There are 4. 5 billion registered people in the world suffering from parasitic infections (infections). In addition, the number of people infected with helminths (worms) is constantly increasing.
Causes of helminthiasis infection
It is not difficult to populate worms in your body. Here are just a few of the causes of the infection known to everyone from childhood:
- Lack of hygiene.The desire to eat unwashed fruits and vegetables, not to wear gloves while working in the garden and not to engage in hygienic procedures, leads to infection with various helminths.
- Addicted to street fast food.It is no secret that sellers of such food do not always come for a medical examination and often neglect basic hygiene. And their products are not stored in the best conditions. Lovers of street whites and pastes are another risk group.
- Love of exotic cuisinescontaining raw fish and shellfish dishes containing parasites. Fans of sushi and rolls are responsible for the increase in the frequency of methyl, tapeworm, nematodes, roundworms and tapeworms.
- З.the ability to properly protect themselves from infection during rest.The love for the "Turkish coast" has led to more frequent cases of infection with exotic helminthiasis - schistosomiasis, hookworm, dracunculiasis. After walking barefoot on a beach abroad, you can bring from your trip not only pleasant impressions, but also dangerous worms.
- Infection from petswho often sleep with their owners. Lovers of "kissing" a pet run the risk of catching parasites.
What parasites live in the human body
If an adult had the opportunity to look at his body, he would be horrified:
- Roundworms -pinworms, roundworms, whips, nematodes, toxocara, Trichinella. Large helminths gather in huge entanglements, clogging the intestinal lumen and leading to obstruction, which requires surgical treatment. During the operation, doctors extract an incredible amount of parasites from the intestines of such people.
- Tapewormsappear among those who like to taste meat with blood and raw fish. They cause digestive problems, anemia, allergies. Children have seizures similar to epileptic seizures. The most dangerous helminth in this group is echinococcus, the larvae of which form huge cysts in the human body. When they break, the parasites spread throughout the body. The infection can be fatal.
- Shoots- flukes, flukes and fasciols are dangerous parasites that suck blood from the vessels of the liver, pancreas, intestines and bladder.
- The simplest- Leishmania, amoeba, lamblia, etc. Although these small parasites are only visible under a microscope, they can cause dangerous complications up to intestinal perforation and liver abscesses, which are fatal.
On what grounds can the presence of "strangers" be suspected: if the stomach is sick, it means that someone lives in it
Signs of helminths:
- Stomach pain- the most common sign of helminth infection. It can be permanent, periodic, affecting certain areas of the abdomen. Pain in the right hypochondrium with helminthiasis indicates damage to the liver and gallbladder by worms.
- Indigestion- diarrhea, constipation, irregular bowel movements. Sometimes patients see creeping segments of worms or even whole parasites in the feces. Impaired digestion of food and dysfunction of the gastrointestinal tract leads to weight loss.
- Anemia.Worms suck blood from the body and interfere with the digestion of food. The host man does not eat alone, but the worms. Patients complain of weakness, fatigue, loss of strength, dizziness.
- Damage to the urinary tract,caused by parasites living in the kidneys and bladder. Patients complain of back pain and swelling. Occasionally there are traces of blood in the urine.
- Indolent chronic vaginitis. . . Roundworms and pinworms crawl from the anus into the genital tract, causing vaginal dysbiosis and provoking the development of thrush. Women are treated for itching and discharge without realizing that they are parasites.
- Skin manifestations.Worm infection poisons the body and suppresses the immune system, leading to allergies. The rash varies from small vesicles to large focal areas.
- Inflammation of the mucous membraneand itching in the anus caused by irritation of crawling worms.
- General deterioration of health.Weak immunity, indigestion and anemia weaken the body, which cannot resist infections. The person is plagued by constant colds, acute respiratory infections and acute respiratory viral infections.
Why ultrasound is more effective than traditional tests for worms and other parasites
Faeces or scrapings do not always reveal worms. The fact is that the parasites have a certain cycle of development and do not always lay eggs. There is a whole group of extraintestinal helminthiasis in which worms live outside the gut. In this case, the stool analysis will not give any information.
