Parasites can be called natural companions of man, as these creatures cannot live outside the host's body. At least 70% of the world's population is believed to be infected with various types of helminths. Also, many people have been home to them almost from birth. At the same time, he reflects on the question of how to determine the presence of parasites in the body, about a third of all infected. The reason for this is the lack of awareness of the population or the lack of interest in the state of their own health.
To avoid complications caused by parasites, it is important to recognize the infection in time.
According to statistics, more than 60% of people with parasitic infections learn about the problem by accident, and only about 30% intentionally look for the symptoms of helminthiasis and go to specialists to identify the problem.
Until recently, helminthiasis was usually called the disease of the poor, as hygienic skills are poorly instilled in these layers. However, with the growing interest in the problem on the part of science, it has been found that this definition is fundamentally incorrect, as worms can be found in both peasants and respectable businessmen.
Why is living with parasites dangerous?
Many people don't understand why they need to be tested for parasites if there are no serious health problems? Why do you have to look for any disruptions in your state if they don't interfere with your usual lifestyle? In addition, 8% of the population has a reasonable question: what if a person has learned to exist with parasites in her body? After all, evolution does not stand still and what was once considered harmful may already be the norm.
Similar questions have been raised more than once, and any doctor, even the most inexperienced, will say that a parasitic organism is different from a symbiote (a peacefully existing microorganism in a person, which helps, for example, to process and assimilate food in more efficiently) as it takes more than it gives. In the human body, parasites generally behave as very unreliable and irresponsible hosts:
- clog with toxins and waste;
- destroy natural defenses (immunity);
- remove most of the nutrients;
- damage the internal organs on a physical level.
This is what is called parasitism, i. e. existence in the host's body to derive the maximum benefit for itself, but without benefiting the host.
Timely detection of parasites helps avoid many problems, including severe endocrine and hormonal disorders, internal organ dysfunctions, and even mental disorders.
What signs appear with parasites
Most parasitic life forms dangerous to humans live in the intestines and internal organs. They rarely come out in their original form, and therefore, during preliminary diagnostics, the doctor considers only the external signs of their permanence. Their presence can be determined by a combination of clinical manifestations.
In 99% of cases, the host's body reacts violently to a dangerous neighborhood. Signs of worm infection can be a variety of disturbances of the body's functions, depending on the organ in which they live. Since it can be difficult to detect parasites in their natural form, it is important to pay attention to the following symptoms:
- Sudden onset of digestive disorders. Most often, they indicate that the intestinal forms of helminths - round and tapeworms, lamblia and protozoan organisms - have begun to parasitize. This group of symptoms can be expressed by sudden constipation or diarrhea, nausea and vomiting, belching, indigestion. Another sign of intestinal helminthiasis is vague abdominal pain, which may not have a clear localization.
- Allergic reactions in the form of rashes, peeling of the skin, the appearance of spots. In most cases, it is impossible to find out the source of such a reaction, as tests for allergens show negative results. And only after the patient passes the test for the presence of parasites in the body, it becomes clear what caused the atypical immune response.
- General deterioration of well-being in the form of feverish conditions, fatigue, deterioration in sleep quality. Similar clinical manifestations of helminthiasis appear immediately after the invasion, as well as with its prolonged course. Since it is not immediately possible to identify parasites, many patients try to cope with these unpleasant phenomena with the help of folk remedies and symptomatic medicines. As a rule, they bring only temporary relief.
A certain group of signs inherent in diseases associated with worm infection can only be found in women. Hence, their hair and nails become dull and brittle. The skin also suffers from parasites: it turns pale, pustules, age spots, peeling appear.
A rare woman associates aesthetic problems with helminths. Most of them say to the last: "I have a lack of vitamins, hormonal imbalance, no worms! "
If you have the slightest suspicion that there are parasites in the body, how do you know what exactly caused them? There are many methods of self-diagnosis at home, as well as specialized methods for identifying worms.
How to identify helminthiasis at home
About 70% of patients who presume they have helminths do not want to go to the doctor with this problem. And the point here is not that a person doesn't care about their health. Until now, people consider helminthiasis a shameful disease that can only occur in the lower strata of the population. However, experts say that quite prosperous people can acquire an insidious settler.
Since helminths mostly settle in the intestines, the only way to recognize their presence is to check the stool. This time-tested method has formed the basis for microscopic examination of droppings, during which the doctor can detect worm eggs.
This is the simplest and cheapest method and can be done at home. However, it will not allow you to detect worm eggs due to their microscopic size.
How does the self-test work?
There are several rules on how to determine the presence of parasites in the human body in this way:
- The feces should be examined several times, because the worms do not come out constantly, but periodically. Since different types of worms become active at different times of the day, it is worthwhile to collect portions of stool both in the morning and in the evening. In the morning you can find pinworms, and in the evening you often come across larger worms - roundworms and tapeworms.
- The person examining feces for helminths should have disposable medical gloves on their hands. Most helminths actively secrete eggs which, if ingested, can cause reinfection. It is important to protect yourself from this, even if there are already symptoms of worm infection. Throw them away after using the gloves and wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water.
- In the course of stool examination, it is worth using an object, since parasites can be found not only on the surface, but also in the center of the stool. It is recommended to dispose of the stick or spatula after such use.
Finally, the most important rule for self-learning of feces for worms. It is advisable to collect the material in a separate bowl, as it is unlikely that it will be possible to check it with particular care in a toilet bowl or jar. As a last resort, you can cover the toilet with plastic, empty it, and then carefully examine the stool.
Experts recommend applying a small part of the material to the glass and then examining it from all sides with good lighting. So even the smallest parasites can be seen.
The result of self-examination of feces for worms
It is necessary to talk about the 100% presence of helminthiasis if it was possible to find in feces:
- small live or immobile worms;
- white or yellowish slices that look like boiled noodles with a slightly wavy edge;
- fragments that look like rice grains that can be mobile;
- large white or pink nematodes.
All these signs indicate infection with dangerous worms, which can lead to serious health problems, up to sudden death. But even if the stool turned out to be "clean" and there are symptoms of helminthiasis, you should urgently contact an infectious disease specialist or pediatrician (if you notice signs of helminthiasis in a child).
Test for worms in the clinic
Since it is very difficult to find out for yourself whether there are parasites in the body, and the results of self-diagnosis are not very accurate, you should entrust the diagnosis to professionals. A referral for necessary tests is given by a doctor or infectious disease specialist. If the signs of invasion are bothering the baby, you can seek help from a pediatrician.
To make an accurate diagnosis, it is necessary to overcome:
- microscopic analysis of feces (coproovoscopy) - preferably three times with an interval of one week;
- curettage for enterobiasis;
- a blood test for ELISA - a single administration is enough to make a reliable diagnosis;
- PCR stool analysis - prescribed when receiving ambiguous results of microscopic examination of stool.
Also, the doctor can prescribe additional instrumental diagnostics. Most often this occurs when the presence of helminths in the liver parenchyma and bile ducts or other internal organs is suspected. In the presence of worms, the tests will be positive (parasite eggs, their DNA, antibodies and antigens for them will be found in the materials).
Based on the results of the diagnosis, the patient is prescribed treatment, which can almost always be done at home (not many parasitic infections require hospitalization). Therapy may be required for all members of the worm carrier family, as many species of these creatures are easily transmitted from person to person.