Symptoms of helminthiasis and prevention of parasite infection

Helminths (worms) are parasitic worms that are localized in various organs and systems of the human body, in the body of animals and fish. Infection with parasitic worms is called helminthic infestation (helminthiasis). Infection with helminthiasis in most cases occurs through household contact, nutritional means, through food and water. By type, round, flat, and tapeworms are distinguished. Each type of worm is divided into several classes that parasitize the human body.

Why are helminths dangerous?

In medical practice today, about 300 intestinal and extraintestinal helminthic infestations are identified. According to statistics, every fifth person on the Planet is infected with one of the types of parasitic worms. Young children are at risk, as they are more likely to come into contact with sources of infection and have unstable immunity.

Worms that parasitize the human body

Worms are localized in the intestinal lumen (trichocephalosis, ascariasis), muscle structures, liver, gall bladder, lungs (paragonimiasis), and other organs and tissues. During their life activity, parasitic worms, in addition to mechanical damage to organs, secrete endotoxins, causing harm to the body with the products of their metabolism and decay.

Depending on the development conditions, the specifics of the life cycle of parasites are distinguished:

Important!

The Ministry of Health warns: More than 10 million people die due to parasites found in fish, vegetables and fruits purchased in markets and stores... Read the interview >>

1. Biohelminthiasis. The life cycle of parasitic worms occurs in the body of one or more intermediate hosts. Larval forms of helminths develop in the body of the intermediate host.
2. Geohelminthiases. The development cycle of worms occurs in the soil.

The greatest danger is posed by larval, rapidly developing forms of helminths. When infected with helminthiasis, a person’s immunity and the state of the immune system play a major role. After localization of parasitic worms, the human immune system fights helminthic infestation, and the body’s defense mechanisms are activated.

Helminthic diseases occur in acute and chronic forms. The acute stage of helminthiasis lasts from several weeks to two to three months. It manifests itself in various immune reactions, an immune response to foreign antigens. Chronic form - from several weeks to several years. It can occur without any characteristic manifestations.

In the early stages, the body is harmed by the toxic-allergic effects of enzymes, metabolic products of worms and larvae, which leads to the development of inflammatory processes in tissues and organs.

Infection with helminths leads to:

1. To a decrease in immunity, suppression of the body's defenses.
2. Exacerbation of chronic diseases.
3. Decreased performance, apathy, deterioration of well-being.
4. Impaired functioning of the digestive tract (vomiting, bloating, nausea, decreased/increased appetite, diarrhea, constipation, colitis, itching in the anus). Malfunctions of the cardiovascular, central, and peripheral nervous systems are possible.
5. Slowing down the absorption of vitamins, proteins, macro- and microelements.

Ascaris

Worms reduce the effect of preventive vaccines and medications, disrupt metabolic processes in the body, and promote the proliferation of pathogenic microorganisms.

Signs of helminthiasis are manifested by disturbances of homeostasis, pneumonia, respiratory diseases, severe intoxication, vitamin deficiencies, and weight loss.

If the organs of the biliary system are affected, severe, suddenly appearing painful spasms in the lower part of the peritoneum, in the side, yellowness of the mucous membranes, lack of appetite, and disruption of the digestive tract are diagnosed.

Respiratory diseases (bronchitis, pleurisy, bronchospasms), signs of impaired respiratory function, anemia of the mucous membranes are most often diagnosed in young children in the early stages of helminthic infestation.

Symptoms of helminth infection in children of a younger age group include: itching in the anus, stool disturbances, the appearance of dark “circles” around the eyes, an attack of nausea, and vomiting.

Children gain weight poorly, sleep restlessly, and are often capricious.

Helminthic infestations are manifested by increased temperature, fever, and allergic rash. Parasitic worms cause harm to tissues and lead to the development of degenerative and inflammatory processes in various organs and systems of the body. Larval forms of some types of helminths, if helminthic infestation occurs in an acute form, can cause anaphylactic shock.

How does infection with helminths occur, ways of penetration of worms into the body

Worms that parasitize the intestines

To prevent infection with helminths, it is necessary not only to follow preventive methods, but also to know the ways in which parasitic worms enter the body, and to be aware of how infection with dangerous endoparasites occurs. The reasons for the appearance of worms are very diverse. Infection with helminthiasis occurs when larvae, cysts, or body fragments of parasitic worms enter the body.

