When worms enter the human body, they begin their parasitic activity, thereby making a person feel unwell. Helminthic infestations often cause severe allergic reactions, gastrointestinal diseases and other pathologies not related to the gastrointestinal tract. However, traditional treatment of these diseases does not bring recovery. Worms in humans can be suspected with a high probability based on certain symptoms, but helminthiasis clinically manifests itself only when worms multiply massively. In case of asymptomatic cases, laboratory tests will help to reliably diagnose helminthiasis. Symptoms of worms in humans can be different, but first of all, abdominal pain, discomfort near the anus, nausea, and general malaise appear. To restore good health, it is necessary to get rid of worms using anthelmintic drugs or folk remedies.
What are worms
Worms are parasites of humans and animals belonging to the class of flatworms or roundworms. Worms have a fairly common structure.
In their development, worms traditionally go through several stages: egg - larva - adult. Most infection of a person with worms occurs when he ingests worm eggs.
Ingested eggs in the human intestinal tract quickly hatch into larvae, which begin to migrate to their place of permanent life, where they transform into adults. In the process of movement, almost all helminths make true "travels" through the human body.
Only a few parasites (for example, pinworms) hatch from eggs in the intestinal tract and remain there. Usually, the destruction of tissues and organs and the symptoms caused by larvae and other developing forms of helminths during movement are the most pronounced, compared with the symptoms caused by mature formsparasites
As we said above, adult worms traditionally have a stable localization in the body, and their developing forms often migrate to different organs and tissues, and often the path of their movement is quite complex. For example, with ascariasis, a person becomes infected by eating foods contaminated with worm eggs (ascaris eggs ripen in the ground).
In the cavity of the intestinal tract, roundworm eggs hatch into larvae, which within a couple of hours enter through the wall of the intestinal tract into the blood vessels and are carried into the lungs through the bloodstream. In the lungs, roundworm larvae grow and mature. The growing larva slowly gnaws into the adjacent bronchi and crawls along them, first into the trachea, and then into the oral cavity, where it is again swallowed and carried into the intestinal tract.
The roundworm larva that re-enters the intestinal tract transforms into an adult worm. Pulmonary migration of roundworm larvae is manifested by an abundance of symptoms (cough, asthma attacks, increased body temperature, allergic skin rash), and the presence of a small number of adult worms in the intestinal tract may not manifest itself in any way.
What are worms? Worms are scientifically called helminths. Helminths mean any worms that parasitize the bodies of people, animals, and plants. Accordingly, worms are not a specific type of parasite, but a whole group of different worms, three of which are the most common.
Some scientists claim that almost the entire population of the Earth is infected with one or another parasitic worms. However, in this case, helminthic infestations would have to be the most common types of diseases in the world, and, moreover, a number of serious studies prove that in fact everything is not so bad. But the thought that a person still has helminths makes him immediately look for an answer to the question of how to get rid of worms.
It should also be understood that helminthic infestation is not something rare and insignificant. There are more than three hundred species; the larvae in humans enter far beyond the intestines and continue to develop there, gradually poisoning the body. Let's figure out what the symptoms of worms are in humans, because the forewarned, as we know, is forearmed. And then we’ll find out how to get rid of worms effectively and what is needed to ensure that they don’t come back.
It is actually very easy to determine the presence of worms in the body of any person - you just need to take a stool test. However, the problem is that most people don’t even think about going through such a test. The problem is that helminths in adults and children manifest themselves, masquerading as a huge number of diseases, and at first they do not reveal their presence at all.
A person can spend years treating the intestines, liver, kidneys, stomach, gall bladder, and the root of evil will be helminthiases and parasites, which feel great when they are not fought.
Often, helminth infestation causes the development of diseases that have nothing to do with the helminths themselves. And in this case, you can be treated endlessly if you don’t understand in time what’s going on.
All this proves that worms are not just an unpleasant phenomenon. And given the presence of a huge number of ways of infection, knowing the signs of worms in humans is vitally important.
How do worms (parasites) appear?
Symptoms of helminthic diseases depend on the phase of development of the parasite. The development of helminthiases is usually divided into acute and acquired stages.
- The acute stage of development of parasites begins from the moment the patient is infected with worms and lasts 2-3 weeks (in the case of severe disease - up to 2 months).This stage is characterized by the dominance of allergic manifestations (rash, dry suffocating cough, increased levels of eosinophils in the blood), which develop in response to the appearance of antigens (fragments) of migrating larvae in the blood. The immune response is very pronounced at the stage when the early forms of the parasite (larvae) are in the body of an infected person;
- the acquired stage of development of worms occurs after the acute stage and lasts several weeks, months or years (for some helminthic diseases - up to 10 years).The symptoms of this stage for us depend on the location of the worms, their numbers, and feeding habits.
