Intestinal or other worms in humans are an invasion that affects the entire body. This disease is caused by the infection of the eggs and larvae of the worms and is characterized by a number of specific symptoms.
The diagnosis is made by several tests, both feces and blood. Worms in the abdomen and other organs occur in adults and children, they can appear in the anus, stool or not manifest themselves in any way.
causes
Worms in the intestine are transmitted mainly by the fecal-oral route, that is, for infection it is necessary to swallow the eggs of the parasites or the larvae of the worm. An unfortunate feature of this invasion is that some types of helminths in children and adults remain viable for a long time outside the host's body (for example, in water, soil).
The eggs of the parasites that the adults lay there remain able to become infected for several months. This feature leads to the fact that some types of worms in children and adults are widespread.
The main routes of infection are as follows:
- Infection through the use of untreated water, which can be found in a well, natural reservoir, and even gush from the tap. Almost all intestinal parasites in humans survive and multiply in water for a long time, so it's best to drink bottled water. In areas unfavorable for hygienic-sanitary conditions, the well water can be used only after prolonged boiling;
- The appearance of a worm in a child's butt can occur due to the consumption of a poorly washed vegetable. If manure was used to fertilize the soil, which has become infected with worms, their larvae, eggs and adults appear and survive in the soil for a long time. Together with the soil particles, the eggs fall on the vegetables. If such a vegetable is washed poorly, they will enter the host's body, provoking a helminthic invasion in a person;
- Swelling and other symptoms characteristic of the infestation can occur after eating contaminated meat, fish or poultry. If an animal, bird or fish has suffered from a helminth infestation during its life, most likely its meat is also infected, while parasites (for example fish) easily take root in the human body. You can get rid of it only after a careful and prolonged heat treatment of the meat (boiling or frying at maximum temperatures). You can also defeat the invasion by freezing. But since most modern home freezers can provide a maximum temperature of about 8 degrees, you need to store meat, fish or poultry in them for at least a week;
- Signs of worm infection in humans can appear after contact with a pet. Dogs and cats that walk on the street almost always have worms in their stomachs (domestic cats are usually not infected). While performing hygienic procedures, the animal spreads the worm's eggs from the anus throughout the coat. If you kiss such an animal or do not wash your hands after contact with it, you can get worms in the human body, as animal invasions take root and multiply in the human body;
- A person may notice swelling and other signs of helminths even after swimming in an infected pond. This is a rather rare method, but infection is possible;
- The transmission of helminthiasis in humans from one individual to another occurs through surfaces, towels, linen. The eggs and larvae move to the surface or tissues from the skin of an infected person and from there migrate to the skin of a healthy person when touched. After that, there is the possibility of introducing them into the oral cavity of a healthy person and the development of infection.
It is worth remembering that many types of intestinal parasites are common in children's groups. This is because many children are not too worried about hygiene, and many surfaces in nurseries are covered with helminth eggs, the photo of which is presented below, although initially only one child was sick.
For this reason, the main task of parents is to explain to the child that all types of worms in humans are dangerous and can persist on the skin of the hands and from it get into the mouth. For this reason good hygiene is important. At the end of the material, a video is posted on the spread of worms in women, men and children and on the peculiarities of their development.
variety
Some patients are interested in what color the worms are and how to visually determine what they are in the stool? Most often these are white or light worms, although sometimes transparent worms are also found in humans. They are flat or round, sometimes have two dark food channels on the sides.
- The largest human worms are called tapeworms. The largest in this group is the bull tapeworm. According to scientific research, they can live in the intestine for up to 40 years and reach several meters in length.
- Roundworms are the most common type of parasite, which belongs to roundworms. Can such individuals be very large? Females reach a length of about 25 cm, males - 12 cm;
- Pinworms are more common in children than in adults. These are small individuals, similar in description to nematodes, but smaller. The largest pinworm barely reaches 10-12 cm;
- Giardia is the smallest type of parasite. It is quite common. If it is found in the feces, you need to think about what to do with the worms and start choosing a treatment;
- Invasions of trichinosis are characterized by the most severe course, fever and facial edema are present. Such invasions are called those caused by the Trichinella nematodes.
