In humans, worms cause the development of diseases collectively called helminthiasis. Worms are parasitic worms 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 do, they affect the liver, gastrointestinal tract, gall bladder, etc. they masquerade as other diseases. a particular problem, especially when it comes to children.
Today, many parasites that can infect the human body are known. In total, there are about 150 types of helminths. All worms are divided into two large groups according to their shape and body structure: 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 enterobiasis. 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 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. Since most of them are not found in the middle zone, about sixty species are common in our country. Parasites are divided into contact parasites (worms transmitted from one person to another), geohelminthoses (larvae live in the soil and infestation occurs when soil particles are ingested with food) and biohelminthoses (parasites are transferred to the human body through the meat of sick animals). or fish).
Here are 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 dark worms, worms.
Let's take a closer look at each type of worm that can live in the body of an adult.
- Roundworms are large roundworms, reddish-yellow in color, reaching 40 cm in length at maturity.
- The whipworm is a round worm 30-50 mm long, named after the shape of the body: the front part is long and narrow, hair-like, and the back part is short and wide.
- The broad tapeworm is a large tapeworm that reaches a length of about 10 meters, individuals can be found with a length of more than 20 meters;
- Hookworm is a combined name for two types of worms: duodenal tapeworms and roundworms, which are 10-15 mm long.
- Trichinella are small round worms 2-5 mm long and cause a serious disease - trichinosis.
- The liver fluke (catfish) is a flatworm 7-20 mm long. The disease caused by this parasite is called opisthorchosis.
- Pork and cattle are similar in structure to tapeworms up to 6 meters long.
- Echinococcus does not parasitize in the human body in an adult form, but in the form of an intermediate form - fins. Echinococcus itself is a tapeworm 3-5 mm long
- Alveococcus is a worm similar to echinococci, with a similar structure and development mechanism.
Symptoms and signs of worm infection depend on the type of parasite, its location in the body and the stage of development.
Helminths in the human body
Worms are scientifically called helminths. Helminths are any worms that are parasitic in 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.
Helminths are still widespread in modern society. Especially often, helminthic infestation occurs in children, hunters, fishermen and their families, as well as in rural residents.
Helminths are a large order of parasitic worms that feed on the body of the donor and reproduce on animals and plants. Man is no exception. There are more than 70 types of parasites in our country alone. According to statistics, every third inhabitant of the Earth is infected with parasitic worms. It is believed that there is no adult person who has not had at least one worm in his body during his life.
Helminths. No matter how much parents pay attention to the cleanliness of their children's hands, it is almost impossible to protect them from pinworms. Children's discovery of the outside world arouses special interest. They want to touch and taste everything. People who eat fish, meat of wild animals and birds, homemade milk are at risk of contracting trichinosis and diphyllobothriasis.
Modern medical information shows that many diseases occur due to helminthic infestation. For example, the link between oncology and long-term infection with parasites has been clinically proven. Signs of the presence 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 human worm infection are very diverse, the route of infection directly depends 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 domestic animals - cats, dogs, some types of rodents;
- non-observance of hygiene rules before eating, after visiting the toilet, after returning from a walk;
- swimming in polluted bodies of water.
Throughout their life, worms produce toxic substances that are absorbed into the blood and spread throughout the body, damaging the most important organs and systems.
Common symptoms and signs of helminthic infection 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, moodiness;
- sleep disorder;
- deterioration of mental and physical activity;
- dry cough.
Symptoms of worms in humans
Sometimes worms can parasitize the body of adults for a long time without noticeable symptoms, in some cases they cause the development of various chronic diseases, cause dangerous complications and even death;
With the onset of the acute period of helminthosis, worms begin to feed intensively in the intestines of the patient, causing various symptoms 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.
- Dysfunction of the gastrointestinal tract - diarrhea, constipation and abdominal pain;
- Pain in joints and muscles - parasites can move throughout the human body to settle in the most favorable 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 disorder - manifested in the form of fatigue, irritability, sleep disorders and memory problems;
- Allergic reactions and skin manifestations - the appearance of acne, black dots and other rashes are also signs of the presence of worms in people;
- Decreased immunity and the development of infectious diseases as a result;
- A sharp decrease in body weight;
- Anemia - some worms, like leeches, suck blood from the intestinal walls;
- teeth grinding and sleep disturbance during sleep;
- Itching in the anus, especially at night. At this time, the female actively lays eggs, which causes itching in the anus;
- Enlarged lymph nodes, low body temperature;
- Inflammation of the respiratory tract - cough, fever, sputum, runny nose - can also be manifested by the presence of worms.
