Worms in humans cause the development of diseases collectively called helminthiasis. Worms are parasitic worms that can be found in almost every organ in our body: intestines, muscles, lungs, liver, heart and even eyes.
If a person has worms, symptoms do not always appear; if they occur, they are disguised as other diseases of the liver, gastrointestinal tract, gallbladder, etc. of a specific problem, especially when it comes to children.
Today, there are many known parasites that can infect the human body. In total, there are about 150 types of helminthiasis. All worms, according to their shape and body structure, are divided into two large groups: roundworms or nematodes and flatworms.
Children are most often infected with worms, and the most common forms of helminthiasis (diseases caused by parasitic worms) are ascariasis and enterobiasis. The most dangerous worms that can live in the human body are echinococcus and alveococcus. For each group of parasites, special means have been developed, the treatment of which will remove worms from the body of an adult or child.
Types of worms in humans
There are more than two hundred species of worms that infect humans. Most of them are not found in the middle zone, therefore about sixty species are common in our country. Parasites are divided into contact parasites (worms transmitted from one person to another), geohelminthiasis (the larva lives in the soil and invasion occurs when soil particles enter along with food) and biohelminthiasis (the parasites pass into the human body through from meat from infected animals). or fish).
Let's name some of the most common groups of worms in humans:
- Annelids - pinworms, roundworms, whipworms, trichinella;
- Tapeworms – various types of tapeworms, echinococci, tapeworms;
- Flatworms - all types of worms, worms.
Let's take a look at each type of worm that can live in an adult's body.
- Roundworms are large roundworms, yellowish-red in color, reaching a length of up to 40 cm in adulthood.
- The whipworm is a round worm 30 to 50 mm long, which received its name due to the shape of its body: the front part is long and narrow, like a strand of hair, and the back part is short and wide.
- The broad tapeworm is a large tapeworm that grows to about 10 meters in length; individuals over 20 meters long can be found;
- Hookworm is the combined name for two types of worms: duodenal hookworm and necator, roundworms 10-15 mm long.
- Trichinella are small roundworms 2 to 5 mm long that cause a serious disease - trichinosis.
- Liver fluke (cat fluke) is a worm from the fluke class 7 to 20 mm long. The disease caused by this parasite is called opisthorchiasis.
- Pork and bovine tapeworms are similar in structure to tapeworms up to 6 meters long.
- Echinococcus parasitizes the human body not in the adult form, but in the intermediate form - the Finns. Echinococcus itself is a tapeworm 3-5 mm long
- Alveococcus is a worm similar to echinococcus, with a similar structure and development mechanism.
Symptoms and signs of worm infestation depend on the type of parasite, its location in the body and the stage of its development.
Helminths in the human body
Worms are scientifically called helminths. Helminths mean any worms that parasitize the bodies of people, animals and plants. Consequently, helminths are not a specific type of parasite, but a whole group of different worms, three of which are the most common.
In modern society, helminths are still common. Especially often, helminth infestation occurs in children, hunters, fishermen and their families, as well as rural residents.
Helminths are a large order of parasitic worms that live on animals and plants, feeding and reproducing inside the donor's body. Man is no exception. In our country alone there are more than 70 species of parasites. According to statistics, every third inhabitant of the Earth is infected with parasitic worms. It is assumed that there is not a single adult person during whose life not a single worm has settled in his body.
Helminths. No matter how carefully parents monitor the cleanliness of their children's hands, it is almost impossible to protect them from pinworms. Children explore the outside world; nature arouses special interest. They want to touch everything with their hands and taste it. People who eat fish, meat of wild animals and birds, and homemade milk are at risk of becoming infected with trichinosis and diphyllobothriasis.
Modern medical data shows that many diseases occur due to helminth infestation. For example, the link between oncology and prolonged parasite infection has been clinically proven. Signs of the presence of worms in humans are often misinterpreted by doctors and patients. They begin to treat non-existent diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.
How can you get infected?
The causes of infection by human worms are very diverse, the route of infection directly depends on the type of worm and its life cycle, which can be:
- eating dirty vegetables;
- non-compliance with hygiene rules when preparing food;
- poor heat treatment of some food products, especially animal meat and fish;
- communication with pets – cats, dogs, some types of rodents;
- non-compliance with hygiene rules before eating, after going to the toilet, when returning from a walk;
- swimming in contaminated bodies of water.
During life, worms produce toxic substances that are absorbed into the blood and spread throughout the body, causing damage to the most important organs and systems.
