy in the anus in the evening and at night.
- Massive whipworm infestation causes hemorrhagic colitis.
- Roundworms can cause intestinal obstruction, obstructive jaundice and pancreatitis.
- Hookworm, feeding on the host's blood, is the cause of severe iron deficiency anemia.
- The presence of tapeworms can be diagnosed by a very specific complaint - the passage of segments of the parasite independently or during defecation.
- The urinary schistosome, which lives in the human body, is characterized by the appearance of a drop of blood at the end of urination.
- Filariasis affects the eyes.
Due to the presence of liver fluke, the patient develops chronic hepatitis, cholecystitis and cholangitis.These patients complain of pain and heaviness in the right hypochondrium, bitterness in the mouth, yellowing of the skin and mucous membranes.The same complaints are characteristic of giardiasis.Even after successful treatment, phenomena such as biliary dyskinesia often remain.
Echinococcus, alveococcus, cysticerci do not reveal their presence in any way until a cyst forms in the affected organ.Sometimes it can reach quite large sizes and, as a rule, is diagnosed accidentally.Cysticercosis of the central nervous system is characterized by a variety of symptoms due to the location of the cysts.
Conclusion
As can be seen from the above, the clinical picture of the presence of worms is very diverse.They are easily confused with other diseases, especially when the patient follows basic personal hygiene rules on a daily basis.If you notice suspicious symptoms without explanation, do not delay in consulting your doctor.Competent consultation will help you avoid many problems in the future.