Specific first symptoms will depend directly on the pathogen and the location of the worm in the human body. For example, tapeworms, worms 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 should consult a doctor, who will prescribe a suitable remedy.
Symptoms of worm infestation may appear at different times from the moment of worm infestation. Thus, the first signs of ascariasis appear after 2-3 days. With the majority of all other helminthic infestations, the symptoms of the disease appear after 2-3 weeks.
Often, the main symptoms of worm infection in adults are itching and rash, swelling, weakness, muscle pain, headache, fever, muscle and joint pain, and allergic manifestations in the form of an increase in the number of eosinophils. blood etc.
Worms, which are parasites, feed on the host's body. At the same time, they absorb a significant amount of proteins and carbohydrates, mineral elements, vitamins and other nutrients. Helminthoses can be acute and chronic. The first last 2-3 weeks and often manifests itself as an allergy, while the chronic stage can last for months, years or even decades.
What organs can worms affect?
There are two types of invasion: cavity and tissue. Habitats are also divided depending on the species:
- Roundworms live in 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 for the dwarf tapeworm and pinworm. The large intestine is the most common home for whipworms.
- Tissue helminths affect any type of organs: liver, brain, lymph nodes, bile ducts.
It is important! At the initial stage of the development of the infestation, it is impossible to determine the signs of the presence of worms in the patient. 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 helminthic 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. The most common complications are:
- B12-deficiency anemia, iron deficiency anemia - leads to disruption of tissue oxygen supply, requires long-term recovery. It is manifested by pale skin, dry mouth, weakness, various bodily 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 to the intestinal wall, it can damage its blood vessels. Symptoms: abdominal pain, weakness, blood in the stool, vomiting. Requires surgical treatment;
- Fibrosis and liver cirrhosis develop with long-term opisthorchosis. 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. His condition is rapidly deteriorating. Examination is required to reveal the source of inflammation and surgical treatment.
Fecal analysis and breaking of 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, although you can also use a matchbox or jar.
So, you need a container and a spatula to collect material for analysis. If a person sees pieces of worms or a whole helminth, it should also be sent to the laboratory.
It is not necessary to take the feces to the laboratory immediately after collection. Must be delivered for examination within 24 hours. Until then, the collected biomaterial should be stored in a refrigerator. The exception is the collection of feces for the test for giardiasis. Parasite cysts are destroyed when cooled, so it should be given warm. When the stool is delivered to the laboratory, the container should be wrapped with a warm cloth.
To diagnose enterobiosis, a scraping from the perianal folds is performed, because female pinworms lay eggs in this area. Before the test, you should not wash your face or go to the toilet for about 12 hours. Therefore, the optimal time for analysis is in the morning.
Breaking is done using a cotton swab placed in a clean container and delivered to the laboratory. You can also use adhesive tape that is peeled from the bottle, stuck to the anal area for a while, then torn off and returned to the bottle with the sticky side.
Biological material brought to the laboratory is studied using a microscope. If a person is infected, the lab technician will see worm eggs, their larvae, or their segments. Each parasite lays eggs specific to its species. Therefore, by studying the structure of the egg, it is possible to determine which worm is a parasite in the human body.
If there is a worm in the feces, then it often appears as a white streak of various 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, if the human body is only parasitized by male roundworms that cannot secrete eggs, the analysis will be uninformative.
Blood test for worms
In order 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.
The decoding of ELISA results in a simplified form:
- If the immunoglobulin class M (lgM) rises in the blood, helminths create parasitism in the body.
- Worms were either previously in the human body, or the helminth infection became chronic and weakened the human immune system. This conclusion can be reached when the level of IgG immunoglobulins rises, but lgM is not detected in the blood.
In both cases, a deeper diagnosis and special treatment will be required.
How does the parasite infect and develop?
Each parasite has unique life cycle characteristics. Depending on the mechanism of infection, all helminthoses are divided into three main groups:
- contact helminths;
- geohelminthoses;
- biohelminthoses.
Contact with helminths
The development of parasites included in the group of contact helminth infections takes place entirely in the child's body. Worm eggs enter the digestive system, migrate to the intestines and after a while turn into adults. Sexually mature helminths form eggs that are released into the external environment with feces. The development cycle repeats again.
Contact helminthiasis includes pinworm infection. The spread of these worms occurs through the fecal-oral mechanism. If a child does not wash their hands after using the toilet, microscopic pinworm eggs remain on their fingers. Other children can become infected through infected household items and food touched by the patient. Non-observance of personal hygiene rules is of great importance in the spread of pinworms. Therefore, this helminthosis occurs more often in childhood.
