Worms can live in the human body for a long time without showing any signs of their presence. The main symptoms of a parasitic infection appear later, although they often resemble the symptoms of other diseases. Although the solution to the problem is worm infection, a person can look for the cause of their illness for a long time and be treated with a completely different disease.
Parasites are usually suspected in the later stages when treatment of other diseases does not help. At this time, the worms in the body mature and become difficult to remove. It is important to be able to recognize the symptoms as they appear and make an immediate diagnosis to see if a parasitic infection is to blame for frequent allergic rashes and other unpleasant illnesses.
What kind of worms can a person have?
Worms are the common name for a number of parasites. There are about a hundred of them in total, and a small group of the most common representatives differ from them, which should also be noted separately.
Pinworms
Pinworms are the most common type of helminthic infection that affects adults and children. It is easiest to determine their existence. These types of worms lay their eggs on the skin between the hips. Therefore, a scratch is often enough to determine the presence of pinworms.
Round worm
Ascaris' "target" is the respiratory tract. With ascariasis, a lot of sputum is released during coughing. If you take it for analysis, you will find traces of parasitic damage. An increase in body temperature is also possible.
Trichinella
These parasites are the most difficult to detect - they stick to the intestinal wall and do not come out like pinworms. Trichinosis has the highest mortality rate among all types of helminthic lesions - a disease that is difficult to treat. With lymph flow, Trichinella capsules can spread throughout the body.
The symptomatology of this lesion is more similar to typhoid fever.
Trematodes
Trematodes are flatworms that affect the liver, lungs and blood. Infection usually occurs when eating contaminated water or poorly cooked meat.
There are other types of helminthic lesions, but they are not as dangerous or widespread. The main symptoms and treatment of all helminthic infestations are similar.
Symptoms
The symptoms of helminthic lesions are different. If there are many of them, the probable parasitic invasion and diagnosis is worth considering.
- Swelling, increased gas production, any other problems with the functioning of the large intestine.
- Frequent constipation or diarrhea. It depends on the stage of development of the parasite. Constipation occurs when worm samples grow and clog the intestinal passages with clots. Diarrhea indicates that long individuals interfere with bile secretion.
- Allergic reactions. Especially noticeable if the person is not allergic. Allergies can manifest themselves in various forms - the appearance of rashes, eczema, boils and papillomas.
- Cough. It often dries out and has no other cold symptoms. Cough and antibiotics do not solve the problem.
- Inflammatory diseases of the respiratory system. Worms can pass through the body and reach the respiratory tract. It can cause bronchitis, pneumonia, asthma.
- Itching in the anal area. It is associated with the release of parasites to lay eggs. Mostly visible at night.
- Joint and muscle pain. They are also caused by the movement of parasites in the body.
- Teeth grinding - bruxism. It is associated with increased activity of the nervous system during parasitic infection. Appears during sleep.
- A condition similar to chronic fatigue and depression. Worm waste seems to poison the body, which worsens human well-being as a whole.
- All manifestations of reduced immunity, often colds. It can be difficult to recover quickly.
If most of these symptoms are observed, the chances of worms are high. It is best to perform a series of diagnostic tests immediately to confirm or rule out this possibility.
It is important! Any of these symptoms should be referred to a specialist immediately. These symptoms can be attributed not only to helminthic lesions, but also to other serious diseases.
Diagnostics
When worms are affected, the diagnosis cannot be made simply by the presence of symptoms. A number of studies should be conducted. Some give almost 100% accurate results.
- Various microscopic examinations of feces and debris. These methods are the cheapest and most common, but do not give 100% reliable results. Using these analyzes, worms can only be identified during egg laying, otherwise their presence will be invisible.
- ELISA - enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. This method gives extremely accurate results, helps to determine the stage of development of worms and their type. The only drawback of this analysis is the fairly high cost of its performance.
- Hemoscanning. This method can help to deny or confirm the presence of worms in the body. With this blood test, traces of their vital activity and intoxication will be visible. The essence of this method is now to study the "living" blood obtained.
It is important! It is usually recommended to go through several studies to confirm the result.
Which doctor treats?
With suspected helminth infestation, it is best to contact a therapist regularly and describe the situation to him. If tests to determine the presence of parasites have already been conducted independently, they should be carried out with you.
