What causes worms? Signs of worms: symptoms when localized in different organs of the human body. Where do helminths come from in humans?

To protect yourself, you need to understand why worms appear in humans and what routes of transmission of infection exist. This knowledge gives insight into possible measures prevention and ways to solve the problem.

Enterobiasis

The most common disease, enterobiasis, can be found everywhere. Pinworm - thin white worm, about 1 cm in size, affects the human intestines.

Eggs remain viable in the environment for up to 3 weeks. They live in water, moist soil, on the surface of vegetables and fruits, surrounding objects, clothing and linen. Most often, enterobiasis is recorded in areas with a temperate climate.

Ascariasis

Ascaris - roundworm from light yellow to Brown, 25-40 cm long, lives in intestinal section Gastrointestinal tract.

It is ubiquitous. Worms of the roundworm family infect many domestic animals: cats, dogs, pigs, horses and poultry. Worm eggs can for a long time be preserved in external environment. At favorable conditions(sufficient levels of heat and moisture) invasive larvae mature in them and hatch in the host’s body.

Trichocephalosis

Most common in warm tropical climates. The majority of cases of infection occur in rural areas.

Hymenolepiasis

The difficulty of treatment is associated with the likelihood of self-infection (autoinvasion). The infection is widespread.

The geographic location of foci for the spread of worms transmitted through fish is as follows:

  • opisthorchiasis ( flatworm, from 0.5 to 2.5 cm, striking gallbladder and channels) - the Urals and Siberia (in the country as a whole, 25,000 cases per year);
  • anisakid (a person is affected by a worm larva; size - 1-3 cm; harms the digestive organs, causes severe skin reactions) - regions with access to the northern seas;
  • wide tape ( tapeworm, 10-12 m, inhabits the intestines, the disease is diphyllobothriasis) - Yakutia, Khakassia, Nenets and Yamalo-Nenets autonomous okrugs.

Echinococcosis

Severe disease is most often recorded in Karachay-Cherkessia, Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug and Orenburg region. More than 500 cases of infection are recorded in Russia every year.

Trichinosis

The sexually mature worm lives in the small intestine, the larvae live in muscle cells various organs. In Russia, the largest foci of the disease have been identified in the Siberian and Far Eastern regions. federal districts. About 200 cases of infection are registered per year.

In the post-Soviet space, outbreaks have been noted in the Republic of Belarus, Ukraine, Lithuania, Moldova and Kazakhstan.

Where do helminths come from in humans?

Geohelminthiasis

From the ground, the infection enters the water. Infection can occur by eating poorly processed vegetables and fruits that come into contact with the soil. As a result of drinking contaminated water or products washed with it. The infection is transmitted through untreated aquatic plants consumed as food.

Infective eggs of pinworms and dwarf tapeworms are viable in the environment. They can be on the patient’s skin and nails, spread through household items, clothing, bed dress, towels. Occasionally, infection occurs through inhalation of contaminated dust in a room. Roundworm eggs can be transferred to food products insects that have previously visited the contaminated surface.

The whipworm can live in the soil for several months. Infection with this type of helminth also occurs through unwashed foods, dirty hands. The eggs are found in sewage drains. Infestation can occur through accidental ingestion of water while swimming.

Infection is facilitated by poor personal hygiene, which explains why worms appear in children more often than in adults.

Additional factors include: poor-quality processing of fruits and vegetables, the presence of insects that can carry worm eggs, close contact with animals moving freely on the street.

A person becomes infected by eating under-processed meat, fish and seafood.

The course of the disease is divided into acute and chronic stages. The early (acute) stage appears 1-6 weeks after infection, sometimes within a few hours. The immune system reacts to the invasion foreign body. Appear skin rashes, swelling of the face, conjunctivitis, fever, nervousness, loss of appetite, dyspeptic disorders. Lymph nodes enlarge. Mechanical vacuum causes local inflammation. There is a significant increase in the level of leukocytes and eosinophils in the blood.

