Parasites, having settled in the human body, strive to gain access to vitamins and nutrients, while releasing toxins.Symptoms of parasitic infestations are not always specific; they can be mistaken for the manifestation of other diseases.
Common signs in this case: weakness, excessive fatigue, loss or increase in appetite, attacks of severe hunger, muscle pain, and digestive disorders.
Other manifestations of the presence of worms will be various allergic reactions in the form of skin rashes, itchy dermatoses, eczema, decreased hemoglobin levels, immune defense, increased incidence of viral and bacterial diseases, causeless anxiety, nervous system disorders, and sleep disturbances.When a child is sick, he may develop the following symptoms:
- weight loss;
- delay in the rate of intellectual and physical development;
- attacks of headaches.
If the above symptoms are detected, you cannot begin self-treatment: this is dangerous to health, and there is also a possibility that the disease is not related to worms.
Enterobiasis
The cause of this disease will be pinworms - small white worms.They are called the most common helminth infections in many developed countries of the world.Very often, helminths are diagnosed in children of preschool and primary school age.
Pinworms live in the human large intestine.When the patient sleeps, the female parasite leaves him through the anus and begins to lay eggs on the skin near the anus.After a few hours, the worms can become capable of infecting another person.
Eggs can be stored on underwear, bedding, clothing, and toys for up to 14 days.If a person does not follow the rules of personal hygiene, he can easily become infected with pinworms.
The main symptoms of enterobiasis are itching near the anus, usually occurring in the evening and at night.When the infestation is weak, the patient may not notice its signs; with an increase in the number of parasites, the itching becomes so painful that the patient can scratch the skin until it bleeds, and the affected areas hurt and become inflamed.
In young children, characteristic manifestations of enterobiasis will be:
- sleep disturbance;
- moodiness;
- irritability;
- enuresis.
If treatment is not undertaken, symptoms worsen.
Ascariasis
Ascaris is a round worm reaching 15-40 cm in length.The female parasite lays eggs in the intestinal lumen, from where they enter the environment and soil, excreted in feces.Infection is facilitated by eating contaminated fruits, vegetables and drinking water.This disease is more typical for children 5-10 years old.
From the moment of infection until the first symptoms appear, it usually takes about 2-3 weeks.Initially, ascariasis occurs in the form of an allergic disease.
In preschoolers, the acute phase will begin with an increase in body temperature to 37-37.5 degrees, skin rashes, upset bowel movements, abdominal pain, and nausea.
When parasitic infestation becomes chronic:
- the child complains of periodic pain around the navel;
- his appetite decreases;
- the stool becomes unstable, and sometimes there is constipation.
Antiparasitic and symptomatic treatment is indicated.
Giardiasis
Giardia worms are protozoa; on the front side of their body there is a suction disk that helps to hold on to the walls of the intestinal epithelium.The parasite has no mouth; it feeds on dissolved nutrients.The incubation period of the disease lasts from 7 to 20 days.
Parasitic infestation begins acutely; a person experiences watery stools with an unpleasant odor and traces of fat.After this, pain in the abdominal cavity occurs, belching appears, appetite decreases, and vomiting and nausea may occur from time to time.
The initial stage lasts up to 7 days; in many cases, all symptoms of the invasion disappear spontaneously after 1-4 weeks.
When blastocyst invasion is detected, it can provoke discoloration of the stool and the appearance of streaks of blood and mucus in it.Symptomatic treatment is also required.
Toxocariasis
Toxocara are large dioecious helminths, reaching 18 cm in length.The average duration of their life cycle is 4 months, and the maximum is six months.The main source of infection is dogs, most often puppies.A person will get sick after:
- direct contact with a sick animal;
- getting into the mouth soil containing parasite eggs.
Children are susceptible to infection while playing with a dog or in the sand, and adults as a result of household contact with an infectious animal (dog breeders, veterinarians, utility workers).Another common cause of toxocariasis is eating raw or poorly processed meat.
Such parasitic infestations can develop suddenly or after a temporary illness.Signs of invasion in this case: increased body temperature, itchy skin rashes, significant enlargement of lymph nodes.
Low-grade fever with prolonged invasion can persist for several months.If the stage of the disease is acute, the person experiences symptoms of bronchitis, pneumonia, and severe asthma attacks.
Signs of infection in a sick child: weakness in the body, fatigue, sleep disturbance and unusual excessive nervousness.If there is no adequate and timely treatment, toxocariasis becomes the cause of severe and dangerous complications:
- hepatitis;
- retinal damage;
- pathologies of the nervous system;
- allergic reactions.
When treatment is carried out correctly, the prognosis is always favorable.
Prevention methods
The main ways to prevent parasitic infestations will be:
- careful adherence to personal hygiene rules;
- drinking only boiled water, well-washed vegetables and fruits;
- eating fresh, sufficiently fried and cooked meat.
It is equally important to teach the child not to eat food from the floor, not to put dirty objects in his mouth, and it is also necessary to deworm pets in a timely manner.Doctors also recommend not allowing children to play in open sandboxes, since such places often serve as toilets for cats and dogs.
You should know that there are some medicinal plants that can increase the body's resistance to helminthic infestations, neutralize toxins, and eliminate signs of the disease.These plants include black walnut, wormwood, grapefruit, pumpkin seeds, and cloves.This treatment is available to everyone, it has a general strengthening effect and does not cause adverse reactions in the body.