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 poisonous and cause various ailments - from hives to serious health problems. There are also deaths.
Common symptoms of worm infestation
Helminths live not only in human intestines, 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 characteristic features, but there are still common symptoms:
- reduction of working ability;
- rapid fatigue;
- intoxication;
- weakness;
- drowsiness;
- lack of appetite;
- weight loss
- joint pain;
- prison;
- bowel disorder;
- intolerance to any type of food.
Unfortunately, so many people are infected with parasites, and some do not even know about it. Eggs or cysts can be swallowed along with seemingly clean food. Often worms settle in a child's body, getting along with poorly washed fruits and vegetables, through dirty hands, from cats, dogs, etc. The trouble is that there is often no doubt that someone else lives in us, because there are types of parasites that do not manifest for a long time. Therefore, it is worth learning more about worms, what species exist and what symptoms of infection they cause.
roundworms in humans
Pinworms, roundworms, whips and Trichinella (less common) can live in the human body.
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 get into the bile ducts and clog them. Inside the person, the females mate with the males and lay eggs, which come out with the feces.
The person is not infected with roundworms that live in animals.
Furthermore, 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 through the bloodstream. There the larvae mature and migrate into the intestines through the trachea and oral cavity. And new individuals are already being bred there and everything is repeating itself. Worm worms live up to 14 months.
With ascariasis, appetite decreases, nausea, diarrhea, intestinal pain and allergic manifestations occur. Sleep is also disturbed, irritability occurs. Coughing can occur during migration from the lungs. By accumulating ascaris and forming a ball from them, intestinal obstruction can develop.
Pinworms are small whitish worms 3-12 mm long. Pinworms live in the small and large intestine. It is very easy to get infected with these helminths, it is enough not to wash your hands or you can even swallow helminth eggs by inhaling dust. Pinworm females lay eggs in the anus, causing intense itching. Pinworm eggs are so small that they can even be found indoors in raised dust.
You can get infected through bedding, hygiene items, products, handling, etc. Furthermore, pinworms go through the same migration as roundworms. Adults live in humans for a short time, only 1-2 months, and with proper hygiene, they can be taken care of in 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. Whips are glued to the walls of the intestines and suck blood. The toxins they release cause headaches, poor sleep, dizziness and nausea. The lifespan of helminths is 5 years.
Trichinella are small worms, only up to 4 mm long. A person becomes infected through raw pork that contains larvae. Adults live in the intestines, steam and lay eggs, after which they die. Trichinella larvae are excreted, penetrate from the intestine into 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;
- 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 adult worms can be destroyed by drugs, then the larvae in skeletal muscle cannot be killed.
Tapes in humans
Bull tapeworm can be up to 10 m long. Infection occurs when eating poorly cooked beef that contains helminth larvae. Housewives can be infected by tasting raw minced meat for salt. In the body, saltpeter develops from the larva, which lives in the intestines, attaching to the wall to retain it. The person loses weight, loses appetite, dizziness, insomnia, nausea, and often vomiting.
Pork tapeworm is smaller, reaching only 2 m. The infection occurs after eating poorly processed pork. The symptoms are the same as in bull tapeworm.
The wide strip has a length of 6 m to 15 m. 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 sore spots and even cracks on the tongue.
The small ribbon is 3-5 cm long. They infect this helminth through contaminated door handles, toilet seats, if they have 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 in dogs and cats - carriers of adult parasites. In the human body, larvae hatch from eggs, which are transferred through the bloodstream to various organs, more often to the liver, and echinococcal cysts form there. In some cases, they even reach the size of a newborn's head. Cysts are removed only by surgery.
Butterflies in humans
Butterflies parasitize in the bile ducts and in the gallbladder itself. The size of the helminth is small - 4-13 mm. The parasite enters the body using poorly salted or poorly cooked (fried) fish. First, this helminthiasis is manifested by high temperature (up to 40 degrees), pain in the joints and muscles, disorders in the gastrointestinal tract, and in rare cases, jaundice develops. Then the acute symptoms disappear, paroxysmal pains in the pancreas appear. Complications can occur.
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 unboiled water or eating aquatic plants. Weakness, fever, headache and stomach urticaria occur.
Concluding 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 if no special tests are performed to detect helminths. But any parasites must be taken care of urgently, because they not only take away useful substances from the body, but also release toxins that are dangerous to health.