Helminths from worms-parasites dangerous for humans

According to the WHO, every second person on the planet is infected with helminths every year. Many people think that parasitic worms do not cause much harm to health. However, not everything is so simple: helminths can affect important internal organs: the heart, lungs, and brain.

Helminths - who are they?

Helminths are parasitic worms that can choose human, animal, or plant organisms as hosts. In total there are three classes of helminths:

• tape worm. This class includes about 3. 5 thousand species of helminths. The length of parasitic worms varies from a few mm to 10-15 meters;
• flukes.Parasites are so named because they have suckers that they use to get food. The human body can infect about 4 dozen species of flukes. As a rule, the length of the worm does not exceed 5 cm;
• roundworm.This class of helminths has more than 24 thousand species. Spindle-shaped roundworms. Usually their length is not more than 0. 5 meters.

You can get infected with helminths in many ways. However, most often parasite invasion occurs for the following reasons:

1. Poor hand hygiene.
2. Unwashed vegetables, fruits; undercooked or undercooked meat, fish - the use of such products increases the risk of parasite invasion many times over.
3. Store food outside the open refrigerator. Insects can transfer helminth eggs to products stored without packaging.
4. Contact with pets.

The main symptoms of the presence of parasites in the body:

• nausea, vomiting, diarrhea;
• weight reduction;
• allergic rash;
• bloated stomach;
• itching in the anus;
• teeth echo in a dream.

Learn more about the signs of parasites in the bodyread our article.

What helminths are most often found in our country? Consider the most common types of parasitic worms and the diseases they cause.

tape worm

The tapeworm's body consists of segments, the number of which ranges from 3 to 5000. The main element of the helminth fixation is the head, the additional ones are suction cups, hooks.

The most common causes of tapeworms are:

Diphyllobothriasis

The causative agent of this disease is a broad tapeworm that affects the human intestine.Development of worm eggs occurs in fresh water. The scheme for introducing tapeworms into the human body is as follows:

1. Worm eggs are swallowed by crustaceans that live in the reservoir.
2. Infected crustaceans are eaten by fish.
3. A person becomes infected with the parasite by eating fish that has undergone insufficient heat treatment.

Symptoms of the disease develop 1. 5 months after infection. The main sign of pathology is the presence of whitish fragments of helminths in the feces.

Adhering to the intestinal mucosa, tapeworms absorb large amounts of vitamin B12. For this reason, people with diphyllobothriasis often suffer from anemia. In addition, tapeworms can cause an increase in the liver, spleen, intestinal obstruction.

Teniarinhoz

The causative agent of this disease is the bovine tapeworm, which mostly lives in the human small intestine. During its development cycle, the helminth replaces two owners: the intermediate one is cattle, the main one is man. Cattle tapeworms can live in the body for 20 years, multiply and cause harm to health. This disease is common in many areas, but most often occurs in cold areas.

As a rule, people get taeniarhynchosis after eating undercooked or undercooked beef.

This disease often occurs without obvious symptoms and is detected by chance when a person sees helminth elements in his feces. In some people, in addition to the main signs of infection with helminths, pain may occur on the right side of the anterior abdominal wall.

Adult helminths can penetrate the appendix, pancreatic duct, bile duct, causing an acute inflammatory process in them. With the invasion of multiple parasites, intestinal obstruction may develop.

taeniasis

The causative agent of this disease is the pig tapeworm, which initially affects the human small intestine.Human infection occurs through consumption of raw or improperly cooked pork.

Parasites can penetrate various organs and tissues, causing pain in the abdomen, back, and limbs. The most favorable pathology occurs when the worms are localized in subcutaneous fat and skeletal muscle tissue. When penetrating into the eye muscles, helminths cause decreased visual acuity, lacrimation, and photophobia. Defeat of pig brain tapeworm can be fatal.

flukes

Flukes have a leaf-like shape and are distinguished by a high ability to reproduce at various periods of the life cycle. Reproduction of worms is possible not only sexually with fertilization, but also without it. In addition to suckers, worms have many hooks and spikes, because they are securely attached to the mucous membrane of the organ.

Common pathologies caused by flukes:

• fasciolosis;
• opisthorchiasis;
• paragonimiasis.

Fascioliasis

Fascioliasis occurs when the liver or gallbladder is damaged by liver disease.Basically, the infection occurs when eating vegetables, which are irrigated with water from an open reservoir.

In addition to the standard signs of parasitic infection, a person may experience an asthma attack, which is accompanied by shortness of breath, facial redness, dilated pupils, and tachycardia. If the adult has caused the bile duct to be blocked, then obstructive jaundice develops. Pathological signs:

• spasmodic pain in the right hypochondrium;
• yellowing of the skin;
• fever;
• colorless stools.

