Today we will talk about how to determine the presence of parasites in the human body, what symptoms can indicate the presence, and the most effective instrumental diagnostic methods. The symptoms of helminthiasis are sometimes very difficult to recognize because most of the symptoms are similar in nature to other diseases. To protect yourself, you need to know exactly how to determine the presence of parasites. Therefore, this article is only for a sane person who cares about the health of the whole family.
Many of my friends ask if it is possible to detect helminths at home or if it is better to consult a specialist. I wrote this material to help you understand which method best describes their existence. The article will explain the following points: how to identify parasites in the human body - traditional and non-traditional methods.
We correctly diagnose parasites in the human body
You can learn that a person suffers from parasites due to their appearance and the work of the whole organism - the presence of helminths is obvious. The signals given by the body are very similar to those typical for other common diseases that cannot always be interpreted correctly due to symptoms.
Therefore, do not self-medicate - it will not affect the helminths. If you see signs of recurrent anxiety, it is best to see a doctor.
How to find out if an adult is a parasite
When eating unwashed fruits and vegetables, worms can enter the human body with a single touch and remain in the body for a long time without showing any obvious symptoms.
It is important to know how to understand if a person has worms, because the long-term effects of worms on the body can lead to serious health problems for a person.
It is very difficult to "count" worms as soon as they start working in the body, so there are no symptoms in the early stages of infection. The obvious symptoms of worms in the body begin to appear when the parasites begin to multiply, and lead an active life that literally nourishes and depletes the human body.
In adults, the symptoms of the parasite will be as follows:
- diarrhea of a long or episodic nature (this symptom may be associated with the secretion of an enzyme by some types of parasites that cause intestinal discomfort, and at the same time the parasites cause disturbances in the digestive system);
- bloating, gas, abdominal discomfort;
- biliary constipation and stagnation - large worms can close the bile ducts, which in turn causes constipation (the same happens when parasites multiply and remain in colonies in the body);
- allergies caused by the weakening of the immune system of worms, as well as the poisoning of the body by the activity of worms and allergies caused by the inability of the body to cope with these toxins and attack;
- Irritable Intestinal Water - occurs because worms constantly irritate the intestinal walls, which inflames them;
- Pain in muscles and joints - some worms can live in joint fluid and damage muscles and joints, causing the same discomfort as osteoarthritis;
- dermatitis, urticaria, eczema and other skin rashes;
- Acne, pimples, hair loss, jaundice under the eyes - all of these are related to worms because they take the necessary nutrients from the body to maintain a normal appearance;
- anemia - a symptom caused by parasites sticking to the intestinal wall and absorbing blood from the veins;
- Acute weight loss against the background of gastrointestinal diseases and increased appetite.
If at least 5 of the above symptoms appear, it is possible to understand that a person is a worm.
Biting teeth in a dream has nothing to do with worms! This is a symptom of a malfunction in the nervous system. Finding these symptoms in yourself is the first step. Follow-up measures were parasites that attacked the organism to confirm the diagnosis and determine which one.
How to find out if a child is a worm
Children are most susceptible to worm infections, which can be caused by close contact with the outside world and the use of common items and baths in kindergartens and schools.
Since parents cannot watch what a child is touching, it is important for children to be aware of the symptoms of the parasite, which are more pronounced than adults.
Symptoms of parasites in preschool and school-age children are as follows:
- Acute or painful abdominal pain;
- Swelling;
- diarrhea, constipation or vomiting;
- Apathy, lethargy.
There are a number of additional symptoms that can indicate the presence of pinworms, roundworms and lamblia in a child's body:
- night itching in the anal area;
- restless sleep;
- Immunity is weakened, and against this background often colds.
In addition to alerting parents to these symptoms, they can also do home tests for parasites in children.
There are two ways to do this:
- In the morning, apply tape to the baby's anus, then examine the piece of tape under a magnifying glass. If there are parasites, the eggs will appear on the tape.
- Sometimes baby worms can be seen because roundworms come out with feces.
- Sometimes children feel unwell, and then pinworms can be found in the vomit that comes out in this way when there is too much in the stomach.
It is very difficult to detect the presence of worms in infants and patients with latent disease, because in the first case babies can not describe and explain the symptoms, so parents have no reason to worry, and in the second case the symptoms simply do not exist.
Although there are some home methods for detecting the presence of parasites in the body, only laboratory tests can accurately determine this fact.
