Helminthiases are a group of diseases caused by parasitic worms.
Helminths can settle in a person’s intestines, lungs, gallbladder and bile ducts. Parasites cause mechanical damage to internal organs, waste products of helminths cause poisoning. For humans, helminthiasis is also dangerous due to the fact that it suppresses the immune system, exacerbates the course of other diseases, causes increased fatigue, reduces the ability of intestinal absorption, reduces the effectiveness of vaccinations, etc. You can be infected with worms by drinking dirty water or unwashed food. In rare cases, the disease is transmitted through the skin or air.
Classification of helminthiasis
With localization:
- Intestine.These include ascariasis, strongyloidosis, trichocephalosis, teniarinchiasis, etc.
- Pulmonary.This group includes tominxosis and paragonimosis.
- Tissue.This class includes schistosomiasis, trichinosis, toxocariasis and filariasis.
- Hepotobiliary system.This group includes opisthorchiasis, fascioliasis and clonorchiasis.
By level:
- Sharp.Helminthiasis usually appears 2-4 weeks after infection. Depending on the severity of helminthic invasion, signs of helminthiasis are observed from 1 week to several months, then the disease becomes chronic.
- Chronicle.The clinical manifestations of chronic helminthiasis depend on the characteristics of the parasite species. In the presence of helminths with larval reproduction (filariasis or strongyloidosis), the manifestations of allergies persist for a long time. In other forms of the disease, the symptoms depend on the number, size and location of the parasite in the body.
Helminthiasis and micronutrient deficiencies
After settling in the human body, parasites feed on blood and tissue juices, absorbing nutrients. For growth and reproduction, helminths, first of all, need micro -elements, which cause a decrease in their content in the body. As a result of helminthiasis may be a lack of the following trace elements:
Zinc deficiency.Causes prostatitis, infertility, dwarfism, parakeratosis (resembling scabies or scabies), various tumors and many other pathologies.
Selenium deficiency.Leads to decreased immunity, can provoke the development of malignant tumors of the gastrointestinal tract, mammary glands, prostate.
Iodine deficiency.It causes unstable growth, impaired puberty and lack of reproductive organs. With iodine deficiency, mental retardation may occur, up to dementia.
Manganese deficiency.Can cause brittle bones, weight loss, seizures, dermatitis, and genital tract deterioration.
Chromium deficiency.Causes fatigue, sugar intolerance (borderline diabetes), growth retardation, increases cholesterol levels.
Signs of helminthiasis
- fever;
- various skin rashes;
- swelling of the face, conjunctivitis;
- inflammation of the upper respiratory tract;
- loose stools;
- in children, angina, lymphadenitis;
- bronchospasm, infiltration of the lungs, pneumonia;
- myocarditis;
- hepatitis;
- meningoencephalitis.
Symptoms (clinical picture) of helminthiasis
Acute helminthiasis.For this form of helminthic infection
Signs of a common allergic reaction are characteristic: itchy skin rash, fever, lymph nodes, pain in muscles and joints. Acute helminthiasis often leads to the development of pulmonary syndrome, abdominal pain and dyspeptic disorders. At the same time, the size of the liver and spleen increases, and symptoms from the central nervous system may appear.
Chronic helminthiasis. In many forms of helminthiasis, parasitism of some individuals occurs without unpleasant symptoms. Signs of helminthiasis appear in the presence of large worms (teniid, tapeworms, etc. ). Symptoms depend on the type and location of the parasite. With intestinal helminthiasis, pain, dyspeptic and asthenoneurotic syndromes are observed. Ascariasis can cause pancreatitis, obstructive jaundice and intestinal obstruction. Enterobiasis is characterized by itching in the anus at night. With clonorchiasis and opisthorchiasis, hepatitis, cholecystocholangitis and various gastrointestinal tract lesions can develop.
Helminthiasis and infectious diseases
Worm infections increase the risk of contracting infectious diseases. Helminths reduce immunity and weaken the body as a whole. Thus, parasites open up free access to body tissues for microbes and viruses. Helminthiasis can be accompanied by the following infectious diseases.
Toxoplasmosis.It is an infectious disease that attacks humans and animals. You can be infected with toxoplasmosis through contaminated blood transfusions, eating foods made from thermally unprocessed meat or fish, or contacting a patient’s feces. Toxoplasmosis is transmitted from mother to child during intrauterine development. Infection can cause fetal death or spontaneous miscarriage. Among newborns infected with toxoplasmosis, there is a high risk of death.
Chlamydia.Infectious diseases that occur in rats, cats and humans. May be accompanied by fever, rhinitis, conjunctivitis, and pneumonia. Affects the organs of vision, reproduction and respiratory system. Chlamydia is spread by airborne droplets, contact and sexual intercourse.
Toxic acid.The disease is observed in humans, pets, rats. Toksokar eggs survive for months in dry feces. You can get the infection through contact with animal hair or through soil. The disease is accompanied by severe allergies and pathology of internal organs.
Diagnostics and therapy of helminthiasis
How to identify helminthiasis
Prevention of helminthiasis mainly adheres to strict hygiene standards. Do not drink raw water and eat processed or unfamiliar foods (fish, meat). Early detection of people infected with parasites also plays an important role in prevention. Diagnosis of helminthiasis is made by identifying the larvae and eggs of helminths. Often they are localized in different parts of the gastrointestinal tract, so the most common method is stool analysis.
In some cases, standard methods for diagnosing helminthiasis are ineffective. For example, some parasites do not lay eggs for long periods of time, and therefore cannot be found in feces. The innovative method allows you to identify the presence of helminths and assess the general condition of the body by the iris of the eye. This method is based on the fact that each organ has a projection on a specific "iris" segment, where it conveys information about its condition through the visceral centers of the brain. A diagnosis of helminthiasis like this allows you to detect parasites even under normal test conditions for negative helminth eggs.
How to get rid of helminthiasis
An effective, safe and proven method to get rid of helminthic invasion and replenish the necessary micro -elements in the body is a complex of drugs for helminths, which improves health in several key areas at once:
- increase immunity;
- normalize metabolism;
- improve the enzymatic function of the stomach, pancreas, intestines;
- eliminate the signs of allergies;
- normalize the activity of the gastrointestinal tract, etc.
Antiparasitic health program
To get rid of helminthiasis, it is necessary to take broad -spectrum antiparasitic drugs for 3 months. Between each month of admission, it is necessary to rest for 7 days.