The main routes of infection by helminths:

1. Contact and household. You can become infected with parasitic worms through dirty hands, objects infected with worm eggs, and household items. Helminth eggs can be on the grass or soil. Pets are also carriers of helminths. Maturation of larvae can occur in various environments.
2. Nutritional. Worms enter the human body through unwashed vegetables, fruits, and berries. Helminthiasis can be contracted by drinking water contaminated with cysts, or by eating meat and fish products that have not been heat-treated. The greatest danger to human health is bovine and pork tapeworm. The lifespan of tapeworms inside the body, unless appropriate treatment measures are taken, is 9-10 years.
3. Transmissible. Infection with helminthiasis occurs through the bites of blood-sucking insects. The carriers of worms are fleas and other ectoparasites that live on the fur of animals.
4. Percutaneous (active). Larvae (cysts) of parasites found in soil and water bodies can enter the body through damaged areas of the epidermis and mucous membranes.

Parasitic worms, eggs, parasite cysts can be in the ground, on grass, and plants. Worms very often penetrate into humans due to poor personal hygiene.

Important! You can become infected with helminths during intimacy, through a kiss, if one of the partners is a carrier of dangerous parasites. This route of transmission is rare. Infection occurs only through homosexual contact. Giardiasis and amoebiasis are transmitted sexually.

Infants under one year of age are susceptible to infection. Parasitic worms can be transmitted to newborn babies through the mother’s dirty hands, household items, or if parents do not maintain personal hygiene. Pets can become a source of helminth infection.

The main carriers of parasitic worms are organisms in which the development of sexually mature individuals capable of laying eggs occurs. The source of infection can be both people and various types of animals. A person can be either an intermediate or the main host of various types of helminths.

After penetration, helminths continue their life cycle, begin to parasitize, and actively reproduce. For this reason, if comprehensive radical treatment is not prescribed, the number of parasitic worms will rapidly increase. Over time, through common household items, all family members will be infected with helminthic infestation.

Prevention of helminthiases

To avoid infection with helminths, you must carefully monitor your health and personal hygiene. Considering the similarity of symptoms with other diseases, if the general physiological condition worsens, it is necessary to take tests and undergo a comprehensive examination.

Treatment is carried out with anthelmintic drugs. Patients are prescribed a therapeutic diet, vitamin and mineral complexes to maintain immunity, improve general condition, and enzyme preparations. Medications and the duration of the course of treatment are prescribed by the attending physician after a diagnostic examination.

You should not eat meat products of dubious origin, river fish that has not undergone proper heat treatment, unwashed vegetables, fruits, and berries. For prevention, you should consume garlic, onions, pumpkin seeds, and herbal decoctions.

• Do you still think that getting rid of parasites is not easy?
• Worms can live asymptomatically in your body for years and their waste products will interfere with the functioning of your body and cause other diseases, the course of which often becomes chronic.
• You are familiar with the following symptoms firsthand:

• nausea;
• gases and bloating;
• frequent colds;
• poor sleep;
• weight problems;
• excessive nervousness;
• fatigue;
• skin problems?

Getting rid of parasites without serious consequences for the body is easier than it seems, see this from the article by V.V. Dvornichenko, Candidate of Medical Sciences, on how to remove worms from the body forever... Read the article >>

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Source: https://VseParazity.ru/gelminty/zarazhenie-gelmintozami.html

Helminthiasis in humans - Symptoms and treatment of worms, diagnosis

Last updated August 4, 2017 at 3:28 pm

Reading time: 6 min

Deterioration in health can be observed not only from infections that enter the body.

Parasites and worms can also cause malaise, weakness, and loss of strength. They can lead to many consequences that people usually mistake for a normal inflammatory process.

What is helminthiasis? And what symptoms does it exhibit in the human body?

The answers are quite simple.

Helminths are parasitic, round and tapeworms, as well as their prominent representatives such as roundworms, pinworms, tapeworms, tapeworms and many others. Surely many have encountered them in childhood or in adulthood.

The disease, which has received the appropriate name as helminthiasis, is the result of the influence and activity of helminths in the body.

Infection with worms

Parasites can penetrate the body of a person, either excessively clean or not obsessed with their health, in several ways. There are quite a lot of them.

