Worms in humans cause the development of diseases that are collectively called helminthiasis. Pinworms are parasitic worms that can be found in almost all organs of our body: intestines, muscles, lungs, liver, heart and even eyes.
If a person has worms, symptoms do not always appear; if they appear, they are masked as other diseases of the liver, gastrointestinal tract, gall bladder, etc. Sometimes these symptoms are so vague that it can be very problematic to establish the cause. of a certain problem, especially when it comes to children.
Today there are many known parasites that can infect the human body. In total, there are about 150 types of helminthiasis. All worms, according to their shape and body structure, are divided into two large groups: roundworms or nematodes and flatworms.
Children are most often infected with worms, and the most common forms of helminthiasis (diseases caused by parasitic worms) are ascariasis and enterobiosis. The most dangerous worms that can live in the human body are Echinococcus and Alveococcus. For each group of parasites, special means have been developed, the treatment of which will remove the worms from the body of an adult or a child.
Types of worms in humans
There are more than two hundred types of worms that infect humans. Most of them are not found in the middle zone, so about sixty species are common in our country. Parasites are divided into contact parasites (worms transmitted from one person to another), geohelminthiasis (the larva lives in the soil and the invasion occurs when soil particles enter with food) and biohelminthiasis (parasites pass into the human body through the meat of infected animals. orfish).
Let's name some of the most common groups of worms in humans:
- Annelids - pinworms, roundworms, whipworms, trichinella;
- Tapeworms - various types of tapeworms, echinococci, tapeworms;
- Flatworms - all kinds of flukes, flukes.
Let's take a closer look at each type of worm that can live in the body of an adult.
- Roundworms are large roundworms, red-yellow in color, reaching a length of up to 40 cm when mature.
- The whipworm is a round worm 30-50 mm long, which got its name because of the shape of its body: the front part is long and narrow, like a hair, and the back part is short and wide.
- The broad tapeworm is a large tapeworm, reaching a length of about 10 meters;
- Hookworm is the combined name of two types of worms: duodenal hookworm and nekator, round worms 10-15 mm long.
- Trichinella are small round worms with a length of 2-5 mm that cause a serious disease - trichinellosis.
- The liver fluke (cat fluke) is a flatworm of the fluke class, 7-20 mm long. The disease caused by this parasite is called opisthorchosis.
- Pork and beef tapeworms are structurally similar tapeworms up to 6 meters long.
- Echinococcus parasitizes the human body not in an adult form, but in the form of an intermediate form - Finns. Echinococcus itself is a tapeworm 3-5 mm long
- Alveococcus is a worm similar to Echinococcus, with a similar structure and mechanism of development.
Symptoms and signs of worm infestation depend on the type of parasite, its location in the body and the stage of its development.
Helminths in the human body
Worms are scientifically called helminths. Helminths are all worms that parasitize the body of humans, animals and plants. Accordingly, helminths are not a specific type of parasite, but a whole group of different worms, three of which are the most common.
In modern society, helminths are still widespread. Helminth infestation is especially common among children, hunters, fishermen and their families, as well as residents of rural areas.
Helminths are a large order of parasitic worms that live off animals and plants, feeding and reproducing in the host's body. Man is no exception. Only in our country there are more than 70 types of parasites. According to statistics, every third inhabitant of the Earth is infected with parasitic worms. It is assumed that there is not a single adult person who has not had a single worm settle in his body during his life.
Helminths. No matter how carefully parents monitor the cleanliness of their children's hands, it is almost impossible to protect them from worms. Children explore the outside world, nature arouses special interest. They want to touch everything with their hands and taste it. People who eat fish, wild animal and poultry meat and domestic milk are at risk of contracting trichinellosis and diphyllobothriasis.
Modern medical data show that many diseases occur due to helminthic invasion. For example, the link between oncology and long-term parasite infection has been clinically proven. Signs of worms in humans are often misinterpreted by doctors and patients. They begin to treat non-existent diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.
How can you get infected?
The causes of infection with human worms are very diverse, the route of infection depends directly on the type of worms and their life cycle, it can be:
- eating dirty vegetables;
- non-observance of hygiene rules when preparing food;
- poor heat treatment of some food products, especially animal meat and fish;
- communication with pets – cats, dogs, some types of rodents;
- non-observance of hygiene rules before eating, after visiting the bathroom, after returning from a walk;
- swimming in polluted bodies of water.
During their life, worms produce toxic substances that are absorbed into the blood and spread throughout the body, causing damage to the most important organs and systems.
