Parasites in the human body, the symptoms and treatment of which will be presented below, are living beings that, having entered internal organs and systems, begin to live there and actively multiply.
Most often, parasites live in the intestines, liver and pancreas.
They can also be present in the lungs, brain, gallbladder, eyes, and even external soft tissue (under the skin).
Parasites in the human body (symptoms and their treatment depend on the particular parasitic lesion) can be very different.
There are the following types of parasites that most often infect the human body (both adults and children):
- Pinworms.
- Worms or helminths.
- Ascaris.
- Giardia.
- Solitaire.
- Chain (pig).
- Flat worms.
Pinworms are parasites that are most commonly seen in children. Also, if a child becomes infected with pinworms, other family members are very likely to get infected as well. A feature of pinworms is that at night, female pinworms emerge from the patient's anus and lay eggs there, which leads to severe itching.
Generally, this parasite enters the body in the absence of hand hygiene, which is usually observed in young children. Nematodes are parasites that grow quite large. Their eggs are found in raw food, so eating undercooked meat or fish is the first route to infection.
Giardia is a waterborne parasite. The main sources of these organisms are elderly and child care centers. Worms are parasites that are dangerous to humans. They can inhabit any part of the intestine and cause a serious deterioration in the patient's health.
The reasons for parasite infection can be different, because in reality the danger is lurking for a person at every step. Infection often occurs at home. This is especially true for children. For example, poorly washed hands before food ensure that all microbes and parasite eggs, including those, enter the digestive system.
Further possible causes of parasite infestation are:
- Swimming in polluted bodies of standing water.
- Eat poorly washed foods, especially berries, fruits and vegetables.
- Eating badly cooked food. This applies to fish and meat. Also noteworthy is the danger of eating raw fish (in sushi, for example). The fact is that most of the fish in our country is imported, so one can only dream of its freshness. As a result, under improper storage conditions in fish, all kinds of worm eggs can easily arise, which then a person will eat together with such a fish. In addition, it is worth warning about the dangers of eating bushmeat, which can also be infected with many dangerous parasites.
- Contact with animal feces. This can happen in children playing in open sandboxes, which can easily be "visited" by backyard dogs and cats. In doing so, a chain reaction is triggered: the child dumps the toys into the infected sand and then takes them home. At the same point, the baby will forget to wash his hands and drag them into his mouth - infection is guaranteed.
- Violation of hygiene rules when preparing food, cleaning the house or bathroom. In addition, the contact route is not excluded - through saliva, dishes, towels and even a handshake (parasite eggs can be under the nails of a patient suffering from rectal itching). If a healthy person after such contact does not wash his hands thoroughly, he will certainly be infected.
- Drinking tap water, which is not only impure of common contaminants, but is also rich in eggs of many parasites.
Important!
Even though parasite eggs enter the intestines, nothing prevents them from spreading throughout the body along with the bloodstream and lodged in the eyes, brain and muscles. For this reason, do not underestimate the danger of parasite infestation.
It is important to mention a person's bad habits: nail biting, the habit of throwing small objects in the mouth and others. Most often, infection occurs from contact with pets who are not given antiparasitic drugs. Also, don't forget about the little flies and mosquitoes, which are carriers of the most dangerous types of parasites.
In this case the disease can be contained either in the feces of flies, or indulge a person directly during the bite. Today, there are many effective therapies against parasites.
This can be the treatment of the disease with folk remedies, cleansing the body with garlic, soda, kefir and other products, as well as the treatment of pathology with drugs. Parasites in the human body, the symptoms and treatment of which can be different, are considered to be extremely living creatures, so it is quite difficult to remove them from the body, but this is possible with the right diagnosis and therapy.
Signs of parasites in the human body: what you need to know
It must be said right away that the signs of parasites in the human body can be very different. This largely depends on the specific type of "tenant" that has established itself in the person. Depending on the location of the parasites, a sick person can have characteristic signs.
Therefore, when parasites are in the intestine, adults can develop the following symptoms:
- Diarrhea and indigestion. It is caused by types of protozoan parasites.
- Bad breath is the first sign of parasites in adults.
- Constipation can occur when parasites obstruct intestinal motility. Also, sometimes due to their influence, the patient has a blockage of the bile ducts. This, in turn, threatens with jaundice manifestations and liver disease.
- Flatulence is usually caused by worms located in the small intestine. They can also cause bloating and gas production. For this reason, if a person has frequent swelling, this is a clear sign of helminth invasion.
- Symptoms of an upset stomach and general abdominal pain are caused by worms that parasitize the intestinal cavity.
Signs of parasites in the human body can occur not only in the digestive system, but also in other organs and systems. Therefore, often a sick person has disorders in the nervous system. This can manifest itself with poor sleep, increased irritability, and even nocturnal teeth grinding, which often occurs in a sleeping baby (this condition also has a medical definition - bruxism).
It is described as one of the types of abnormalities in the nervous system caused by an external stimulus. Due to the ability of some parasites to migrate, a person can develop joint and muscle pain. At the same time, sometimes the pain is so pronounced that patients experience pain similar to acute arthritis. Often the signs of parasites in the human body manifest themselves in the form of allergic reactions.