Let's look at how helminths appear in a healthy body:

• a normal handshake. The easiest way to reach a new host for the parasite. Through the upper layers of the epidermis they first enter the skin and then into the blood. This transmission method works both through contact with homeless street animals and through touching other people's objects. Thanks to the good blood circulation of a healthy person, it is not difficult for them to achieve their goal and find themselves in their chosen place of future habitat;
• through the water. Many helminths are perfectly preserved as larvae in fresh and even sea water. Don't forget about the village wells and water supply. They are not too sensitive. You should also be careful when visiting swimming pools, baths and saunas. Perhaps they are poorly processed;
• wet soil and sand. The eggs of many types of worms are released in feces and land on these surfaces. In suburban areas and even in a children's sandbox, it is easy to become infected;
• low quality products. These often include seafood, fruits and vegetables, eggs and milk, cottage cheese;
• public places where people gather. Supermarkets, shops, pharmacies and hospitals. This is where door handles, shelving, packaged food, and handrails are handled by many people every day. And it’s not a fact that they are all healthy. Let’s not forget about the dirt that gets into these rooms during rainy and damp periods;
• In the summer and autumn seasons, insects pose a danger. Mosquitoes and flies can even carry small microscopic eggs with their paws.

To this list of the appearance of helminthic infestation in adults and children, we can also add non-compliance with basic usual rules of personal hygiene.

What helminths can you become infected with?

There are a huge number of parasitic representatives. And they all enter the body in different ways, migrate inside and affect special organs. Some of them choose a single host, while others spend their entire life cycle in different hosts.

People can observe several main isolated parasites in their bodies:

1. The most common roundworms are nematodes. Small whitish individuals. Reach 40 mm. Everyone knows roundworms, pinworms, whipworms and tropical guinea worms. They live in the intestines, lay eggs in the anus, and are often excreted in the feces. Determining infection with helminths by nematodes is very simple and without tests;
2. parasitic tapeworms are larger and more dangerous. Reaching 10 meters, they migrate and enter almost all vital organs and systems. Cases of suffocation have been observed after the parasite moves through the respiratory system. Manifested by bovine tapeworm, tapeworm;
3. trematodes, flukes. They are unpretentious to their environment, so they penetrate the body through both soil and water. They travel throughout the human body and are easy to see under the skin fat. This is mainly the area of ​​the eyes and eyelids. They destroy not only the intestinal microflora, but also the tissues of other organs. Toxic effects lead to depletion of the body.

It is, of course, impossible to independently identify which helminth a person has. Only by testing for worms and a full examination can the type and subsequent treatment be determined, and prophylaxis prescribed in case of recovery.

Symptoms of parasites in the body

If helminths have entered the body, they may not be immediately identified by the symptoms of infection. Some appear only after a certain time.

But all the signs of worms in an adult are quite serious and, at first glance, occur for no reason:

• a sharp increase in temperature to the level of an inflammatory process. Typically 37.6°C to 38°C;
• manifestation of nausea, vomiting;
• aching pain in the abdomen and navel;
• possible redness of the skin;
• weakness, drowsiness, fatigue;
• periodic involuntary grinding of teeth at night;
• dry persistent cough and shortness of breath;
• disruption of normal stool. Diarrhea or constipation;
• itching in the anal area;
• acquiring a yellowish or too pale skin tone;
• discomfort in muscles and joints.

It is immediately impossible to make an accurate diagnosis based on such signs. But helminths in humans exhibit only those symptoms that correspond to damaged organs. And this is usually the intestines, bronchi and liver with kidneys.

Signs of advanced helminthiasis

Late detection of parasites can lead to much more complex consequences:

1. a sharp decrease in immunity. As a result, the ability of any infection and virus to penetrate the body;
2. urticaria, bronchial asthma, as a consequence of the constant toxic effect of parasites. Worm secretions cause serious allergies in the body;
3. intense loss of hair and eyelashes;
4. unexplained brittleness of nails;
5. tooth decay, enamel gradually disappears;
6. excessive bleeding gums;
7. nervousness, mental disorders.

Worms in humans not only show symptoms of infection, but also provoke many diseases, aggravate the course of existing diseases, and therefore treatment of parasites is mandatory.

It is better to conduct an examination in time and begin a full-fledged comprehensive removal of helminths from the body.

Diseases caused by parasites

The characteristic merciless signs of helminthic infestation indicate that the body is susceptible to severe toxic effects or damage to many organs and systems:

• disruption of the gastrointestinal tract. This is due to the fact that most helminths choose this place for further growth and development. Expressed in intestinal obstruction, dysbacteriosis, diarrhea, pancreatitis;
• problems with the respiratory system. Each migration of the parasite certainly leads it to the bronchi and lungs. This often leads to cramps, pneumonia;
• the central nervous system is affected. Migraines, dizziness, loss of orientation in space, irritability and depression;
• enlarged spleen, liver, decreased level of bile outflow;
• defective functioning of the urinary system. Urethritis, cystitis;
• problems with the reproductive organs. Vaginitis, inflammatory processes in the uterus, vagina, ovaries. It is possible to get a sexually transmitted infection.

