There are 4.5 billion people suffering from parasitic infections (infestations) in the world.Moreover, the number of people infected with helminths (worms) is constantly increasing.
Causes of helminth infection
Getting worms into your body is not difficult.Here are some of the causes of infection that are familiar to everyone from childhood:
- Insufficient hygiene.Eating unwashed fruits and vegetables, not wearing gloves when working in the garden and not bothering with hygiene procedures lead to infection with various helminths.
- Addiction to street fast food.It is no secret that sellers of such foods do not always undergo medical examination and often neglect basic hygiene.And their products are not kept in the best conditions.Street whites and lovers of pasties are another risk group.
- Love for exotic cuisinesincluding foods made from raw fish and shellfish containing parasites.Flukes, tapeworms, nematodes, roundworms and tapeworms are lovers of sushi and rolls responsible for increasing the number of worms.
- Nthe ability to properly protect yourself from infection during rest.Love for "Turkish shores" has led to an increase in cases of infection with exotic helminthosis - schistosomiasis, ancholiosis and dracunculiasis.After walking barefoot on the beach abroad, you can return from your trip not only with good impressions, but also with dangerous worms.
- Infection from petswho often sleep with their owners.Those who like to "kiss" their pets are at risk of getting parasites.
What parasites live in the human body
If an adult had the opportunity to look at his body, he would be horrified:
- Roundworms -pinworms, roundworms, whipworms, nematodes, toxocara, trichinella.Large helminths accumulate in huge balls, clog the lumen of the intestine and cause an obstruction that requires surgical treatment.Even during surgery, doctors remove an incredible amount of parasites from people's intestines.
- Tapewormsseen among those who like to taste rare meat and raw fish.It causes digestive problems, anemia, allergies.Children have convulsions similar to epileptic seizures.The most dangerous helminth of this group is echinococcus, whose larvae form huge cysts in the human body.When they break down, the parasites spread throughout the body.The infection can be fatal.
- Flukes- dangerous parasites, gypsophila and fasciola that suck blood from the veins of the liver, pancreas, intestines and bladder.
- Protozoa– leishmania, amoeba, lamblia, etc.Although these tiny parasites are visible only under a microscope, they can cause dangerous complications, including intestinal perforation and liver abscesses, which are fatal.
By what signs can you suspect the presence of "strangers": if your stomach hurts, then someone lives there
Signs of the presence of helminths:
- Abdominal pain- the most common sign of helminth infection.It can be permanent, periodic, affecting certain areas of the abdominal cavity.Pain in the right hypochondrium during helminthosis indicates damage to the liver and gall bladder by worms.
- Digestive disorders- diarrhea, constipation, irregular bowel movements.Sometimes patients see crawling segments of worms or even whole parasites in their feces.Absorption of food and impaired gastrointestinal function lead to weight loss.
- Anemia.Worms suck blood from the body and interfere with the digestion of food.The human host feeds the worms, not itself.Patients complain of weakness, fatigue, loss of strength, dizziness.
- Damage to the urinary tractcaused by parasites living in the kidneys and bladder.Patients complain of back pain and swelling.Sometimes traces of blood appear in the urine.
- Slow chronic vaginitis.Roundworms and pinworms crawl from the anus to the genital system, causing vaginal dysbiosis and the development of the liver.Women who do not understand that the problem is a parasite are treated for itching and discharge.
- Skin manifestations.Infection with worms poisons the body and suppresses the immune system, causing allergies.Rashes range from small blisters to large focal areas.
- Inflammation of the mucous membraneand itching in the anal area due to irritation from crawling worms.
- General deterioration of health.Weak immunity, poor digestion and anemia weaken the body, which cannot resist infections.A person is followed by constant colds, acute respiratory infections and acute respiratory viral infections.
Why ultrasound is more effective than traditional examinations for worms and other parasites
Pooping or scratching does not always reveal worms.The fact is that parasites have a certain development period and do not always lay eggs.There is a whole group of extraintestinal helminthiasis, in which worms live outside the intestines.In this case, the stool test will not give any information.