In this state, the toxins released by parasites (especially worms) are able to activate the body's immune response in the form of releasing a certain number of protective cells. As a result, the patient can develop all kinds of allergic and inflammatory processes on the skin. For this reason, due to the nutrient medium, a person in this state often has all kinds of skin diseases: rashes, hives, manifestations of eczema and dermatitis.
If the intestinal tract is damaged, a person can have acne, a tendency to rough skin, papilloma, and even brittle nails.If internal organs are severely damaged by parasites, a person develops a severe form of anemia. This is justified by the fact that some types of worms are able to attach themselves to the intestinal membrane and take up all the nutrients that should have entered the human body.
Therefore, the patient has not only a vitamin deficiency, but also internal blood loss. In adult patients with profuse parasitic lesions, there may be a sharp decrease in weight and a general depletion of the body. This is due not only to the fact that the parasites "drink all the juices", but also to the fact that in such a state the patient will simply not want to eat, because his digestion will be very disturbed.
In the event that parasites are localized in a person's lungs, chronic cough, bronchitis, sputum production and pneumonia could occur.Usually this is caused by a strong defeat of the nematodes. Scientists have found that asthma is a common sign of ascaris infection and their active reproduction. The last feature of parasites in adults is low immunity and a tendency to oncological pathologies, which occurs due to constant poisoning of the body.
The signs of parasites in the human body, especially in children, can be the following:
- Increased nervousness of the child, frequent crying and depressed mood.
- Poor sleep can be expressed by the baby's frequent awakening in the middle of the night.
- Poor appetite and general underweight for age.
- Itching in the anus and frequent diarrhea.
- Great weakness of the child.
- Propensity to ARVI.
- Symptoms of asthma and frequent cough.
It is also important to note that sometimes worm infestation in a baby occurs while still in the womb. Therefore, the fetus can develop all kinds of pathologies even before birth. After birth, a baby can be prone to chronic bronchitis if parasites have lodged in his respiratory system. On the prevention and treatment of parasites - later in the article.
Symptoms of parasites in the body and methods of therapy
Having considered the symptoms of parasites in the body, it is important to talk about the scheme of their traditional treatment. It is always carried out with the use of drugs. It should be noted that separate drugs should be used for each type of parasite.
In case of intestinal helminths, the intake of probiotics is indicated, preparations to normalize the functioning of the intestine and remove parasites from it. In the event that a patient has been diagnosed with parasites in internal organs (liver, for example), long-term therapy with potent antibiotics, glucocorticosteroids and other drugs may be prescribed.
It is important to noteSymptoms of parasites in the body may change slightly during treatment, so therapy should always be under medical supervision.
The symptoms of parasites in the body are quite varied. Sometimes a person is misdiagnosed with the wrong cause of the disease, because the signs of a parasitic lesion are sometimes similar to other diseases. Traditional therapy "works" no worse than medicine.
The best folk recipes for getting rid of parasites are:
- A blend of pumpkin and honey. To prepare it you need to grind raw pumpkin seeds without peel with honey to obtain a homogeneous mixture. Consume it several times a day on a spoon. The duration of treatment is at least one month.
- Absinthe and honey remedy. Grind a tablespoon of wormwood and mix with honey. Between meals, use and then take a laxative.
- Peel a few cloves of garlic. Mix with boiled milk and drain. Drink the prepared mixture on an empty stomach, half a glass for three days.
- Take the chopped horseradish and fill it with 0. 5 liters of vodka. Insist for a week. Take a spoon every day. The duration of treatment should be at least one week.
- Celandine decoction. To prepare it, you need to take two tablespoons of chopped celandine and mix it with absinthe. Cover with water and boil. Filter and take half a glass twice a day. The duration of therapy is at least two weeks.
Prevention
Prevention of parasitic damage to the body consists in careful adherence to personal hygiene and keeping hands clean. Therefore, hands should be washed as often as possible, especially before eating. It is also worth teaching children to do this from an early age.
The next rule is to maintain intimate hygiene.It means taking a shower every day and changing underwear. As for the bed linen, it must be changed weekly (washing and ironing required). It is very important to pay attention to the quality of the food you eat. It should be thoroughly washed and heat treated if necessary.
Also, don't eat raw meat and fish. Doctors do not advise buying food that you doubt the quality or food that has been prepared in all types of fast food stalls. In such establishments there is no concept of sterility, so it is very easy to get infected with parasites there.
It is important to keep an eye on your children and not to let them drag everything in their mouth.You should also be extremely careful when a child plays with pets, as the child can easily get the "infection" from them. In general, pets need separate care, adequate feeding and regular pest prophylaxis with pills.
Do not forget about the support of the immune system, because with a strong defense, it is easier for the body to fight parasites. Also, you shouldn't swim in poorly cleaned bodies of standing water. It is important to remember that at the first violations of bowel movements, abdominal pain, anemia or chronic intoxication, you should consult a doctor.