General symptoms and signs of helminthic infestation in children
Common symptoms of helminthiasis include:
- worsening or increased appetite;
- nausea, possibly vomiting;
- excessive salivation;
- stool disorders;
- the appearance of pain in the lower abdomen;
- dizziness, headache;
- allergic reactions;
- increased frequency of colds;
- irritability, capriciousness;
- sleep disorder;
- deterioration of mental and physical activity;
- dry cough.
Symptoms of worms in humans
Sometimes worms are able to parasitize the body of an adult for a long time without noticeable symptoms, in some cases they become the cause of the development of various chronic diseases, causing dangerous complications and even death.
With the onset of an acute period of helminthiasis, worms begin to feed intensively in the intestines of a sick person, causing various signs of disorders of the digestive system: dysbacteriosis, abdominal pain, diarrhea.
Let's see what signs of helminths can be noted? Let's list the most common common symptoms of worms in humans.
- Gastrointestinal dysfunction - diarrhea, constipation and abdominal pain;
- Pain in the joints and muscles - parasites can move in the human body to settle in the most convenient places for their life, for example in the joint fluid and muscles. When this happens, a person experiences painful sensations;
- Disorders of the nervous system and general malaise - manifested in the form of fatigue, irritability, sleep disorders and memory problems;
- Allergic reactions and skin manifestations - the appearance of pimples, blackheads and other rashes - are also signs of the presence of worms in humans;
- Reduced immunity and, as a consequence, the development of infectious diseases;
- A sharp decrease in body weight;
- Anemia - some worms suck blood from the intestinal walls like leeches;
- Grinding teeth during sleep and sleep disturbance;
- Itching in the anus, especially at night. At this time, the female actively lays eggs, thereby causing itching in the anus;
- Enlarged lymph nodes, low body temperature;
- Inflammation of the respiratory tract - cough, fever, discharge of sputum, runny nose - this is how the presence of worms can be manifested.
The specific first signs will depend directly on the pathogen and the location of the worm in the human body. For example, large worms, flukes and tapeworms like to parasitize the liver, which can lead to degeneration of liver cells, blockage of the bile ducts, blood clots and cirrhosis. Roundworms and pinworms live in the intestines, so they will be excreted with the feces. To find out how to remove these worms from a person, you need to consult a doctor, he will prescribe an appropriate medicine.
Symptoms of worm infection can appear at different times from the time of worm infestation. So, the first symptoms of ascariasis appear after 2-3 days. In most other helminth infestations, the symptoms of the disease appear after 2-3 weeks.
Most often, the main signs of worm infection in an adult are presented by allergic manifestations in the form of itching and rash, swelling, weakness, muscle pain, headache, fever, pain in muscles and joints, an increase in the number of eosinophils in the blood, etc.
As parasites, worms feed on the body of their host. At the same time, they absorb a significant amount of proteins and carbohydrates, mineral elements, vitamins and other nutrients. Helminthiasis can be acute and chronic. The first lasts 2-3 weeks and often manifests as an allergy, while the chronic stage can last for months, years and even decades.
What organs can worms affect?
There are two types of invasions: cavity and tissue. Depending on the type of habitats are also divided:
- Hookworms inhabit the small and large intestines. In particular, the first sections of the small intestine are affected by tapeworms, hookworms and roundworms. The lower part of the small intestine is the habitat of dwarf tapeworms and pinworms. The large intestine most often becomes the habitat of the whipworm.
- Tissue helminths affect organs of all types: liver, brain, lymph nodes, bile ducts.
important! It is impossible to determine signs of the presence of worms in a patient in the initial stage of development of the infection. As long as the number of worms is small, toxic poisoning by waste products is within normal limits, the body itself copes with the invasion. The appearance of characteristic or acute symptoms indicates a significant increase in the number of helminth infestations: the maturation of individuals and their dynamic development.
Complications of worms
A number of helminths can cause serious disturbances in the patient's condition. Here are the most common complications:
- B12-deficiency anemia, iron-deficiency anemia - leads to disruption of tissue oxygen supply, which requires long-term recovery. It manifests itself with pale skin, dry mouth, weakness, disorders in various body functions;
- Intestinal obstruction occurs when the parasite blocks the lumen with its body. Surgical treatment is required. Symptoms - abdominal pain, lack of stool, vomiting;
- Intestinal bleeding - if the worm attaches itself to the intestinal wall, it can damage its blood vessels. Symptoms: abdominal pain, weakness, blood in the stool, vomiting. Requires surgical treatment;
- Fibrosis and cirrhosis of the liver develop during a long course of opisthorchosis. The changes are irreversible. Symptoms: disturbance of sleep and wakefulness, fluid accumulation in body cavities, loss of liver function;
- Abscesses of the affected organs are purulent inflammations. Symptoms are pain, high fever, weakness. The condition is rapidly deteriorating. An examination is required to detect the source of inflammation and surgical treatment.
