Parasitic diseases or the defeat of the human body by parasites, fungi and pathogenic bacteria are the second most common after respiratory infections. The main danger is that people are not always aware of the presence of such a lesion, and the characteristic signs of the disease may not appear for months, while parasites cause irreparable harm to health. Symptoms of parasites in the body for a long time will be masked by fatigue and minor pathologies of the gastrointestinal tract.
Helminthiasis is not just a "dirty hands" disease. Eating poorly washed fruit, raw fish (sushi), and insufficiently fried meat can cause worms and other protozoa to appear. Helminth eggs can be transmitted from an infected person to a healthy person through tactile contact.
The statistics of the WHO are frightening: about ¾ of the entire population of the planet are infected with various parasites. The incidence rate in adults and children with pets is 99. 9%.
It is possible to get rid of helminths with the help of drugs and folk remedies, but there are difficult cases when only surgical intervention will help get rid of parasites.
Which human organs can be infected by parasites
There are 3 ways to penetrate worms and helminths into the human body: through the mouth, mucous membranes and skin. Against the background of a weakening of the immune system, parasites multiply unhindered in the body. Immunity is depleted even more, secondary immunodeficiency develops, general allergization of the body occurs, and resistance to various types of infections decreases. Acute pathologies develop into chronic ones, follow a severe course.
The preferred habitat of parasites is all parts of the gastrointestinal tract. Of the 300 varieties of parasitic diseases, 70% are intestinal forms. Extraintestinal types of helminthiasis affect:
- skin and subcutaneous adipose tissue;
- liver;
- muscle tissue;
- light;
- brain;
- heart tissue;
- eyeball;
- blood;
- joint capsules.
The time when the first symptoms of a lesion appear depends on the type of parasites, the number, the location of their localization and the current state of human health.
The main symptoms of parasites in the body are similar for all types of helminth infestations:
- the appetite disappears;
- salivation increases;
- alternating diarrhea with constipation;
- bouts of nausea and vomiting;
- sleep disorders.
Teeth grinding while sleeping can indicate the existence of worms in a child's body.
The main signs of helminthiasis are general malaise, increased irritability, mild dizziness, weight loss and the development of iron deficiency anemia. In case of allergic reactions (in 70% of cases), these are parasitic lesions that are not paid attention to and are not treated in a timely manner.
The main types of parasites and the distinctive symptoms of their presence
Currently, 70 types of parasites have been identified that can live inside humans. They are divided into the following subgroups:
- round worms (worms);
- tapeworms (tapeworms);
- subcutaneous helminths;
- flukes (trematodes);
- tissue parasites;
- protozoa protozoa.
Symptoms caused by different types of parasites can differ. To understand whether a person's body is affected or not, consider some of the more typical cases.
Pinworms
Enterobius vermicularis or pinworms are nematodes. They feed on blood and intestinal contents. These 0. 5-1 centimeter white worms cause widespread helminthiasis - enterobiasis. According to statistics, the total share of this disease of all injuries is 65%, of which 90% are children.
Enterobiasis is contagious and spreads from person to person. The main route for parasites to enter the body is through the ingestion of eggs. The life cycle is 4 weeks - during this time males and females develop from eggs, which exit the anus and lay eggs on the skin around it and in the perineum. Moving and laying eggs causes a strong burning sensation in the skin.
Pinworms are very difficult to treat because the eggs don't just settle on the skin. Pest eggs settle on bedding, shake them off the floor, and contaminate household items and toys.
It is difficult to determine the presence of these parasites in the body, but the signs and symptoms of their presence have their own distinctive features:
- frequent urge to urinate, nocturnal enuresis;
- swelling and pain in the lower abdomen, often on the right side;
- loss of appetite;
- diarrhea;
- general muscle weakness;
- Female pinworms and egg clutches are visually located in the folds of the anus.
With a limited number of colonies, assay-based diagnostics can be false negative. To identify parasites, a triple analysis of feces and scraping is performed, which is repeated after a few days. In rare cases, the doctor may order a blood test with an expanded white blood cell count.
Toxocars - symptoms and treatment of varieties of toxocariasis
Refers to a subgroup of nematodes that enter the body after contact with dogs, cats or soil. Toxocars are not passed from person to person, but can be passed from mother to fetus in utero or come to the baby with milk while breastfeeding. Pest infestation of this species often occurs in the fall or spring.
The symptoms of toxocariasis depend on the location of the individual.
Visceral toxocariasis
This type of injury is detected when parasites settle in internal organs: a person's liver, kidneys, pancreas, brain or heart. In the vast majority of cases, toxocars settle in the patient's lungs. The following clinical picture is often observed:
- fever, chills, fever;
- the liver is thickened, the spleen is enlarged;
- lymph nodes slightly increase, are painful on palpation and detach from surrounding tissues;
- dry cough with wet wheezing, especially at night;
- difficulty in breathing and shortness of breath;
- bronchitis and bronchopneumonia too frequent.
Lack of therapy for this form of helminthiasis can be fatal. Parasites in the heart can lead to death.
Neurological toxocariasis
Pathology occurs when parasites enter the central nervous system. Symptoms of the presence of parasites in the human body:
- children become hyperactive, cannot successfully pass neuropsychological tests and are delayed in development;
- adults complain that it is difficult for them to read and cannot explain why;
- memory degrades;
- all types of neurological disorders occur.
If the tosokars remain in the brain, seizures and seizures, paresis and paralysis of the limbs are possible.
