Helminthiasis- This is a worm infection. It has been recorded in children and adults mainly in warm and humid countries. The risk group is boys and girls aged 5-15 years, which is due to familiarity with 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 mucous membranes and damaged skin or through contaminated water and food. In the digestive system, the young enter the bloodstream through the broken wall.
Initially, the helminth descends into the intestines, grows for 40-80 days, gradually transforming 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 contact with contaminated soil. Individuals are transmitted to another person through common items - dishes, toothbrushes, towels, forks, spoons, toys.
Provocative factors are non-compliance with hygiene rules, improper food preparation (cooking meat and fish at low temperatures), adherence to a raw food diet.
Eggs are brought in by pets that are regularly walked outside.
Types of worms
Parasites are divided into classes that differ in the way they exist in the environment:
- Get in touch. It is transmitted between people.
- Geohelminthiases. For development, no intermediate host is needed; habitat is land.
- Biohelminthiasis. At least two organisms are needed for life.
Science knows more than 350 types of parasites. The following are dangerous:
- Nematodes (roundworms) are responsible for the development of ascariasis and nekatoriasis.
- Spiny heads (acanthocephalans) – disease: acanthocephalosis.
- Trematodes - provoke opisthorchiasis and fascioliasis.
- Cestoda (tapeworms) - tapeworm, echinococcus.
Helminths settle in the intestines, lungs and gall bladder.
Clinical picture
Symptoms are determined by the type of worm, the affected organ, the patient's anatomical and physiological characteristics and immunity.
Stream options:
- Acute.
Duration - 2-8 weeks. Intoxication syndrome and allergies prevail: weakness, loss of strength, nausea, vomiting, fever, rash, lymphadenopathy, feeling of lack of air, bloating and abdominal pain. The pathognomonic symptom is bruxism (teeth grinding). It appears mainly at night. Local changes are possible - redness and irritation of the perianal area. - chronic.
Duration - several years. The patient is worried about stool disorders, pain in the lower abdomen, sour or bitter belching, indigestion, intolerance to certain foods. Damage to the liver and gallbladder leads to jaundice (skin discoloration) and hepatitis. Nematodes cause bronchitis, pneumonia, respiratory failure and inflammation of the heart muscle. Penetration into the central nervous system is associated with emotional instability, irritability, difficulty remembering new information, and insomnia.
Helminthiasis reduces immune reactivity, promoting the accumulation of secondary bacterial flora, caries, severe allergic reactions (anaphylactic shock) and worsening of accompanying pathologies.
Complications
The remains of parasites cause local symptoms (itching, hives), pneumonia, cardiac and bronchial asthma. Worms feed on human macronutrients, which leads to psychomotor and mental retardation in the child's development. Whipworms use up red blood cells and hemoglobin, causing anemia. With massive infection, patients develop appendicitis, dysbiosis, frequent obstruction of the bile ducts and intestinal obstruction.
Diagnosing
At the first symptoms, you should consult a specialist or a specialized therapist.
An enlarged spleen, liver and regional lymph nodes are determined by palpation. In the CBC, the number of eosinophils increases and the ESR increases.
To verify the diagnosis and control treatment, the following are performed:
- itching from the perianal area;
- examination of biological material (vomit, urine, sputum, feces);
- co-program;
- allergy tests.
The severity and extent of pathological changes are revealed by chest x-ray, ultrasound, contrast computed tomography, MRI, gastro- and colonoscopy.
The diagnosis of helminthiasis is difficult, due to the irregular release of eggs, the disappearance of antibodies 2-3 months after infection and the variety of the clinical picture.
Treatment
Patient management tactics are determined by the doctor after consultation.
Drug therapy involves choosing an anthelmintic drug based on symptoms and the type of worm.
Bronchopulmonary manifestations are treated with steroids, expectorants, antihistamines and antispasmodics. Normal intestinal microflora is restored with probiotics and digestion is improved with enzymes. Surgery is performed to remove the cyst.
After 3-4 weeks, a stool control test is done three times.
Preventing
The following recommendations help prevent helminthic infection:
- Wash your hands after visiting the toilet and returning from a walk and before eating.
- Rejection of bad habits.
- Rinsing greens, vegetables, apples, oranges under the tap.
- Proper processing of products.
- Drinking boiled water.
- An active lifestyle.
Drug prophylaxis (for adults, children, pets) with non-specific anthelmintic drugs is indicated twice a year.