Helminthiasis- It's a worm infestation. It is registered in children and adults mainly in warm and humid countries. The risk group is boys and girls aged 5-15 years, which is due to familiarity with the outside world, low immune reactivity and insufficiently low pH of the stomach. Target organs – liver, kidneys, lungs. The main habitat is the gastrointestinal tract.
Parasites penetrate through damaged mucous membranes and skin or through contaminated water and food. In the digestive system, young individuals enter the blood through the destroyed wall.
Initially, the helminth descends into the intestines, grows for 40-80 days, gradually turns into an adult, which in the late stage of development lays eggs that leave the body with feces.
Causes of the disease
A person becomes infected after consuming contaminated food and water or contact with dirty soil. Individuals are transmitted to another person through ordinary objects - plates, toothbrush, towel, forks, spoons, toys.
Provocative factors are non-observance of hygiene rules, improper preparation of food (cooking meat and fish at low temperatures), observance of raw foodism.
The eggs are carried by pets that are regularly walked outside.
Types of worms
Parasites are divided into classes that differ in how they exist in the environment:
- Contact. It is transmitted between people.
- Geohelminthiasis. No intermediate host is necessary for development, the habitat is the soil.
- Biohelminthosis. At least two organisms are necessary for life.
Science knows more than 350 species of parasites. The following are dangerous:
- Nematodes (roundworms) are responsible for the development of ascariasis and nekatoriasis.
- Spiny heads (acanthocephalans) - disease: acanthocephalosis.
- Trematodes (flukes) – provoke opisthorchosis 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.
Stream Options:
- Sharp.
Duration – 2-8 weeks. Intoxication syndrome and allergies prevail: weakness, loss of strength, nausea, vomiting, fever, rashes, lymphadenopathy, feeling of lack of air, bloating and abdominal pain. The pathognomonic symptom is bruxism (teeth grinding). It occurs mostly at night. Local changes are possible - redness and irritation of the perianal area. - Chronic.
Duration - several years. The patient worries about stool disorder, pain in the lower abdomen, belching sour or bitter, dyspepsia, intolerance to certain foods. Damage to the liver and gallbladder leads to jaundice (skin discoloration) 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.
Helminthosis reduces immune reactivity, promotes the accumulation of secondary bacterial flora, caries, severe allergic reactions (anaphylactic shock) and exacerbation of concomitant pathologies.
Complications
The waste products of the parasites cause local symptoms (itching, urticarial rash), 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, producing anemia. With massive infection, patients develop appendicitis, dysbiosis, frequent obstruction of the bile ducts and intestinal obstruction.
Diagnosis
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 is increased and the ESR is increased.
To confirm the diagnosis and control treatment, the following is performed:
- scraping from the perianal area;
- examination of biological material (vomit, urine, sputum, feces);
- co-program;
- allergy tests.
The severity and degree of pathological changes are determined by chest x-ray, ultrasound, computed tomography with contrast, MRI, 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
The patient's treatment tactics are determined by the doctor after consultation.
Drug therapy involves choosing an anthelmintic drug based on symptoms and the 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 three-fold control examination of the feces is performed.
Prevention
The following recommendations help prevent helminth invasion:
- Wash your hands after visiting the toilet and returning from a walk, as well as before eating.
- Giving up bad habits.
- Rinsing vegetables, vegetables, apples, oranges under the tap.
- Proper handling of products.
- Drinking boiled water.
- Active lifestyle.
Twice a year, medicinal prophylaxis (for adults, children, pets) with non-specific anthelmintic drugs is indicated.