In the absence of treatment or its ineffectiveness, after 2-4 months the disease enters the chronic stage. The severity of the course is characterized by the degree of invasion and biological features helminth development.

In the larval form of the disease (toxocariasis - the causative agent of cat or dog roundworm; trichinosis; echinococcosis), allergic skin rashes will persist for a long time. Larval (larval) helminthiasis is considered the most severe and difficult to treat disease. Any organ can be affected. Most often the lungs, liver, brain, eyes.

The corresponding symptoms develop:

  • liver damage leads to disturbances in the hematopoietic system, anemia, weakness, pallor of the skin;
  • brain - central nervous system depression, epilepsy, mental disorders;
  • eyes - weakened vision, blindness.

The spread of helminths to the biliary tract is accompanied by pain in the right hypochondrium, lethargy, chronic fatigue, and decreased ability to work.

To prevent infection, first of all, you need to follow the rules of hygiene. Teach children to wash their hands immediately after walking and going to the toilet. Don't neglect processing raw vegetables and fruits. Fry the fish, covered, for at least 30 minutes, and the meat for an hour. Do not consume products of questionable quality.

Small children are in the zone special risk. Therefore, it is important to keep the objects around them clean. Avoid licking things picked up from the floor. Prevent contact with street animals.

  1. Pinworms are small roundworms. Move in colon, are more common in children.
  2. Roundworms are roundworms, the length can reach up to 40 cm. They live in the small intestine, but can migrate throughout the body.
  3. The tapeworm is a type of tapeworm. It can exist in the human intestine for up to 25 years.
  4. Tapeworms also include echinococcus and tapeworms. They can colonize the liver and lungs.
  5. The whipworm is a round worm that lives in the intestines. Prefers the cecum section.
  6. Roundworms, trematodes - live in the intestines and are transported through the bloodstream to the liver and lungs.

“Uninvited guests” eat differently. Pinworms prefer beneficial bacteria, inhabiting the intestines, other types of helminths suck food directly from tissues, lymph and blood.

Interesting food bull tapeworm or tapeworm. To maintain vital functions, it uses food semi-digested by its owner, absorbing it over the entire surface of the body.

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Methods of infection

Where do helminths come from? The following main types of infection are distinguished:

If no signs of helminthic infestation are found in the stool, this does not mean that it does not exist. Even to identify pinworms, you sometimes have to test a child’s stool up to 7 times a month. Other types of helminths may be found when serological study blood, during FGS, even during biopsy skeletal muscles- this is how trichinosis is diagnosed.

A helminthic infestation can be suspected based on some characteristic symptoms.

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Signs of worm infection

The most well-known symptoms of helminthic infestation:

  • weight loss;
  • exhausted look;
  • pale skin;
  • periodic itching in the anus.

Soreness occurs in muscles and joints that is not associated with exercise. By severity painful sensations depend on the degree of infection.

A low-grade fever may constantly persist, from 37.1 to 38ºС.

During the life of worms and their disintegration after the end life cycle toxic substances are released that have a pathological effect on nervous system. Frequent headaches occur and the syndrome develops chronic fatigue, nervous breakdowns appear.

Flaw nutrients causes anemia and vitamin deficiency.

Due to a decrease in immunity, the risk of allergic reactions increases, especially often the body begins to react to protein food. Allergy symptoms:

  • skin itching;
  • hives;
  • dry cough;
  • vasomotor rhinitis.

Helminthic infestation is considered as the cause of bronchial asthma.

In women and girls, manifestations of vaginitis and vulvovaginitis are becoming more frequent, with the predominant activation of conditionally pathogenic microorganisms - Gardnerella - in the vaginal flora. Inflammation spreads to the pelvic organs, and adnexitis of various types occurs.

With helminthic infestations, they are often recorded inflammatory diseases oral cavity and larynx: stomatitis, tonsillitis, pharyngitis.