Opisthorchiasis

The causative agent of this disease is cat fluke. The name of the parasite is due to the fact that, in addition to humans, it often infects cats and other mammals that eat fish.

As a rule, cat fluke affects the liver and pancreas, causing inflammation in the organs. Symptoms vary and depend on the number of parasites. Patients may experience:

• hangover symptoms;
• fever,
• itching;
• skin itching;
• pain in muscles, joints, right hypochondrium.

In some cases, helminths cause an increase in lymph nodes, the development of jaundice. Chronic forms of pathology often lead to hepatitis, cirrhosis of the liver.

Paragonimiasis

The cause of this disease is the pulmonary fluke that enters the human body with infected crustaceans.

First, the parasite enters the human intestine, then into the abdominal cavity. The end point of its journey is lung tissue. In addition, the worm is able to penetrate the brain and affect the central nervous system.

Specific signs of parasitic invasion of the lungs:

• chest pain syndrome;
• cough with sputum, which may contain pus and blood;
• fever

In some cases, helminths cause a violation of the function of lung ventilation and gas exchange during breathing.

roundworm

Due to their structure, roundworms (nematodes) can survive even in extreme conditions.Their bodies are covered with a three-layer skin-muscle sac, which surely protects the parasite from external influences.

Common diseases caused by nematodes:

• ascariasis;
• enterobiasis;
• trichinosis.

Ascariasis

The development of this disease gives rise to roundworms, which are initially fixed in the small intestine. The average length of an adult is 40 cm.Parasitic larvae can enter the human digestive system with unwashed vegetables and fruits, contaminated water.Also, often the cause of ascariasis is lack of hand washing before eating.

During the penetration of larvae into the body, a person may experience subfebrile temperature, allergic rash, cough with clear sputum. Signs of the intestinal stage of ascariasis (diarrhea, abdominal pain) are observed only in the presence of several parasites. As a rule, living in the intestines of one worm is asymptomatic.

Complications with multiple parasitic infestations:

• blockage of bile ducts;
• purulent inflammatory process in the gallbladder, liver;
• inflammation of the appendix;
• intestinal obstruction.

Enterobiasis

The provocateur of this disease is pinworms - small worms up to 1 cm long. Helminths penetrate the human digestive system in the same way as roundworms.

Currently, enterobiasis is the most common parasitic pathology in the world. Basically, this disease is diagnosed in children under 10 years of age.

Symptoms, as in the previous case, develop only with a lot of parasite invasion. Children often experience diarrhea, mucus in the stool, difficult and painful digestion, itching in the anus, and nausea. In severe cases of the disease, leg cramps may occur. In addition, pinworms can penetrate into the genitals, causing acute inflammation in them.

Trichinosis

This disease causes Trichinella - one of the smallest parasitic worms. The length of the parasite rarely exceeds 4 mm. In the larval stage, worms can infect skeletal muscle. The exception is the myocardium - heart muscle tissue. Parasite adults in the small intestine.

As a rule, human infection occurs when eating half-cooked pork.At the same time, for the development of this disease, it is enough to consume only 30 g of meat affected by the parasite.

Pathology is indicated by standard symptoms of parasite invasion. In advanced stages, swelling of the eyelids, face, arms and legs, pain in the lower back, chewing muscles may occur. Possible complications are complete or partial loss of mobility, paralysis of the respiratory tract.

How to prevent infection with helminths?

To reduce the risk of parasitic worm infection, it is important to observe the following rules:

18 signs of the presence of parasites in the body

Being in the human body, parasites have serious pathogenic effects. At the same time, the same parasite can produce many mechanisms of action in humans simultaneously.

WHO believes that currently about four and a half billion people in the world are constantly affected by various parasitosis.

This problem is very topical also because it is very difficult to diagnose parasitosis. Worm infestations (a large group of parasitic diseases) are present in humans even after the parasites have left. And if the patient has seen this, then in this case he, of course, will come to the medical facility. Parasitosis can also be detected during preventive examinations. But unfortunately, these cases are a drop in the ocean.

Mechanism of action:

mechanical effect.For example, if a roundworm is in the intestine, it will certainly press on and injure the intestinal wall. In some cases, it causes an inflammatory process. If, for example, the echinococcus is located in the liver, in the lungs, or in the kidneys, tissue compression will occur accordingly. This is a classic mechanical effect: rupture, pressure, dysfunction of the organ or system in which the parasite resides. There are many not only luminal parasites found in the gastrointestinal tract, but there are also many tissue parasites that can fully realize the so-called mechanical action.

