The most common helminths are worms in humans. These parasites in the human body lead to many complications, including: disorders of the gastrointestinal tract, physical damage to internal organs, helminthiases.
Helminthiasis is not a disease, but a group of diseases caused by parasites that live inside a person. All helminths are divided into 3 main types:
- nematodes (belonging to the nematode order), leading representatives - nematodes, pinworms, whipworms;
- tapeworms, or tapeworms (a group of flatworms), represented by tapeworms, cattle tapeworms;
- worms or trematodes (detachment of flatworms) are represented by heartworms.
Since helminths leave the host during the breeding season to preserve the species, when moving to another vector or environment, they are also divided according to the type of transfer:
- Mechanical transmission involves long-distance travel, while the development of worms in the carrier's body does not occur. This includes most of the arthropods (crustaceans, arachnids, and centipedes) that are often carried on the legs of common flies.
- An intermediate host is a special mode of transmission in which one of the developmental stages takes place in the host organism. For example, for bovine tapeworms, livestock act as carriers (intermediate hosts), and humans as final carriers.
Helminths differ according to the method of transmission:
- active (contact);
- passive (food).
Contact worms are able to penetrate into the human body through mucous membranes and skin (schistosomes, hookworms). Food products are more common, it develops in a person after eating unwashed food, coming into contact with a sick person or not following the rules of personal hygiene.
In total, there are more than 250 types of lower worms that are parasites to humans in the world. Since the symptoms of the presence of worms in humans have different manifestations, therefore, at the slightest suspicion, you should consult a specialist and undergo an examination.
The life cycle of worms, reproduction and development
An example of the development of helminths is the classic scheme of the nematode life cycle. Parasitic eggs are very resistant to adverse external influences and can remain in the soil for up to six months.
The development of the larva itself takes from 2 weeks to 2 months, depending on the environmental conditions: temperature, humidity, availability of oxygen. Mature eggs with food enter the stomach, where gastric juice erodes the eggshell, releasing the larvae.
After that, the nematode enters the bloodstream through the intestinal wall and begins to move throughout the blood vessel system until it enters the pulmonary alveoli. Nematode larvae are aerobic, only here they become active and continue to grow.
Feeding on blood, it grows up to 3-4 mm in length. After reaching primary maturity 4-5 days after invasion, nematodes begin to move to the bronchi.
Its movement causes a person to cough, as a result of which the larvae, together with mucus, enter the oral cavity and return to the intestine. Here the final stage of larval formation in adults occurs.
The life cycle of an adult nematode lasts about a year, during which it lays up to 250, 000 eggs. Human health, and sometimes life directly depends on the presence of worms in the body and their number, so it is important to start treatment as soon as possible.
Ascariasis is accompanied by intoxication, and intestinal obstruction will be a complication, which in some cases requires immediate surgical intervention.
Reproduction of helminths occurs in 2 ways where helminths are divided into biohelminths and geohelminths. Usually, parasite eggs enter the external environment - here they mature. The eggs must then enter the host, where they develop fully (geohelminths) or go through the stage of transformation into larvae (biohelminths).
In biohelminths, the development process is more complex, the stage of development in the adult individual and the achievement of maturity is separated from the stage of larval appearance. That is, from the external environment, the eggs first enter the intermediate carrier, where the larvae hatch.
Therefore, he has to enter the body of the last host to reach the adult form. Sometimes biohelminths change up to 4 intermediate carriers before reaching the final host.
symptoms
How to determine the presence of worms? Polymorphic symptoms and the absence of pain in the early stages of the disease make it difficult to diagnose.
Often the cause of the appearance of worms in humans is associated with the consumption of stale or contaminated food, and the parasites themselves live directly in the digestive tract, so signs of their presence in the human body in most cases are related to the work of the intestines:
- liquid stools (unstable;
- pain and swelling;
- allergic skin rash;
- bloated stomach;
- nausea;
- he threw up;
- lack or excess of appetite;
- at night - sleep disturbances, throwing up, grinding teeth, drooling;
- itching in the anus;
- the presence of mucus or blood in the stool.
These symptoms appear after infection and last for a short time (about 7 days). In case of re-invasion, it is repeated after 2-3 weeks.