You can suspect infection with worms and things have changed for the worse. appearance: education dark circles around the eyes and sallow skin. Some begin to suspect health problems because they constantly want to eat. For others, the very thought of food makes them feel nauseous.

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Treatment and prevention of helminthic infestation

But it is very easy to avoid infection. For this it is enough:

  • wash your hands before eating after visiting public places and toilet;
  • wipe periodically disinfectants mobile phone and a computer keyboard;
  • follow food preparation technology;
  • do not drink raw water;
  • wash vegetables and fruits before eating.

By following these simple rules, you can protect yourself from helminthiasis.

Physiology of the development of helminths in the human body and the effects they have

Helminths can appear in almost any human organs and systems, leading to the emergence of various inflammatory processes and other defeats. Liver, lungs, intestines and even human brain can become a haven for these terrible creatures. Moreover, their very presence, as a rule, does not in any way affect human health; the products of their vital activity are harmful and even toxic. They are the ones who provide greatest harm and lead to the emergence of various inflammatory processes that appear in response to destructive effect toxins.

Our the immune system does not stand aside when a similar infection occurs, since it immediately begins to produce antibodies to the toxic products secreted by worms. This fact, in turn, leads to the appearance of an inflammatory process, which is the result of the manifestation of the body’s protective properties. This state of affairs leads to significant problems arising against the background of toxic damage individual systems and human organs.

The main types of worms that affect the human body

Each of these worms has a specific habitat and, accordingly, have a special effect on one or another system of organs that form the human body. At the same time, the first 5 types of worms are most often observed in the intestines. Each of them causes significant harm to human health, producing a toxic effect on tissue.

Why do worms appear in humans? During the birth process, the child is born completely healthy. At the same time, starting from the moment of reproduction on the light, it is influenced by various external factors. The appearance of helminths can also be attributed to similar effects, since they can only enter a person from the outside. Based on this, they distinguish following methods penetration of worms into the body:

Each of these options involves the penetration of helminths into digestive tract. In almost every case, they go directly into the stomach. Despite the rather aggressive environment inherent in this organ, the worms gradually acclimatize in it and move further into the intestine. It is in it that they begin to gradually grow, having a toxic effect on humans. While in the intestines, worms feed on leftover food excreted from the stomach. Based on this, we can conclude that helminths can appear only as a result of penetration into the stomach. The main causes of worms in adults and children are as follows and best reflect the picture of their entry into the body:

  • eating dirty foods;
  • insufficient hygiene;
  • bad heat treatment food;
  • contacts with infected animals and people;
  • eating raw fish;
  • insect bites.

Symptoms indicating the presence of helminths and the possibility of re-infection

When worms appear in the body, this process is always fraught with the formation certain symptoms that influence human life and well-being.

Among them, the following signs characteristic of helminth damage are distinguished:

  • dry cough;
  • significant weight loss;
  • fatigue;
  • allergic manifestations;
  • pale skin;
  • enlarged lymph nodes;
  • itching in the anus;
  • headache;
  • constipation;
  • nausea;
  • bloating.

Cure from helminths involves exposure to special drugs containing certain toxic substances. Therefore, they should not be used for self-deliverance from worms, since it can be applied irreparable harm to myself. Therefore, similar therapy should be carried out only under the strict supervision of a specialist who will determine the extent of the damage and prescribe the appropriate dosages of medications.

Preventive measures play an important role in ensuring protection against re-infection. They consist of daily monitoring of one’s own nutrition and ensuring personal hygiene. This is the only way to guarantee your safety and prevent worms from entering the body.

And a little about secrets.

Why do worms often (constantly) appear in adults and children?

In order to understand why worms appear in humans, it is necessary to learn the epidemiological classification. Conventionally, doctors divide worms into two large groups: geohelminths and biohelminths:

Symptoms of worms

  1. Constant nausea and vomiting.
  2. Stomach ache.
  3. Severe flatulence and bloating.
  4. Dry cough.
  5. Shortness of breath.