In places where they spread, parasites damage tissues with their fixation organs (hooks, spines, cutting plates, cuticular spines). Damage causes tissue irritation and the development of an inflammatory reaction.
Some rapidly growing parasites, such as cysticerci or hydatid cysts, being in the brain, eyeballs, and liver, compress the surrounding tissues, often causing dysfunction of vital organs, which leads to serious consequences.
In the acquired stage of helminthiasis, metabolism is disrupted, since the parasite constantly absorbs valuable nutrients, such as proteins, minerals, carbohydrates, and vitamins. In addition, the process of absorption of digested food in the intestinal tract is disrupted. The acquired phase in most digestive helminthic infestations is often asymptomatic, especially in cases where the parasites are represented by a single individual.
Any symptoms of the disease appear only when the parasite is huge, such as roundworm or tapeworm.
With other helminthiases, for example, with enterobiasis, nocturnal itching in the anal area may appear; intensive invasion with trichuriasis contributes to the development of hemorrhagic colitis; in children, symptoms of rectal prolapse may appear.
How can you become infected with worms?
You can acquire parasites in various ways. In this case, the worms are carried by larvae that are almost invisible to the naked eye.
Main methods of infection:
- lack of hygiene skills - dirty hands, working on the ground;
- eating food contaminated with helminths - unwashed fruits and food that husbands ate, as well as insufficiently heat-treated meat and fish (kebabs, rare steak, smoked foods, sushi, etc. );
- drinking unboiled water contaminated with worm eggs;
- contact with animals that are natural reservoirs for worms - cats and dogs, wild animals (hunting, fishing, work on fur farms);
- contact with a person with helminthiasis - a handshake, through bed linen, door handles, etc.
In which organs can worms live?
Helminthic parasites are divided into two categories, which correspond to the location of activity in the donor’s body:
- cavitary– worms that live in various parts of the gastrointestinal tract. There are about 100 species of intestinal parasites, and for every part of the intestine there are a couple of dozen species. The small intestine is ready to accept roundworms, antelostomas, broad tapeworms and other less common "brethren". The small intestine will "share living space" with pinworms, dwarf tapeworms and others. The medical literature describes cases where one person was infected simultaneously with several types of parasites;
- fabric- worms localized in organs, tissues and even in the blood. Modern medicine successfully copes with paragonimiasis (lungs), cysticercosis (brain), echinococcosis (liver) and filariasis (lymphatic vessels). Some worm larvae move throughout the body through the circulatory system and randomly attach to any organ. If many eggs are introduced, the entire body can be infected.
How can you become infected with worms?
To protect yourself, you need to know about 4 ways of spreading and becoming infected with worm eggs:
- through soil and water - geohelminthiasis. They develop in sand, soil and water, then enter the human body and begin laying eggs there. Next, the worm eggs enter the external environment along with excrement and wait in the wings to infect a new person. Eating poorly washed vegetables and fruits, dirty hands, and dust getting on food can lead to a person becoming infected with geohelminths. Some parasite eggs enter the human body through the skin of the feet and ankles;
- through direct contact.Worms in domestic animals and humans are transmitted through hand contact, games, and joint activities.
- through consumption of contaminated food of animal origin - biohelminthiasis. Eating raw and lightly processed meat (kebabs, lard, preserved meat, home-cooked game) and fish (sushi, dried fish, preserved fish) is potentially dangerous. There is a possibility of infection with intestinal infections and biohelminths;
- for insect bites. This type of infection is quite rare. These include intestinal myiases, cantariasis and scoleciasis. Do not confuse the eggs of parasites and insect larvae, which are also deposited under the skin of animals and the skin of people (for example, gadfly larvae).
Symptoms of worms
To understand how to remove worms from a person, you should know the symptoms that manifest each type of tapeworm. Depending on the location of the dislocation, helminthic infestations can be:
- luminous.Cavity types of worms inhabit the area of the small and large intestines. For example, the area inhabited by roundworms and tapeworms is the small intestine. Pinworms live in the lower part of the small intestine, whipworms live in the large intestine;
- muscle (cellular).They live in muscle cells, lung tissue, brain cells, liver, lymph nodes, and eyes. Some of the worms are luminal and cellular, because in the early stages they migrate with the blood circulation and populate the above organs.
Symptoms of worms in an adult can be different. As mentioned above, they are often easily confused with signs of other diseases. In some cases, everything happens according to the classic scenario of massive infection. In this case, the signs of worms in an adult and a child will be similar, most likely, in children - more pronounced.
Obvious symptoms of worm infection: itching in the anus, especially at night; sudden loss or, on the contrary, weight gain; anemia, externally manifested in pallor of the skin; tired, haggard appearance.
