Infection of a person with worms is medically called helminthiasis.Several hundred species of parasites are known to cause this disease.Some of them do not cause noticeable damage, others cause inconvenience, but there are also worms that pose a threat to human life.
Helminths enter the body in the form of eggs, which are covered with a protective shell and withstand harsh conditions.The worms are very prolific and lay thousands of eggs each day, which increases the likelihood of infection.Eggs emerge from the parasite carrier along with the feces.When exposed to favorable conditions, the shell falls off and the egg becomes a full-fledged parasite, and in no time at all.Worms feed on human food or tissue, multiply rapidly and damage the body with toxins from the products of their vital activity, causing poisoning.
Causes of worms in humans.
The disease may be related to lifestyle, diet or the presence of pets.You can get infected in different ways:
- swimming in ponds used to water livestock;
- non-compliance with personal hygiene rules;
- weak heat treatment of meat and meat dishes;
- eat unwashed vegetables and fruits;
- raw and unprocessed fish;
- contacts with infected animals (cats, dogs, cows);
- living with people who carry helminths;
- Consumption of raw water in rural areas.
Important to know: Worms lay thousands or even hundreds of thousands of eggs each day, so any infected person or animal poses a major threat as a source of infection.
Most of the time, children are exposed to infections, since they follow few hygiene rules and are constantly in contact with each other, transmitting parasites.Pinworms and nematodes, which can be found in almost all children, are especially easily transmitted.They cause a lot of inconvenience and affect the well-being of the child.
Symptoms and signs of worms.
The presence of worms in a person is quite easy to determine even without the help of medical examinations.Their main habitat is the intestines, where they feed on human food and are often excreted along with feces, and itching is observed in the anus, as the worms excrete their waste products and therefore irritate the rectal mucosa.Pinworms, for example, come out of the anus at night, so redness and allergic symptoms are often observed around them, causing the desire to scratch in this place.
There are types of helminths that affect the liver and even the brain.For example, the liver fluke (bovine tapeworm), when it enters the human body, “travels” through the body with the bloodstream until it stops in the liver or brain.There it begins to develop, devouring the surrounding tissue.A person begins to experience illnesses and, in case of contact with the brain, even mental disorders and, ultimately, death.The parasite is transmitted by livestock (cows, sheep).
Another dangerous parasite is Echinococcus.These worms are parasites of dogs or wolves and are transmitted from them to humans by contact.Helminths attack the liver and lungs.In this case, headaches, dry cough and loss of appetite are observed.In addition, it is difficult to diagnose this type and during examinations it can be confused with a tumor.Echinococci are dangerous to health and can cause serious disorders in the body, including death.
The main symptoms of helminth infection:
- headaches;
- nausea;
- vomit;
- weight loss;
- itching in the anus;
- bloating and flatulence;
- diarrhea and other digestive disorders;
- inflammation of the lymph nodes;
- increased body temperature;
- abdominal pain;
- coughing for no reason;
- skin allergies.
The worms appear some time after infection.At first the symptoms are absent or barely noticeable, since the amount of toxic substances released by the parasites does not cause serious problems.Then, as it develops and multiplies, the symptoms intensify and become more pronounced.General health deteriorates drastically, so measures must be taken to detect and destroy them.
Treatment of helminth infestation.
You should know that parasites alone will not disappear.At the same time, health will constantly deteriorate due to toxin poisoning.This will weaken the body and immune system, leaving the person vulnerable to inflammatory infections and other diseases.
Killing worms is called deworming.The process includes the use of medications to kill parasites and medications to reduce the allergic reaction.Each type of parasite is sensitive to certain substances, so to get rid of worms it is necessary to determine their type.In this case, only a doctor will help, who, after conducting tests and other studies, will make a diagnosis and prescribe treatment.
In more severe cases, doctors prescribe surgery to remove the worms.
Interesting:The bovine tapeworm sometimes reaches a length of 10 meters in humans.It is made up of small units that can develop as an independent organism.Therefore, it can only be removed surgically, and if the body is broken into pieces, they will continue to develop and grow.
Prevention
Helminths enter the body in the form of microscopic eggs, so to avoid this it is necessary to follow a series of recommendations:
- observe the rules of personal hygiene (wash your hands before eating, after contact with animals, after going to the toilet, etc.);
- wash vegetables and fruits under clean running water, preferably boiled water;
- fry meat and fish well;
- If you have pets, have them checked periodically by a veterinarian for helminths;
- Get tested for intestinal parasites once a year.
Advice: Do not swim in bodies of water near which livestock graze.In this case, there is a risk of bovine tapeworm infection, which is very dangerous.
Worms pose a major threat to human health and interfere with normal life activities.It is important to identify them as early as possible and eliminate them with treatment, as it is easier to get rid of them in the early stages.In addition to the risk to your health, there is the possibility of infecting your loved ones with parasites, so at the first symptoms it is recommended to consult a doctor who will make a diagnosis and prescribe treatment.Additionally, it is important to follow preventive measures to avoid infections.It is better to prevent the appearance of worms in the body in advance than to get rid of them later.