Therefore, it is important to be able to recognize the signs of parasites in the body and to contact medical facilities in a timely manner for diagnosis. Just a careful approach to your body, a general appearance that will help prevent complications with mumps.
How to determine the presence of parasites in the human body - diagnostic methods
According to the World Health Organization, one in four people on the planet has symptoms of parasite infestation, and more people are potential carriers of helminths.
The presence of "illegal immigrants" does not leave a mark on the body - it poisons it with vital products, rebuilds the immune system, causes inflammatory changes in the digestive system and damages other organs.
Helminthiasis can be disguised as a variety of diseases, which complicates the timely diagnosis of parasites in the patient's body and leads to a delay in the pathological process.
Routine tests are not always reliable, and some helminth species can only be detected by an expensive test. Therefore, the question of how to identify parasites in the human body is very relevant for the majority of the world's population.
Doubts about the existence of a parasitic being (or creatures) in the human body cannot arise immediately. For a long time, "illegal immigrants" did not show themselves in any way, especially in adults with good immunity.
However, the presence of a parasite in the body may be suspected in the presence of a combination of several of the following:
- Persistent and persistent allergies - persistent skin rashes, itching, recurrent urticaria, dermatitis that does not respond to traditional therapy. Allergic reactions on the skin are especially common in echinococcosis, toxocariasis and ascariasis.
Patients are often diagnosed with bronchial asthma.
- Weakening of immunity - sensitivity to viruses, pathogenic fungi and bacteria increases until the development of serious diseases such as oncology, HIV.
- Weight loss with increased or decreased appetite.
- Itching in the anus in the evening and at night - with the detection of live wrinkles in the stool, it is a 100% sign of pinworm infection and does not require additional examination.
- Asthenia - weakness, increased fatigue, decreased performance, headache, sleep disturbances. These symptoms are associated with persistent poisoning of the nervous system by parasitic toxins.
- Dyspepsia - morning sickness, bloating, unstable stools from diarrhea to constipation, increased saliva.
These symptoms are not specific for determining the presence of a parasite, but may be present in various diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.
- Other symptoms include papillomas on the skin, cracked heels, "geographical language", anemia in blood tests, often difficult-to-treat cough, swelling of the legs, pain in muscles and joints, etc.
Traditional analyzes
The diagnosis of parasites living in the human intestine is made by using the oldest proven, yet convenient and reliable way to detect eggs in the feces under a microscope. To do this, you need to collect fresh feces in a glass bowl after independence, it is better to do it in the morning.
As a last resort, the collected material is allowed to be stored in the refrigerator for no more than 10 hours. Due to the life cycle characteristics of the parasites, it is required to donate feces for worms at least 3 times in 2 or 3 weeks.
This test does not detect or detect worms living in the human body.
This method is effective for helminths:
- Strongiloids (roundworms), roundworms, whipworms;
- Pork and bull worms, wide ribbon worms;
- Liver (cat) wing, schistosomes.
Enterobiosis is often diagnosed by ourselves in children at night, especially in children with fecal itching and pinworms. There are ways to remove a crumb from the perianal area - at home using adhesive tape or at a clinic where the fence is prepared by a medical professional. using a special spatula.
This test is highly reliable if done before morning stool and hygiene procedures. Sometimes a series of repeated studies are required at intervals of several days.
Not everyone likes to donate feces several times, so the question arises as to how to detect parasites in the human body using a blood test. Modern science offers three main methods:
- PCR (polymerase chain reaction) - detection of DNA worms in human blood;
- serological diagnostics (ELISA) - detection of antibodies against parasites;
- genetic research - the study of the pathogen genome.
Blood tests are performed in specialized laboratories and are used to diagnose the following diseases:
- Echinococcosis;
- Opisthorchiasis;
- Giardiasis;
- cysticercosis;
- Fascioliasis;
- Amebic dysentery;
- toxocariasis;
- Trichinosis.
In addition, the phase of the disease and the duration of the infection can be determined from a blood test.
Non-traditional diagnostics
Unwanted tenants can live in the landlord's body for decades. Symptoms of the diseases they cause often occur when there are many helminths. Unfortunately, the detection of parasites in the human body is sometimes impossible.
Worms cannot always be found quickly by traditional means, and even repeated stool tests cannot give a positive result of more than 20%.
Serological methods for the diagnosis of parasites in the body of patients are more accurate and effective, especially when performed in the later stages of the disease.