In addition to infecting others, a sick child can re-infect himself. Pinworms that crawl through 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 painful area. After that, if they do not wash their hands, a new part of the egg penetrates the intestines. The number of parasites increases, which causes the child's condition to deteriorate.
Geohelminthoses
The group of geohelminthoses is represented by roundworms. For the development of these parasites, the stool of a sick child needs to enter the ground. The released eggs begin to actively develop and quickly reach the invasive stage that can penetrate the human body.
Infection of children usually occurs as a result of consumption of unwashed vegetables and fruits that have been in contact with the ground. Ascaris larvae remain on them, which penetrate the child's intestines and cause unpleasant symptoms of helminthosis.
Biohelminthoses
For the development of worms belonging to the group of biohelminths, an intermediate host is necessary - a living organism in which the worm larvae will develop. It can be cattle (cows, pigs) and fish. Therefore, a child can become infected with worms by consuming food from untested sources. Insufficient heat treatment of meat or fish causes infection. Through food, you can get infected with echinococcus, beef and pork tapeworm, and cat fluke.
Treatment of worms in humans
The main ones for the treatment of worms in humans are special anthelmintic drugs, the best time-tested tablets are prescribed for adults;
The choice of drugs for treatment depends on the presence of specific worms in the human body. In the acute period of the disease, the doctor can prescribe antiallergic drugs, for example, Suprastin or Claritin.
Only on the basis of tests and diagnosis, the doctor prescribes the treatment of worms in a person, because anthelmintic drugs are quite toxic. If worms are detected again during the analysis, then the specialist determines how to remove the worms, suggests a new treatment regimen based on the use of other anti-worm tablets that will cope with the task better.
Treatment
Anthelminthic therapy
Anthelmintic drugs are the basis of the treatment of parasitic diseases. They should be usedstrictly as prescribed by the doctor, because a number of important factors should be taken into account when choosing a drug:
- form of helminthiasis;
- stage of disease development;
- pathogen;
- accompanying diseases of the child;
- characteristics of the situation.
Only a doctor can correctly evaluate these indicators and choose the optimal drug. Self-treatment for helminthiasis in children is unacceptable. Incorrectly selected therapy is often not only ineffective, but also accompanied by severe side effects.
How to conduct a stool test for helminths and their eggs?
When choosing therapy, the doctor should take into account the cause of the disease. You should not rely on a universal remedy, because most drugs affect only a certain circle 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 cause serious complications.
If there are several children in a 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 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 intoxication symptoms, he is prescribed antipyretics and pain relievers. To relieve acute symptoms, a lot of fluids are prescribed or infusion therapy is performed. 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 with anthelmintic and laxative effects. Although the effectiveness of these remedies 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 for worms is pumpkin seeds. Take the pumpkin seed and peel it (80-100 g), try not to damage the green skin. Grind them, add 2 tablespoons of honey and 100 grams of water, mix. This remedy should be taken seriously in the morning, on an empty stomach. One food boat every hour for 3 hours. After that, you need to take a laxative and give an enema after 1-2 hours.
- Pomegranate. Pomegranate peel contains punicin, which is very 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 juice (pour 200 ml of boiling water over 1 onion, leave for 2 days, consume 4 days before meals)
As for prevention, in order to prevent helminthic infection, after returning from the street, wash hands with soap, treat meat and fish with heat, do not drink raw water, and do not bathe in contaminated water bodies.
Prevention
The main prevention of helminthiasis in children is to follow the rules of personal hygiene.
Therefore, we can name precautions to prevent helminthic infections:
- teaching children personal hygiene skills (washing hands after going to the toilet, coming into contact with animals, walking outside, before eating);
- fighting bad habits (the child should be forbidden to suck his fingers, bite his 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 greens and vegetables, berries and fruits;
- frequent change of underwear and bedding (once a day);
- ironing underwear and bedclothes with a hot iron;
- performing hygiene procedures in the anal area twice a day to prevent enterobiosis;
- wearing panties with elastic bands at night;
- comprehensive wet cleaning of buildings.
Once in the body, helminths in children disrupt the normal functioning of various organs and systems. If adults have a strong immune system that constantly fights against "uninvited guests", this does not happen in a child: his body is still weak and vulnerable. Therefore, it is important to teach the child to observe personal hygiene standards as early as possible to prevent helminthic infection, and if symptoms appear, contact a specialist immediately for further anthelmintic treatment.