Stool analysis and scraping for worm eggs
Worms are primarily intestinal parasites. It is through the intestines that their eggs are released. Therefore, to diagnose them, feces are taken for analysis. You can buy a special container for collecting feces at the pharmacy, but you can also use a matchbox or jar.
So, to take the analysis, you will need a container for collecting material and a spatula. If a person sees fragments of worms or a whole helminth, then it should also be sent to the laboratory.
Stools do not need to be brought to the laboratory immediately after collection. It must be delivered for examination within 24 hours. Until then, the collected biomaterial must be stored in a refrigerator. An exception is the collection of feces for the study of giardiasis. It must be delivered warm, because upon cooling the cysts of the parasites are destroyed. While the feces are delivered to the laboratory, the container should be wrapped in a warm towel.
To diagnose enterobiasis, a scraping is taken from the perianal folds, as female pinworms lay eggs in this area. Before the test, you should not wash your face or visit the toilet for about 12 hours. Therefore, the optimal time to perform an analysis is in the morning.
Scraping is done using a cotton swab, which is placed in a clean container and delivered to the laboratory. You can also use tape that peels off the glass, sticks to the anal area for a while, then peels off and returns sticky side to the glass.
Biological material delivered to the laboratory is examined using a microscope. If a person is infected, the laboratory technician will see worm eggs, their larvae or segments. Each parasite lays eggs that are unique to its species. Therefore, by studying the structure of the egg, you can determine which worm is parasitic in the human body.
If there is a worm in the feces, most often it looks like a white strip of different lengths. Worms can remain mobile. The type of worm can be determined in the laboratory.
However, it is not always possible to detect worms using stool analysis. For example, the analysis will be uninformative if the human body is parasitized only by male roundworms that cannot release eggs.
Blood test for worms
To identify worms in the blood, an immunological test is used to determine antibodies to the main types of helminths. The reliability and accuracy of ELISA is equal to 95%. It can be used to detect extraintestinal forms of helminthiasis.
Decoding the ELISA leads to a simplified form:
- Helminths parasitize in the body if immunoglobulin class M (IgM) is elevated in the blood.
- Either the worms were present in the human body before, or the helminthic infestation became chronic and caused a weakening of the human immune system. This conclusion can be made if the level of immunoglobulins IgG is increased, but lgM is not detected in the blood.
In both cases, a more thorough diagnosis and specific treatment will be required.
How is the parasite infected and developed?
Each parasite has specific life cycle characteristics. Depending on the mechanism of infection, all helminthiasis are divided into three main groups:
- contact helminthiases;
- geohelminthiasis;
- biohelminthiasis.
Contact helminthiasis
The development of parasites included in the group of contact helminthiasis takes place entirely in the child's body. The eggs of the worms enter the digestive system, migrate to the intestines and after some time turn into adults. Sexually mature helminths form eggs, which are excreted with feces into the external environment. The development cycle repeats itself again.
Contact helminthiasis includes pinworm infection. The spread of these worms is through the fecal-oral mechanism. If the child does not wash his hands after using the toilet, then microscopic pinworm eggs remain on his fingers. Other children can become infected through contaminated household items and food that the sick person has touched. Non-compliance with the rules of personal hygiene is of great importance in the spread of sedges. Therefore, this helminthiasis is more common in childhood.
In addition to infecting others, a sick child can become infected again. Pinworms crawling from the anus lay eggs on the skin in the anal area. This process causes severe itching of the skin, so children often begin to scratch the sore spot. If they do not wash their hands afterwards, then a new batch of eggs enters the intestine. The parasite population increases, which leads to a worsening of the child's condition.
Geohelminthiasis
The group of geohelminthiasis is represented by roundworms. For these parasites to develop, it is necessary for the feces of a sick child to fall into the ground. The released eggs begin to actively develop and quickly reach an invasive stage where they can penetrate the human body.
Infection of children usually occurs through consumption of unwashed vegetables and fruits that come into contact with the ground. Ascaris larvae remain on them, which penetrate the child's intestines and cause unpleasant symptoms of helminthiasis.
Biohelminthiasis
For the development of worms belonging to the group of biohelminths, the presence of an intermediate host is necessary - a living organism in which the larvae of the worms will develop. This can be cattle (cows, pigs), as well as fish. Therefore, the child can become infected with worms by consuming food from untested sources. Insufficient heat treatment of meat or fish contributes to infection. You can get infected with echinococcus, beef and pork tapeworm, cat fluke through food.
