Helminths or parasitic worms behave very secretively in the human body.Symptoms of an immune reaction to parasite infection can easily be confused with flu, food poisoning, allergies, chronic fatigue syndrome, etc.And you may not be aware of pork tapeworm infection, a tapeworm that reaches 3 meters in length, throughout its lifespan - 2-3 years.Today we will talk about helminthiasis, but also about anthelmintic drugs and why you should not take them "just for prevention".
So, first let's do an introduction.Most helminths common in our area inhabit the intestine.However, some types of parasites can also settle in the tissues of the body: muscles, lungs, brain, eyeballs, etc.
All helminths that parasitize the human body are divided into three categories:
- Nematodes - roundworms:roundworms, pinworms, trichinella, hookworms, etc.Nematodes are the most “popular” parasitic diseases.According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than one billion people in the world are simultaneously infected with it (in total, more than two billion people are infected with various helminths).
- Fluke worms are trematodes.They affect the liver, bile and urinary tract, pancreas, intestines, lungs and blood.The most common trematodes are opisthorchiasis, schistosomiasis, clonorchiasis, fascioliasis, etc.And some of them can cause carcinogenesis - the development of tumors.
- Tapeworms are tapeworms.Currently, 3,500 species are known and each of them can parasitize the human body.The tapeworm your body chooses depends on the country you live in.One of the main sources of infection with these parasites is fish that has not undergone thorough heat treatment.Echinococcosis, dirofilariasis, taeniasis, teniarrhiasis are cestodiasis that affect not only humans, but also domestic animals.
Helminths suppress immune reactions, as a result of which the body's defense suffers even in case of severe infections.They cause allergies, digestive disorders and disrupt the functions of internal organs.The body is poisoned by metabolic products and decomposition of helminths, suffers from mechanical damage and suppression of the immune and nervous systems.
Furthermore, the presence of parasites:
- reduces the effectiveness of vaccinations;
- complicates the course of various concomitant diseases;
- negatively affects the growth and development of children and the working capacity of adults;
- causes a change in the intestinal biocenosis and the activation of the growth of "bad" microflora (pathogenic and opportunistic - for example fungi of the genus Candida, which cause candidiasis).
In general, it is really necessary to treat helminthiasis.But you have to do it wisely.
Treatment of helminthiasis.Medicines for worms
At one time, mainly herbal remedies were used to combat worms: male fern, cypress wormwood, chenopodia oil, etc.Today, synthetic substances are used for these purposes.Therefore, some obsolete drugs (the above-mentioned herbal drugs, as well as hexylresorcinol, carbon tetrachloride, etc.) are excluded from the anthelmintic medicinal nomenclature, and some remain, but are used in a very limited way (wormwood and tansy flowers, thymol, sulfur, pumpkin seeds, etc.).
Modern anthelmintics are divided into groups depending on their main effect on helminths of different classes (tapeworms, roundworms, trematodes).Some drugs can treat different classes of helminths.But it is important to remember that there is no concept of "the best cure for worms" - it all depends on what kind of parasite has occupied your body.
Today, most anthelmintic drugs are produced on the basis of six main active ingredients: albendazole, mebendazole, praziquantel, pyrantel, piperazine adipate and levamisole.Let's consider their properties in more detail.
Albendazole
Albendazole preparations are effective against various parasites, both intestinal and living in other organs.Furthermore, the effect of this substance depends on when it was taken:
- on an empty stomach, albendazole is not absorbed, but simply passes through the digestive tract, destroying intestinal parasites;
- Together with fatty foods, albendazole is absorbed and destroys parasites outside the intestine (muscles, liver, lungs, brain, other organs).
Therefore, the use of albendazole drugs must be clearly agreed with the doctor based on the diagnosis and results of preliminary examinations.
Mebendazole
Compared to albendazole, mebendazole is absorbed less intensively, and its effect is manifested mainly in the gastrointestinal tract.Despite this, mebendazole can also be prescribed to combat helminths living in the tissues, for example in case of echinococcosis, when the echinococcal bladder is in such a position that it cannot be removed promptly.
According to the recommendation of the World Health Organization (WHO), albendazole and mebendazole should be used for helminthiasis caused by the so-called soil helminths: roundworms, whipworms, hookworms.Both substances belong to the same group and have a similar effect: disruption of glucose absorption in the helminth's body.If there is a shortage of glucose, the parasite starves.
The drugs albendazole and mebendazole are not “cheap,” but they are valuable because they have relatively few possible side effects.
Praziquantel
Effective against trematodes (feline and lung flukes, schistosomes).It is used to treat clonorchiasis, paragonimiasis, opisthorchiasis, intestinal cestodiasis (taeniasis, teniarrhiasis), etc.Under the influence of praziquantel, parasites disrupt the absorption of glucose by body cells, which paralyzes and kills helminths.
