Worms can live in the human body for a long time without any signs of their presence. The main symptoms of parasitic infection appear much later, and often resemble the symptoms of other diseases. A person can spend a long time looking for the cause of their diseases and be treated for a completely different disease, although the solution to the problem is a worm infection.
Parasites are usually suspected in the later stages, when treatment of other diseases does not help. By this time, the worms in the body reach maturity and it becomes harder to remove them. It is important to know how to recognize the symptoms as soon as they appear, and to make an immediate diagnosis in order to determine whether the parasitic infection is to blame for frequent allergic rashes and other unpleasant diseases.
What types of worms can a person have?
Worms are a common name for many parasites. There are about a hundred of them in total, of which a small group of the most common representatives stands out, which must be especially mentioned.
Pinworms
Pinworms are the most common type of helminthic infestation affecting adults and children. Their presence is the easiest to determine. This type of worm lays eggs on the skin between the buttocks. Therefore, one scraping is often enough to determine the presence of pinworms.
Dirty worm
The "targets" of ascaris are the respiratory tract. In ascariasis, copious sputum is released during coughing. If you take it for analysis, you can find traces of parasitic damage in it. An increase in body temperature is also possible.
Trichinella
These parasites are the hardest to detect - they bind to the intestinal wall and do not come out like pinworms. Trichinosis has the highest mortality rate among all types of helminthic lesions - this is a disease that is difficult to treat. With lymph flow, Trichinella capsules can spread throughout the body.
The symptomatology of this lesion is more like typhoid fever.
Trematode
Trematodes are flatworms that affect the liver, lungs and blood. Infection usually occurs while you are in contaminated water or eating poorly cooked meat.
There are other types of helminthic lesions, but they are not as dangerous or widespread. The main symptoms and treatment of all helminthic invasions are similar.
Symptoms
The symptoms of helminthic lesions are different. If most of them are present, it is worth considering a probable parasite invasion and diagnosing.
- Flatulence, gas, any other problems with the colon.
- Frequent constipation or diarrhea. It depends on the stage of development of the parasite. Constipation occurs when worm samples become large and block the passage of intestines to clots. Diarrhea indicates that long people interfere with bile secretion.
- Allergic reactions. It is especially noticeable if the person is not allergic. Allergies can manifest in various forms - rash, eczema, ulcers and papillomas.
- Cough. Often dry, with no other cold symptoms. Cough suppressants and antibiotics do not solve the problem.
- Inflammatory diseases of the respiratory system. Worms can migrate through the body and reach the respiratory tract. It can cause bronchitis, pneumonia, asthma.
- Itching in the anal area. Associated with the release of parasites for laying eggs. It appears mostly at night.
- Pain in joints and muscles. They also occur due to the movement of parasites through the body.
- Gritting teeth - bruxism. It is associated with increased activity of the nervous system during a parasitic infection. It appears during sleep.
- Chronic fatigue and a depression-like condition. Worm waste products literally poison the body, leading to a deterioration in the well-being of the person as a whole.
- All manifestations of reduced immunity, frequent colds. It can be difficult to cure quickly.
If most of these symptoms are noticed, the probability of worms is high. It is better to perform a series of diagnostic tests immediately to confirm or refute this assumption.
Bitan! Each of these symptoms should be referred to a specialist immediately. These signs can indicate not only helminthic lesions, but also other serious diseases.
Diagnosis
When worms are affected, the diagnosis cannot be made solely on the basis of the presence of symptoms. It should be done through studies. Some of them give almost 100% accurate results.
- Various microscopic examinations of feces and scrapes. These methods are the cheapest and most common, but they do not give a 100% reliable result. With the help of these analyzes, it is possible to recognize worms only at the moment of laying eggs, otherwise their presence will be invisible.
- ELISA - enzyme immunosorbent test. This method gives an extremely precise result, helps to determine the stage of development of worms and their type. The only drawback of this analysis is the rather high cost of its performance.
- Hemoscanning. This method can help to kill or confirm the presence of worms in the body. This blood test will show traces of their vital activity and intoxication. The essence of this method is in the study of "live" blood taken right now.
Bitan! It is usually advisable to go through several studies to confirm the result.
Which doctor is treating?
If helminthic invasion is suspected, it is better to contact a regular therapist and describe the situation to him. If tests to determine the presence of parasites have already been done on their own, they should be taken with you.