If there is no treatment or due to the occurrence of an acute or chronic form of the disease, some symptoms do not disappear, as a result of the long stay of the parasite in the body plus:
- Poisoning appears almost simultaneously with infection, but in the early stages it is not so noticeable. The more worms in the human body, the more symptoms of poisoning increase, from morning sickness to vomiting and abdominal pain.
- Congestion in the lungs (infiltrate), bronchospasm, pneumonia. The main cause is parasites that develop in the alveoli of the lungs and damage them, causing inflammation.
- Inflammation of the heart muscle (myocarditis). Infectious diseases, resulting from the vital activity of helminths and subsequent intoxication.
- Meningoencephalitis is a dangerous inflammation of the brain and its membranes caused by bacteria and protozoa.
Different pathogens have their own manifestations and consequences, but most of the symptoms are common to all helminths.
Diagnostics
Diagnosis is made in the laboratory. Only in this case, with the presence of worm eggs and their signs in the blood or feces, helminthiasis can be diagnosed with confidence. However, stool analysis is not always sufficient: some types of parasites do not show up in it.
A special method for determining the presence of worms is a serological blood test for antibodies. For the diagnosis of helminthiasis are used:
- bile studies;
- macroscopy (to detect ascaris and pinworms);
- biopsy of muscle tissue when examining trichinosis;
- x-rays and ultrasounds.
Trichinosis is a parasitic disease in which pathogenic larvae spread throughout the carrier's body, causing extensive damage to organs and the central nervous system, after which they settle in muscle tissue.
Parasites in a person's muscles gradually make an infiltration capsule around them, and the symptoms of their presence in the body decrease, but by this time serious damage has been done to the owner's health.
One of the main symptoms can be considered eosinophilia, where the number of eosinophils in the patient's blood increases dramatically. Eosinophils are a subspecies of white blood cells that respond to the presence of small foreign bodies in the circulatory system.
In the place of accumulation of parasite larvae, internal swelling and spots on the skin quickly appear - the effect of infiltration. They also remain in sputum and lung fluid.
Since the symptoms of helminthiases are extensive and largely overlap with the signs of other diseases, self-diagnosis is not completely reliable.
There are cases when, after eating a banana, people see dark threads in the feces, which they take for worms. Before starting treatment, it is necessary to pass all tests for the presence and type of parasites.
Treatment of helminthiases
During the treatment of parasitic diseases, some general rules must be followed:
- Thorough disinfection of sick linen and the room where it is located. Keep contact to a minimum, the plates should be separated.
- A strict alcohol-free diet. It is recommended to use an infusion of carrot juice and birch shoots.
- Personal hygiene, frequent hand washing and laundry, cleaning the premises.
- Monitor the course of treatment and its effectiveness.
Modern treatment methods do not include the use of separate drugs, as this does not guarantee complete coverage of all types of helminths. Often, the doctor prescribes an initial drug that weakens the parasite.
If it is not possible to consult a doctor, folk remedies are used. A good anthelmintic effect is given by:
- garlic infusion enema, taking garlic on an empty stomach;
- infusion of tansy on an empty stomach 4 times a day before meals;
- wormwood tincture on alcohol, take 20 mg 3 times a day.
Worms in humans in our time are diagnosed and treated in a short time. If you do not start the disease and start treatment on time, this will help to avoid complications and re-invasion.
The greatest danger of parasitic diseases is for children: there is a lag in mental development, complications arise in the form of chronic diseases, inflammatory processes.
It is very important to explain to the child in a timely manner the need to wash hands and observe the rules of personal hygiene. At the same time, adults are required to observe other preventive measures.
Prevention of helminthiases
In addition to personal hygiene, there are several factors that affect the elimination of the cause of the appearance of worms:
- wash vegetables and fruits in hot water;
- keep the house clean, do wet cleaning regularly;
- a balanced diet that provides the body with a sufficient amount of vitamins for all groups;
- monitor the condition of pets, annual visits to the vet;
- adequate heat treatment of fish and meat;
- against insects that live in the house;
- to refrain from bathing and resting in grazing areas.
Compliance with preventive measures and timely access to a doctor in case of infection will help avoid complications. The correct dose of medicine prescribed by a specialist doctor will quickly get rid of parasites, and folk remedies can be used together with prescribed medicines.