Helminthiasis- This is a worm infection. It is recorded in children and adults mainly in hot and humid countries. The risk group is boys and girls aged between 5 and 15 years, due to knowledge of the outside world, low immune reactivity and insufficiently low stomach pH. Target organs: liver, kidneys, lungs. 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, the young enter the bloodstream through the destroyed wall.
Initially, the helminth descends into the intestine, grows for 40-80 days, gradually turning into an adult, which at an advanced stage of development lays eggs that leave the body together with feces.
Causes of the disease
A person becomes infected after consuming contaminated food and water or after coming into contact with dirty soil. Individuals are transmitted to another person through ordinary objects: plates, toothbrush, towel, forks, spoons, toys.
The provoking factors are failure to comply with hygiene rules, improper preparation of food (cooking meat and fish at low temperatures), adherence to a raw food diet.
The eggs are carried by pets who regularly walk outdoors.
Types of worms
Parasites are divided into classes that differ in how they exist in the environment:
- Contact. Transmitted between people.
- Geohelminthiasis. An intermediate host is not necessary for development; the habitat is the soil.
- Biohelminthiasis. At least two organisms are needed to live.
Science knows more than 350 species of parasites. They are dangerous:
- Roundworms (roundworms) are responsible for the development of ascariasis and necatoriasis.
- Spiny heads (acanthocephalous) – disease: acanthocephalosis.
- Trematodes (flukes): cause opisthorchiasis and fascioliasis.
- Tapeworms (tapeworms) – tapeworm, echinococcus.
Helminths settle in the intestines, lungs and gallbladder.
Clinical picture
Symptoms are determined by the type of worm, the affected organ, the patient's anatomical and physiological characteristics, and the immune system.
Flow Options:
- Acute.Duration – 2-8 weeks.Intoxication syndrome and allergies prevail: weakness, loss of strength, nausea, vomiting, fever, skin rashes, lymphadenopathy, feeling of lack of air, swelling and abdominal pain. The pathognomic 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, dyspepsia, intolerance to certain foods. Damage to the liver and gallbladder causes jaundice (change in skin color) and hepatitis. Roundworms 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, favoring the accumulation of secondary bacterial flora, tooth decay, severe allergic reactions (anaphylactic shock) and exacerbation of concomitant pathologies.
Complications
The waste products of the parasites cause local symptoms (itching, urticaria), pneumonia, cardiac and bronchial asthma. Worms feed on human macronutrients, which leads to psychomotor and mental delay in the development of the child. Whipworms use red blood cells and hemoglobin, forming anemia. With 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 specialized therapist.
By palpation, an enlargement of the spleen, liver and regional lymph nodes is determined. In the CBC the number of eosinophils increases and the ESR increases.
To verify the diagnosis and control the treatment, the following is done:
- curettage from the perianal area;
- examination of biological material (vomit, urine, sputum, feces);
- coprogram;
- allergy tests.
The severity and extent of pathological changes are detected by chest x-ray, ultrasound, contrast-enhanced computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, 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 diversity of the clinical picture.
Treatment
Patient management tactics are determined by the doctor after consultation.
Drug therapy involves the selection of an anthelmintic drug based on the symptoms and 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 performed three times.
Prevention
The following recommendations help prevent helminth infestation:
- Wash your hands after going to the bathroom, after returning from a walk and before eating.
- Rejection of bad habits.
- Rinse vegetables, greens, apples, oranges under the tap.
- Correct processing of products.
- Drink boiled water.
- Active lifestyle.
Pharmacological prophylaxis (for adults, children, pets) with non-specific anthelmintic drugs is indicated twice a year.