Stimulation of allergic reactions.Unfortunately, when a person experiences an allergic reaction, he begins to go in circles: to a dermatologist, to a pediatrician, to a general practitioner, to an allergist, but doctors do not always rule out the presence of parasite invasion in the body in the first place.

Any parasite, even a superficial pinworm, can cause the formation of a serious allergic reaction, and they can be transformed, both on the skin and affecting the bronchopulmonary tree. For example, obstructive bronchitis that often occurs in children may be due to the fact that some types of parasites live in the intestines.

Influence on microflora.It's no secret that humans are the world of the vast world of microbiota. The microflora that inhabits all our mucous membranes, skin, organs, tissues is a friendly microflora that produces vitamins, minerals, hormones, enzymes for us, and helps our body live normally. And now, unfortunately, with the presence of parasites, it begins to die actively.

immunosuppressive action.Today it is clearly proven that parasitic waste dramatically inhibits the immune system. They just block it. Moreover, parasites over millions of years have learned to mimic and hide from the immune system, producing special anti-enzymes. Thus blocking the immune system, and sometimes a person can experience various parasitosis for decades. Which sooner or later leads to serious illness in the body as a whole, or in a separate organ or system.

Antienzyme effect. Unfortunately, parasites can not only consume our bodies. If we try to take vitamin, mineral foods, drink vitamins and minerals as a complex, they will not always benefit us, because our free loaders will take the largest part of them.

Mechanism of action of nerve reflexes.Parasite waste poisons the nervous system. And often this can affect the psycho-emotional state of both adults and children. Any psychosomatic illness can be associated with parasitic invasion. A child may have hyperreactivity, or vice versa, lethargy, tearfulness, a tendency to depression - all this may be the result of the presence of parasites in the body. For example, even the simplest Giardia produces toxins. Let them be in micro doses, but they are still the same toxins as psychotropic substances. Of course, children or adults with such persistent poisoning will experience serious stress on the functioning of the central nervous system. And from here all kinds of psychological and mental disorders can follow: sleep disorders, nervous disorders, various psychological problems. Moreover, not the parents, not the patient himself, if he is an adult, the idea that this is due to the invasion of parasites should not arise.

In my opinion, the most serious and terrible thing is the stimulation of neoplasms by parasites. The prolonged presence of parasitosis in the body can trigger problems such as the formation of neoplasms: benign and malignant. In addition, the stimulation of neoplasms can be attributed to two factors.

The first factor is a direct effect that damages the tissues of certain organs.

The second factor is an action mediated through a sharp inhibition of the immune system. The problem is that the part of the immune system responsible for antiparasitic protection is also responsible for antitumor protection. As a result of improper division, cancer cells may appear in the human body. In this case, the deficiency of the immune system will show itself in such a way that these cells will not be recognized by our immune cells in time, and will not be killed in time.

When can one suspect the presence of parasites?

I will now tell you a list of clinical manifestations of parasite invasion, in the presence of which you should immediately contact your doctor to clarify whether you really have this diagnosis.

• The most common clinical symptom is itching in the anus. This is heard by many people, so it is associated with the presence of parasites, especially in children's practice.
• Grinding teeth in a dream. Again, often this can be done in pediatric practice. The mother suddenly noticed that the child began to grind his teeth while sleeping. Why is this happening? Often, creaking in children is associated with frightening dreams. This is exactly the mechanism of the toxic effect on the central nervous system that we are talking about. The child had a terrible dream and he gritted his teeth with fear in his sleep. This is one of the reasons. There are also other reasons. The formation of trismus or increased masticatory muscle tone, this can also be a symptom in this case.
• Drooling during sleep, salivating in the morning, nausea in the morning when brushing teeth. These are all manifestations that can indirectly indicate the presence of parasite invasion in the body.
• Peeling the fingers and toes, exfoliating the skin in layers.
• Increased hunger, sometimes fainting.
• Allergic rash on the skin. When lecturing doctors, I often draw attention to the fact that doctors are in no hurry to give anti-allergic drugs to one or another patient. Understand first to the end - is there any helminthic invasion. Because of the high level of allergy, suddenly appearing in a person in a short period of time, it may indicate, first of all, that the patient has an invasion of parasites.
• Rash on the eyelids, peeling, swelling. , mental disorder with no known cause.
• Any itchy skin. Especially in children's practice. First of all, it is necessary to exclude the presence of parasitic invasion.
• Disturbed by symptoms such as flatulence, boiling in the stomach, unstable stools. Any problems with the gastrointestinal tract.
• There is underweight, or on the contrary, overweight. With parasitosis, it can be both.
• The presence of several chronic diseases at the same time. Joint diseases, bronchopulmonary tree, gastrointestinal tract. If suddenly a person starts to get sick in stages, then one, then the second, then the third, then the fifth, then the tenth, and at first there is no apparent reason for this, then this is an opportunity to think about the presence of parasites in the body.
• Poor health, and the diagnosis is unclear. Such patients can also go to various specialists, try to check one or the other. And in the end, the diagnosis remains unclear, and the state of health will remain poor.
• Inexplicable pain in the abdomen, unstable, sudden spasms, pulling pains. It is also necessary to exclude, especially in pediatric practice, the presence of parasites.
• Prolonged toxic-allergic manifestations. Periodically appear sudden, incomprehensible allergic reactions to food.
• Persistent anemia. When hemoglobin decreases significantly and is difficult to correct. It is necessary to think, first of all, about the presence of parasitic invasion in the human body.
• In children: lag in physical, psychosomatic, psychoemotional development, hyperreactivity, or vice versa, lethargy, in school children, poor assimilation of substances - all this may indicate the presence of hidden parasitosis in the body.
• Prolonged lymphadenopathy (a condition indicated by an increase in the nodes of the lymphatic system), recurrent lymphadenitis can also indicate the presence of parasitic invasion.