General symptoms and signs of helminth infestation in children
General symptoms of helminthiasis include:
- worsening or increased appetite;
- nausea, possibly vomiting;
- excessive salivation;
- fecal disorders;
- the appearance of pain in the lower abdomen;
- dizziness, headaches;
- Allergic reactions;
- increased frequency of colds;
- irritability, bad mood;
- sleep disorders;
- deterioration of mental and physical activity;
- dry cough.
Symptoms of worms in humans
Sometimes worms manage to parasitize the body of an adult for a long time without noticeable symptoms; in some cases, they become the cause of the development of various chronic diseases, causing dangerous complications and even death;
With the beginning of the acute period of helminthiasis, the worms begin to feed intensely in the patient's intestine, causing various signs of digestive system disorders: dysbiosis, abdominal pain, diarrhea.
Let's see what signs of helminths can be noticed? We have listed the most common general symptoms of worms in humans.
- Gastrointestinal dysfunction – diarrhea, constipation and abdominal pain;
- Joint and muscle pain - parasites can move throughout the human body to settle in the most convenient places for their life, for example, in joint fluid and muscles. When this happens, the person experiences painful sensations;
- Nervous system disorders and general malaise - manifests itself in the form of fatigue, irritability, sleep disturbances and memory problems;
- Allergic reactions and skin manifestations – the appearance of pimples, blackheads and other skin rashes – are also signs of the presence of worms in humans;
- Decreased immunity and, consequently, development of infectious diseases;
- A sharp decrease in body weight;
- Anemia – some worms suck blood from the intestinal walls like leeches;
- Teeth grinding during sleep and sleep disorders;
- Itching in the anus, especially at night. At this time, the female actively lays eggs, causing itching in the anus;
- Enlarged lymph nodes, low body temperature;
- Inflammation of the respiratory tract - cough, fever, sputum production, runny nose - this is how the presence of worms can manifest itself.
The first specific signs will directly depend on the pathogen and the location of the worm in the human body. For example, large worms, tapeworms and tapeworms like to parasitize the liver, which can lead to degeneration of liver cells, blockage of bile ducts, blood clots and cirrhosis. Roundworms and pinworms live in the intestines, so they will be excreted along with the feces. To find out how to remove these worms from a person, you should consult a doctor, he will prescribe a suitable remedy.
Symptoms of worm infection may appear at different times from the time of worm infection. So, the first symptoms of ascariasis appear after 2-3 days. In most other helminth infestations, disease symptoms appear after 2 to 3 weeks.
Most often, the main signs of worm infection in an adult are represented by allergic manifestations in the form of itching and rash, swelling, weakness, muscle pain, headache, fever, muscle and joint pain, an increase in the number of blood eosinophils, etc.
Being parasites, worms feed on the host's body. At the same time, they absorb a significant amount of proteins and carbohydrates, mineral elements, vitamins and other nutrients. Helminthiasis can be acute and chronic. The first lasts 2 to 3 weeks and often manifests as an allergy, while the chronic phase can last for months, years and even decades.
What organs can worms affect?
There are two types of invasions: cavitary and tissue. Depending on the species, habitats are also divided:
- Cavity worms settle in the small and large intestines. In particular, the first sections of the small intestine are affected by tapeworm, hookworm and roundworm. The lower part of the small intestine is the habitat of the dwarf tapeworm and pinworm. The large intestine often becomes the whipworm's habitat.
- Tissue helminths affect organs of any type: liver, brain, lymph nodes, bile ducts.
Important! It is impossible to determine signs of the presence of worms in a patient at the initial stage of development of the infestation. As long as the number of worms is small, toxic waste poisoning is within normal limits, the body itself copes with the invasion. The appearance of characteristic or acute symptoms indicates a significant increase in the number of helminthic infestations: the maturation of individuals and their dynamic development.
Worm complications
Various helminths can cause serious disturbances in the patient's condition. Here are the most common complications:
- B12 deficiency anemia, iron deficiency anemia - leads to disruption of oxygen supply to tissues, requiring long-term recovery. It manifests itself as pale skin, dry mouth, weakness, disturbances in various body functions;
- Intestinal obstruction occurs when the parasite blocks the lumen with its body. Surgical treatment is required. Symptoms – abdominal pain, lack of stool, vomiting;
- Intestinal bleeding – if the worm attaches itself to the intestinal wall, it can damage blood vessels. Symptoms: abdominal pain, weakness, blood in the stool, vomiting. Requires surgical treatment;
- Liver fibrosis and cirrhosis develop with a long course of opisthorchiasis. The changes are irreversible. Symptoms: disturbance of sleep and wakefulness, accumulation of fluids in body cavities, loss of liver function;
- Abscesses of the affected organs are purulent inflammations. Symptoms are pain, high fever, weakness. The condition is deteriorating rapidly. An examination is necessary to detect the source of inflammation and surgical treatment.