One of the most modern methods is the vegetative resonance test or bioresonance diagnostics, the essence of which is to record the frequency characteristics of electromagnetic waves propagated by parasites. for a specific type.
Computer diagnostics is based on the use of special programs that allow comparative analysis of healthy and diseased organs in the patient.
Practitioners do not always prefer to examine such patients, preferring traditional tests. However, everyone has the right to decide for themselves how to identify parasites in the human body, and the most important thing is to do it in a timely and reliable manner.
Diagnostic difficulties: how to find out if a person has worms
About 1. 2 billion people are infected with helminths every year. Moreover, most people do not know about it. We blame more on poor health, weakness, headaches, gastrointestinal problems, stress and poor nutrition.
However, these and other symptoms may indicate "foreign invasion". How can they be found and treated? Helminthiasis is an insidious disease and can be masked by the symptoms of various diseases.
For example, if the parasites are located in the lungs, a person will be concerned about a dry cough that occurs for no apparent reason and does not go away even after long-term treatment.
If the worms are located in the intestine, the symptoms may include abdominal discomfort, constipation or diarrhea, intolerance to fatty foods, nausea and edema. Such complaints are not uncommon. You can treat for years, for example, gastritis or dysbiosis, not realizing that the cause of the problem is parasitic helminths in the human body.
Which tests will help identify parasites
If you suspect that you or your child has uninvited guests, you should contact a doctor and get examined. Diagnosing helminthiasis is not an easy task, as it is extremely difficult to detect parasites.
The most common method is to test feces for worm eggs. Unfortunately, it is ineffective, because worms have several stages of development and do not always lay eggs. It is necessary to perform 3-4 stool tests to identify parasites. There is no guarantee that the analysis will show the true picture.
Immunological blood test method is considered more accurate.
This analysis allows you to determine the presence of antibodies against helminths in the body, to determine the type and number of parasites, to monitor the dynamics of the process. Regular blood tests for worms are recommended, especially for small children and pets in the family.
Recently, the presence of parasites has been determined only by probing the duodenum and using microscopic examination of feces to detect isolated helminths or their fragments, eggs and larvae.
Eggs and larvae of helminths parasitizing the liver, bile ducts, pancreas and duodenum were found in the bile and duodenum. Fecal samples were examined for forms of intestinal helminthiasis. If you suspect sputum paragonimiasis, urine was examined for urogenital schistosomiasis.
However, the reliability of these studies depends on the professionalism of the staff - whether the laboratory worker sees parasites during microscopic examination.
In addition, if the parasite does not lay eggs at the time of testing, its presence will remain unnoticed by a highly qualified laboratory assistant. Often, you can get a positive result from only 8-10 attempts.
Today, there are immunological tests that can detect the presence of antigens and antibodies against various types of parasites in the blood of an infected person. The reliability of such analyzes depends on the amount of parasites and their lifespan:
- Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) is used to identify antibodies (immunoglobulins) and antigens (parasites themselves, their metabolic products). Immunoglobulins (substances of a protein nature) are formed in the body and are anticordurants. This method has a high sensitivity and specificity, which is 90%.
The main advantage of this method is the ability to determine the type and number of parasites and monitor the development dynamics of the process, expressed by the level of antibodies.
- ELISA tests are evidence of the body's response to invasion. In this case, laboratory tests (microscopic examination of biological material) to identify parasites or their larvae, cysts, eggs are also needed. However, detection of a direct parasite is not always possible due to tissue localization (trichinosis, echinococcosis, toxocariasis) or a small number of parasites in individuals and their concentration in the test material. In these cases, the sensitivity of ELISA tests has a clear and unconditional advantage.
- Other serological methods (blood test methods) are widely used in the diagnosis of diseases caused by the acute stage of helminthiasis and tissue helminths or larval stages (echinococcosis, cysticercosis, trichinosis, toxocariasis). detection of antigens and antibodies: RNGA (indirect hemagglutination reaction), RAL (latex agglutination reaction), RSK (complementary binding reaction), RIF (immunofluorescence reaction); as well as ultrasound and X-ray examination organs, computed tomography, endoscopy and endobiopsy.
- PCR Diagnostics offers analysis of parasites based on DNA analysis. This method can detect invasions of protozoa, viruses, and intracellular parasites (e. g. , chlamydia parasitized in Trichomonas).
However, this method does not allow to determine the severity of the invasion - the number of parasites in the body.
- Energy-information medicine offers bioresonance diagnostics based on the creation of a certain vibration frequency at which each object and living thing is identified. And even if there are no symptoms of the disease yet, this method can identify the pathogen.
