Worms in adults. Symptoms, causes of infection, course, complications

Worms in humans can cause diseases collectively known as helminthiasis. Parasitic worms are parasitic worms that can be found in almost every organ of our body: intestines, muscles, lungs, liver, heart and even eyes.If a person has worms, they don't necessarily have symptoms; if they do, they can be disguised as other diseases of the liver, gastrointestinal tract, gallbladder, etc. Sometimes the symptoms are so vague that it can be difficult to determine the cause. Specific issues, especially when children are involved.Today, there are many known parasites that can infect humans. There are approximately 150 species of helminths in total. All worms are divided into two main categories based on their shape and body structure: roundworms or nematodes and flatworms.Children are most commonly infected with worms, and the most common helminthiasis (diseases caused by parasites) are ascariasis and pinworms. The most dangerous worms that can live in the human body are Echinococcus and Aspermococcus. For each type of parasite, we have developed special methods, and its treatment can eliminate the parasite from the body of an adult or child.

Types of human worms

There are over two hundred species of worms that infect humans. Most of them are not found in the central zone, so there are about 60 species common in our country. Parasites are divided into contact parasites (worms are passed from one person to another), soil helminthiasis (larvae live in the soil and invade when soil particles enter with food), and biological helminthiasis (parasites pass through infectedanimal meat into the human body) or fish).Let’s list some of the most common groups of worms found in humans:

1. Annelida - pinworms, roundworms, whipworms, trichinella spiralis;
2. Tapeworms – various types of tapeworms, echinococci, tapeworms;
3. Flatworms – various flukes and trematodes.

Let's take a closer look at each type of worm that can live in an adult's body.

1. Roundworms are large roundworms that are reddish-yellow in color and can reach up to 40 centimeters in length when adults.
2. Whipworms are round worms 30-50 mm long, named for their body shape: long and narrow at the front, like a hair, and short and wide at the back.
3. The broad tapeworm is a large tapeworm with a body length of about 10 meters, and an individual can reach more than 20 meters.
4. Ancylostoma is a collective name for two types of worms: Ancylostoma duodenale and Ancylostoma ancylostoma , a roundworm that is 10-15 mm long.
5. Trichinella spiralis is a small 2-5 mm long roundworm that causes a serious disease - trichinellosis.
6. The liver fluke (cat fluke) is a species of flatworm in the class Fluke, 7-20 mm long. The disease caused by this parasite is called opiodriasis.
7. The structures of pork and cattle tapeworms are similar, and tapeworms can be up to 6 meters long.
8. The Echinococcus tapeworm parasitizes the human body not in its adult form, but in an intermediate form - Homo finnensis. Echinococcus itself is a tapeworm 3-5 mm long
9. Aspergiococcus is a worm similar to Echinococcus and has similar structure and developmental mechanisms.

The signs and symptoms of a helminth infection depend on the type of parasite, its location in the body, and its stage of development.

parasites in human body

Worms are scientifically known as helminths. Helmins are any worms that live in humans, animals, and plants. Therefore, worms are not one specific type of parasite, but an entire class of different worms, three of which are the most common.Parasites are still widespread in modern society. In particular, helminth infections occur frequently among children, hunters, fishermen and their families, and rural residents.Helmins are a large group of parasitic worms that feed on plants and animals, eating and reproducing inside the donor's body. People are no exception. There are more than 70 kinds of parasites in our country alone. According to statistics, one-third of the planet's inhabitants are infected with parasites. Presumably, there is no adult human being who does not have a worm colonizing his body during his lifetime.worm. No matter how carefully parents monitor the cleanliness of their children's hands, it's nearly impossible to protect them from worms (pinworms). Children explore the outside world; nature awakens special interests. They want to touch everything with their hands and taste it. People who eat fish, wild animal and bird meat, and homemade milk are at risk of contracting trichinellosis and dilofilariasis.Modern medical data shows that many diseases occur due to the infestation of worms. For example, the link between oncology and long-term parasitic infections has been clinically proven. Signs of the presence of worms in humans are often misunderstood by doctors and patients. They started treating a gastrointestinal disorder that didn't exist.

How did you get infected?

The causes of helminth infection in humans are diverse and the route of infection depends directly on the type of worm and its life cycle, which can be:

• Eat unclean vegetables;
• Failure to observe hygiene rules when preparing food;
• Poor heat treatment of certain foods, especially animal meat and fish;
• Communicating with pets – cats, dogs, certain types of rodents;
• Failure to comply with hygiene regulations before eating, after going to the toilet, and after returning from a walk;
• Swimming in polluted water.