These are severe symptoms that occur with helminths. If you are looking after your health, you should definitely see a doctor. Any of the presented signs obliges the specialist to prescribe a special examination.

The most common blood test will show that parasites have appeared in the body. With hemoglobin levels of less than 100 g/l, an increased number of eosinophils of more than 6%, an increase in leukocytes of 9% and a decrease of erythrocytes of 3 g/l or less.

The specialist should also note a sharp decrease in protein and an increase in immunoglobulins characteristic of allergies.

Parasitic diseases and their symptoms

Depending on the type and class of worms, the signs of helminth infection received their own individual names, which distinguish them from each other. For specialists, this classification facilitates further treatment, recovery and prevention.

Ascariasis . Naturally indicates the symptoms exhibited by the roundworm parasite and possible associated diseases. Most often, it is not observed immediately, but only after 2 weeks after helminths enter the body.

Symptoms resemble a common cough, acute bronchitis, and mild allergies. It is confused with a common infection, as it is accompanied by all of the above features and an increase in temperature. Possible changes in lymph nodes.

With advanced chronic ascariasis, all symptoms become more complicated. Blood pressure begins to jump, anorexia may appear along with a lack of appetite and constant aching pain in the abdominal area. Regular vomiting, stool disorders.

The face becomes pale, healthy skin color disappears, dark circles and swelling appear. At night, poor sleep or its complete absence becomes common. Small whitish worms are visualized in the feces. Penetration of pinworms or enterobiasis . A common occurrence in young children due to failure to comply with personal hygiene rules. Infection is caused by frequent itching in the anal area. Pinworms appear periodically. For 1-2 days with breaks. When parasites enter, the body's reaction will be involuntary teeth grinding at night and poor, intermittent sleep. Not particularly dangerous, do not cause pain.

Worms , like flukes, bring opisthorchiasis with them. The acute course of the disease lasts up to 8 weeks. During this period, there is increased body temperature, heaviness and bloating, diarrhea and a feeling of inflammation. With chronic exposure to flukes, symptoms spread to the respiratory system, causing severe allergies to the central nervous system.

Tapeworm parasites lead to many consequences of their presence in the human body. Wide tapeworm can damage the pancreas, leading to intestinal obstruction, vitamin B12 deficiency, decreased hemoglobin and anemia. Likewise, all representatives of tapeworms cause pain syndromes in the abdominal cavity, bloating and nausea.

Giardiasis. There are small numbers of these parasites in the human body. But they are safe within normal limits. With exacerbation, their level increases. Which leads to vomiting, bitterness due to disorders of the liver and stomach, characteristic pain in the abdomen, bloating and abnormal bowel movements.

Naturally, such symptoms of helminthiasis must be treated and must be prevented by carrying out complete prophylaxis.

Source: https://GemoParazit.ru/glisty/priznaki-glistov-u-cheloveka-pervye-simptomy

Worms - symptoms in an adult, signs of all types of helminthiasis

According to statistics, approximately every third European resident is a carrier of intestinal parasites. Helminthic infestations have a negative impact on the general well-being of the patient: with serious lesions, a person can lose 200–300 ml of blood per day, which causes malaise and fatigue. However, even in this case, not everyone will suspect that they have worms in their body: the symptoms in an adult may be blurred.

How does a person become infected with helminths?

Helminths are parasitic worms that live in the body of animals and humans. Depending on how helminth infection occurs, the following types of pathology are distinguished:

1. Geohelminthiasis – parasites enter the human body through water and soil. Their development occurs in sand, soil, water, from where the worms enter a person and begin to lay eggs in him.
2. Contact helminthiasis – infection occurs through contact with a carrier of the parasite. It could be animals, people. Worms are transmitted during play and joint activities.
3. Biohelminthiases - infection with worms occurs when consuming animal products inhabited by them. Consumption of poorly processed meat and raw fish poses a potential risk of infection with helminths.
4. Insect bites are a rare route of infection. Only intestinal myiases and cantariasis can be transmitted this way.

Where can worms be found in the human body?