Pirantel
Pyrantel is practically not absorbed into the human body and therefore has a targeted effect only on those helminths that have settled in the intestine.It immobilizes worms sensitive to it and in this immobilized state they are eliminated from the body.
Pyrantel preparations are approved for use by children aged 6 months and older: they can receive the medicine in the form of a suspension, as it is easier to dose (in the form of tablets, the drug is approved for use only from 3 years).In general, pyrantel is well tolerated, the main thing is to take it with food or immediately after.
Piperazine adipate
This substance affects the muscle and nerve cells of roundworms and roundworms, as a result of which the parasites are paralyzed and naturally leave the intestine (along with feces).
For ascariasis, a two-day course of taking piperazine is usually prescribed, and for enterobiasis (pinworms) - 1-3 five-day courses with weekly breaks between them.Pinworms do not respond to piperazine as quickly as roundworms - they are more resistant.Between courses it is necessary to do enemas to gradually eliminate battalions of dead pinworms from the intestine.
Levamisole
Levamisole paralyzes the muscles of roundworms and hookworms.IMPORTANT!It is strictly forbidden to drink alcohol within 24 hours of taking Levamisole.Otherwise, expect dizziness, rapid heartbeat, general weakness and other unpleasant consequences.All of these are “disulfiram-like reactions”;they are the basis of the action of drugs used in the treatment of alcoholism and which cause aversion to alcohol.
In general, levamisole differs from other anthelmintics by having more frequent side effects, even if it is not mixed with alcohol.These include headache, seizures, peripheral polyneuropathy, tremors, sleep disturbances, and confusion.
Another characteristic side effect of levamisole is olfactory hallucinations.Many people who have taken levamisole have complained that for several days after taking it, it seemed to them that everything around them smelled like bleach, smoke, "chemicals", etc.Of course, all these side effects do not occur in every case and depend on many individual factors, but our task is to warn you that such situations are quite possible.
Why you shouldn't take anti-worm drugs 'just to be safe'
It is strictly not recommended to take antiparasitic drugs "for preventive purposes only", even if you have animals at home that are taken for a walk.The role of pets in infecting humans with parasites has been greatly exaggerated.Yes, humans and dogs have a "common" parasite - Toxocara, but in most cases people become infected with Toxocara through road dirt, which contains particles of dog excrement and, as a result, Toxocara larvae.Furthermore, dogs and farm animals can carry the Echinococcus parasite, which is also dangerous for humans.However, you still can't take anthelmintics randomly.
The fact is that different drugs from this group not only act on different helminths, but also have different contraindications for use, as well as different side effects.Some of these side effects can be extremely serious, because many anthelmintic drugs are toxic, because otherwise it is not possible to neutralize the worms: they are very tenacious, like any other parasitic organism.Sometimes, after taking some anthelmintics, for example Dekaris, as well as during the treatment of opisthorchiasis, it may even be necessary to hospitalize the patient in hospital.
It is worth exposing your body to "toxic attacks" only when the invasion is confirmed in the laboratory (tested for helminthiasis and received a positive result).
Therefore, you should not follow the example of parasitophobia, even if it is constantly fueled by aggressive advertising of various "miracle drugs" and horror stories on the Internet.Let's not forget that the hygienic conditions in our country are, at least, far from the same as in Africa, where preventive mass deworming is fully justified.The World Health Organization (WHO) has identified a list of countries where continuous helminth control is recommended.
Prevention of helminthiasis
Of course, it is necessary to carry out prevention of helminth infection.But what is meant here is not drug prevention.To minimize the risk of catching “uninvited guests”, just try to respect two main rules:
- Wash your hands.The most common roundworm infections in our area (toxocariasis, ascariasis, enterobiasis) and echinococcosis are not without reason called diseases of dirty hands.Therefore, no matter how trivial it may seem, wash your hands often and thoroughly.Moreover, now, in the context of the coronavirus pandemic, this fundamental hygiene rule has acquired even greater significance.
- Maintain food hygiene.Parasite eggs can enter the body from unwashed fruits, vegetables and herbs, so rinse them well under running water.Meat and fish that have not undergone sufficient heat treatment also pose a greater danger.Parasite larvae are especially common in fish of carp species and can also wait for you in salted caviar at home, especially in pike, where the larvae of broad tapeworms like to settle.Raw ground meat and rare steaks may contain bovine or pork tapeworm larvae.
In addition to ordinary heat treatment, there is another reliable way to disinfect meat and fish - freezing them.A household freezer with a temperature of –20°C is suitable for this purpose.Store fish or meat there for at least two days and you can rest assured: the larvae of most parasites cannot withstand such a "test of the cold".
As you can see, comprehensive prevention of helminthiasis is primarily a lifestyle, and not at all the regular use of toxic drugs.So do not get carried away with medications without special reasons, pay attention to food and personal hygiene and periodically get tested.