Since some worms can migrate throughout the body along with the lymph flow, signs of cystitis, intestinal obstruction, obstructive jaundice, or even liver abscess may appear. Roundworms can enter the respiratory tract, causing symptoms of suffocation.

By knowing where worms come from, you can try to prevent infection. Preventive measures extremely simple:

  • It is important to constantly wash your hands with soap; it is very useful to teach your child to early childhood perform a similar cleanliness ritual after every visit to the toilet, after every trip outside.
  • It is useful to wash any fruits and vegetables under warm running water. First, before giving bananas, apples or tangerines to a very small baby, you need to pour boiling water over the fruit.
  • If it grows in the house Small child, doctors recommend washing all toys with soap once a week.
  • You cannot buy pet meat from random people. In markets and stores, all products undergo sanitary control. Should not be given to children salted lard, as well as stroganin. They often cause worms in humans.
  • Carriers of infection, as well as helminth eggs, are cockroaches and flies; cats and dogs can also bring them into the house dangerous helminths. If there are animals in the house, their cleanliness must be taken care of with special care. To prevent a child from becoming infected from a cat or dog, animals must undergo deworming once a year, even when they show no signs of infection. The same safety measures are observed during pregnancy.

The drugs used have Negative influence on the liver, so in the process complex treatment medications are used that can restore the functions of the biological filter. Mumiyo is perfect for this. Knowing what causes worms, you can prevent the development of the most dangerous complications The video posted directly below the article will clearly show which ones.

Biohelminths change several hosts before they fully mature; this group includes:

  • pork and bovine tapeworms;
  • Echinococcus;
  • nematodes, cestodes and trematodes.

Geohelminths are organisms whose development does not include penetration into an intermediate host. Representatives of the group of geohelminths:

  • roundworms;
  • whipworm;
  • hookworm;
  • nekators.

Pinworms and dwarf tapeworms are called contact helminths; the former provoke the development of enterobiasis, the latter cause the disease hymenolepiasis.

Causes of infection

Worms appear in the human body by various reasons, it all depends on the specific type of helminthic pathogen. Thus, the main reason for the appearance of worms is often eating raw meat or meat that has not undergone sufficient heat treatment. Beef contains bovine tapeworm; pork meat can become a source of infection with pork tapeworm. Eating raw, poorly fried, salted fish increases the risk of infestation with opisthorchiasis and tapeworm. These types of worms can enter the body through contaminated water, unwashed or washed vegetables and fruits with invasive water.

Geohelminths enter the human body in larval form; initially, worms enter the soil with the feces of infected people and animals, and are then transmitted healthy people. Reasons: unwashed hands, unwashed food, dishes, laundry, hygiene items.

Location

Ciscerica (larvae) pork tapeworm) like almost all organs; from the intestine they can move to the heart, brain, muscle vessels, subcutaneous fat and even to the eyeball.

Helminthiasis of an adult

A person becomes infected with ascariasis through dirty vegetables and fruits, diphyllobothriasis, opisthorchiasis develops as a result of eating raw, poorly fried, salted fish, especially river fish, enterobiasis occurs upon contact with an infected person through food and household contact.

General signs of worms in humans:

  • itchy rash on skin prone to relapse;
  • generalized and local edema;
  • cough, asthma attacks, fever;
  • increase in regional lymph nodes;
  • general malaise, fatigue, weakness;
  • pallor;
  • pain in the muscles, joints, abdomen;
  • frequent urge to urinate, terminal hematuria(blood in the urine);
  • pain in the stomach and intestines, stool disturbances, bloating;
  • damage to the lymph nodes, allergic syndrome due to filariasis;
  • development serious illnesses– allergic myocarditis, meningoencephalitis, pneumonia, hepatitis.

