Infection with helminths is possible even in our civilized society. These parasites quietly sneak into the body and poison it with the products of their vital activity. Helminth secretions are toxic and cause various diseases - from nettle fever to serious health problems. There are also deaths.
Common symptoms of worm infestation
Helminths live not only in the human intestine, some types of parasites also affect other organs, they can even be found in skeletal muscles. Therefore, the course of each helminthiasis has its own characteristics, but still has common symptoms:
- reduction of working capacity;
- rapid fatigue;
- intoxication;
- weakness;
- drowsiness;
- Lack of appetite;
- weight loss
- joint pain;
- constipation;
- bowel disorder;
- intolerance to any type of food.
Unfortunately, so many people are infected with parasites, some don't even know it. Eggs or cysts can be swallowed along with seemingly clean food. Often worms settle in the child's body, getting along with poorly washed fruits and vegetables, through dirty hands, from cats, dogs and others. The problem is that often there is no suspicion that someone else lives inside us, because there are types of parasites that do not appear for a long time. That is why it is worth learning more about worms, what species there are and what symptoms cause the infection.
roundworms in humans
The human body can be inhabited by pinworms, roundworms, whips and trichinae (less common).
Roundworms are roundworms with a spindle-shaped body, 15-40 cm long and 4-6 mm wide. This helminth lives in the small intestine, although there are cases when roundworms crawl into the bile ducts and clog them. Inside a person, females mate with males and lay eggs that come out with the feces.
Man is not infected with roundworms living in animals.
In addition, the eggs must mature in the soil. If they enter the human body with unwashed fruits or vegetables, the larvae are excreted in the intestines, quickly penetrate the blood vessels and reach the lungs with the bloodstream. There the larvae mature and migrate to the intestines through the trachea and oral cavity. And new individuals are already being raised there and everything is repeating itself. Roundworms live up to 14 months.
With ascariasis, appetite decreases, there is nausea, diarrhea, intestinal pain and allergic reactions. Sleep is also disturbed, irritability occurs. There may be a cough when migrating from the lungs. With the accumulation of roundworms and the formation of a ball of them, intestinal obstruction can develop.
Spikelets are small whitish worms 3-12 mm long. Oysters live in the small and large intestines. It is very easy to get infected with these helminths, it is enough not to wash your hands or even swallow helminth eggs by inhaling dust. Female squirrels lay their eggs in the anus, causing severe itching. Skeleton eggs are so small that they can be found even indoors among the raised dust.
You can get infected through underwear, hygiene items, products, handshakes, etc. In addition, pinworms undergo the same migration as roundworms. Adults live in a person for a short time, only 1-2 months, and with proper hygiene can be discarded for a short time. In addition to itching there are: insomnia, distraction, irritability, allergic rash.
Whipworms are small worms that live in the large intestine and reach a length of 30-35 mm. You can be infected with parasites in the same way as roundworms. The whips cling to the walls of the intestine and suck blood. The toxins released by them cause headaches, poor sleep, dizziness and nausea. The lifespan of helminths is 5 years.
Trichinella are small worms only up to 4 mm long. Man is infected through raw pork, which contains larvae. The adults live in the gut, mate and lay eggs, then die. Trichinella larvae separate, they penetrate from the intestine into the muscle tissue, where they form a capsule and can remain for years.
Helminthiasis causes the following disorders in the body:
- puffiness of the face;
- eyelid swelling;
- swelling of the legs and arms;
- skin rash;
- muscle pain;
- fever, fever;
- headache;
- insomnia or, conversely, drowsiness;
- reduced mobility of the knee and elbow joints;
- gastrointestinal disorders are observed.
Trichinosis is partially cured because if the adult worms can be killed with drugs, then the larvae in the skeletal muscles cannot be killed.
Tapeworms in humans
Tapeworm can be up to 10 m long. Infection occurs when eating poorly cooked beef that contains helminth larvae. Hosts can become infected if they try raw minced salt. In the body, nitrate develops from the larva, which lives in the gut, attaching to the wall to stay. One loses weight, loses appetite, dizziness, insomnia, nausea and frequent vomiting.
Pork tapeworm is smaller, reaching only 2 m. Infection occurs after eating poorly processed pork. The symptoms are the same as for tapeworm.
The broad tapeworm is 6 m to 15 m long. The source of infection is raw freshwater fish. Helminthiasis is manifested by weakness, nausea, vomiting, salivation, abdominal pain, constipation or diarrhea. There are always bright red painful spots and even cracks on the tongue.
The small tapeworm is 3-5 cm long. They are infected with this helminth through contaminated door handles, toilet seats, if there are worm eggs on them. Children get sick more often. Helminthiasis causes loss of appetite, nausea and abdominal pain, and sometimes diarrhea. In rare cases, children may have seizures similar to epileptic seizures.
Echinococcus is one of the most dangerous helminths. Infection occurs from dogs and cats - carriers of adult parasites. In the human body, larvae hatch from eggs, which are carried by the bloodstream to various organs, more often the liver, and form echinococcal cysts there. In some cases, they even reach the size of a newborn baby's head. Cysts are removed only by surgery.
Metatia in humans
Methyl parasitizes in the bile ducts and in the gallbladder itself. The size of the helminths is small - 4-13 mm. The parasite enters the body through the use of lightly salted or poorly cooked (fried) fish. First, this helminthiasis is manifested by high fever (up to 40 degrees), joint and muscle pain, disorders of the gastrointestinal tract and in rare cases jaundice. Then the acute symptoms disappear, paroxysmal pain in the pancreas appears. There may be complications.
Fasciola is dangerous to health. The worms are up to 3-7 cm long and settle in the gallbladder and bile ducts. A person becomes infected through undigested water or by eating aquatic plants. There is weakness, fever, headache and abdominal pain, urticaria.
In conclusion, about human helminths
Some types of worms live in the human body for years because they can hardly manifest in any way. Often the symptoms of helminthiasis are similar to gastrointestinal diseases, so a misdiagnosis is made unless special tests are performed to detect helminths. But all parasites must be disposed of urgently, as they not only remove nutrients from the body, but also release toxins that are dangerous to health.