4.5 billion registered people worldwide suffer from parasitic infections (infestations).In addition, the number of people infected with helminths (worms) is constantly increasing.
Causes of Helminthiasis Infection
It is not difficult to introduce worms into the body.Here are just a few causes of infection familiar to everyone from childhood:
- Inadequate hygiene.The desire to eat unwashed fruits and vegetables, not wearing gloves when working in the garden and not caring about hygiene procedures leads to infection with a variety of helminths.
- Looking for street fast food.It's no secret that sellers of such food do not always undergo medical examinations and often neglect basic hygiene.And their products are not stored in the best conditions.Another risk group are lovers of street whites and pasties.
- Love for exotic cuisines, including dishes made from raw fish and shellfish that contain parasites.Fans of sushi and rolls in particular are responsible for the increase in the occurrence of leeches, tapeworms, nematodes, roundworms and the worm.
- Nthe ability to properly protect against infections while at rest.Love for the “Turkish coasts” has led to an increase in cases of infection with exotic helminthiasis - schistosomiasis, hookworm and dracunculiasis.After walking barefoot on an overseas beach, you may bring back from your trip not only pleasant impressions, but also dangerous worms.
- Infection from petswho often sleep with their owners.Anyone who likes to “kiss” their pet runs the risk of becoming infected with parasites.
Which parasites live in the human body?
If an adult had the opportunity to look inside his body, he would be horrified:
- roundworms –Pinworms, roundworms, whipworms, nematodes, Toxocara, Trichinella.Large helminths gather in huge balls, clogging the intestinal lumen and causing obstruction requiring surgical treatment.Doctors remove an incredible number of parasites from these people's intestines during an operation.
- Tapewormsare among those who like to try rare meat and raw fish.Causes digestive problems, anemia, allergies.Seizures similar to epileptic seizures occur in children.The most dangerous helminth of this group is Echinococcus, whose larvae form huge cysts in the human body.When they burst, the parasites spread throughout the body.Infection can be fatal.
- Leeches– Leeches, leeches and fasciolas are dangerous parasites that suck blood from the vessels of the liver, pancreas, intestines and bladder.
- Protozoa– Leishmania, amoeba, lamblia, etc. Although these tiny parasites are only visible under a microscope, they can cause dangerous complications including intestinal perforation and liver abscesses, which are fatal.
By what signs can you suspect the presence of “strangers”: If your stomach hurts, it means that someone lives in it
Signs of the presence of helminths:
- stomach pain- the most common sign of helminth infection.It can occur constantly and periodically and affect certain areas of the abdomen.Pain in the right hypochondrium during helminthiasis indicates damage to the liver and gallbladder by worms.
- Indigestion– Diarrhea, constipation, irregular bowel movements.Sometimes patients see crawling worm segments or even entire parasites in their stool.Impaired food absorption and gastrointestinal disorders lead to weight loss.
- Anemia.Worms suck blood from the body and disrupt the digestion of food.The human host does not feed on itself, but on the worms.Patients complain of weakness, fatigue, loss of strength and dizziness.
- Damage to the urinary tractcaused by parasites that live in the kidneys and bladder.Patients complain of pain and swelling in the lower back.Sometimes traces of blood are visible in the urine.
- Indolent chronic vaginitis.Roundworms and pinworms crawl from the anus into the genital tract, causing vaginal dysbiosis and provoking the development of thrush.Women are treated for itching and discharge without knowing that the problem is parasites.
- Skin phenomena.An infection with worms poisons the body and weakens the immune system, leading to allergies.The rash varies from small blisters to large focal areas.
- Inflammation of the mucous membraneand anal itching caused by irritation from crawling worms.
- General deterioration in health.Weak immunity, poor digestion and anemia weaken the body, which cannot resist infections.A person is plagued by constant colds, acute respiratory infections and acute respiratory viral infections.
Why ultrasound is more effective than traditional examinations for worms and other parasites
Worms are not always visible when defecating or scraping.The fact is that parasites have a specific development cycle and do not always lay eggs.There is a whole group of extraintestinal helminthiases, in which worms live outside the intestine.In this case, a stool test does not provide any information.