During their lifetime, worms produce toxic substances that are absorbed into the blood and spread throughout the body, causing damage to the most vital organs and systems.

General signs and symptoms of helminth infection in children

General symptoms of helminthiasis include:

• Worsened or increased appetite;
• Nausea, possibly vomiting;
• Excessive salivation;
• Disturbed bowel movements;
• Pain in the lower abdomen;
• dizziness, headache;
• allergic reactions;
• Increased frequency of colds;
• Irritability, moodiness;
• sleep disorder;
• worsening of mental and physical activity;
• dry cough.

Symptoms of human worms

Sometimes, worms are able to live in adults for long periods of time without obvious symptoms; in some cases, they can be responsible for the development of various chronic diseases, leading to dangerous complications and even death.With the arrival of the acute phase of helminthiasis, worms begin to eat in large quantities in the patient's intestines, causing various symptoms of digestive system diseases: dysbiosis, abdominal pain, and diarrhea.Let’s see what are the signs of worms? Let’s list the most common and common symptoms of human worms.

1. Gastrointestinal dysfunction - diarrhea, constipation, abdominal pain;
2. Joint and muscle pain - Parasites can move throughout the body to settle in the best places for them to live, such as in joint fluid and muscles. When this happens, the person experiences painful feelings;
3. Neurological disorders and general malaise—manifested by fatigue, irritability, sleep disturbances, and memory problems;
4. Allergic reactions and skin manifestations—the appearance of papules, blackheads, and other rashes—are also signs of the presence of helminths in humans;
5. Decreased immunity, leading to the occurrence of infectious diseases;
6. Drastic weight loss;
7. Anemia - Some worms suck blood from the intestinal wall like leeches;
8. Teeth grinding during sleep and sleep disorders;
9. Itching in the anus, especially at night. The female is actively laying eggs at this time, causing anal itching;
10. Swollen lymph nodes and low body temperature;
11. Inflammation of the respiratory tract - cough, fever, sputum production, runny nose - is a sign of the presence of worms.

The specific first signs will depend directly on the location of the pathogen and worm in the body. For example, large worms, flukes and tapeworms like to live in the liver, which can lead to liver cell degeneration, bile duct obstruction, blood clots and cirrhosis. Roundworms and pinworms live in the intestines, so they are passed out with the stool. To know how to remove these worms from a person, you should consult a doctor who will prescribe suitable medicines.

Symptoms of worm infection may appear at different times after infection with worms. Therefore, the first symptoms of ascariasis appear after 2-3 days. As with most other helminth infections, symptoms of illness appear after 2-3 weeks.

Most commonly, the main symptoms of helminth infection in adults are allergic manifestations such as itching and rash, swelling, weakness, muscle pain, headache, fever, muscle and joint pain, and an increased number of eosinophils in the body. blood etc.As parasites, worms feed on the body of their host. At the same time, they absorb large amounts of proteins and carbohydrates, mineral elements, vitamins and other nutrients. Helminthiasis can be acute and chronic. The first one lasts 2-3 weeks and usually manifests itself as an allergy, while the chronic phase can last months, years or even decades.

What organs do worms affect?

There are two types of invasion: cavitary invasion and tissue invasion. Depending on the species, habitats are also divided into:

1. Borers inhabit the small and large intestines. In particular, the first part of the small intestine is affected by tapeworms, hookworms, and roundworms. The lower part of the small intestine is home to dwarf tapeworms and pinworms. The large intestine is most commonly home to whipworms.
2. Tissue worms affect any type of organ: liver, brain, lymph nodes, bile ducts.

important! In the initial stages of the development of the infection, it is impossible to determine the signs of the presence of worms in the patient's body. As long as the number of worms is small and the poison produced by the waste is within normal limits, the body itself can cope with the invasion. The appearance of characteristic or acute symptoms indicates a significant increase in the number of helminth infections: the maturation of individuals and their dynamic development.

Complications of worms

Many worms can cause serious disruptions in a patient's condition. The following are the most common complications:

1. B12 deficiency anemia, iron deficiency anemia - results in interruption of oxygen supply to tissues, requiring long-term recovery. Symptoms include pale skin, dry mouth, weakness, and disorders of various body functions;
2. Intestinal obstruction occurs when the parasite blocks the intestinal lumen with its body. Surgical treatment is required. Symptoms - abdominal pain, insufficient stool, vomiting;
3. Intestinal bleeding – If worms attach to the intestinal wall, they can damage its blood vessels. Symptoms: abdominal pain, weakness, bloody stool, vomiting. Need for surgical treatment;
4. Liver fibrosis and cirrhosis develop with the long-term course of opiodriasis. These changes are irreversible. Symptoms: Disrupted sleep and wakefulness, fluid accumulation in body cavities, loss of liver function;
5. Abscesses in the affected organs are purulent inflammations. Symptoms are pain, high fever, and weakness. The condition is deteriorating rapidly. Examination is needed to identify the source of inflammation and surgical treatment is required.

