Helminthiasis- It's a worm infection. It is registered in children and adults mainly in warm and humid countries. The risk group is boys and girls aged 5-15, which is due to the knowledge of the outside world, low immune reactivity and insufficiently low pH of the stomach. Target organs - liver, kidney, lung. The main habitat is the gastrointestinal tract.
Parasites enter through damaged mucous membranes and skin, or through contaminated water and food. In the digestive system, young individuals enter the bloodstream through the destroyed wall.
Initially, the helminth descends in the intestines, grows for 40-80 days, gradually becomes an adult, which lays eggs in the late stages of development, which leave the body with feces.
Causes of the disease
A person becomes infected after eating contaminated food and water or coming into contact with dirty soil. Individuals are transferred to another person through ordinary objects - dishes, toothbrushes, towels, forks, spoons, toys.
Trigger factors are non-observance of hygiene rules, improper food preparation (cooking meat and fish at low temperatures), and adherence to a raw diet.
The eggs are brought by pets that regularly walk outside.
Types of worms
Parasites are divided into classes that differ in their existence in the environment:
- Contact. Transmitted between people.
- Geohelminthiasis. Development does not require an intermediate host, the soil is the habitat.
- Biohelminthiasis. Life requires at least two organisms.
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 (flukes) – provokes opisthorchiasis and fascioliasis.
- Cestodes (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.
Flow options:
- Acute.
Duration - 2-8 weeks. Intoxication syndrome and allergy prevail: weakness, loss of strength, nausea, vomiting, fever, rashes, lymphadenopathy, shortness of breath, flatulence and abdominal pain. The pathognomonic symptom is bruxism (teeth grinding). It mainly appears at night. Local changes are possible - redness and irritation of the perianal area. - Chronic.
Duration - several years. The patient is worried about stool overturning, lower abdominal pain, sour or bitter belching, dyspepsia, intolerance to certain foods. Damage to the liver and gallbladder leads to jaundice (a change in skin color) and hepatitis. Nematodes cause bronchitis, pneumonia, respiratory failure and inflammation of the heart muscle. Penetration into the central nervous system is accompanied by emotional lability, irritability, difficulty remembering new information, and insomnia.
Helminthiasis reduces immune reactivity, promotes the accumulation of secondary bacterial flora, dental caries, severe allergic reactions (anaphylactic shock) and the aggravation of concomitant pathologies.
Complications
The waste materials of the parasites cause local symptoms (itching, hives), pneumonia, cardiac and bronchial asthma. The worms feed on human macronutrients, which leads to psychomotor and mental retardation in the child's development. Whipworms use red blood cells and hemoglobin, forming anemia. In case of massive infection, patients develop appendicitis, dysbiosis, frequent obstruction of the bile ducts and intestinal obstruction.
Diagnostics
At the first symptoms, you should consult a specialist or 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 check the diagnosis and treatment, the following should be done:
- scraping from the perianal area;
- examination of biological substances (vomit, urine, sputum, feces);
- co-program;
- allergy tests.
The severity and extent of the pathological changes are shown by chest X-ray, ultrasound, contrast computed tomography, MRI, gastro- and colonoscopy.
The diagnosis of helminthiasis is difficult due to the irregular release of ova, the disappearance of antibodies 2-3 months after infection, and the variability of the clinical picture.
Treatment
The patient's treatment tactics are determined by the doctor after consultation.
Drug therapy involves selecting an anthelmintic drug based on symptoms and the type of worm.
Bronchopulmonary manifestations are treated with steroids, expectorants, antihistamines, and anticonvulsants. The normal intestinal microflora is restored with probiotics, and digestion is improved with enzymes. Surgery is performed to remove the cyst.
After 3-4 weeks, we perform control stool tests three times.
Prevention
The following recommendations will help prevent helminthic infection:
- Wash your hands after going to the toilet and walking, and before eating.
- Rejection of bad habits.
- Rinsing greens, vegetables, apples, oranges under the tap.
- Proper processing of products.
- Drinking boiled water.
- Active lifestyle.
Medical prophylaxis (adults, children, pets) with non-specific anthelmintics is recommended twice a year.