Ultrasound of the abdominal cavity reveals changes characteristic of the presence of parasites in the liver and pancreas.It is harmless, non-traumatic and can be used many times.
If the doctor does not find live helminths on the ultrasound and does not show 100% signs of their presence, he will suspect an infection and prescribe an additional examination.If the worm tests are positive, an ultrasound examination is also useful.The study will show where the parasites are hiding.
Signs of helminthiasis detected by ultrasound of the abdominal cavity - semi-living organs and living worms
When examining the gastrointestinal tract using modern 3D and 4D devices, doctors often see live parasites in the intestines.If helminths are not detected, their presence can be suspected by an enlarged and compacted pancreas in the head area.The spleen is also too big.
The liver is enlarged due to parasitic infection caused by leeches, trematodes and leeches.Areas of dystrophy become visible, affecting the function of the organ.
The gallbladder also suffers.Patients experience bile stagnation, which causes pain in the right hypochondrium.Sometimes the function of the bladder is so severely impaired that the organ is not detected at all on ultrasound.
The presence of parasites leads to the formation of abscesses - purulent liver lesions that are life-threatening.In 85% of cases, abscesses form in one lobe of the liver.Other departments suffer less often.Purulent lesions are characteristic of hepatic amebiasis - an infection with a protozoan - an amoeba that invades the liver region from the intestine.
Significant changes in the liver are observed in echinococcosis, a parasitic disease in which cavities filled with helminth larvae form inside the organ.Ultrasound shows round formations with clear boundaries.These are cysts that contain parasites.Over time, calcium builds up around echinococcal lesions.Such formations have a dense structure, so they look brighter on ultrasound than the surrounding tissue.
With prolonged infection, large cysts with septa resembling wheel spokes or large honeycombs form.The bile ducts are destroyed.The Doppler examination shows a disruption in blood flow.
For lovers of Japanese cuisine.Parasites – as a gift
A variety of parasites occur among lovers of Asian exotics, but the most common is opisthorchiasis - an infection with the Chinese leech.The source of helminths is unprocessed fish, which contains parasites.
At the beginning of the disease, ultrasound examination shows eosinophilic infiltrates in the liver and gallbladder - dense structures with clear boundaries.If the fight against helminths is postponed until better times, foci of dead cells appear in these organs that look like spotty areas, and the liver ducts lose their elasticity.The situation can lead to the development of liver failure.
When the urinary tract falls victim to parasites
Echinococci not only affect the liver, but also the kidneys.When the parasite invades the kidney tissue, a single-chamber cyst (bladder) containing larvae is formed.As the hydatid cyst increases in size, it destroys the organ.Large parasitic cysts adhere to the liver, spleen, and intestines.
People who like to walk barefoot along the warm beaches of overseas countries suffer from schistosomiasis.The larvae of the parasite enter the bloodstream through the skin and are then transported into the bladder with the blood.After they settle there, compactions occur - infiltrates that arise in response to irritation of the bladder walls.If the infection spreads, the kidneys are affected.
Enzyme immunoassay blood test – we introduce helminths into clean water
This test can detect infection with one or more types of parasites.It is examined for the presence of roundworms, Toxocara, Trichinella, Opisthorchis leeches, echinococci, Chinese leeches, etc.
The test principle is based on the body's immune response to the presence of helminths.Infection with worms leads to the formation of protein antibodies, which are detected during analysis.Since each parasite triggers the formation of a specific immunoglobulin, the test results show which helminths are in the human body.
The analysis responds to all forms of parasites – eggs, larvae, adult worms.The accuracy is over 90%.The examination not only shows the presence of an infection, but also its extent.
After treatment, the test is repeated.A positive result can be observed some time after the parasites have died.The concentration of immunoglobulins gradually decreases over several months.Then the analysis becomes “clean”.For the study, blood is taken from a vein in a volume of 3-5 ml on an empty stomach.The analysis is carried out twice.
Ultrasound and immunoglobulin tests can detect helminthiases and begin treatment.Thanks to their efforts, the number of cases of misdiagnosis leading to complications has decreased.The most important thing is to see a doctor immediately if you suspect a helminth infestation.