If you or your children begin to experience such phenomena, you must definitely visit a doctor and insist on being tested for the presence of parasite eggs in the stool. Of course, it may not be their fault. Symptoms of helminthic infestation are not always to blame for poor health, but communication with a doctor will be useful in any case, because disorders in the body are obvious.
Symptoms of worms in humans, first signs
The first signs of worms in humans are always absent; symptoms of parasitic infestation appear only when there are a large number of worms (pinworms, roundworms) or the tapeworm reaches a large size, for example. The clinical picture of helminthiasis often mimics gastrointestinal pathology.
However, in addition to those characteristic of gastrointestinal lesions, there are signs indicating dysfunction of other organs.
Symptoms indicating the presence of helminths in the body:
- lack of appetite or, conversely, gluttony, bitterness in the mouth and excessive salivation;
- a strong desire to eat sweets (worms feed on carbohydrates);
- nausea, vomiting - sometimes worms crawl into the stomach, or their parts (segments) are found in the vomit;
- itching of the anus and grinding of teeth during sleep often indicate enterobiasis;
- unstable stool - always provoking intestinal dysbiosis, helminthiasis occurs with frequent changes of diarrhea and constipation; with significant infestation, worms can be excreted in the feces;
- flatulence - bloating and rumbling in the stomach is caused by toxins produced by worms;
- periodic abdominal pain - diffuse, often localized in the navel area, pain is sometimes spastic in nature;
- skin manifestations - sudden allergic rashes and purulent formations (acne, boils), caused by a decrease in local immunity and the removal of toxins through the skin, often occur in a severe form, at the same time there is weakness of the nails and excessive hair loss;
- irritable bowel syndrome - impaired absorption of nutrients leads to the development of anemia and weight loss, especially with numerous helminthic colonies;
- cough is a dry symptom that occurs at the pulmonary stage of helminthiasis (ascaris larvae enter the lungs with blood); severe infestation can provoke pneumonia;
- obesity - oddly enough, can also be triggered by intestinal parasites, which, when feeding on carbohydrates, cause a sharp drop in blood glucose and force one to consume more food, and the body stores fats in reserve;
- symptoms from the nervous system - increased irritability, poor sleep or drowsiness, constant depression, decreased attentiveness and memory problems are especially pronounced in children with helminthiasis;
- chronic fatigue syndrome - parasites often provoke constant weakness, prolonged rises in temperature to 37-37. 5 C, a flu-like condition and muscle pain;
- pathology of the upper respiratory tract - a sluggish runny nose, untreatable cough, even pneumonia and asthmatic conditions are often caused by the presence of helminths;
- decreased immunity - accompanying helminthiasis, intestinal dysbiosis and chronic intoxication lead to frequent colds and pathologies that are indicators of immunodeficiency (herpes, warts, etc. ), including oncopathology.
The effect of helminthiasis on the nervous system deserves special attention. Any type of parasite in the course of its life produces products that are perceived by the body as foreign substances. Their toxic effect, first of all, affects the nervous system, provoking irritability, depressive states and other disorders of emotional stability.
Flat parasites in humans. Symptoms
Fluke
The fluke is found in the liver tubules. Causes cancer of the digestive organs. You can become infected by eating lightly salted, raw fish products. Symptoms of worms in an adult: increased body temperature; bouts of vomiting; dyspepsia; soreness in the spleen, liver; allergy. The person periodically feels dizzy and sleep is disturbed; migraines are observed; he becomes irritable; mood changes often. Treatment of helminthiasis is carried out in a hospital.
Schistosoma
Schistosoma infection routes include swimming in charging ponds and drinking dirty water. Parasitizes in the small veins of the large intestine, abdominal cavity, small pelvis, uterus, bladder. May be localized in the brain.
Symptoms of worm infection include loss of appetite; disruption of the digestive system; pale skin; abdominal pain; dyspepsia; intestinal and uterine bleeding, weight loss, intestinal obstruction. In women, it causes menstrual irregularities; miscarriages have been recorded during pregnancy due to the presence of worms.
Men develop impotence; sperm quality decreases (infertility). Children suffer from delayed growth and mental development. When brain cells are damaged, consciousness is impaired, and paralysis and convulsions may develop. Such conditions can cause death
Paragon
Paragonom - pulmonary fluke: what causes worms in humans: from the consumption of freshwater crabs, fish, pork. The worm affects the bronchial organs and lungs. Signs of worms in adults: temperature rises; the person begins to cough, and for a long time.
When you cough, sputum is produced. Migraine is observed; shortness of breath appears in the absence of movement; impaired visual acuity; bouts of vomiting.