How to identify worms in ascariasis, signs of the presence of worms in humans:

  • skin rashes;
  • attacks of nausea, in severe cases– attacks of vomiting;
  • stomach ache;
  • reduction or complete absence appetite;
  • changes in blood composition - since the body’s reaction manifests itself in the form of allergies, an increase in the level of eosinophils is observed in the blood.

Without timely and adequate treatment, complications may arise - the integrity of the intestines is violated, and such pathological processes, like peritonitis and appendicitis. Lesions can also spread to the liver, causing intestinal obstruction.

Manifestations of diphyllobothriasis:

  • general weakness;
  • dizziness;
  • attacks of nausea;
  • stool disorders - diarrhea alternating with constipation;
  • discharge during defecation of strobilus;
  • stomach ache;
  • weight loss.

Complications of diphyllobothriasis - severe degrees anemia caused by a deficiency of protein, iron and vitamin B.

Symptoms that are characteristic of enterobiasis:

  • severe itching in the anus and dermatitis anus when the skin becomes inflamed as a result of scratching;
  • pain in the abdomen;
  • vulvaginitis in girls.

Diagnostics

Worms in adults - symptoms and treatment of pathology is possible only after identification accurate diagnosis. The main task of diagnosis is the detection of helminth eggs in a patient’s stool analysis. To detect eggs of pinworms and roundworms, scrapings are also taken from anus, and in girls, in addition to anal scraping, they take analysis from the vaginal area, inguinal folds, navel.

As additional research patients are prescribed a urine test, blood test, sputum and bile tests, muscle tissue, perianal and rectal mucus, the contents are analyzed duodenum. In order to clarify the localization of helminths, an ultrasound is performed, endoscopic examination, computed tomography.

Note! Only after the diagnostic results can the doctor determine how to treat worms in each specific case. Do not engage in self-therapy and be sure to follow your doctor’s recommendations.

Treatment

Treatment of worms, especially in chronic stage, carried out as prescribed by a doctor and under his supervision. All medications are selected based on the type of causative agent of helminthic disease, the degree of invasion, the presence of concomitant diseases, the likelihood of complications, the patient’s well-being, the state of his immunity.

Which medications A specialist may prescribe, depending on the type of helminthiasis:

  • drugs that contain the substance mebendazole - taking these drugs is advisable for trichuriasis and enterobiasis;
  • medications containing diethylcarbamazine are the most effective drugs, they are used for the treatment of all types of filariasis, including those with subcutaneous tissue, eye tissues, lymphatic system;
  • products that contain levamisole - such drugs have wide range actions, they are used for the treatment of hookworm disease, ascariasis, necatoriasis, strongyloidiasis, trichuriasis, toxoplasmosis, trichostrongylosis, enterobiasis;
  • drugs based on bephenium hydroxynaphthoate - these drugs are active against roundworms, causing diseases such as ascariasis, hookworm, trichuriasis, trichostrongylosis;
  • medications based on piperazine adipate - such drugs are effective in the treatment of ascariasis and enterobiasis, but with ascariasis, piperazine adipate does not destroy ascarids, but only paralyzes, this ensures their easy removal from the patient’s body;
  • medicinal tablets containing albendazole are the most effective drugs for the treatment of echinococcosis and cysticercosis;
  • medicines containing praziquantel - effective means, they are prescribed for the treatment of trematodes, cestodiases, schistosomiasis, paragonimiasis.

In case of exacerbation of helminthic diseases, treatment includes the use of infusions in the form of saline solution, hemodesis, isotonic solution glucose. The patient is also prescribed injections of calcium gluconate or calcium chloride, vitamin B6, ascorbic acid, sodium bicarbonate, analgin, diphenhydramine, antihistamines(Pipolfen and Suprastin), which is necessary for the development of hyperthermia. When increasing blood pressure It is advisable to carry out Cordiamin injections.