I have listed the main clinical signs of parasitosis. Notice how wide it is. And with these symptoms, the patient can turn to almost any doctor. It is believed that if a person has found two or three such signs in himself, then he is already subject to a more thorough examination for the presence of parasitosis, or an antiparasitic program.

During the consultation, you will be able to voice your problems, the doctor will explain the situation, explain the tests, answer your questions and give the necessary recommendations.

I want to attract people who want to treat themselves. If you come to the pharmacy and ask the pharmacist: "Give me something for worms, " then you are making a big mistake - this cannot be done. First, the pharmacist is not responsible for how you take this medicine. Second, it is not responsible for the consequences. Third, you can hurt yourself. Do not do like that. To find out whether you have a parasitic infection or not, it is very important to contact a specialist, go through a list of specific studies, and only after that undergo an adequate course of treatment.

What tests will show the presence of parasites in the human body?

According to WHO statistics, about 4. 5 billion people in the world are constantly infected with parasites. The situation is complicated by the fact that diagnosing parasitic infestations is very difficult. How to know if there are parasites in the body? What laboratory and instrumental research methods can detect parasitosis? Let's consider these questions in detail.

Complications

Helminthiasis caused by common types of parasites can be treated with medication prescribed by a doctor. But if you do not pay attention to alarming symptoms, deterioration of health, weakness, tiredness for no reason, decreased immunity, this disease can lead to serious complications.

If the parasite enters the lungs, and the patient does not go to the doctor with complaints of cough, shortness of breath, chest pain, shortness of breath, pneumonia or bronchial asthma may develop.

Parasites in the digestive system can cause cirrhosis, liver abscess, hepatitis, colon cancer, gastrointestinal bleeding, accumulation of fluid in the abdominal cavity (ascites), and peritonitis. They also often trigger the development of chronic kidney disease, meningoencephalitis, vision loss. Some cestodes (tapeworms) grow over 1 meter long, and small roundworms can form dense balls. This interferes with the normal functioning of the body, leads to severe intoxication, significant allergic reactions. Without immediate medical attention, death is possible.

Prevention

Helminthiasis often occurs when hygiene rules are not followed or food is not processed properly. To prevent helminthic invasion, you need to:

• Do not wear other people's underwear, do not share towels with strangers.
• Wash your hands thoroughly before eating - it is important to do this not only before breakfast, lunch, dinner, but also snacks.
• Wash your hands after using the toilet.
• Wash your hands thoroughly after working on the bed, and do all gardening with thick rubber gloves.
• Use only clean water for drinking and cooking.
• Rinse fruits and vegetables thoroughly under running water.
• Eat meat, fish, seafood that has undergone heat treatment.
• Do not buy products on the spontaneous market, from individuals who cannot confirm the safety of the goods.
• Monitor the pet's health, always deworm, even if the pet lives in the apartment and does not go out. To choose a drug and calculate the dose, contact your veterinarian.
• Maintain cleanliness at home and work. Sometimes people carry helminth eggs on the soles of their shoes. To reduce the risk of infection, you need to regularly wet clean, disinfect all surfaces.

Even following these rules, the risk of infection cannot be completely eliminated. To prevent the development of the disease, consult a therapist. The doctor will prescribe medication for the prevention of helminthiasis. Be sure to tell us how often you travel, whether there are pets in the house, private plot. Helminthiasis drug prophylaxis is recommended to be carried out 2 times a year.