Ultrasound of the abdominal cavity shows changes characteristic of the presence of parasites in the liver, pancreas. It is harmless, non-traumatic and can be used repeatedly.
If the ultrasound doctor does not find live helminths and 100% signs of their presence, he will suspect an infection and will prescribe an additional examination. It is useful to have an ultrasound scan and positive tests for I / worms. Research will reveal where the parasites are lurking.
Signs of helminthiasis determined by ultrasound of the abdominal cavity - semi-living organs and live worms
When examining the gastrointestinal tract on modern 3D and 4D devices, doctors often see live parasites in the gut. If helminths are not detected, their presence may be suspected by an enlarged pancreas compacted in the head area. The spleen is also too large.
The liver with parasitic lesions of flukes, trematodes and flukes is enlarged. It reveals areas of dystrophy that interfere with the functioning of the body.
The gallbladder also suffers. Patients have bile stagnation causing pain in the right hypochondrium. Sometimes the function of the bladder is so impaired that the organ is not detected at all by ultrasound.
The presence of parasites leads to the formation of abscesses - purulent liver lesions that are life-threatening. In 85% of cases, abscesses form in one lobe of the liver. Other departments are affected less frequently. Purulent lesions are characteristic of hepatic amoebiasis - an infection with the simplest - an amoeba that enters the liver from the intestine.
Significant changes in the liver are observed in echinococcosis, a parasitic disease in which cavities filled with helminth larvae form inside the organ. Ultrasound shows rounded formations with clear boundaries. These are cysts with parasites inside. Over time, calcium is deposited around echinococcal foci. Such formations have a dense structure, therefore on ultrasound they appear lighter than the surrounding tissues.
Prolonged infection causes large cysts with septa resembling spokes on wheels or large honeycombs. The destruction of the bile ducts is observed. Doppler examination has a violation of blood flow.
For lovers of Japanese cuisine. Parasites as a gift
Fans of Asian exotics have a wide variety of parasites, but the most common opisthorchiasis is Chinese methyl infection. The source of helminths is unprocessed fish containing parasites.
At the beginning of the disease, ultrasound in the liver and gallbladder reveals eosinophilic infiltrates - dense formations with clear boundaries. If the fight against helminths is postponed for better times, outbreaks of dead cells will appear in these organs, looking like colorful areas, and the liver ducts will lose their elasticity. The situation can lead to the development of liver failure.
If the urinary tract falls victim to parasites
Echinococcus affects not only the liver but also the kidneys. When the parasite enters the kidney tissue, a single-chamber cyst (bubble) containing larvae forms. Gradually increasing in size, the echinococcal cyst destroys the organ. Large parasitic cysts are fused to the liver, spleen and intestines.
Schistosomiasis is raised by those who like to wander barefoot on the warm beaches of overseas countries. The larvae of the parasites enter the bloodstream through the skin and then carry the blood to the bladder. Once established there, they cause the appearance of seals - infiltrates that appear in response to irritation of the walls of the bladder. When the infection spreads, the kidneys are affected.
Enzyme immunoassay - we transfer helminths in clean water
This test detects an infection with one or more types of parasites. It is performed for the presence of roundworm, toxocara, Trichinella, opisthorchiasis flukes, echinococci, Chinese flukes and others.
The principle of testing is based on the body's immune response to the presence of helminths. Worm infection causes the production of protein antibodies, which are detected during the analysis. As each parasite provokes the formation of a certain immunoglobulin, the results of the analysis show which helminths are in the human body.
The analysis responds to all forms of parasites - eggs, larvae, adult worms. The accuracy is over 90%. The study shows not only the presence of infection, but also its degree.
After treatment, the analysis is repeated. A positive result can be observed some time after the death of the parasites. The concentration of immunoglobulins will gradually decrease for several more months. Then the analysis will be "clean". Blood is taken from a vein on an empty stomach in a volume of 3-5 ml. The analysis is done twice.
Ultrasound and immunoglobulin testing can detect helminthiasis and begin treatment. Thanks to their use, the number of cases of misdiagnosis leading to complications has decreased. The main thing is to consult a doctor in time if you suspect a helminth infestation.