The therapist will refer you to a doctor who is more appropriate in the specific situation. If the worms are concentrated in the gastrointestinal tract, the specialist will give a referral to a gastroenterologist. This happens in most cases because most parasites live in the gut.
In some cases, it is necessary to consult a parasitologist or a specialist in parasitic diseases. But such narrow-profile doctors are far from everywhere, so situations that do not go beyond the typical infection are completely subject to the doctor.
Home therapy
Treatment should be started immediately after the disease is detected. Most anthelmintic drugs have many side effects, so it is recommended that you take them under the supervision of a doctor.
Medications are different depending on the type of worm that infects the body. In general, all drugs can be divided into several groups.
- Remedies for nematodes, which include pinworms and roundworms.
- Medicines for cestodes - tapeworms, which include bovine tapeworm, small tapeworm, echinococcus.
- Remedies for trematodes, flatworms.
Bitan! It should be borne in mind that anthelmintic drugs are very toxic, so they should be taken with caution.
Taking medication for prophylaxis
Since taking anthelmintic drugs has a huge number of negative effects, it is not recommended just like that, for preventive purposes, if there is no increased risk of infection. Infection can happen every day: if you take a pill today, you can get sick tomorrow.
There is a small list of indications for taking prophylactic drugs against worms:
- The appearance of worms in a family member or a person living in the same apartment. The rest can be infected, therefore, if helminths are found in one of the family members, everyone else is recommended to take prophylactic anthelmintic drugs.
- If a child goes to kindergarten, then he, his parents, siblings are also advised to take anthelmintic drugs for prevention. It is believed that there is an increased risk of parasites spreading in a closed children's group.
- Pets. If there are cats or dogs in the house, especially if they are often on the street, owners are advised to prophylaxis with antiparasitic drugs.
- Contact with the ground, work with it. Especially for summer residents and wildlife lovers.
- Constant travel to exotic countries. There is a high probability of bringing a rare parasite from the southern countries, then the treatment will be complicated by the impossibility of quickly determining its type.
- Hobbies for wild animals. This includes hiking, fishing, hunting.
Only in these cases is the prophylactic use of anthelmintic drugs allowed.
Treatment with folk remedies
Often folk antiparasitic drugs come to the aid of worm tablets. Be careful with them - some of them are dangerous or can be harmful if abused.
Bowel cleansing
Sometimes after taking anthelmintics, it is recommended to clean the intestines with enemas in order to literally get rid of dying parasites. The rationality of this method is questionable, but the usual enema with water is not dangerous - it can be done for your own peace.
Some people recommend making an enema with baking soda or salt - this method is even more controversial. Soda and salt can burn the mucous membranes and upset the water balance, so you should not use them. In addition, most parasites live in another part of the gut. This method should be postponed as a last resort.
Garlic treatment
It is known that worms are afraid of sharp and burning food. Therefore, you can add more garlic to your diet as a spice during treatment. You can also eat a few cloves in the morning with a glass of milk. Then you have to empty your bowels and have breakfast. You can also do without milk - only this product makes it easier to take garlic.
It is not recommended to insert tampons soaked in garlic juice into the anus. May cause allergies and burns.
Pumpkin seeds
Pumpkin seeds are another effective folk remedy for the treatment and prevention of parasitic diseases. There are several methods for taking them in the fight against worms.
Every morning on an empty stomach it is necessary to eat a couple of tablespoons of pumpkin seeds. Then you need to wait about an hour and empty the bowels. If this cannot be done, it is necessary to take a laxative. Then you can have breakfast.
For the second method, it is necessary to mix one cup of ground roasted pumpkin seeds with a glass of honey and a spoonful of baking soda. Put this mixture in a dark place for ten days. Use only glassware. The finished mixture should be eaten by the spoonful every morning, well before meals.
Bitan! If you are allergic to folk remedies, you should abandon them.
Prophylaxis
The main prevention of parasitic diseases is to keep the body and home clean. After using the toilet, come from the street - you need to wash your hands well with soap and water. You cannot share towels, toothbrushes, combs with other people, even if they are family members.
Meat and fish should be washed before cooking and cooked thoroughly. Wash fruits and vegetables well, and before use, pour boiling water over them.
It is not worth taking anthelmintic drugs for prevention, but you can occasionally rely more on spicy foods, garlic. Pumpkin seeds can be introduced into the diet for the same purpose.
Knowing all the possible symptoms and manifestations of parasitic diseases, they can be detected at an early stage, after which they can be cured quickly and painlessly.