The most common types of individuals have common characteristics and are visible in the stool. Therefore, the feces of a person with worms can be distinguished from the feces of someone who is not infected.
Location
Are some people who suspect they are having an invasion interested in where the worms are located in the human body? Although it is traditionally believed that worms occur in the human body in the intestine, this is not entirely true.
Almost all varieties of helminths in humans can develop in many organs and systems, which is associated with the peculiarities of their migration, when the larvae hatched from eggs in the intestine enter the bloodstream and spread with it throughout the body.
They enter the human body through the mouth, but their manifestation can occur in the following places:
- Subcutaneous parasites are not a very common type of tropical parasite carried by insects (tsetse fly, specific tropical mites, etc. ). Parasites under the skin are almost never found in the middle lane, but there is a risk of infection with them on a tour. These parasites are located under the skin only in the initial stages of their life cycle, after which they can move towards the muscles;
- A common place where localization is observed in women is the vagina, the uterus. They can crawl there from the anus or infect the reproductive system in the migratory stage;
- Worms are also found in the ears of a child or adult because the larvae often infect the ENT organs (including the throat);
- Many worms choose the digestive system and intestines as their localization site. There they have enough nutrition (blood and serum) and oxygen to maintain a normal life. Treatment of intestinal parasites is usually easier than others. But even if they were initially in a person's stomach, over time they can infect other organs;
- The signs of worms in the lungs can be confused with the characteristic symptoms of pleurisy or pneumonia. However, this is a commonplace of worm localization, so it is important to diagnose their presence over time;
- If parasites are enveloped in the brain, the nervous system is damaged. It can manifest as seizures, irritability, unreasonable anxiety, etc. ;
- If the worms in people manifest themselves in the heart, then tachycardia, rhythm disturbances and more are possible. In especially severe cases, heart failure develops;
- Helminths are also common in the liver, as this is where they mainly come from the intestine via the portal vein.
As can be seen from the above, patients wondering where worms live in humans should consider not only the type of invasion, but also the stage of infection.
complications
Is it important to know what worms lead to and what will happen if you don't treat them? Worms cause general intoxication of the body, which can be very pronounced.
Symptoms of an allergic nature also appear, as the immune system produces histamines to defend itself against foreign invasion. In this case, it is necessary to remember what an allergic rash with helminths looks like: these are medium-sized pink spots, sometimes hives, itching, usually, is absent.
As with liver localization, and when found in other organs, a tapeworm in humans or another parasite causes damage to the mucous membrane and local inflammatory processes of a small area.
As a result, an abscess can occur (in the case of the liver, with a penetration of pus into the abdominal cavity and blood poisoning if not treated).
As with bronchial and lung damage, coughing often occurs. Then bronchitis, pleurisy or pneumonia develops, which must be treated with antibiotics, despite the fact that this is a reaction to the invasion.
With the localization of parasites in the vagina, exacerbations of chronic diseases and disorders of the microflora may appear. It is believed that such a phenomenon can lead to infertility.
Symptoms
Symptoms of worms in humans are varied, but they are characteristic of almost all types of parasites. However, chronic and acute infections can have different symptoms in adults. In acute infection, the following symptoms of the disease are characteristic:
- High temperature under normal general conditions (up to 38 degrees);
- Chills and skin symptoms (rashes) similar to fever;
- When the larvae are localized in the lungs or bronchi, the symptoms in the body are expressed by cough;
- Inflammatory processes are signs of the presence of worms in the human body, so an increase in lymph nodes occurs;
- Worms and allergies in an individual are associated, so signs of the appearance of worms in a person in the form of skin rashes and allergic reactions are possible.