Treatment of worms is complex; one of the components of such a complex is immune therapy, which is necessary to increase protective forces body and rapid rehabilitation. Upon joining secondary infection or the risk of its addition, the doctor prescribes antibacterial drugs to destroy infectious and inflammatory processes.

Note! If at least one family member is undergoing anthelmintic treatment, then all other relatives living with him in the same apartment must undergo a preventive course of anthelmintic therapy. The same rule applies to the patient’s pets.

Prevention

After treatment, the patient should adhere to simple rules prevention - monitor your health, do not forget about personal hygiene, be sure to wash your hands before eating, after walking, or interacting with animals. It is necessary to thoroughly wash dishes and hygiene items.

Proper heat treatment of meat and fish is mandatory. If meat and fish are not thermally processed, they must be thoroughly salted and dried. Fruits and vegetables should be washed with clean water before consumption.

Where do worms come from?

Signs of worm infestation

General deterioration begins:

  • lethargy;
  • apathy;
  • insomnia;
  • chronic fatigue;
  • dizziness.

Intestines - favorite place habitats of sexually mature worms. There they feed, reproduce and have a way of releasing eggs into environment using excretory system owner.

Symptoms:

  • Chest pain.
  • Severe cough with phlegm.
  • Temperature increase.
  • Wheezing.
  • Difficulty breathing.

With severe infestation, severe complications may appear: bronchitis, bronchopneumonia, blockage respiratory tract, necrosis and abscesses lung tissue.

Symptoms:

Treatment should be started immediately! Protect yourself and your loved ones!

What tests need to be taken?

If a person suspects that he has a helminthic infestation, he can contact a therapist for testing.

Additional research methods:

  • An X-ray examination is prescribed to examine the lungs for the presence of helminthiases in the lung tissue. The image shows fine-grained inclusions, which, together with the rest of the diagnostics, allows us to make a correct diagnosis.
  • Ultrasound examination is used to determine the presence of specific helminthiases such as echinococcus.

Methods for treating helminthiasis

  • medicinal;
  • folk;
  • surgically.

The most important thing during treatment is to strictly follow the treatment regimen, diet and other prescriptions of the attending physician.

Moreover, when a person has worms, symptoms do not always appear; if they do occur, they are disguised as other liver diseases, gastrointestinal tract, gallbladder, etc. For which a person can be treated for years and not know the real reason such ailment, and after completing 1 or several courses of anthelmintic drugs, he recovers. In our article we will talk about general and specific signs of worms in humans.

How can you become infected with worms?

How do worms enter the human body? There are 4 main sources of helminth eggs entering the body:

The main mechanism of any infection is most often oral-fecal, that is, a person simply swallows worm eggs along with food, water, and less often, some helminthic infestations occur from the bites of infected insects. With undercooked meat and raw fish understandable, but how can you become infected with worms through household contact and through the soil?

  • Through the soil

After any contact with soil or sand, you should not just wash your hands, but thoroughly clean your nails; it is better to have short-cut nails, especially for children. Food products that grow in the ground - vegetables, herbs, fruits, berries, mushrooms, everything connected to the ground requires thorough washing under running water and scalding with boiling water. Pets, primarily dogs and cats, walking on the street, bring a lot of sewage into the house, and children playing with them are at maximum risk of infection; the animal can easily infect it with any types of helminths. Flies are also the main carriers of helminths, being in public toilets In areas where agricultural livestock live, the flies then calmly land on food, carrying eggs on their wings and legs.

  • From person to person

With pinworms, infection of others occurs very easily. When a female pinworm crawls out of the intestines at night, she lays about 5,000 eggs near the anus, which causes severe itching; the child, scratching the itchy area, infests their hands, nails, panties, and bed linen with them. Without washing his hands right away, hundreds of eggs remain on all objects he touches - door handles, clothes, food, toys. Further, the infection process is clear; eggs also settle on the hands of another child or adult using these items, and without washing their hands before eating, they end up in the mouth of a healthy person.