According to experts, worms live in certain organs and systems of the human body. Answering the question of where worms can be, doctors, depending on where the parasites live, divide them into:

1. Cavities are parasites found in various parts of the gastrointestinal tract. More than 100 types of intestinal parasites have been studied and described. Thus, the small intestine is parasitized by roundworms, tapeworms, antilostoma, pinworms and others.
2. Tissue - worms that parasitize tissues, organs and even the bloodstream. In medicine, cases of paragonimiasis (lung damage), cysticercosis (brain), and echinococcosis (liver) have been repeatedly recorded.

Worms in adults - types and symptoms

When the body is parasitized by worms, there are often no symptoms in an adult. At the same time, the clinic is lubricated regardless of the type of helminths. Among all the parasites that can exist inside the human body, it is customary to distinguish the following types of helminths:

1. Nematodes - belong to the roundworms: whipworm, pinworm, roundworm, trichinella.
2. Tapeworms or flatworms - tapeworm, tapeworm, echinococcus.
3. Flukes or trematodes - liver fluke and others, causing pathologies such as opisthorchiasis, fascioliasis, schistosomiasis, paragonimiasis.

Pinworms - symptoms in adults

This type of parasite most often affects the human body. Mostly children are susceptible to the disease, but adults can also become infected with helminths if they neglect hygiene rules.

Pinworm larvae enter the body by consuming poorly washed vegetables and fruits, or any food of plant origin. Patients experience the first symptoms 2-3 days after infection.

When pinworms emerge from the larvae, the following symptoms are recorded:

• night itching in the anus;
• the presence of parasites in feces;
• sharp, short-term pain in the navel area.

Roundworms - symptoms in adults

The penetration of roundworms into the human body occurs through the consumption of infected and poorly processed vegetables and fruits.

The development cycle of these parasites takes a long time, therefore, according to experts, when ascariasis develops, symptoms of the disease can appear within three months.

When interviewed, patients may no longer remember what they ate or when they might have become infected with the parasite. However, to confirm that this is definitely ascariasis, the following signs appear:

• pain in the intestines;
• peritonitis;
• damage to the upper respiratory tract: bronchitis, pneumonia, cough from worms - symptoms in adults are not uncommon;
• diseases of the liver, pancreas;
• periodic attacks of suffocation when worms crawl from the intestines into the esophagus or upper respiratory tract.

Opisthorchiasis - symptoms in adults

Diseases such as fascioliasis, opisthorchiasis, clonorchiasis are rare helminthiases. The causative agent of the pathology is flatworms. In this case, the following internal organs of a person can be affected:

• liver;
• biliary tract;
• pancreas.

Infection with opisthorchiasis occurs by eating poorly cooked or raw fish. Penetration is also possible as a result of contact with an animal carrier of the parasite. The incubation period lasts from 7 to 21 days.

In some cases, doctors register asymptomatic treatment: the disease is detected only when assessing the results of laboratory tests.

In the acute stage of the disease, when the body is only affected by worms and larvae, the following symptoms appear in an adult:

• increased body temperature;
• pain in joints and muscles;
• sharp pain in the right hypochondrium;
• nausea;
• diarrhea;
• decreased appetite;
• weight loss.

When the disease becomes a carrier state, patients experience the following symptoms:

• paroxysmal dull pain and discomfort in the right hypochondrium;
• vomit;
• nausea;
• fatigue;
• drowsiness;
• mood swings;
• headache.

Trichinosis in adults - symptoms

This type of helminthiasis is provoked by Trichinella. The larvae of these worms are found in the muscle tissue of animals (pigs, cows). When eating poorly processed meat or lard, a person becomes infected.

When suffering from trichinosis, symptoms of the lesion appear after 2 days and resemble ordinary food poisoning.

However, it must be taken into account that in case of poisoning, the clinic appears within a few hours, and in case of trichinosis – no less than 48 hours later. The patient experiences:

• nausea;
• heartburn;
• diarrhea;
• vomit.

Trichocephalosis is a helminthic infestation that is caused by parasites from the genus Trichinella (Trichinella). They belong to roundworms and are widespread everywhere. They can affect both humans and animals.

Spread occurs by the fecal-oral route. The larvae swallowed together with food emerge in the small intestine and are localized in its crypts.

After maturation, which takes 1–3 months, the larvae migrate to the cecum.

With their thin end they penetrate into the submucosal layer, mature there and lay eggs. At this time, patients note signs of worms in adults, symptoms of trichocephalosis:

• pain in the lower abdomen;
• decreased appetite;
• diarrhea;
• weight loss;
• anemia;
• rectal prolapse (more common in children).

