People are used to associating the word "parasites" with common worms common in the human colon. But their localization can be so varied that the patient for several years does not even know about the presence of subcutaneous parasites. Yes, uninvited guests can comfortably sit under the skin of a person, and their size can rarely be called microscopic.
Types of parasites and their symptoms
Is your body itchy? Purulent acne on the face? Occasional cloudiness in the eye? All these are subcutaneous parasites that move briskly in the body and can affect internal organs. Such movement occurs independently or with the flow of blood. The patient for many years may not know about such a "phenomenon" in himself, until some worm is under the layer of the epidermis and "greets" him.
To frighten the reader even more, it is necessary to provide characteristics of the possible varieties of parasites, the habitat of which is located only under the skin.
Filariasis
If you travel to tropical countries, be prepared for a fight with insects, which through their bite can not only cause trouble in the form of itching or pain, but can also infect you with parasites from the nematode species - filariasis. The danger of the disease lies in the long incubation period - about 5-7 years. All this time, the parasites will multiply in the human body without giving themselves any signs.
With a large amount of waste products thrown into the body, intoxication gradually begins to develop in a person, which manifests itself, first of all, with a characteristic urticaria on the skin. She delivers itching only at the initial stage. In the future, the patient will grope for several movable seals, will face loss of vision, will cope with acute fever.
As for diagnostics, here the patient is examined by a specialist when contacting the clinic. With the naked eye, you can see crawling worms under the skin, they are also perfectly visible when examining the eyes. By clarifying the course of the disease and the events preceding it, the specialist diagnoses and prescribes the appropriate treatment.
Important!When traveling to hot countries, do not neglect the vaccination, even if it is not required by visa control or health services.
Dracunculiasis
Helminths of the presented group enter the body through the ingested contaminated water. It contains larvae, the detection of which is, in principle, impossible. But the infection itself can turn out to be fatal for a person, since the larvae grow to one meter in size. One such helminth can settle in the stomach or penetrate the lungs, completely blocking the person's breathing. But this rarely happens, since in most cases this type of parasite will choose the lower limbs of a person.
Symptoms include:
- itching of the lower extremities;
- the formation of a characteristic roller on the legs or feet;
- various purulent lesions of the skin;
- peculiar bubbles, reaching at least 8 cm in diameter, which simply burst under the influence of water.
Pay close attention to what kind of water you drink, because it is easier to protect yourself and your loved ones from such infection than to resort to treatment.
Scabies
All unpleasant scabies is manifested only by itching of the skin, rarely on the skin you can find any modifications in the form of spots and redness. This is due to skin mites, which are infected only when interacting with another carrier of the disease or in case of contact with items of his clothing.
Ticks are small in size, they are not visible to the naked eye, but their activity in the body is quite extensive. In the case of penetration into the skin, the parasites gnaw their passages in the deep layers of the epidermis - this provokes itching. With long walks of parasites, passages begin to appear on the skin, and if the surfaces are treated with iodine, you can notice a characteristic cobweb of such passages.
Related signs include:
- bubbles form in the places of scratching;
- hands and articular surfaces are more affected.
Important!Despite the rapid diagnosis through examination by a specialist, treatment can take a long time, so it is better to listen to precautions against infection.
Demodecosis
Of the numerous varieties of parasites, it is worth mentioning separately the lesions by ticks of the genus Demodex. Their distribution is localized mainly in the sebaceous glands of the face, which is presented in the form of a characteristic acne. Outwardly, such reproduction looks very unattractive. Loss of eyelashes is also referred to as lesions and symptoms.
Diagnosis of such a lesion takes only a few minutes. The doctor simply examines the skin. But the treatment can take several years, even if all the prescriptions of the specialist are followed exactly.
Diagnosis of subcutaneous pests
In most cases, the diagnosis of the affected skin is carried out directly in the office of a specialist, who, upon visual examination, can already determine the disease. But to accurately identify the cause and concomitant lesions of internal organs, the patient is prescribed a comprehensive medical examination. Firstly, it is necessary to clarify all the lesions, and secondly, in this way it is possible to find foci of accumulations of parasites (if any) and approximately determine their number.
If you find unpleasant symptoms in the form of a rash, itching and other changes, you should contact such specialists as:
- dermatologist;
- allergist;
- neuropathologist;
- medical psychologist;
- infectious disease specialist.
A comprehensive examination includes a visit to a neurologist and a medical psychologist, since itching and rash are often a simple psychological disorder. But such visits are due only to the lack of an accurate diagnosis, which was not made after examination by the local doctor.
In identifying the type of disease, laboratory diagnostics of the patient is especially important, which will accurately show the presence of parasites under the skin or in internal organs. Such a survey includes two stages:
- Direct diagnosis of parasites - a scraping or smear of mucous membranes is used to study changes. The direct method is used in case of a clear manifestation of the presence of parasites: skin redness, blisters, purulent acne.
- The second stage involves the study of blood for the presence of antigen-antibody complexes, which precisely determines the immune response to the fight against parasites in the human body. As a rule, the discarded elements of the vital activity of parasites almost completely kill the protective antibodies, as a result of which the weakened immunity of the body is unable to overcome the invasion and activities of uninvited guests.
To prescribe treatment, it is necessary to accurately identify the type of parasite that has penetrated the human body. Here, along with a skin scraping or a smear of mucous membrane, hair, blood, nails, feces, the contents of blisters on the skin and other important biological materials are often taken for analysis.
Treatment
It is impossible to tell exactly about the treatment of parasites under the skin. Here, their localization, area and stage of the lesion play an important role.
Only the following techniques can be cited as general information:
- Subcutaneous mites must be removed using medications based on the elimination of all types of parasites in the body. Here, specialists often prescribe acaricidal agents, as well as antihistamines. As an external application, antibiotics ointments and gels, as well as vasoconstrictor drugs, for example, an aqueous adrenaline-resorcinol solution, act as an effective remedy. The instructions for use and the treatment regimen will be explained by the doctor depending on the stage of the lesion.
- Dracunculiasis is subject to surgical intervention. Including all kinds of worms that have spread under the skin of a person or have already struck the internal organs. The danger of such lesions lies in the spread of parasites in the internal organs, which often causes the brain to suffer. That is why the patient needs to undergo a complete comprehensive examination to find out the localization of worms.
The general principle of removing parasites from the body occurs in two ways - a conservative method and surgical intervention. It is not recommended to use alternative methods in the case of the treatment of subcutaneous parasites, since it will take a long time, and the damage to the body can already be serious and have consequences for the patient's later life.
Prophylaxis
Infection with parasites occurs through direct contact with a sick person or an infected area, in the case of eating poor-quality food or water. Leading positions among the causes of parasite infestation are given to violations of hygiene rules.
To protect yourself from the presented problems, you should:
- Wash hands before eating food, every time after contact with objects located in public places, as well as after using money.
- Do not try on the things of another person, because he can be infected with parasites, the larvae of which are located on the skin and thus are easily transmitted.
- Do not use other people's cosmetics. Lipsticks, mascaras, someone else's soap and other items can become the same carriers of parasite larvae.
- When eating fruits and vegetables, be sure to expose them to washing and other cleaning procedures from dirt and dust - among them there may also be pest larvae.
- In the event of a wound or abrasion, it is necessary to immediately treat them in order to prevent infection.
Take care of your health and undergo compulsory vaccinations in case of an upcoming trip to tropical countries. Do not refuse there from help and treatment of wounds, bites and other mechanical injuries of the skin. So you can protect yourself from the visit of uninvited guests.