Infection with helminths is possible even in our civilized society. These parasites quietly enter the body secretly and poison it with the products of its vital activity. The secretion of helminths is poisonous and causes a variety of diseases - from hives to serious health problems. There are also dead.
General symptoms of worm infection
Helminths not only live in the human gut, some types of parasites also affect other organs, and are even found in skeletal muscle. Therefore, the course of each helminthiasis has its own characteristics, but there are still common symptoms:
- reduced ability to work;
- rapid fatigue;
- intoxication;
- weakness;
- drowsiness;
- anorexia;
- lose weight
- pain in the joints;
- constipation;
- intestinal disorders;
- intolerance to any food.
Unfortunately, so many people are infected with parasites, and some do not even know it. Eggs or cysts can be swallowed along with food that looks clean. Often, worms are found in a child's body, through poorly washed fruits and vegetables, through dirty hands, from cats, dogs, and so on. The problem is that there is often no doubt that someone else lives inside us, because there are species of parasites that do not show up for a long time. Therefore, it is worth learning more about worms, what types they have and what symptoms cause the infection.
roundworms in humans
Pinworms, roundworms, whipworms and trichinella (less common) can live in the human body.
Roundworms are roundworms with a shaft-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 block them. In a human being, females mate with males and lay eggs that come out of the feces.
Humans are not infected with roundworms that live in animals.
In addition, the eggs need to grow in the soil. If they enter the human body with unwashed fruits or vegetables, the larvae are excreted in the intestines, penetrate the blood vessels rapidly and reach the lungs through the bloodstream. There, larvae grow and migrate to the intestine through the trachea and oral cavity. And new individuals are being raised there and everything is repeated. Roundworms live up to 14 months.
With ascariasis, there is a decrease in appetite, nausea, diarrhea, pain in the intestines, allergic reactions. Sleep is also disturbed, nervousness arises. There may be a cough when migrating from the lungs. With the accumulation of ascaris and the formation of a ball by them, intestinal obstruction can develop.
Pinworms are small whitish worms 3-12 mm long. Pinworms live in the small and large intestines. These helminths are very easy to infect, it is enough to wash your hands, you can even swallow helminth eggs by inhaling the dust. Female pinworms lay their eggs in the anus and cause severe itching. The eggs of pinworms are so small that they can be found even in the dust that is raised.
You can buy linen, hygiene products, products, hand squeezing, etc. can be infected through. In addition, pinworms migrate in the same way as roundworms. Adults live in a human for a short time, only 1-2 months, and can be destroyed in a short time with proper hygiene. In addition to itching, there are: insomnia, inattention, irritability, allergic rash.
Whipworms are thin 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. Whipworms attach 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 up to 4 mm long. A human larva is infected through raw pork. Adults live in the intestines, mate and lay eggs, after which they die. Trichinella larvae are excreted, 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:
- swelling of the face;
- swelling of the eyelids;
- swelling in the legs and hands;
- itchy skin;
- muscle pain;
- fever, temperature;
- Headache;
- insomnia or, conversely, drowsiness;
- decreased mobility of the knee and elbow joints;
- gastrointestinal disorders are observed.
Trichinosis is partially curable, because if the adult worms can be killed with drugs, the larvae in the skeletal muscles cannot be killed.
Tapeworms in humans
Bull tapeworm can be up to 10 m in length. The infection occurs when eating poorly cooked beef with helminth larvae. Housewives can be infected by tasting raw minced meat for salt. In the body, saltpeter develops by clinging to the wall to catch larvae living in the gut. The person loses weight, loses appetite, dizziness, insomnia, nausea, frequent vomiting.
Pig 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 length of the broad-leaved worm is from 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 painful spots and even cracks on the tongue.
The length of the chick tapeworm is 3-5 cm. They become infected with helminth-infected door handles, toilet seats, and 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 that carry adult parasites. In the human body, the larvae are removed from the eggs, which are transmitted through the bloodstream to various organs, mostly the liver, where they form echinococcal cysts. In some cases, they even reach the size of a newborn baby's head. Cysts can only be removed surgically.
Influenza in humans
It parasitizes the bile ducts and the gallbladder itself. The size of helminths is small - 4-13 mm. The parasite enters the body using low-salt or poorly cooked (fried) fish. First, these helminthiasis manifests itself with high fever (up to 40 degrees), pain in the joints and muscles, disorders of the gastrointestinal tract, and rarely develops jaundice. Then the acute symptoms disappear, there is paroxysmal pain in the pancreas. There may be complications.
Fasciola is dangerous to health. The worms reach a length of 3-7 cm, and they are located in the gallbladder and bile ducts. A person becomes infected by eating unboiled water or aquatic plants. There is weakness, fever, headache and abdominal pain, urticaria.
Finally about human helminths
Some types of worms live in the human body for years because they are unlikely to manifest themselves in any way. The symptoms of helminthiasis are often similar to those of gastrointestinal disease, so a misdiagnosis is made unless special tests are performed to detect helminths. However, any parasites must be destroyed immediately, because they not only remove nutrients from the body, but also release toxins that are dangerous to health.