According to the World Health Organization, nearly the entire population is infected with worms. Many people are unaware of the existence of worms and protozoa and attribute discomfort to colds or poisoning. But sometimes a person can see whole worms or parts of them in the stool. It is best to have regular checkups to detect foreign objects in your body.
Main types of worms
Various types of worms can live in the human body and they affect not only the stomach but also other internal organs.
Based on habitat, they are divided into several main categories:
- Soil worms - larvae live in feces, humans are infected by the oral route, and flies can be carriers;
- Biological worms - the body of a fish or animal is chosen as an intermediate host, which enters the human body in the form of larvae, where they begin to develop actively;
- Contact worm - a small species that spreads by contact with commonly used objects.
The greatest harm is probably caused by 3 parasites - trematodes, tapeworms and roundworms. Worms are classified into enteric and parenteral forms according to their habitat. Intestinal worms are complex in structure and mainly reproduce outside the human body - roundworms, pinworms, tapeworms. They live only in the large and small intestines and feed on the mucous membranes of the organs.
The simplest organisms - Giardia, Cryptosporidium - can also colonize the gut. Despite their primitive structure, it is difficult to get rid of them - they multiply very quickly and become immune to drugs very quickly. In the context of infection, various infectious diseases continue to develop.
The parenteral form can move throughout the body with the help of blood. Most of the time, these worms affect cells in the liver, pancreas, and spleen. Less common - brain, respiratory and visual organs, lymph nodes, soft tissues. Diagnosing this form of infection is difficult because these worms are not always detectable in a person's feces.
Tapeworms and flukes enter the body through poorly fried meat and fish, dirty water. If hygiene rules are not followed, the remaining parasites may become infected.
In 80% of helminth infections, it occurs due to unclean hands and unwashed food of plant origin.
What do human worms look like? These are parasites in the form of worms, mostly light in color. Their lengths vary from a few millimeters to 2-3 meters.
roundworms
Most of the time, round worms occur in children.
Main types:
- Ascaris - with a spindle-shaped structure, females reach a length of 40 cm, they leave the body with feces;
- Pinworms - small gray-white worms, they do not exceed 10 mm in length, adults and eggs can be found in feces;
- Hookworm Hookworm - similar-looking parasite, length - up to 15 mm, with sharp teeth;
- Vlasoglav - An all-white worm about 5 cm long.
more:
- Enterobiasis - Infection by contact with parasites and pinworms. Helminthiasis refers to epidemics - when a person is infected, everyone who comes in contact with him quickly becomes infected. Pinworms enter the body through the oral route. Enterobiasis is accompanied by severe itching of the anus, often leading to reinfection.
- Trichuris disease is a whipworm infection. It lives in the initial part of the small intestine and feeds on mucosal tissue and blood. With massive buildup, severe diarrhea begins, and rectal prolapse is possible.
- Hookworms affect the duodenum. The larvae enter through the skin after contact with the soil and are carried by the blood to all internal organs and lungs. A person begins to have a strong cough, and as phlegm emerges, the larvae penetrate the organs of the digestive system. After a blood vessel bursts, the worms inject a special enzyme into it to keep the blood from clotting.
- Ascaris can move freely around the body, and a person will swallow the parasite's eggs as well as dirty vegetables and untreated water. Flies can carry eggs.
Symptoms of Helminthosis
The main danger of a worm invasion is long periods of no sign of infection. And when symptoms do appear, they are similar to other common diseases. A person starts self-medicating for cough, fever, bowel disease, or constipation, but self-medication has not had a positive effect.
On the surface, parasitic infections can manifest as acne, seborrhea, cracked heels, twitching of the corners of the mouth, and papillomas. In women, they can cause the release of vaginal discharge, inflammation of the ovaries, and painful and irregular periods. Fibroids, fibroids, and breast disease develop with prolonged infection. In men, helminthiasis causes impotence, prostatitis, and prostate adenoma. Worms can cause sand and stone formation in the kidneys and bladder.
Symptoms of Human Invasion:
- Frequent colds, respiratory diseases;
- Chronic inflammation of the respiratory organs and sinuses;
- constipation, diarrhea, flatulence;
- joint and muscle pain;
- sudden weight fluctuations;
- manifestations of anemia.
Granulomas are obvious signs of infection. In these tumors, destroyed eggs build up, and they form in the intestinal wall, lungs, liver and uterus. On the background of constant poisoning by parasites, neoplastic diseases continue to develop. Severe poisoning can cause allergic reactions, hives, eczema. A person's mental state also changes - aggression is replaced by apathy, chronic fatigue, insomnia, anxiety.
The main symptom is worms in the stool. They can be seen with the naked eye or detected using special analysis.
Children and Parasites
Worms are diagnosed more frequently in children than in adults. Children put dirty hands and toys in their mouths, enjoy contact with animals, and play in the sand. According to statistics, every three children who go to kindergarten have parasites. In children, pinworms, roundworms, giardia and toxocara are frequently found.
Giardia are small parasites that can even affect newborns. When infected, severe diarrhea begins, with high temperature, abdominal pain. Many parents attribute these signs to manifestations of intestinal infection, treatment does not have the desired effect, and helminthiasis enters a chronic phase.
Toxocara worms live in cats and dogs and go out with their feces. Children become infected after coming into contact with stray animals while playing in sandboxes or on the ground. These worms look like white threads of varying thickness and length. A large photo depicting the parasite can be used as a visual aid when communicating with your child that thorough hand washing is required.
The consequences of infection are increased aggression, constant whim, apathy. The child begins to feel tired quickly and the quality of sleep deteriorates. The main symptoms that allow you to reliably detect an infection are anal itching and the presence of parasites in the stool.
Grinding teeth at night is not a sign that a child has a parasite infection.
Helminth infections are dangerous for children - chronic disease develops, the immune system is destroyed, and appetite and weight problems develop. When infected with whipworms, children begin to develop stunting and severe anemia.
medical treatement
Since there may be more than 200 different worms in the human body, there is no single cure. Modern types of diagnosis help identify exactly which worms are present in the body, which allows you to prescribe appropriate treatment. In most cases, various types of parasites are found in humans.
Medications only affect adults, they do nothing to larvae and eggs. Therefore, for complete release, several courses of antiparasitic treatment are necessary.
Worms in the body can cause many serious diseases - chronic diseases of the digestive and respiratory organs, neurological disorders, glaucoma, tumors of various origins. It's easy to avoid getting worms - wash your hands often, use antibacterials on the street, heat your meat and fish with good quality, don't drink raw water, pour boiled water over all vegetables and fruits.