Treatment of worms in humans
The mainstay of treatment for worms in humans is specific anthelmintic drugs; adults are prescribed the best time-tested tablets.
The choice of drug for treatment depends on the presence of specific worms in the human body. In the acute period of the disease, the doctor can prescribe the patient anti-allergic drugs, such as Suprastin or Claritin.
Only on the basis of tests and diagnosis, the doctor prescribes treatment for worms in a person, since anthelmintic drugs are quite toxic. If during the analysis worms are found again, then the specialist determines how to remove the worms, offering a new treatment regimen based on the use of other anti-worm tablets that will better cope with the task.
Treatment
Anthelmintic therapy
The mainstay of treatment for parasitic diseases are anthelmintic drugs. They must be usedstrictly as prescribed by the doctor, because a number of important factors need to be taken into account when choosing a drug:
- form of helminthiasis;
- phase of disease development;
- pathogen;
- concomitant diseases of the child;
- characteristics of his condition.
Only a doctor can correctly assess these indicators and choose the optimal drug. Self-treatment of helminthiasis in children is unacceptable. Incorrectly selected therapy is often not only ineffective, but also accompanied by severe side effects.
How to take a stool test for helminths and their eggs?
When choosing a therapy, the doctor must take into account the cause of the disease. You should not rely on a universal drug, since most drugs act only on a certain range of helminths. If the wrong medicine is used, the clinical picture of the disease in the child does not disappear, the disease continues to progress, which can lead to serious complications.
If there are several children in the family, doctors often recommend anthelmintic therapy for all family members at once. This will prevent repeated cases of helminth infection after treatment.
Symptomatic therapy
In addition to anthelmintic therapy, the child is also prescribed symptomatic treatment aimed at eliminating the clinical manifestations of the disease. If a severe allergic reaction occurs, antihistamines are used - Suprastin, Tavegil, Claritin.
If the baby has severe manifestations of intoxication, he is prescribed antipyretics and pain relievers. To relieve acute symptoms, plenty of fluids are prescribed or infusion therapy is administered. If there is a risk of developing vasculitis and myocarditis, glucocorticoids (for example, prednisolone) are prescribed.
How to treat worms with folk remedies
Traditional treatment methods include medicinal plants that have anthelmintic and laxative effects. Although the effectiveness of these drugs has not been scientifically tested, many of them have been used since ancient times to treat intestinal worms in humans at home.
- The best folk remedy is pumpkin seed for worms. Take and peel pumpkin seeds (80-100 g), try not to damage the green skin. Grind them, add 2 tablespoons of honey and 100 grams of water, mix. This medicine should be taken strictly in the morning, on an empty stomach. One feeding boat every hour for 3 hours. Then you need to take a laxative and after 1-2 hours do an enema.
- Pomegranate Pomegranate peel contains punicin, which is highly toxic to worms. A decoction of the bark in fresh water should be taken three times a day by adults and children suffering from parasites.
- Onion broth (pour 1 onion with 200 ml of boiling water, leave for 2 days, consume before meals for 4 days)
As for prevention, to prevent helminth invasion, it is necessary to wash your hands with soap after returning from the street, thermally treat meat and fish, do not drink raw water and do not swim in contaminated water bodies.
Prevention
The main prevention of helminthiasis in children is compliance with the rules of personal hygiene.
That is why we can indicate precautions to prevent helminth infestations:
- instilling children's personal hygiene skills (washing hands after visiting the toilet, contact with animals, going outside, before eating);
- fighting bad habits (the child should be forbidden to suck fingers, bite nails or put foreign objects in his mouth);
- control of mosquitoes, flies and insects;
- high-quality processing of meat and fish;
- high-quality water disinfection;
- deworming of domestic dogs and cats;
- avoid contact with stray animals;
- thorough washing of vegetables and vegetables, berries and fruits;
- frequent change of linen and bedding (once a day);
- ironing linen and bedding with a hot iron;
- perform hygienic procedures in the anal area twice a day to prevent enterobiosis;
- wearing panties with elastic bands at night;
- complete wet cleaning of the premises.
Once inside the body, helminths in children disrupt the normal functioning of various organs and systems. And if adults have a strong immune system that constantly fights against "uninvited guests", then this does not happen with a child: his body is still weak and vulnerable. That is why it is important to teach the child to observe the standards of personal hygiene as much as possible-early to prevent helminth infection and if symptoms appear, immediately contact a specialist for subsequent anthelmintic treatment.