  • Through the water

A huge number of worm eggs end up in open water bodies and well water. Therefore, those who live in rural areas or in the country should use a bactericidal filter and be sure to boil water; it is also dangerous to swallow water when swimming in open water.

Everyone knows that worms are mainly a problem for children. Firstly, because they are most susceptible to the development of helminthiasis, since the protective barriers in children's body are not properly formed, the acidity of the stomach is lower than in an adult. Secondly kids preschool age, mastering the world, they try all the surrounding objects not only with their hands, but also by taste. And parents, with all their desire, can teach their child to strictly follow the rules of personal hygiene, without reminders, only by the age of 3-6, which exposes not only the baby himself, but also all family members, to the risk of infection (pinworms).

Since worms cannot reproduce in the human body, an increase in the number of adult worms in the intestines of an already infected person is possible only with repeated infection, when the eggs again enter the body through the mouth. That is, if we exclude reinfection, which is only possible if strict hygiene rules and some preventive measures, then in the case of pinworms, for example, a person could get rid of worms in 3-4 weeks without any treatment (see). But it is not so easy to follow these rules for toddlers and children of primary school age.

What are the common signs of worms in humans?

One of the most clear symptoms, signs of worms in humans are - sudden weight loss, pale skin (anemia), haggard appearance, as well. But these are only the most obvious and popular signs, known to everyone, that occur during massive infection. However, there are a lot of other symptoms that a person perceives as a manifestation of other diseases and when going to a doctor, he often treats them unsuccessfully, without knowing the indirect cause of their occurrence or exacerbation.

  • Gastrointestinal dysfunction

If helminths are localized in the intestines, and not in the tissues and organs of the body, then the main signs of the presence of worms in humans are disorders of the gastrointestinal tract, such as constant, chronic, nausea or periodic vomiting, abdominal pain, especially near the navel, pain in the right hypochondrium , (bloating). These symptoms of the presence of worms in humans can be mild or more intense and prolonged, it depends on the severity of the infection or reinvasion (self-infection). Some types of worms secrete hormone-like substances during their growth process. causing diarrhea, and with massive growth of large worms they can partially block the intestines, causing constipation.

  • Nervous system disorders and general malaise

During their life, worms secrete a lot of toxic substances, and the stronger the infection, the more intense the symptoms of intoxication of the body and negative effects on the nervous system of children and adults appear.

  • Decreased immunity and, as a consequence, the development of infectious diseases

Such a toxic effect, as well as depriving a person of some nutrients, vitamins and minerals, leads to a significant decrease in the host’s immunity. This may manifest itself either as an exacerbation of existing chronic diseases, or various inflammatory processes begin in the nasopharynx - sinusitis, stomatitis (,), even girls and women may develop various inflammatory processes in the genital organs - vulvovaginitis, (), even inflammation of the uterine appendages in girls is considered possible due to prolonged helminthic infestation with pinworms. (cm. ).

There is an opinion that snoring and grinding of teeth at night are also a symptom of worms in humans, however, this is only an assumption.

In what organs can worms live?

Depending on where in the body helminths are localized, they are divided into:

  • Translucent

Cavity worms occupy mainly the small and large intestines of humans; there are almost 100 species of different helminths that live in different parts of the intestines. Species such as roundworms, hookworms, tapeworms are localized in the small intestine, and pinworms and dwarf tapeworms are localized in the lower third small intestine, the whipworm lives in the large intestine.

  • Fabric

Tissue helminthiases - do not live in the intestines, but in tissues and organs human body in muscles, lungs (paragonimiasis), brain (cysticercosis), liver (echinococcosis), and even in lymphatic vessels (filariasis), etc. Roundworms belong to both luminal and tissue, since in primary phase development, they can infect any organ through the blood in the form of larvae (see.