The therapist will refer you to a doctor who is more appropriate for your particular situation. If the worms are concentrated in the gastrointestinal tract, a specialist will refer you to a gastroenterologist. This is often the case because most parasites live in the gut.
In some cases, consultation with a parasitologist or parasitic specialist is required. However, such narrow-profile doctors are far from ubiquitous, so situations that do not go beyond a typical infection are entirely up to the attending physician.
Home therapy
Treatment should be started immediately after the diagnosis of the disease. Most anthelmintic drugs have many side effects, so it is recommended to take them under the supervision of your doctor.
Medications vary depending on the type of worm that infects the body. In general, all drugs can be divided into several groups.
- Medicines for nematodes, including pinworms and roundworms.
- Means for cestodes - cattleworm, small tapeworm, tapeworms that include exinococcus.
- Trematodes, medicines for flatworms.
It is important! It should be remembered that anthelmintic drugs are very toxic, they should be taken with caution.
Take medication for prevention
Because antihelminthic drugs have many side effects, it is not recommended to take them in the same way for prophylaxis unless there is an increased risk of infection. Infection can happen every day: if you take a pill today, you can get sick tomorrow.
Here is a small list of instructions for taking prophylactic drugs against worms:
- Appearance of worms in a family member or a person living in an apartment. You can infect the rest, so if one of the family members is found to have helminths, it is recommended that everyone take prophylactic anthelmintic medications.
- If a child goes to kindergarten, it is recommended that he, his parents, brothers or sisters take antihelminthic drugs to prevent it. It is believed that the risk of parasites spreading in an enclosed children's group is increased.
- House animals. If there are cats or dogs in the house, especially if they are often on the street, owners are advised to use prophylactic drugs.
- To come in contact with the soil, to work with it. Especially for summer residents and wildlife lovers.
- Regular trips to exotic countries. The rare parasite is likely to be imported from the south, where it will be difficult to treat because it cannot be identified quickly.
- Wildlife hobbies. These include walking, fishing, hunting.
Only in these cases, the prophylactic use of anthelmintic drugs is permissible and useful.
Treatment with folk remedies
Often folk antiparasitic drugs help pills for worms. You have to be careful with them - some of them are dangerous or can be harmful if misused.
Intestinal cleansing
Sometimes it is recommended to clean the intestines with enemas, after taking antihelminthic drugs, as if to cleanse the dying parasites. The rationality of this method is questionable, but the usual enema with water is not dangerous - it can be done for your own convenience.
Some people recommend enemas with baking soda or salt - this method is even more controversial. Soda and salt can burn the mucous membranes and upset the water balance, so you should not use them. In addition, most parasites live in different parts of the gut. This method should be postponed as a last resort.
Garlic treatment
It is known that worms are afraid of sharp and burning food. Therefore, you can add more garlic to your diet as a spice during treatment. You can also eat a few cloves in the morning with a glass of milk. Then you need to empty your bowels and make breakfast. You can do without milk - this product simply simplifies the intake of garlic.
It is not recommended to insert tampons soaked in garlic juice into the anus. May cause allergies and burns.
Pumpkin seeds
Pumpkin seeds are another effective folk remedy for the treatment and prevention of parasitic diseases. There are several ways to deal with worms.
Every morning on an empty stomach you need to eat a few tablespoons of pumpkin seeds. Then you need to wait about an hour and empty the intestines. If this is not possible, you should take a laxative. Then you can have breakfast.
For the second method, you need to mix a glass of ground roasted pumpkin seeds with a glass of honey and a spoonful of soda. Infuse this mixture in a dark place for about ten days. Use only glass containers. The prepared mixture should be eaten with a spoon every morning before meals.
It is important! If you are allergic to folk remedies, you should give them up.
Prophylaxis
The main prevention of parasitic diseases is to keep the body and the house clean. After using the toilet, when coming from the street - wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water. Even if you are a family member, you cannot share towels, toothbrushes, and combs with other people.
Meat and fish should be washed and cooked thoroughly before cooking. Wash fruits and vegetables thoroughly, pour boiling water over them before use.
It is not worth taking antihelminthic drugs for prevention, but you can rely more on spicy foods and garlic from time to time. For the same purpose, pumpkin seeds can be included in the diet.
Knowing all the possible symptoms and manifestations of parasitic diseases, they can be detected at an early stage, after which they can be treated quickly and painlessly.