Cutaneous toxocariasis
Symptoms will appear as localized urticaria, eczema, or papular eruptions that appear during migration of toxocar larvae. Patients complain of intolerable itching, and the affected areas, as well as rashes and blisters, swell and redden a lot. Skin laxity appears around the areas.
Ocular toxocariasis
A lesion in which the parasite larvae colonize the eyeball. Their migration is clearly visible even with the naked eye. Only one eye is affected. In most cases, only one parasite is present. However, there are other signs of the presence of parasites:
- inflammation of the choroid;
- purulent inflammation of the vitreous tissues;
- children develop strabismus;
- In the exudate of the eyeball there may be formations in the form of "snowballs".
The main diagnostic technique for any form of toxocariasis is the medical history, immunoassays and a detailed blood test. Stool testing is not done because these parasites do not live in the intestine. With proper medical treatment, the prognosis for recovery is favorable.
Wide ribbon
This parasite enters the human body through the consumption of raw fish or caviar. The disease is called diphyllobothriasis and does not spread from person to person.
Large tapeworms can only exist in the small intestine. There are specific symptoms of its presence, which develop in the following order:
- nausea, abdominal pain, vomiting;
- febrile conditions;
- decreased or increased appetite;
- constipation alternating with diarrhea;
- gradual increase in symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency anemia;
- intestinal obstruction caused by blockage of the intestinal lumen by an overgrown helminth, as well as a violation of superficial and deep sensitivity;
- unstable gait and crawling under the skin;
- Parasite particles may be present in the stool.
Diagnosis of the presence of parasites is made based on the results of blood tests and coproovoscopy.
Bull tapeworm
This tapeworm can grow up to 7-10 meters in length. The parasite enters the human body in the form of larvae or eggs contained in poorly cooked or raw infected beef. The disease is called teniarinchiasis, adults are more susceptible to it.
The signs of parasites in the human body with teniarinchiasis appear in sequence:
- there is a persistent feeling of constant hunger, false bulimia;
- there is a decrease in appetite, sometimes up to complete absence;
- abdominal pain, which can be of different localization, is increasing, the iliac region on the right hurts more;
- persistent severe flatulence and recurrent diarrhea;
- tongue inflammation develops;
- weakened people can have sleep disturbances, fainting and convulsions.
It is quite easy to identify and control the defeat of the bovine tapeworm, its individual segments - proglottids, crawl out of the anus without defecation, especially at night.
The simplest and most effective diagnostic method is to scrape and analyze the feces for the contents of the proglottid eggs. The treatment prognosis is favorable.
Echinococcus
Echinococcus belongs to the class of tapeworms. The main source is stray dogs, wolves, jackals, foxes, which feed on echinococcus-infected carrion. It is possible to contract parasites from a domestic dog if it has come into contact with stray relatives or with the feces of infected animals.
Human infection occurs when parasite larvae are ingested, most often with contaminated water. It is possible that the eggs are inhaled with a gust of wind and stick to the mucous membranes of the nose or throat, and when the expectoration is ingested and enter the digestive tract.
The larva of the parasite, which has entered the intestine, perforates itself in the bloodstream and with the flow of venous blood reaches the liver, where it settles. If fixation does not occur, echinococcus can affect the lungs or other organs. Contrary to popular belief, these parasites do not live in human muscles.
By attaching itself to the tissue of the organs, the larva begins to grow and forms a cyst. In case of his death, suppuration of the cyst occurs. When a person becomes infected with a large number of larvae, numerous live and dead echinococcal cysts are formed.
The symptoms of the presence of this type of parasites do not appear for a long time, but as the cyst grows in the liver, the following symptoms appear:
- violation of stool, frequent vomiting, pain in the solar plexus;
- nodules are felt in the liver;
- in case of compression of the cysts, jaundice develops, accompanied by characteristic symptoms, to which very strong itching of the skin is attached;
- when opening a purulent cyst, severe pain occurs, allergic reactions, up to anaphylactic shock.
If the parasite has attached itself to the lungs, shortness of breath, weakened breathing, worries about chest pain and cough with bleeding develops. A breakthrough of the cyst in the pleural area is fatal. With a breakthrough in the bronchi, suffocation, blue skin and severe allergic reactions develop.
The diagnosis is clarified by serological blood test and confirmed by ultrasound. Echinococcosis can only be treated surgically! Specific antiparasitic drug treatment is carried out only in case of massive infection. Drinking alcohol or taking other folk remedies for these parasites is useless.
Giardia
It is quite easy to become carriers of these parasites: human infection occurs with cysts of cats, dogs and rodents. Once in the body, parasites are localized not only in the liver, but also in the small and large intestine. Giardiasis affects children and adults with weakened immune systems and low stomach acid.
The disease is characterized by a wavy course with progressive neurological and allergic symptoms:
- cramping pain in the right side, especially after eating fatty foods;
- alternating diarrhea with constipation;
- dry and bitter mouth;
- at a normal level of hemoglobin in the blood, there is a pallor of the skin, especially the nose "whitens";
- hair falls out;
- cracks and bumps appear on the lips;
- the skin on the palms and feet peels off, rashes appear;
- there are attacks of suffocating cough;
- enlargement of the liver, spleen and lymph nodes;
- develops severe apathy and general weakness.
Stool and duodenal contents are examined to clarify the diagnosis.
When you detect signs of parasites, you should not self-medicate, you need to contact an infectious disease specialist. Only a doctor will be able to accurately diagnose and prescribe adequate complex treatment.