Abdominal ultrasound shows changes in the liver and pancreas that are characteristic of the presence of parasites.It is harmless, non-traumatic and can be used repeatedly.
If the doctor does not find live helminths and 100% signs of their presence on the ultrasound, he will suspect an infection and prescribe additional examination.If the tests for worms are positive, it is also useful to undergo an ultrasound examination.Research will show where the parasites are hiding.
Signs of helminthosis determined by ultrasound examination of the abdominal cavity - semi-living organs and live worms
When doctors examine the gastrointestinal tract using modern 3D and 4D devices, they often see live parasites in the intestines.If helminths are not detected, their presence can be suspected by an enlarged pancreas compressed in the head region.The spleen is also very large.
The liver is enlarged due to hairy, trematodes and parasitic infections.It detects areas of dystrophy that hinder the functioning of this organ.
Gallbladder also suffers.Patients experience bile stagnation, which causes pain in the right hypochondrium.Sometimes the function of the bladder is so impaired that the organ is not detected on ultrasound at all.
The presence of parasites leads to the formation of abscesses - purulent lesions of the liver, which are life-threatening.In 85% of cases, an abscess forms in one lobe of the liver.Other departments suffer less.Purulent lesions are characteristic of liver amebiasis - an infection with protozoa - an amoeba that penetrates the liver region from the intestine.
During echinococcosis, a parasitic disease in which cavities filled with helminth larvae form inside the body, significant changes are observed in the liver.Ultrasound shows round formations with clear boundaries.These are cysts that contain parasites.Over time, calcium accumulates around echinococcal lesions.Such formations have a dense structure, so they appear lighter than the surrounding tissue on ultrasound.
With prolonged infection, large cysts with septa resembling wheel rims or large honeycombs are formed.There is destruction of bile ducts.Doppler examination reveals a violation of blood flow.
For those who love Japanese cuisine.Parasites - as a gift
A wide variety of parasites are found in fans of Asian exotics, but the most common is opisthorchosis - an infection with a Chinese gun.The source of helminths is unprocessed fish containing parasites.
At the beginning of the disease, ultrasound reveals eosinophilic infiltrates in the liver and gallbladder - dense formations with clear boundaries.If the fight against helminths is postponed until better times, foci of dead cells similar to mottled areas will form in these organs, liver channels will lose elasticity.The condition can result in the development of liver failure.
If the urinary tract becomes a victim of parasites
Echinococcus affects not only the liver, but also the kidneys.When the parasite penetrates the kidney tissue, a one-chambered cyst (bladder) with larvae is formed.Gradually, the size increases, the cyst destroys the hydatid organ.Large parasitic cysts attach to the liver, spleen and intestines.
Schistosomiasis is contracted by those who like to walk barefoot on the hot beaches of foreign countries.The larvae of the parasite enter the bloodstream through the skin and are then carried along with the blood to the bladder.Settling there, they cause the appearance of compressions - infiltrates - which appear in response to irritation of the bladder walls.As the infection spreads, the kidneys are affected.
Enzyme immunoassay blood test - we bring helminths to clean water
This test can detect infection with one or more types of parasites.Tuber worms, toxocara, trichinella, opistorchis flukes, echinococci, Chinese flukes, etc.is made to be.
The principle of the test is based on the body's immune response to the presence of helminths.Infection with worms causes the production of protein antibodies that are detected during analysis.Since each parasite causes the formation of a certain immunoglobulin, the test results show which helminths are present in the human body.
The analysis reacts to all forms of parasites - eggs, larvae, adult worms.Accuracy is over 90%.The examination shows not only the presence of infection, but also its degree.
After treatment, the test is repeated.A positive result can be observed some time after the death of parasites.The concentration of immunoglobulins will gradually decrease over the next few months.Then the analysis will be "clean".Blood for research is taken from a vein in a volume of 3-5 ml on an empty stomach.The analysis is carried out twice.
Ultrasound and immunoglobulin testing can identify helminthiasis and start treatment.Thanks to their use, the number of cases of wrong diagnosis, which leads to complications, has decreased.The main thing is that if you suspect a helminthic infection, consult a doctor immediately.