Echinococcus
Echinococcus is a very dangerous tapeworm. May cause death. It lives next to a person for a long time and is capable of not expressing itself. The route of infection is through domestic animals, often dogs. A person becomes infected without following hygiene rules.
Echinococcus causes the development of cysts in human organs. Treatment of worms in adults is carried out only surgically. Often affects the digestive system, respiratory system, brain, bone tissue. Symptoms in adults depend on which organ is affected.
Liver: pain in this area, varying in nature, heaviness, fatigue, skin allergies, jaundice. Lungs: pain in the sternum, coughing fits, shortness of breath. Brain: migraine, dizziness, paralysis, mental disorders, epilepsy. Bones: muscles, joints hurt; frequent fractures are observed.
Wide tapeworm
The broad tapeworm is one of the largest parasites. Lives in the small intestine. The route of infection is the consumption of lightly salted caviar, fish that has not undergone proper heat treatment.
Worms in the human body are characterized by frequent bouts of vomiting; pain in the abdominal area; dyspepsia; lack of appetite; fatigue; anemia; decreased blood pressure; migraines. Moreover, sometimes the pain is so powerful that it leads to fainting.
Bull tapeworm
Bovine tapeworm: route of entry is contaminated beef. The helminthic infestation colonizes the small intestine. How to understand that an infection has occurred? Signs of worms in humans: stomach pain; severe nausea; excessive increase in appetite; weight loss; rumbling in the stomach; flatulence; increased frequency of stools.
Pork tapeworm
Pork tapeworm lives in different organs. Ways of infection are lack of hygiene, unwashed fruits. You can determine that a person has worms by dizziness, prolonged and regular migraines. The person sleeps poorly, often wakes up in a "cold sweat" due to nightmares, and therefore becomes irritable over time. Appetite is disrupted and belching appears.
Dwarf tapeworm
The dwarf tapeworm reaches humans through the oral cavity with dirty fruits and vegetables. Lives in the area of the small intestine. Symptoms: fever, nausea, salivation, belching, heartburn, rhinitis, dry mucous membranes.
Roundworms in humans. Symptoms
Ascaris
Ascaris: you can become infected after eating unwashed vegetables and fruits. Tapeworms live in the small intestine. Signs of the appearance of worms in a person: the anus is itchy, the person feels the movement of worms, which causes incredible discomfort. The temperature may rise, the lymph nodes may become enlarged, and there may be a headache in the evening. The liver enlarges, manifestations of allergies are visible (urticaria in the area of the feet and hands, dermatosis). Due to damage to the central nervous system, mental disorders occur - depression, convulsions, attacks of aggression, nightmares at night. The functioning of digestion is disrupted.
Pinworm
pinworm: this parasite starts from dirty hands. Lives in the large and small intestine of humans. The source of infection is sick people and failure to comply with hygiene standards.
The first signs of worms: the anal area itches (worsens at night); I have a stomachache; be sick; sleep is disturbed. The person is restless and irritable; gets tired quickly.
Some people develop urinary incontinence against this background; allergic manifestations. Girls with worms experience profuse vaginal discharge.
Trichinella
Trichinella is a dangerous helminthic infestation. Symptoms do not always appear immediately. Routes of infection: consumption of pork meat, vegetation near pastures. Helminthic infestation affects all systems and organs without exception.
The following symptoms cause worms in humans: loss of appetite; people constantly feel nauseous, and a gag reflex occurs periodically. The stool is disturbed and there is pain in the abdomen. A distinctive feature is swelling of the face. Muscle pains; rashes appear on the skin; temperature increase.
Hookworms
Hookworms are dangerous worms in adults. Symptoms may be severe or absent. The gastrointestinal tract (small intestine, duodenum) is affected. Routes of infection: contact with soil where larvae are present; through the mouth with soil-contaminated vegetables and herbs.
Signs of the presence of worms: itchy skin allergies; coughing attacks (streaks of blood are visible in the sputum); increased body temperature, migraine. People feel dizzy and feel weak; pain and aching in the bones (as with ARVI). I suffer from hunger pains.
After eating a person feels nauseous and may vomit. Almost always after eating, the stomach swells and the stomach hurts. After eating, diarrhea appears two hours later. Many, on the contrary, experience constipation due to impaired intestinal motility caused by worms. A person becomes drowsy and fatigue appears even in the absence of physical activity.
Is it worth taking anti-worm tablets for prevention?
If one of the family members has pinworms, preventive treatment is always carried out for the entire family.
Indications for prophylactic use of drugs against helminths:
- presence of pets;
- constant contact with the ground (playing in the sand, villagers);
- if children permanently live in closed children's groups;
- regular trips to exotic countries;
- Hobbies: fishing, hunting, beach volleyball, football.