Fecal analysis and egg scraping

Worms are primarily intestinal parasites. Their eggs are released through the intestines. Therefore, in order to diagnose them, stool needs to be collected for analysis. You can buy special containers for collecting stool at the pharmacy, or you can use a matchbox or jar.Therefore, for analysis, you will need a container for collecting the material and a spatula. If a person sees worm fragments or whole worms, then he also needs to be sent to the laboratory.Stool does not need to be sent to the laboratory immediately after collection. Must be submitted for inspection within 24 hours. Until then, the collected biological material should be stored in the refrigerator. One exception is when stool is collected to test for giardiasis. It must be delivered warm, since the parasite cysts are destroyed after cooling. When stool is transported to the laboratory, the container should be wrapped in a warm cloth.To diagnose pinworms, scrapings from the perianal folds are needed because female pinworms lay eggs in this area. Do not wash your face or use the toilet about 12 hours before the examination. Therefore, the best time to conduct analysis is in the morning.Use a cotton swab to perform the scraping, place the swab in a clean container and transport to the laboratory. You can also use tape, peel it off the glass, leave it on the anal area for a while, then peel it off and put the sticky side back on the glass.Biological materials delivered to the laboratory are studied using a microscope. If a person is infected, lab technicians will see eggs, larvae, or segments. Each parasite lays eggs unique to its species. Therefore, by studying the structure of insect eggs, we can determine what kind of insect is parasitic in the human body.If there are worms in the stool, it will usually look like a white band of varying lengths. Worms can keep moving. The type of worm can be determined in the laboratory.However, worms are not always detectable through fecal analysis. For example, if a human body is colonized only by male roundworms that cannot secrete eggs, the analysis will be uninformative.

Blood test for worms

To identify worms in the blood, immunological tests are used to identify antibodies against the main worm types. The reliability and accuracy of ELISA is equal to 95%. It can be used to detect extraintestinal forms of helminthiasis.Decode the ELISA results in simplified form:

1. If levels of immunoglobulin class M (IgM) are elevated in the blood, worms can colonize the body.
2. Either the worms were previously present in the body, or the worm infection becomes chronic and causes the body's immune system to weaken. This conclusion can be drawn if there are elevated levels of IgG immunoglobulins in the blood, but no IgM is detected.

Both conditions require more in-depth diagnosis and targeted treatment.

How do parasites infect and develop?

Each parasite has specific life cycle characteristics. All helminthiasis are divided into three main categories based on the mechanism of infection:

• Contact helminthiasis;
• soil worm disease;
• Biological helminthiasis.

contact helminthiasis

The development of the parasite in contact helminth infections occurs entirely within the child. The eggs enter the digestive system, migrate to the intestines, and turn into adult worms after a period of time. Sexually mature worms form eggs that are released into the external environment in feces. The development cycle repeats again.Contact helminthiasis includes pinworm infection. Transmission of these worms occurs via the fecal-oral mechanism. If your child doesn't wash his hands after using the toilet, tiny pinworm eggs can remain on his fingers. Other children may become infected through contaminated household items and food that the sick person has come into contact with. Failure to observe personal hygiene rules is very important in the spread of pinworms. Therefore, this helminthiasis is more common in childhood.In addition to infecting others, sick children may reinfect themselves. Pinworms that crawl out of the anus lay eggs on the skin of the anal area. This process causes severe itching of the skin, so children often start scratching at the sore spots. If they don't wash their hands after this, a new portion of the egg will seep into the intestines. The number of parasites increases, causing the child's condition to worsen.

geohelminths

Earthworms are represented by roundworms. In order for these parasites to grow, the sick child's feces must go into the ground. The released eggs begin to actively develop and quickly reach the invasive stage, where they can penetrate the human body.Infection in children usually occurs by eating unwashed vegetables and fruits that come into contact with the ground. Roundworm larvae remain on the child and penetrate into the child's intestines, causing the uncomfortable symptoms of helminthiasis.

