Even in our civilized society, infection with helminths is possible. These parasites quietly sneak into the body and poison it with the products of their vital activity. Helminth secretions are toxic and cause various ailments - from hives to serious health problems. There are also deaths.
Common symptoms of worm infestation
Helminths not only live in the human intestine, some types of parasites also attack other organs, they are even found in skeletal muscles. Therefore, the course of each helminthiasis has its own characteristic features, but there are still common symptoms:
- decrease in working capacity;
- quick fatigue;
- intoxication;
- weakness;
- Sleepiness;
- loss of appetite;
- weight loss
- pain in the joints;
- Constipation;
- bowel disorder;
- Intolerance to any type of food.
Unfortunately, so many people are infected with parasites, some don't even know it. Eggs or cysts may be swallowed along with seemingly clean food. Often worms settle in the child's body and come with poorly washed fruits and vegetables, through dirty hands, from cats, dogs, etc. The problem is that often there is not even a suspicion that someone else lives in us, since there are speciesof parasites that do not manifest themselves for a long time. Therefore, it is worth learning more about worms, what types there are and what are the symptoms of infection.
roundworms in humans
Pinworms, roundworms, whipworms and trichinella (less often) can live in the human body.
Roundworms are roundworms with a spindle-shaped body 15-40 cm long and 4-6 mm wide. This worm lives in the small intestine, although there are cases when roundworms crawl into the bile ducts and clog them. In an individual, females mate with males and lay eggs that come out with feces.
A person is not infected with roundworms that live in animals.
In addition, the eggs must mature in the soil. Getting into the human body with unwashed fruits or vegetables, the larvae are excreted in the intestines, quickly penetrate the blood vessels and enter the lungs with the bloodstream. There the larvae mature and migrate through the air and oral cavity into the intestine. And there new individuals are already being bred and everything is repeated. Roundworms live up to 14 months.
With ascariasis, appetite decreases, there is nausea, diarrhea, intestinal pain and allergic manifestations. Sleep is also disturbed, irritability appears. Coughing may occur when migrating from the lungs. With the accumulation of ascaris and the formation of a ball through them, intestinal obstruction can develop.
Pinworms are small whitish worms 3-12mm long. Pinworms live in the small and large intestine. It is very easy to get infected with these helminths, it is enough not to wash your hands, or you can even swallow helminth eggs by inhaling dust. Female pinworms lay their eggs in the anus and cause severe itching. Pinworm eggs are so small that they can even be found indoors in the airborne dust.
You can get infected through laundry, toiletries, products, a handshake, etc. Also, pinworms undergo the same migration as roundworms. Adult individuals live in a person for a short time, only 1-2 months, and with proper hygiene can be disposed of in a short time. In addition to itching, there are: insomnia, absent-mindedness, irritability, allergic rash.
Whipworms are thin worms that live in the large intestine and reach a length of 30-35 mm. You can get infected with parasites in the same way as with roundworms. Whipworms stick to the walls of the intestine and suck blood. The toxins they release cause headaches, insomnia, dizziness, and nausea. The lifespan of helminths is 5 years.
Trichinella are small worms, they only grow up to 4 mm long. A person becomes infected through raw pork, which contains larvae. Adults live in the gut, mate and lay eggs, after which they die. Trichinella larvae are excreted, they penetrate from the intestine into the muscle tissue, where they form a capsule and can remain for years.
Helminthiasis causes the following disorders in the body:
- swelling of the face;
- swelling of the eyelids;
- swelling in the legs and hands;
- Skin rash;
- Muscle aches;
- fever, temperature;
- Headache;
- insomnia or, conversely, drowsiness;
- decreased mobility of the knee and elbow joints;
- Gastrointestinal disorders are observed.
Trichinosis is partially cured, because if adult worms can be destroyed with drugs, the larvae in the skeletal muscles cannot be killed.
tapeworms in humans
The bull tapeworm can grow up to 10 m in length and occurs when eating poorly cooked beef that contains helminth larvae. Housewives can become infected by tasting raw minced meat like salt. In the body, saltpetre develops from the larva living in the gut, which attaches to the wall to hold on. A person loses weight, loses appetite, dizziness, insomnia, nausea, and often vomiting.
Pork tapeworm is smaller, reaching only 2 m. Infection occurs after eating poorly processed pork. Symptoms are the same as bull tapeworm.
A broad tapeworm has a length of 6 m to 15 m. The source of infection is raw freshwater fish. Helminthiasis is manifested by weakness, nausea, vomiting, salivation, abdominal pain, constipation or diarrhea. There are always bright red painful spots and even cracks on the tongue.
The dwarf tapeworm is 3-5 cm long. They get infected with this worm through contaminated door handles, toilet seats if they have worm eggs on them. Children get sick more often. Helminthiasis causes loss of appetite, nausea and abdominal pain, and sometimes diarrhea. In rare cases, children can resemble epileptic seizures.
Echinococcus is one of the most dangerous helminths. Infection occurs through dogs and cats - carriers of adult parasites. In the human body, larvae are hatched from eggs, which travel with the bloodstream to various organs, more often to the liver, where they form echinococcal cysts. In some cases, they even reach the size of a newborn's head. Cysts are only removed through surgery.
leeches in humans
The fluke parasitizes in the bile ducts and in the gallbladder itself. The size of the worms is small - 4-13 mm. The parasite gets into the body through the use of slightly salted or poorly cooked (fried) fish. First, this helminthiasis is manifested by high temperature (up to 40 degrees), pain in the joints and muscles, disorders in the gastrointestinal tract, and in rare cases jaundice develops. Then the acute symptoms subside, and there are paroxysmal pains in the pancreas. Complications can arise.
Fasziola is hazardous to health. Worms grow up to 3-7 cm in length, they also settle in the gallbladder and bile ducts. A person becomes infected through unboiled water or by eating aquatic plants. There is weakness, fever, pain in the head and abdomen, urticaria.
In conclusion, about human helminths
Some types of worms live in the human body for years, since they can hardly manifest themselves in any way. Often the symptoms of helminthiasis are similar to gastrointestinal diseases, so if special tests are not performed to detect helminths, it will be misdiagnosed. However, any parasites must be disposed of urgently, as they not only deprive the body of useful substances, but also release harmful toxins.