Many do not even think about the presence of parasites in their body. Moreover, people often do not even suspect that, if they have health problems, the culprits for this condition are microorganisms that exist to the detriment of the owner.
Meanwhile, worms cause various helminthiases (ascariasis, enterobiasis, echinococcosis, trichinosis, etc. ). In the absence of deworming, a person develops a number of different complications.
Thus, in the case of untreated helminthic invasion in childhood, there may be a delay in mental and physical development. And the organs affected by worms contribute to the appearance of inflammation, which does not disappear even after the removal of the parasite.
But how to determine the presence of parasites in the body at home? What symptoms and diseases accompany different types of helminthiasis?
What to look for to recognize worms in humans
Roughness of the skin, the appearance of spots, acne on it, baldness and premature wrinkles - all these manifestations can indicate the presence of parasitic microorganisms. In addition, nail problems or cracking of the heels (damage to the digestive organs) may indicate helminthiasis, sometimes there may be a link between psoriasis and lamblia.
The above symptoms are often caused by lamblia or trichomonas. However, any helminthic invasion negatively affects immunity.
This in turn leads to the appearance of such signs:
- sinusitis;
- angina;
- polyps;
- inflammation of the paranasal sinuses;
- sudden onset of snoring.
To recognize parasites in men, you must pay attention to the presence of adenomas, cystitis, impotence, prostatitis, stones and sand in the kidneys and bladder. Some worms affect the brain and affect the development of future offspring.
To find out which parasites women have, the following symptoms will help:
- fibroids;
- painful sensations during menstruation;
- fibroma;
- menstrual disorders;
- bladder and kidney disorders;
- fibrocystic breast disease;
- ovarian inflammation.
In appendicitis, it is worth considering the presence of pinworms, biliary dyskinesia, or pancreatitis indicating opisthorchiasis.
Hookworm larvae that penetrate the lungs often cause false pneumonia. Moreover, the manifestations of some types of helminthiasis are similar to angina or bronchitis.
Also, the symptoms of parasites in the human body are:
- insomnia, constant malaise and anemia;
- weakening of immunity;
- avitaminosis;
- gastrointestinal tract discomfort, constipation, dysbiosis;
- changes in weight;
- allergic reactions;
- irritability and anxiety;
- skin problems.
Symptoms of the presence of parasites in the body
To understand whether you or I have helminths, you should pay attention to a number of signs that are quite diverse. Usually large worms contribute to constipation because they block the bile and intestinal tract, which interferes with the natural emptying of the intestines.
A certain type of parasite secretes special substances that dilute the feces. Therefore, diarrhea is not always a symptom of a gastrointestinal disorder, it often indicates the presence of parasitic microorganisms in the human body.
Also, the parasitic microorganism causes bloating and gas formation. This occurs when helminths enter the small intestine, causing an inflammatory process there.
Irritable bowel syndrome is another sign of helminthic infection. Thus, worms contribute to poor fat absorption, as a result of which it enters the large intestine, and an increased amount of it is observed in the feces. This leads to cramps, diarrhea and constipation.
Some types of worms can exist in muscle and joint fluid. Therefore, their presence in these areas causes painful sensations similar to the symptoms of arthritis. In reality, this discomfort is caused by inflammation, which is an immune response to the presence of worms.
Allergic manifestations are a characteristic feature of many types of helminthiasis. Finally, toxins secreted by worms elicit an immune response, which should produce many eosinophils. But an overabundance of protective cells contributes to the appearance of inflammation, which results in allergies.
Worms often cause skin rashes, eczema, acne and other problems. Thus, the simplest parasites lead to the formation of ulcers, papillomas and dermatitis.
Helminthic invasion is almost always accompanied by anemia. This is due to the fact that the worms after entering the intestine attach to its mucosa and suck nutrients from the body of the host. Trichomonas, which feeds on blood cells, in particular leads to fatigue, resulting in significant blood loss.
People with helminthiasis often have weight problems. Thus, excess body weight indicates that worms poison the human body with toxins or consume glucose. And excessive weight loss indicates disorders in metabolic processes.
Due to the deterioration of well-being caused by helminthic invasion, the patient becomes too irritable and emotionally unstable. Finally, waste products from worms poison their host, negatively affecting the nervous system, leaving the patient in a depressed state.
Insomnia is a characteristic sign that parasites are active in the body. Therefore, if a person often wakes up at 2-3 o'clock in the morning, then a parasitologist should be contacted, because the liver is trying to remove all toxins at that time. In addition, worms or earthworms come out through the anus at night, causing itching and irritation.
In patients under the age of 15, worms often cause grinding of teeth during sleep. Thus, the nervous system responds to toxins secreted by worms.
Also, almost every helminthiasis is accompanied by chronic fatigue syndrome, which is characterized by memory impairment, apathy and the presence of flu-like symptoms. This signals a lack of nutrients eaten by pathogenic microorganisms.
With prolonged helminthic invasion, immune disorders occur in the patient’s body. Finally, the vital activity of the worm greatly depletes the body's defenses, as a result of which allergic manifestations develop and favorable conditions are created for the penetration of the infection.
Even long-term parasitism of harmful microorganisms causes damage to organs and tissues, and oncological diseases develop in the background. In this case, inflammatory foci form and the body experiences a lack of nutrients.
All this is supplemented by disturbances in the work of the immune system. This creates favorable conditions for the appearance of various oncological diseases.
Certain types of worms are localized in the human respiratory system, which causes inflammation in its organs. As a result, the following symptoms occur:
- runny nose;
- temperature rise;
- cough;
- pneumonia;
- asthma.
How to detect helminthiasis using medical research?
In the presence of the above symptoms, to find out if there are parasites in the body or not, seek medical help. You may need to visit a parasitologist, infectious disease specialist, gastroenterologist, surgeon, sometimes an ENT specialist or ophthalmologist, as it all depends on the location of the worm.
The diagnosis often consists of taking a scrape and examining the stool for the presence of eggs. However, such analyzes allow you to check for worms in the intestinal tract or parasites that migrate along it (tapeworms and flatworms, flukes).
Since eggs do not always come out of the anus, the research should be conducted 2-3 times. Using these diagnostic methods, the following are detected:
- fluke;
- whips;
- tapeworms;
- pinworms;
- schistosomes;
- roundworm;
- Trichinella;
- strikes.
Many species of helminths (leishmaniasis, lamblia, trypanosome, echinococcus, plasmodia, amoeba, toxoplasma) can be localized in almost all tissues and organs, which makes the analysis of feces informative. In such a situation, the patient should undergo a blood test for the presence of immunoenzymes, which indicates the presence of antibodies and antigens.
In order to determine the parasite that lives in the liver of the host, probing and testing of the taken material is performed. If the waste products of helminths are in the human liver, it indicates an infection.