Biological helminthiasis

For the development of worms belonging to the class of biological helminths, the presence of an intermediate host is necessary - a living organism in which the worm larvae will develop. This can be cattle (cow, pig) or fish. Therefore, children can become infected with worms by eating food from unproven sources. Inadequate heat treatment of meat or fish can lead to infection. Through food, you can become infected with Echinococcus, cattle and pork tapeworms, and cat flukes.

Treatment of Human Worms

The basis for treating worms in humans is specific anthelmintics; the best time-tested pills for adults.The choice of treatment depends on whether the specific worm is present in the body. During the acute phase of the disease, doctors may prescribe anti-allergy medications such as Suprastin or Claritin.Doctors will treat worms in humans only on the basis of testing and diagnosis, as antihelminthic drugs are very toxic. If worms are detected again during the analysis, then experts will determine how to remove them and propose new treatment options based on the use of other anti-helminth tablets to better cope with the task.

treat

anthelmintic therapy

The basis of treatment for parasitic diseases is anthelmintics. must use themStrictly follow the doctor's instructions, because when choosing a drug it is necessary to consider many important factors:

• forms of helminthiasis;
• stage of disease development;
• pathogen;
• concomitant diseases in children;
• characteristics of his condition.

Only a doctor can correctly evaluate these indicators and choose the best drug. Self-treatment of helminthiasis in children is not acceptable. Choosing the wrong treatment is often not only ineffective but also associated with serious side effects.

How is a fecal examination performed to check for worms and their eggs?When choosing a treatment, doctors must consider the causative agent of the disease. You should not rely on a one-size-fits-all treatment, as most medications only work on specific worms. If the wrong medication is used, the clinical manifestations of the child's disease will not disappear and the disease will continue to progress, which can lead to serious complications.If there are multiple children in a family, doctors usually recommend deworming all family members immediately. This will prevent the worm infection from recurring after treatment.

Symptomatic treatment

In addition to anthelmintic treatment, the child is also given symptomatic treatment aimed at eliminating the clinical manifestations of the disease. In case of severe allergic reaction, antihistamines - Suprastin, Tavegil, Claritin can be used.If the baby shows symptoms of severe poisoning, the doctor will prescribe fever reducers and painkillers. To relieve acute symptoms, doctors may prescribe large amounts of fluids or administer infusions. If there is a risk of vasculitis and myocarditis, corticosteroids (eg, prednisolone) should be used.

How to treat worms with folk remedies

Traditional treatments include medicinal plants with anthelmintic and laxative properties. Although the effectiveness of these treatments has not been scientifically tested, many of them have been used since ancient times to treat intestinal worms in humans at home.

1. The best folk remedy is to use pumpkin seeds to treat worms. Take pumpkin seeds (80-100 grams) and peel them, trying not to damage the green skin. Grate them, add 2 tablespoons of honey and 100 g of water and mix. This medication must be taken strictly in the morning on an empty stomach. The dining boat departs every hour and lasts for 3 hours. You will then need to take a laxative and 1-2 hours later have an enema.
2. Pomegranate. Pomegranate peel contains punicaline, which is highly toxic to worms. Adults and children with parasites should take the bark simmered in fresh water three times a day.
3. Onion soup (pour 200 ml of boiling water on 1 onion, leave it for 2 days, drink before meals, for 4 consecutive days)

In terms of prevention, to prevent worm infection, wash hands with soap after coming back from the street, heat-treat meat and fish, do not drink raw water, and do not swim in polluted water bodies.

prevention

The main prevention of helminthiasis in children is the observance of personal hygiene rules.Therefore, we can take precautions to prevent worm infection:

• Instill personal hygiene skills in children (washing hands after using the toilet, handling animals, going for walks, and before eating);
• Get rid of bad habits (forbid children to suck their fingers, bite their nails, or put foreign objects in their mouth);
• Control mosquitoes, flies and insects;
• high-quality processing of meat and fish;
• High-quality water disinfection;
• deworming domestic dogs and cats;
• Avoid contact with stray animals;
• Wash vegetables, berries and fruits thoroughly;
• Change underwear and sheets frequently (once a day);
• Use a hot iron to iron underwear and sheets;
• Perform hygienic procedures in the anal area twice daily to prevent pinworms;
• Wear elastic-banded underwear at night;
• Perform a thorough wet cleaning of the premises.

Once parasites in children enter the body, they disrupt the normal functioning of various organs and systems. If an adult has a strong immune system that constantly fights against "uninvited guests", then this does not happen to the child: his body remains weak and fragile. Therefore, it is very important to teach children to observe personal hygiene standards and prevent worm infections as early as possible. Once symptoms appear, they should immediately contact a specialist for follow-up deworming treatment.