Stool analysis and worm egg scraping
Worms are mainly intestinal parasites. It is through the intestine that your eggs are released. Therefore, to diagnose them, feces are taken for analysis. You can buy a special container for collecting feces at the pharmacy, but you can also use a matchbox or jar.
So, to carry out the analysis you will need a container to collect material and a spatula. If a person sees worm fragments or an entire helminth, they also need to be sent to the laboratory.
It is not necessary to take feces to the laboratory immediately after collection. It must be submitted for examination within 24 hours. Until then, the collected biomaterial must be stored in the refrigerator. An exception is the collection of feces for giardiasis testing. It must be delivered hot, as the parasite cysts are destroyed when cooled. While the feces are delivered to the laboratory, the container must be wrapped in a warm cloth.
To diagnose enterobiasis, a scraping of the perianal folds is taken, as female worms lay eggs in this area. Before the test, you should not wash your face for about 12 hours or go to the bathroom. Therefore, the ideal time to perform the analysis is in the morning.
Scraping is performed with a cotton swab, which is placed in a clean container and delivered to the laboratory. You can also use adhesive tape, which is removed from the glass, attached to the anal area for a while, then torn off and returned with the adhesive side to the glass.
The biological material delivered to the laboratory is studied under a microscope. If a person is infected, the laboratory technician will see the worm eggs, larvae, or segments. Each parasite lays eggs unique to its species. Therefore, studying the structure of the egg, you can determine which worm is parasitic in the human body.
If there is a worm in the stool, most of the time it will look like a white stripe of varying lengths. Worms can remain mobile. The type of worm can be determined in the laboratory.
However, it is not always possible to detect worms through stool analysis. For example, the analysis will not be informative if the human body is parasitized only by male roundworms that cannot secrete eggs.
Blood test for worms
To identify worms in the blood, an immunological test is used to determine antibodies against the main types of helminths. The reliability and accuracy of ELISA are equal to 95%. It can be used to detect extraintestinal forms of helminthiasis.
Decoding ELISA results in a simplified way:
- Helminths parasitize the body if immunoglobulin class M (lgM) is elevated in the blood.
- The worms were already present in the human body before or the helminthic infestation became chronic and caused a weakening of the human immune system. This conclusion can be drawn if the level of IgG immunoglobulins is elevated, but IgM is not detected in the blood.
In both cases, a more in-depth diagnosis and specific treatment will be necessary.
How does the parasite become infected and develop?
Each parasite has specific life cycle characteristics. Depending on the mechanism of infection, all helminthiases are divided into three main groups:
- contact helminthiasis;
- geohelminthiasis;
- biohelminthiasis.
Contact helminthiasis
The development of parasites included in the group of contact helminthic infections occurs entirely in the child's body. Worm eggs enter the digestive system, migrate to the intestine and after some time transform into adults. Sexually mature helminths form eggs, which are released with feces into the external environment. The development cycle repeats itself again.
Contact helminthiases include pinworm infection. The spread of these worms occurs through the fecal-oral mechanism. If a child does not wash their hands after using the bathroom, microscopic pinworm eggs will remain on their fingers. Other children can become infected through contaminated household items and food that the sick person has touched. In the spread of pinworms, non-compliance with personal hygiene rules is of great importance. Therefore, this helminthiasis is more common in childhood.
In addition to infecting others, a sick child can reinfect themselves. Pinworms crawling out of the anus lay eggs in the skin of the anal region. This process causes intense itching of the skin, so children often begin to scratch the sore spot. If they don't wash their hands after that, a new batch of eggs enters the intestine. The parasite population increases, which leads to a deterioration in the child's condition.
Geohelminthiasis
The group of geohelminthiasis is represented by roundworms. For these parasites to develop, feces from a sick child must enter the soil. The released eggs begin to develop actively and quickly reach the invasive stage, at which they can penetrate the human body.
Infection of children usually occurs through consumption of unwashed fruits and vegetables that come into contact with the soil. Ascaris larvae remain in them, which penetrate the child's intestines and cause unpleasant symptoms of helminthiasis.
Biohelmintoses
For the development of worms belonging to the biohelminth group, the presence of an intermediate host is necessary - a living organism in which the worm larvae will develop. It can be livestock (cows, pigs), as well as fish. Therefore, a child can become infected with worms by consuming food from unverified sources. Insufficient heat treatment of meat or fish contributes to infection. Through food you can become infected with echinococcus, bovine and swine tapeworms and feline worms.