Ankylostomiasis - symptoms

This disease is caused by hookworms. Infection of the body with parasites occurs through contact with contaminated soil: when working in the garden, walking barefoot on the grass.

Patients note the appearance of itching, swelling of the feet and legs at the sites of penetration of the parasite.

When the latter enters the bloodstream, it reaches the respiratory system and causes the following symptoms:

• cough;
• sputum;
• damage to the bronchi;
• weakness;
• dizziness.

Diphyllobothriasis disease

This disease is caused by the broad tapeworm. This parasite lives in river fish. When consumed raw or poorly cooked, the tapeworm penetrates the human body. According to the observations of specialists, it can remain inside the patient for up to 25 years. In this case, specific signs of the parasite appear in the body:

• mechanical damage to the intestines;
• avitaminosis;
• intestinal obstruction;
• intoxication of the body;
• allergic reactions.

Urogenital schistosomiasis

An infectious disease caused by Schistosoma haematobium. These parasites in the body infect the blood vessels located around the patient's bladder.

After the eggs are laid, they penetrate into human urine and are excreted along with it. When urine gets into bodies of water, the eggs hatch and can infect swimmers.

The disease is more often registered among residents of Africa, which is associated with an insufficient level of hygiene.

When affected by schistosome, when parasites appear in the body, the following symptoms are observed:

• itchy dermatitis;
• urticarial rashes;
• anorexia;
• headache;
• pain in the limbs;
• night sweats;
• an increase in the size of the liver and spleen;
• the appearance of blood in the urine;
• anemia;
• renal failure.

Diagnosis of helminthiases and parasitic infections

Diagnosis of helminthiasis comes down to laboratory testing of samples of biological material. Saliva, feces, and blood of the patient can be used as such. An infectious disease specialist and a parasitologist are involved in identifying worms.

However, the development of helminthiasis can be suspected based on certain signs. The simultaneous presence of seven or more points in a patient indicates a high probability of infection.

To diagnose helminthiasis or suspect worms, the following symptoms must be present in an adult:

• itching in the anal area;
• rash on the skin;
• frequent headaches, dizziness;
• frequent, sudden attacks of nausea, vomiting;
• intestinal dysfunction (pain, flatulence, diarrhea, constipation);
• sleep disturbance, insomnia;
• swelling of the legs;
• allergic reactions in the form of cough, bronchitis;
• inflammation of the lymph nodes;
• sudden abdominal pain;
• bitter taste in the mouth;
• increased weakness, fatigue;
• frequent contact with preschool children, work in child care institutions;
• yellowing of the mucous membrane and skin;
• presence of pets;
• the presence of pain in the joints and muscles;
• clenching teeth in sleep;
• consumption of dried fish, lard and other lightly processed products in the recent past;
• weight loss without changes in diet and lifestyle;
• eating raw, unwashed vegetables and fruits.

How to get rid of worms in an adult?

Due to the fact that parasites are present in the human body almost imperceptibly for the patient himself, many do not attach importance to helminthiasis. However, when pathology provokes changes in the functioning of other organs and systems and greatly worsens well-being, people begin to sound the alarm. Doctors use anthelmintics after determining the type of parasite.

Symptoms in an adult do not allow one to immediately determine exactly what kind of worms they are, so treatment is carried out in a course, after which a control smear is done 2-3 weeks later. Commonly used medications include:

• Pyrantel (Helmintox, Combantrin, Nemotsid);
• Mebendazole (Vermox, Vermakar, Mebex);
• Albendazole (Nemozol, Gelmodol-VM, Vormil);
• Levamisole (Decaris);
• Carbendacim (Medamin).

Source: https://womanadvice.ru/glisty-simptomy-u-vzroslogo-priznaki-vseh-vidov-gelmintoza

Parasitologist: worms in humans - signs, treatment, prevention

Recently, a considerable number of opinions have appeared that determine the cause of all diseases as helminthic infestation. Is it so? Are our internal organs really infected with helminths or is this just another obsession of those who want to improve their health? Parasitologist Dmitry Igorevich Obolsky .

 — Dmitry Igorevich, how common are helminthic infestations really among the Russian population? Are our internal organs really infested with parasites, as many, including doctors, claim?

— First of all, I would like to give some warning.

Firstly, in addition to parasitology, I am primarily involved in the epidemiology of parasitic diseases, so the data on population morbidity, age and territorial structure were not taken out of thin air, but from the latest reports of Rospotrebnadzor 1 and WHO statistics 2 .

