The prevalence of different types of worms is quite high.What are the types of helminths in humans, symptoms and treatment of the disease called helminthiasis?Many types of parasites manifest themselves differently when they enter the body.
Among the wide variety of signs of helminth infection, there may be disorders of the digestive system, disorders in the functioning of the nervous system, and skin allergic reactions.
It is now reliably known that many diseases, which at first glance are in no way related to parasite infection, arise due to the fact that a person was infected with helminths.People can be treated for years for various diseases of the liver, gastrointestinal tract and other pathologies and have no idea about the real cause of their illness.
Treatment of helminthiasis with drugs should be carried out under the supervision of a doctor, taking into account the age, weight of the patient, as well as the type of parasite against which the therapy is directed.
Types of helminths
Currently, science knows a wide variety of worms, they all have different shapes and appearances.Depending on these characteristics, there are several classifications.Based on their habitat in the body, the following types of parasitic worms are distinguished: luminal and tissue.Lumen parasites live in the intestines (small and large), less often in other internal organs of humans and animals.Tissue worms are characterized by the fact that they are usually located in body tissues or subcutaneous fat.
Depending on the method of penetration and spread in the body, parasites are divided into 3 types: contact worms, biohelminths and geohelminths.Biohelminths include worms that, before their full development, change many hosts (these can be fish, insects);at the end of the chain, one becomes the host.
Geohelminths include parasites whose development takes place directly, excluding intermediate hosts.Their eggs mature in the soil and infection occurs when they are ingested.The most common of these are human roundworms, whipworm, eel intestinalis and hookworm.
The peculiarity of contact worms is that they are transmitted from one person to another.These include sedges and dwarfs.Pinworms cause a disease called enterobiosis, and dwarf tapeworms provoke hymenolepiasis.
How can you get infected with helminths?
Helminth infection can occur in 1 of 4 ways.Geohelminthiasis is a probable infection by parasites through the soil in which mature larvae are found, during contact with animals or by the transfer of larvae in food by flies.The second method of infection with worms is contact, i.e.from person to person.This is how the most common parasites - pinworms - are transmitted.Biohelminths can be infected by eating contaminated fish or meat that has undergone poor heat treatment.And the last way is the penetration of the larvae into the body through insect bites.
The most common route of infection with worms is oral, i.e.a person simply ingests worm larvae along with water or food.A huge number of helminth eggs fall into the ground, so one must wash one's hands very thoroughly after each contact with the soil.This is especially true for children who often play in the sand.
Everything that grows in the earth and is connected to it (vegetables, fruits) must be washed and treated with boiling water before eating.Pets that have free access to the outdoors are a common source of helminthiasis for humans.
The easiest way to get infected with pinworms is for children of preschool age.The female places more than 5 thousand larvae near the anus, causing severe itching in this place.A child scratching an itchy spot infects everything around with these eggs: bedding, toys, clothes.And then hundreds of pinworm larvae settle on the hands of anyone who has touched these objects, so you can infect all family members.
A large number of helminth larvae are concentrated in open water bodies, so it is strictly forbidden to ingest water while swimming in them.Well water is also subject to contamination;should be boiled before use or disinfecting filters should be used.
Signs of helminthiasis
The first symptoms of helminth infection in an adult or a child are a sudden loss of body weight and itching in the anus.But this is only a small part of the most common symptoms, because they can be much more, and sometimes parasites can only be identified through special research.Symptoms of worm infection can often include various disorders of the nervous system and severe general weakness of the body.
During their life cycle, worms produce a huge amount of toxins, which manifests itself in severe intoxication in the human body.Patients may experience headache, nausea, dizziness, possible fever and sudden joint pain.A person infected with helminths suffers from a lack of vitamins, which, combined with disorders in the functioning of the nervous system, eventually leads to a feeling of chronic fatigue, causing severe drowsiness and apathy.
If the worms parasitize in the intestines, and not in other organs or tissues of the human body, then the first sign of the appearance of worms is a malfunction of the digestive system.The patient may experience diarrhea or constipation, vomiting, severe abdominal pain and nausea.Pain in the right hypochondrium or increased gas formation may occur.The symptoms that appear depend on the type of helminth.General intoxication of the body contributes to a decrease in immunity in an infected person, which increases the risk of infectious diseases.And since the parasites deprive the patient of some of the useful substances he needs, the resistance of the human body decreases, which subsequently leads to the exacerbation of existing chronic diseases or various inflammations in the nasopharynx.
Another important and vivid symptom of the penetration of parasites into the body are allergic skin reactions.Almost all patients infected with helminths suffer from deterioration of the dermis.Allergies, in addition to skin rashes, can have other manifestations, including allergic rhinitis, persistent dry cough and asthma.
Treatment of helminthiasis with drugs
Parasite infestation can manifest itself in different ways.What should you do if you notice any symptoms of helminthiasis?First of all, you need to conduct the necessary research and determine exactly what type of worm infection has occurred;the drug therapy prescribed by the doctor will depend on this.Many anthelmintic drugs are known today.Among them there are both drugs that are active against certain types of parasites, and those with a wide spectrum of action.These drugs are highly toxic, so they should be prescribed exclusively by a doctor and only on the basis of test results, after identifying the exact type of helminths that affected the person.The treatment approach for different types of worms is different;drugs are selected individually for each patient, taking into account the type of parasites, age and body weight of the person.
Preventing the appearance of worms in adults does not require too complicated measures.It is necessary to monitor the cleanliness of the consumed water, treat pets in a timely manner, wash vegetables and fruits, and heat meat and fish.In order to prevent the appearance of worms in children attending preschool institutions, it is necessary to carry out prophylaxis at least once a year.
Folk remedies to eliminate parasites
Traditional medicine knows a large number of recipes for eliminating parasites.Most often, garlic, pumpkin seeds, tansy flowers, wormwood and walnuts are used for this.One of the most popular and effective recipes for removing worms in folk medicine is the use of pumpkin seeds.It is best to use unbleached seeds, and during cleaning you need to keep a thin film between the seed and the skin.The seeds should be consumed in the morning, 300 g each, and may be ground beforehand.After that, it is recommended not to eat for 4 hours and do an enema.After a few weeks, this procedure can be repeated.
Vratiga has a strong anthelmintic effect thanks to thujone and dancetin.Thujone is a substance contained in the essential oil of this plant that has a paralytic effect on helminths.And tancitin is a component contained in tansy flowers that improves the production of bile and gastric juice.To prepare the medicine, you need 1 tablespoon.l. Pour tansy flowers with a cup of boiling water and let it brew for 1 hour.Then strain, drink the resulting infusion three times a day for 1 tablespoon.l. 30 minutes before meals.
Another herb, wormwood, is known to be effective in fighting parasites.A tincture of wormwood in alcohol is usually used for treatment.It should be taken three times a day, 20 drops 30 minutes before meals.
Garlic, the infusion of walnut pericarp, onion and nettle have a strong antiparasitic effect.Using recipes for infusions from these plants and vegetables, you can get rid of parasites without resorting to drug treatment.Before that, however, a mandatory consultation with a doctor is recommended.