Treatment of worms in humans
The basis for treating worms in humans are specific anthelmintic drugs; adults receive the best time-tested tablets.
The choice of medication for treatment depends on the presence of specific worms in the human body. In the acute period of the disease, the doctor may prescribe antiallergic drugs to the patient, such as Suprastin or Claritin.
Only on the basis of examinations and diagnoses, the doctor prescribes treatment for worms in humans, since anthelmintics are quite toxic. If, during the analysis, worms are detected again, the specialist determines how to remove them, proposing a new treatment regimen based on the use of other anti-worm tablets that will better cope with the task.
Treatment
Anthelmintic therapy
The basis for the treatment of parasitic diseases are anthelmintic drugs. They must be usedstrictly as prescribed by the doctor, because when selecting a medicine it is necessary to take into account a series of important factors:
- form of helminthiasis;
- disease development phase;
- pathogen;
- concomitant diseases of the child;
- characteristics of your condition.
Only a doctor can correctly assess these indicators and select the ideal medicine. Self-medication for helminthiasis in children is unacceptable. Incorrectly chosen therapy is often not only ineffective, but also accompanied by serious side effects.
How to do a fecal test for helminths and their eggs?
When selecting therapy, the doctor must take into account the causative agent of the disease. You should not rely on a universal remedy, since most medicines act only on a certain circle of helminths. If the wrong medicine is used, the clinical picture of the disease in the child does not disappear, the disease continues to progress, which can lead to serious complications.
If there are several children in the family, doctors often recommend anthelmintic therapy for all family members at the same time. This will prevent repeated cases of helminth infection after treatment.
Symptomatic therapy
In addition to anthelmintic therapy, the child is also prescribed symptomatic treatment aimed at eliminating the clinical manifestations of the disease. If a severe allergic reaction occurs, antihistamines are used - Suprastin, Tavegil, Claritin.
If the baby has severe manifestations of intoxication, antipyretics and analgesics will be prescribed. To alleviate acute symptoms, plenty of fluids are prescribed or infusion therapy is performed. If there is a risk of developing vasculitis and myocarditis, glucocorticoids (for example, prednisolone) are prescribed.
How to treat worms with folk remedies
Traditional treatment methods include medicinal plants with anthelmintic and laxative effects. Although the effectiveness of these remedies has not been scientifically tested, many of them have been used since ancient times to treat intestinal worms in humans at home.
- The best folk remedy is pumpkin seeds for worms. Take and peel the pumpkin seeds (80-100g), being careful not to damage the green skin. Grind them, add 2 tablespoons of honey and 100 grams of water, mix. This remedy must be taken strictly in the morning, on an empty stomach. A restaurant boat every hour for 3 hours. Then you need to take a laxative and after 1-2 hours do an enema.
- Pomegranate. Pomegranate peel contains punicin, which is highly toxic to worms. A decoction of the bark in fresh water should be taken three times a day by adults and children suffering from parasites.
- Onion broth (pour 200 ml of boiling water over 1 onion, leave for 2 days, consume before meals for 4 days)
As for prevention, to avoid helminth infestation, it is necessary to wash your hands with soap when returning from the street, thermally treat meat and fish, do not drink raw water and do not swim in polluted bodies of water.
Prevention
The main prevention of helminthiasis in children is compliance with personal hygiene rules.
Therefore, we can mention precautionary measures to prevent helminthic infestations:
- instill personal hygiene skills in children (washing hands after going to the toilet, coming into contact with animals, walking outdoors, before eating);
- combat bad habits (the child should be prohibited from sucking his fingers, biting his nails or putting foreign objects in his mouth);
- control of mosquitoes, flies and insects;
- high-quality meat and fish processing;
- high-quality water disinfection;
- deworming of domestic dogs and cats;
- avoid contact with stray animals;
- thorough washing of vegetables, berries and fruits;
- frequent change of underwear and bedding (once a day);
- ironing underwear and bedding with a hot iron;
- carry out hygiene procedures in the anal area twice a day to prevent enterobiasis;
- wear panties with elastic at night;
- complete wet cleaning of the premises.
Once in the body, helminths in children disrupt the normal functioning of various organs and systems. And if adults have a strong immune system that constantly fights against "unwanted guests", then this does not happen with a child: his body is still weak and vulnerable. Therefore, it is important to teach the child to observe the rules of personal hygiene as early as possible to prevent helminthic infection, and if symptoms appear, immediately contact a specialist for further anthelmintic treatment.