What you need to know about egg worm tests
In order not to repeat the tests, it is important to consider a few nuances when donating feces to the egg worm:
- It is necessary to take material for analysis, ie feces, about 2-3 hours after a meal.
- Bowel movements should be performed no later than 24 hours before the test.
- The most accurate results can be obtained if the analysis is performed 30 minutes after discharge.
- Store the material for analysis in a closed plastic or glass container in a cool place.
- The material should be taken from the sides, middle, beginning and end of the stool.
Additionally, they can assign a stain-like test for enterobiasis.
This is done as follows: regularly occupies a special rod in the area between the anus where the anus is located. It is this test that helps determine the presence of pinworms in the body.
What symptoms indicate a parasite invasion
Often a person thinks about how to determine if there are parasites in the body, then the health condition can already be seriously impaired. The problem of parasitism is underestimated in society and should not be emphasized in preventive medicine.
People tend to eliminate the symptoms of damage to the body by uninvited guests, as long as the vital activity of parasites does not affect the normal state of health. In order to recognize the parasite enemy in time and successfully get rid of it, you need to know the main signs of its presence in the body.
Unwanted guests
Parasites are various life forms that survive in the host's body. Human parasites live on the surface of the skin, can infect mucous membranes, internal organs and cells, and can feed on tissues and blood.
While constantly poisoning the human body with the products of its vital activities, they rob the owner by eating food.
Types of parasites according to the habitat in the human body:
- Endoparasites are lower animal and plant organisms that live inside the host. These are helminths (worms), lamblia, toxoplasma, echinococcus, parasitic protozoa and other organisms. This category includes viruses, fungi and bacteria.
- Ectoparasites are parasites that live on the surface of the body, in the environment, and feed on blood and human tissue cells. The most common are lice, bedbugs, ticks, fleas, candied fish, as well as dipterans (mosquitoes, gadflies, flies).
It is very simple to determine the defeat of the human body by ectoparasites, because their activity is often characterized by obvious symptoms:
- itching;
- stupid;
- Burning;
- redness;
- pain at the bite site;
- Presence of a visible bite or penetrating wound.
Diagnostic analysis is performed using visual identification or a microscope (magnification under a microscope).
Ectoparasites are more difficult to find, because during evolution, internal "parasites" have learned to feel great and to carry out destructive work on the host's body, practically not showing themselves.
Protozoa and helminths (worms) - the oldest companions of man, insidious and dangerous neighbors can be especially proud of this ability. From the moment of infection to the onset of symptoms, there is evidence of the presence of interference. can last from a few months to ten years.
External manifestations
Most parasites have a long lifespan and multiply quite actively in the host's body, causing recurrent and chronic diseases.
External manifestations of parasitic invasion include:
- Different types of allergic reactions are expressed:
- rash;
- itching;
- hives;
- Quincke's edema;
- fever.
The degree of allergy depends on the location of the parasite in the body, contact with tissues and organs, as well as the amount of toxins released.
- Disorders of the digestive system (vomiting, nausea, abdominal pain, indigestion, saliva).
- Skin lesions (eczema, ulcers, dermatitis, papillomas, acne, pimples).
- Pale skin and mucous membranes.
- Cosmetological problems (broken nails, cut hair ends, seborrhea, extremely dry skin, hair loss, premature wrinkles).
- Weight jumps. There is a decrease in body weight due to general weakness of the body and metabolic disorders, malnutrition due to craving for sweets and decreased appetite.
- Chronic fatigue syndrome characterized by general fatigue, drowsiness, insomnia, weakness, decreased concentration and memory impairment.
- Persistent headaches caused by intoxication of the body.
- Bruxism (teeth grind in sleep).This symptom is most common in children.
- Swelling of the hands and feet.
- Intermittent cough without other symptoms.
- Pain in muscles and joints of unknown etiology.
- Nervous diseases. Parasites often cause depression, anxiety, restlessness, irritability.
It is equally important to know the obvious signs of helminths in the body:
- Intestinal disorders (constipation, diarrhea, bloating, flatulence, spasms, irritable bowel syndrome, oily stools, discoloration of stools). Worms in the human body can reach significant sizes, so the movement of feces is physically blocked, disrupting the work of other organs (bile ducts, etc. ).
- Itching in the perineum and anus.
- Visual detection of helminths in the folds of the anus.
- Presence of helminthic invasion in vomiting.