But very often the symptoms of the presence of worms in humans are intestinal, since it is there that the parasite is most often localized. These are symptoms of worm infection in an individual, such as:
- Stool disorders: constipation or diarrhea, sometimes bloody;
- The first symptoms of worms are loss of appetite, nausea, aversion to certain types of food, which ultimately leads to weight loss;
- The first signs of worms in adults can also be flatulence and bloating;
- Over time, pain in the abdomen and stomach develops, regardless of food intake, intermittent or constant;
- With worms, a person develops symptoms of general intoxication: pallor, drowsiness, chronic fatigue, etc.
Skin parasites cause specific symptoms in adults and children. A sign of worms is numbness of the extremities, tingling of the skin, headache, dizziness, much less often - fever. In any case, the incubation period for worms in humans is quite long and can take anywhere from a few weeks to several months.
Because of this, the first signs of worms in a person may not appear soon. And since almost any symptoms in a person of the presence of worms can indicate other diseases, often if a person has worms, this becomes clear only when they enter the feces.
Diagnostics
Even knowing what worms look like, you may not notice their appearance. Some types of worms have not appeared for a long time, and the diagnosis of worms in humans cannot be done at home. In laboratories, the following methods are used to help determine if there are worms, the symptoms and treatment of which are discussed in this article:
- General blood test. Worms can be in the event that there are deviations in it. It looks like severe anemia, a significant decrease in iron and hemoglobin levels. It occurs due to the fact that worms in humans cause local bleeding, constantly damage the mucous membranes, and are also parasites that feed directly on blood;
- If the worms are in the intestines, their waste products will be present in the stool. What signs of worms in an individual are visible in the stool? These are eggs, larvae or even adults of parasites. However, if you know what worms look like in humans, adults in feces can be independently identified;
- Regardless of where worms come from in humans and what kind of worms in humans (protozoa, round worms, ribbon worms) antibodies against them appear in the blood. This is due to the fact that as soon as a person has worms, the immune system considers them a foreign invasion and tries to defend itself by producing antibodies. This method helps determine what types of worms are present and which symptoms should be expected, as different antibodies are produced for each invasion.
The latter method of diagnosis is particularly useful because it allows you to learn about worms at an early stage, identify the types of worms and find out how to treat worms in humans.
Treatment
Some of those patients who are interested in the appearance of human worms and how they enter the body also want to know how to cure them in an individual. The official drug treatment regimen for worms in adults involves a single dose of an anthelmintic drug that acts on the whole body when a person has worms.
It is also desirable to repeat the course of treatment in adults 2 - 3 weeks after the drugs are first used. Small and large infestations need to be poisoned twice to get rid of the larvae completely.
Another treatment is suggested if the worms are in children. Since the drugs are toxic, treatment in adults has a negative effect on the liver. For children, drugs are prescribed that can be taken in a short course (several times), which reduces the load on the liver.
Some of those who wonder how to treat worms in an individual opt for popular methods of fighting, when the worms in an adult or a child are eliminated by natural means.
A mixture of ground pumpkin seeds with honey in a one-to-one ratio is believed to be effective against worms when consumed in a spoonful daily.
Effective treatment is carried out using enemas from a solution of garlic milk. You can also be treated for worms in the intestines by drinking a similar solution. In the presence of worms in a person, the symptoms will begin to manifest themselves weaker after a week.
Prophylaxis
Knowing what worms come from, where pinworms come from, you can determine a list of rules to follow to protect yourself from worms in humans. In order not to ask the question "I have worms", it is worth doing the following:
- Thoroughly wash fruits and vegetables;
- Boil or fry the meat well, you can also freeze it for a long time;
- Use only bottled or purified water for drinking;
- Limit contact with pets and carry out regular prevention of helminth infestation;
- Wash your hands regularly, especially after being in public places.
If an infection is suspected, it is recommended to regularly examine the stool for the presence of helminths.