Secondly, I am a co-moderator of the parasitological section of one of the leading Russian-language medical advisory forums, and in my recommendations, as in my work, I am guided by the principles of evidence-based medicine3.

It is advisable to give the end consumer (patient, reader) not opinions, but facts - research results, experimentally tested methods and drugs with proven effectiveness. So this will not be my personal opinion, but rather the result of global clinical experience and scientific achievements transformed into an understandable form. This, however, does not prevent me from taking full responsibility for my words.

Now to the essence of the issue. I can say with all confidence and full responsibility that such statements are completely unfounded.

In poor African or Asian countries with poor sanitation, where the majority of the population does not have access to sources of clean fresh water, let alone qualified medical care, parasitic diseases can be a problem. On the territory of the Russian Federation, the infection rate of the population is incomparably lower.

For many parasites we simply do not have suitable conditions. The prevalence of helminthiases strongly depends on climatic, socio-economic, cultural and other factors. About 15 different helminthiases are registered annually in Russia (the exact number varies slightly depending on the region).

Of these, approximately 98% are accounted for by the 4 most common invasions: enterobiasis, ascariasis, opisthorchiasis and diphyllobothriasis, the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of which are well established. Their prevalence among different population groups also varies.

Some parasites are confined to certain climatic and geographical conditions (for example, opisthorchiasis, which is quite common in the Urals and Siberia, is practically not found in the west of the country), others are age-related (adults suffer from enterobiasis relatively rarely, and in children it accounts for 9/10 of all cases helminthiases).

In general, up to 90% of all parasitic pathology occurs between the ages of 3 and 14 years. This is mainly due to the fact that children have not yet developed hygienic skills and with some features of children's organized groups. Thus, the likelihood of contracting any helminthiasis for the majority of Russian residents is no higher than the risk of contracting chicken pox, pneumonia, hepatitis or intestinal infection.

 — What are the symptoms of worm infection? How to recognize helminths?

— Some parasitic diseases have a number of specific symptoms (for example, characteristic itching in enterobiasis, B12-deficiency anemia in diphyllobothriasis).

However, most of their manifestations are still nonspecific, that is, they occur in many different pathological conditions of parasitic and non-parasitic nature. The most common of them include allergic reactions, general weakness, and digestive disorders.

This allows you to limit the range of possible invasions to the most likely ones, which are subsequently confirmed by laboratory analysis. In general, it is not always possible to independently recognize a parasitic infestation in yourself or your child without special knowledge.

 — Is there an asymptomatic course of helminthiasis?

- This is typical for any chronic pathology. In the case of helminthiases, we are talking, rather, about an erased course, when the pathological influence of the parasite has not yet reached a clinically pronounced effect. Therefore, people at risk of infection with parasitosis (workers of kindergartens, laboratories, veterinarians, etc.) regularly undergo appropriate tests.

The parasite, let’s say, is “not interested” in a clear violation of the host’s health, much less in his death. It needs a person to procreate and preserve itself as a species, which is one of the main tasks in the evolution of any organism.

The evolution of macroorganisms, in turn, “comes up” with different methods of protection. It is known, for example, that the higher the resistance of the organism, the lower its resistance to infection.

That is, the easier it is for a person to become infected, the less harm the parasite does to him, and vice versa, the more dangerous the disease, the more difficult it is to become infected by contact with the pathogen.

 — What tests for worms are really informative?

— In the laboratory diagnosis of all parasitoses (with rare exceptions), a simple logic works: intestinal parasites - we donate feces, extraintestinal parasites - we donate blood. A single stool test for helminth eggs and protozoan cysts can detect all intestinal parasites.

An exception is enterobiasis; to identify it, an imprint with adhesive tape or a scraping from the perianal folds is examined, since pinworms lay eggs on the skin and not in the intestinal lumen. According to international recommendations, analysis for intestinal parasites is performed three times, or three samples are collected in a special preservative.

In this case, the reliability of the result approaches 100%.

With extraintestinal, or tissue, parasites, the situation is somewhat more complicated. To identify them, a serum enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) is used. In response to infection, the body (immune system) releases specific antibodies. The principle of the method is based on their identification and determination of their titer.

Separate test systems have been developed for the diagnosis of each parasite. The sensitivity and specificity of modern test systems is close to 95%, however, both false positive and false negative results still occur.

