Helminths, which people often call worms, are able to penetrate the body of animals and humans. A disease caused by worms is called helminthiasis. In the modern world, doctors count hundreds of different types of worms. Some species do not cause much harm to the human body, while others can lead to a variety of diseases, sometimes fatal. The infection occurs unnoticed and many do not even realize that parasites and their larvae are the cause of constant illness and deterioration in health.
What are the causes of worm infection?
Worms in the human body can appear for several reasons:
- consumption of vegetables and fruits that have not been subjected to heat treatment or have not been washed before consumption;
- when preparing food, the person does not comply with hygiene rules;
- inadequate heat treatment of meat and fish products;
- frequent contact with animals infected with worms;
- take care of pets that often walk outdoors;
- total lack of hygiene rules after going to the bathroom, before eating, after leaving the house;
- eat raw fish;
- live together, communicate with a person suffering from helminthiasis;
- water procedures in a river, lake;
- in rare cases with insect bites.
Most often, children aged 3 to 10 are exposed to worms due to poor hygiene. Human heartworms are highly contagious and can be transmitted by animals or another person. Many children ignore the rules of personal hygiene, so they are more likely to be infected with worms than adults. Parents should instill in their children the concepts of personal hygiene from childhood, as often in kindergarten the teacher cannot keep up with everyone and infection can occur. Good basic handwashing skills and prohibiting touching their mouths after playing in the sandbox can protect a child from infection.
People who work with various animals, who constantly cut meat and fish, are at great risk of infection. Simply touching the mouth after direct contact with contaminated fish or meat is a direct cause of parasitic infection.
Some types of worms can enter the human body through food, others enter through contact with an infected person or animal, and others live in water, which is often used for cooking or for water procedures.
Worms in Human Symptoms
Some types of parasites can be easily detected, others are carefully disguised in the human body. Symptoms of pinworms in a person infected with roundworms and pinworms are severe itching in the anus, swelling, and disturbances in bowel movements. These worms live in the intestine and when going to the bathroom they can leave the body along with the feces. Symptoms appear due to the vital activity of the parasite, they release strong allergens into the intestinal microflora, causing damage to the intestinal walls, after which inflammatory processes begin in the stomach.
It should be noted that not every parasite can live in the stomach. Echinococcus most often affects the lungs and liver. A small worm penetrates deep into the organ and creates a protective shell around it. During the examination, experts may mistake the parasite's protective capsule for a tumor.
If a person has worms, what symptoms may appear:
- Chronic headache.
- Weakness.
- Nausea.
- Digestive disorders.
All of these symptoms may indicate some type of parasitic infection. Signs of the presence of worms in a person are increased allergic reactions; Special attention should be paid to this symptom by people who were previously not prone to allergies. In this case, such a reaction is one of the signs of the presence of worms and their active activity in the body.
Signs of the disease
Signs of worms in humans can vary, depending on the type of parasite the patient is infected with and where it is located. The first signs of worms.
- Inflammation of the lymph nodes.
- Allergic damage to the skin.
- Diarrhea.
- Cold.
- Excessive gas formation.
- Abdominal pain.
- Nausea.
- Enlarged spleen, liver.
- Dry cough.
- General weakness.
- Excessive itching - on the skin, genitals, rectal area.
- Weight loss.
- Increased body temperature.
- Constant headaches.
Worms in people may not cause symptoms for a long time. Echinococcus most often affects the liver and can manifest six months or more after entering the body. The worm begins to manifest itself at the moment when the protective capsule reaches a size that compresses the internal organs, the structure of connective tissues, which is why there is pain in the right side, a yellowish color to the skin, nausea and indigestion.
In rare cases, the lungworm, echinococcus, can parasitize the brain or muscle tissue. They usually live in the liver and lungs, so chronic dry cough and shortness of breath may occur. Any of the parasites that enter the human body cause intoxication - general weakness, muscle pain, headache, increased body temperature. Symptoms may not appear simultaneously, but separately and at different times. Ignoring the symptoms that appear for a long time will only worsen the situation, the body's defenses will be greatly weakened and the person will constantly suffer from viral or other diseases. The internal organs will also be subject to long-term negative effects and will take a long time to recover.
Worm symptoms and treatment
Today, there are many ways to get rid of worms, offered by traditional folk medicine. It should be noted that worms, symptoms and treatment in adults left unattended will negatively affect well-being and the parasite will continue to progress. Worms provoke inflammatory processes in the body, suppress the immune system and worsen well-being and general health.
The method of ridding the body of worms is called deworming, which is carried out with specific medications. Before prescribing the medicine, the specialist makes a complete diagnosis to identify what type of worm parasitizes the body and whether the patient has an allergic reaction to individual components of the medicine.
During treatment with anthelmintic drugs, the doctor may additionally prescribe antihistamines that will help reduce or eliminate an allergic reaction to the components of the main drug.
Also, to get rid of worms, you can turn to traditional medicine, which has proven to be effective in combating parasites. However, you need to remember that before you start taking folk remedies, it is better to consult your doctor. Self-treatment should be avoided, especially considering the severity of the disease. After completing the prescribed treatment, as a rule, the specialist prescribes medications that restore the normal functioning of all internal systems and organs. If necessary, a person is prescribed sorbents.
Traditional means of combating worms
Symptoms of worm infection will help the specialist select the right medicines to remove worms from the body.
A medicine that helps to naturally remove worms from the body has a paralyzing effect on parasites and is suitable for adults and children over two years of age.
In cases where drug treatment does not help in the fight against worms, experts prescribe surgical intervention. Doctors need to remove the parasitic worm and the area of the organ where it is located.
Preventive measures
At first, it is not the worm itself that enters the body, but only the worm eggs, which after some time turn into adult parasites. To prevent the penetration of certain types of parasites into the body, you must follow certain hygiene rules:
- After leaving home, when you arrive home, you should wash your hands well with soap.
- Before preparing or consuming vegetables and fruits, they must be washed well.
- Meat and fish must undergo complete and appropriate heat treatment before consumption.
- Kitchen utensils used to cut meat and fish must be thoroughly washed and disinfected.
- If you have a pet, it's a good idea to monitor its health. Visit a veterinarian at least once a quarter for preventive purposes.
- If you suspect the presence of worms, go to the hospital for examination and timely medical attention.
Traditional medicine in the fight against worms
Mixture. Mix tansy, wormwood and cloves in equal proportions. Grind each ingredient. Mix until smooth. When you wake up in the morning, take 1 teaspoon. dry mixes. After consumption, you can drink a glass of water to eliminate the bitter taste. The admission course is 1 month.
Garlic for worms. Grind the garlic until it turns into porridge. Mix 1 tsp. porridge with 200 ml of warm boiled water. Leave for 1 hour. 2 hours before bed, do an enema with this infusion. To completely get rid of the parasite, you must perform the procedure every night for a week.
In folk medicine, there are a large number of recipes for eliminating worms. However, it should be remembered that self-medication can aggravate an already existing situation, and folk remedies are best used as additional treatment. It is best to discuss the use of any medication with your doctor.
Parasitic helminth infection may not bother you for a long time; the worms will develop, parasitize and slowly poison the body. The combination of characteristic signs of the disease is the main reason to seek help from a specialist and strictly follow all his recommendations.