The danger of infection with intestinal worms is that in the presence of a single individual in the intestine, helminthiasis is often asymptomatic. Any symptoms may appear only when huge sizes worm, for example, tapeworm or roundworm, or with massive infection.

Pinworms or enterobiasis - in addition to the typical, main signs of any helminthiasis, the most characteristic symptoms enterobiasis is itching in the anal area, worsening at night. Also a factor of availability small quantity pinworms is the frequency of such itching, if it occurs only 1-2 days, then goes away and after a couple of weeks it repeats again. This important sign the presence of pinworms, with severe infestation the itching may be more constant.

Trichocephalosis, hookworm disease, diphyllobothriasis, schistosomiasis- contribute to the development of vitamin deficiencies and anemia, since the poison of helminths and the metabolic products they secrete greatly change the intestinal microflora, causing and promoting the proliferation of opportunistic microorganisms.

Roundworms - symptoms of ascariasis depend on the phase of development of helminths; if this is the initial phase, when the larvae migrate through the blood to the lungs and other organs, then helminthiasis appears first low-grade fever, weakness, dry cough with mucopurulent sputum, possibly even with blood, volatile infiltrates appear on x-rays of the lungs within 1-2 weeks, which then disappear. , appear allergic reactions. With severe infestation, the development of bronchitis with attacks of suffocation and pneumonia is possible. In 2 late phase- intestinal, gastrointestinal dysfunction already occurs. Roundworms secrete substances that neutralize digestive enzymes in humans - pepsin and trypsin, without which it is impossible to digest proteins, so with ascariasis a person loses a lot of weight. Complications of ascariasis can be obstructive jaundice, pancreatitis, intestinal obstruction, acute appendicitis.

Almost all helminthiases are characterized by disorders of the central nervous system - headaches, increased irritability, fatigue.

Trichinosis - most often manifested muscle pain, fever, swelling of the face and eyelids

Fascioliasis, opisthorchiasis, clonorchiasis- trematodes of the liver, appear when icteric syndrome(see), also enlarged spleen, liver, pancreatitis, neurological disorders, cholecystocholangitis, gastrointestinal pathologies.

Strongyloidiasis is characterized by a wide variety of symptoms - allergic reactions, pathologies of the biliary tract, and dyspeptic disorders.

Urogenital schistosomiasis- causes diuretic disorders, manifested by the release of blood at the end of urination.

Only on the basis of tests and diagnosis, the doctor prescribes treatment for worms in a person, since anthelmintic drugs are quite toxic, and for various helminthiasis, different courses and treatment regimens are necessary, taking into account the person’s age and weight. When nematodes (pinworms, roundworms), the most common worms in humans, are detected, treatment is prescribed with the following medications:

  • Piperazine 10-30 rub.
  • Pirantel - Helmintox (80-120 rub.), Pirantel (30-50 rub.). Nemotsid, Kombantrin
  • Mebendazole - Vermox 90 rub., Vermakar, Mebex, Vero-Mebendazole, Thermox, Wormin 20 rub.,
  • Albendazole - Nemozol (price 120-150 rubles), Gelmodol-VM, Vormil

    Levamisole - Dekaris (70-90 r)

    Carbendacim - Medamin

  • Pyrvinium embonate - Pyrivinium, Pyrkon, Vanquin

Since some products do not act on the larvae and eggs of worms, and the risk of reinfestation (self-infection with pinworms) is high, the course of treatment is repeated after 2-3 weeks. Among traditional methods, the most effective are considered to be the old time-tested methods - using pumpkin seeds and tansy grass. About the fact that the pumpkin seed is good anthelmintic It has been known for a long time that it is best to buy unpeeled seeds, peel them yourself, preserving and eating the thin film between the seed and the peel, and consume 300 grams in the morning. for an hour, after crushing and mixing with honey or jam. Then do not eat for 3-4 hours and do an enema; this treatment can be repeated after 2 weeks.