Often, the result of one of these two methods is sufficient to make a diagnosis. Their informative content, combined with clinical and epidemiological data, makes it possible to make a diagnosis almost without error.

• All other methods are either less informative and are used as additional (for example, ELISA for intestinal parasitosis), or have not yet been sufficiently developed (for example, PCR diagnostics), or are frankly quackery (for example, bioresonance diagnostics).
• Errors in parasitological diagnostics are usually associated with the wrong choice of method, or incorrect interpretation of the result, which, unfortunately, happens.
•  — Do synthetic drugs provide a 100% guarantee of cure for worms?

— The short answer is yes, they do. Helminths do not have the same variability as bacteria or viruses, so the active substances that form the basis of modern antiparasitic drugs have been discovered for a relatively long time, and their effects have been well studied.

  A mandatory condition for registration of an original drug is experimental proof of its clinical effectiveness and safety. It is necessary, however, to understand that the choice of drug and treatment regimen is not made on the Internet or even according to the instructions from the medicine box, but according to the doctor’s prescription.

Some drugs have a teratogenic effect (dangerous to the fetus), others require dosage calculations based on weight or age. In the process of studying already registered drugs, adjustments are made to the recommendations for their use, which are not always reflected in the instructions for them.

Any parasitic infestation is easier to deal with than the results of unsuccessful self-medication.

 — In your opinion, are there any effective folk remedies to combat worms? Any anti-parasitic programs?

Today there is not a single folk remedy for combating parasites that is superior in effectiveness and safety to existing pharmacological drugs. Dietary supplements with declared antiparasitic activity do not undergo any mandatory studies and do not have an evidence base.

Some unconventional methods of treatment are simply amazing with their paradoxical logic, ingenuity and illiteracy of their authors. But even more amazing is the naivety of people who allow themselves or their children to be experimented on, or even carry out experiments on their own.

All the sold “folk” remedies and advertised programs for getting rid of parasites that I have come across are either speculation on a common problem or outright quackery.

 — At one of the forums, a specialist argued that onions, garlic, wormwood and other folk remedies, if taken in small doses, contribute to the fact that worms migrate from the intestines to other internal organs. Is it so?

“This is also possible when using traditional medications in reduced dosages. The difference between “folk” remedies and pharmaceuticals is that for the former the effective dosage is unknown, while for the latter it is clearly defined.

Plants traditionally used to treat helminth infections are quite toxic in effective concentrations and have more side effects than any pharmaceutical drug.

In addition, the concentration of the active substance in herbal medicines, even factory-made ones, is almost impossible to predict; it can depend on many factors: from the composition of the soil at the place of growth and time of collection, to the details of the technology for preparing the tincture or decoction.

 — What is the prevention of helminthic infestations and parasitosis in general?

— Preventive measures for various parasitic infestations differ, and depend primarily on the routes and factors of transmission of pathogens. In principle, without going into details of the biology of parasites, all prevention can be reduced to a few general rules - personal hygiene and food processing.

• It is necessary to wash your hands after contact with the ground (dust, dirt), before eating. All vegetables, berries, greens must be thoroughly washed with running water, rinsing after that with boiled water (ascariasis, toxocariasis, enterobiasis, trichuriasis)
• You should also drink only boiled water (giardiasis).
• It is necessary to thoroughly fry/boil the meat. Try to buy it in large retail outlets, where it goes through veterinary control (toxoplasmosis, trichinosis, taeniasis, teniarinhoz)
• Fish must also be heat treated or frozen at temperatures below 20 °C. You should not eat lightly salted and smoked river fish (opisthorchiasis, diphyllobothriasis).
• You should avoid contact with stray and village dogs that have access to meat waste (echinococcosis).

Following these recommendations can reduce the likelihood of parasite infection to a minimum, but it is quite difficult to completely eliminate the possibility of accidental infection.

Fortunately, most parasites do not cause severe health problems, have a limited distribution, and well-developed methods of diagnosis and treatment. Therefore, prophylactic use of antiparasitic drugs in Russia is considered unjustified and is used only in veterinary medicine.

It is also considered pointless to take tests “just in case”, in the absence of characteristic symptoms or contact with a potential source of infection.

1. _______________
2. 1 State report “On the state of sanitary and epidemiological well-being of the population in the Russian Federation in 2014”
3. 2 World Health Organization
4. 3 Introduction to evidence-based medicine

Source: https://azbyka.ru/zdorovie/vrach-parazitolog-glisty-u-cheloveka-priznaki-lechenie-profilaktika