Helminthiasis- This is an infection with worms. It is recorded in children and adults mainly in warm and humid countries. The risk group is boys and girls aged 5 to 15 years, which is due to knowledge of the outside world, low immune reactivity and insufficiently low pH of the stomach. Target organs – liver, kidneys, lungs. The main habitat is the gastrointestinal tract.
Parasites penetrate through damaged mucous membranes and skin or through contaminated water and food. In the digestive system, young people enter the bloodstream through the destroyed wall.
First, the helminth invades the intestines, grows for 40 to 80 days and gradually develops into an adult, which at a late stage of development lays eggs that leave the body with feces.
Causes of the disease
A person becomes infected after consuming contaminated food and water or through contact with dirty soil. Individuals are transmitted to another person through common objects - dishes, toothbrush, towel, forks, spoons, toys.
Triggering factors include non-compliance with hygiene rules, improper preparation of food (cooking meat and fish at low temperatures) and adherence to a raw food diet.
Eggs are brought by pets that regularly walk outside.
Types of worms
Parasites are divided into classes that differ in the way they occur in the environment:
- Contact. Transmitted between people.
- Geohelminthiases. No intermediate host is required for development; the habitat is the soil.
- Biohelminthiasis. At least two organisms are required for life.
Science knows more than 350 species of parasites. The following are dangerous:
- Nematodes (roundworms) are responsible for the development of ascariasis and necatoriasis.
- Spinyheads (Acanthocephalans) – Disease: Acanthocephalosis.
- Trematodes (leeches) – provoke opisthorchiasis and fascioliasis.
- Cestodes (Tapeworms) – Tapeworm, Echinococcus.
Helminths colonize in the intestines, lungs and gallbladder.
clinical picture
Symptoms are determined by the type of worm, the affected organ, the anatomical and physiological characteristics of the patient, and immunity.
Flow options:
- Acute.Duration – 2-8 weeks.Poisoning syndrome and allergies predominate: weakness, loss of strength, nausea, vomiting, fever, rash, lymphadenopathy, feeling of lack of air, flatulence and abdominal pain. The pathognomic symptom is bruxism (teeth grinding). It mainly occurs at night. Local changes are possible – redness and irritation of the perianal area.
- Chronic.Duration – several years.The patient is worried about upset stools, pain in the lower abdomen, sour or bitter belching, dyspepsia, and intolerance to certain foods. Damage to the liver and gallbladder leads to jaundice (change in skin color) and hepatitis. Nematodes cause bronchitis, pneumonia, respiratory failure and myocarditis. Invasion of the central nervous system is accompanied by emotional lability, irritability, difficulty remembering new information, and insomnia.
Helminthiasis reduces immune reactivity and promotes the accumulation of secondary bacterial flora, caries, severe allergic reactions (anaphylactic shock) and exacerbation of accompanying pathologies.
Complications
The waste products of parasites cause local symptoms (itching, urticarial rash), pneumonia, cardiac and bronchial asthma. Worms feed on human macronutrients, which leads to psychomotor and mental retardation of child development. Whipworms utilize red blood cells and hemoglobin, causing anemia. With massive infection, patients develop appendicitis, dysbiosis, frequent obstruction of the biliary tract and intestinal obstruction.
diagnosis
At the first symptoms, you should consult a specialized doctor or therapist.
Palpation reveals enlargement of the spleen, liver and regional lymph nodes. In the blood count, the number of eosinophils increases and the ESR increases.
To verify the diagnosis and control treatment, the following is carried out:
- scratching from the perianal area;
- Examination of biological material (vomit, urine, sputum, feces);
- co-program;
- Allergy testing.
The severity and extent of pathological changes are recorded by chest x-ray, ultrasound, computed tomography with contrast medium, MRI, gastric and colonoscopy.
Diagnosis of helminthiasis is difficult due to the irregular release of eggs, the disappearance of antibodies two to three months after infection, and the variety of the clinical picture.
Treatment
The patient's treatment tactics are determined by the doctor after consultation.
During drug therapy, an anthelmintic is selected based on the symptoms and type of worm.
Bronchopulmonary manifestations are treated with steroids, expectorants, antihistamines and antispasmodics. Probiotics restore normal intestinal flora and enzymes improve digestion. Surgery is performed to remove the cyst.
After 3-4 weeks, a control stool test is carried out three times.
prevention
The following recommendations will help prevent helminth infestation:
- Wash your hands after using the toilet, after a walk and before eating.
- Rejection of bad habits.
- Rinse vegetables, greens, apples and oranges under running water.
- Professional processing of the products.
- Drink boiled water.
- Active lifestyle.
Drug prophylaxis (for adults, children, pets) with non-specific anthelmintics is indicated twice a year.