Helminths are parasitic worms. To do this, they use intermediate and primary hosts, feeding on cells or tissues, absorbing nutrients and vitamins that enter the body for the host. Worms in the human stomach, as well as in the intestine or other tissue structures, during their vital activity, poison the body with toxic substances.
Types of parasites that enter the body through the stomach
Any type of parasite can develop in its natural part of the human body, where the best conditions are created for its reproduction and nutrition. Certain types of parasites can move through the body from organ to organ. Infection with parasites occurs in a variety of ways. The most common way parasites enter the human body is through food. You can avoid problems by following the basic rules of hygiene - wash your hands before eating, and also treat food thoroughly.
Parasites do not live long in the human stomach due to the effect of hydrochloric acid on their membrane. The most common alien microorganisms that parasitize the human body are:
- Ascaris- have the ability to move through the ducts of hepatic and pulmonary structures, penetrating the intestines. In the small intestine, roundworms develop in sexually mature individuals.
- Schistosomes- affect liver tissue, in advanced cases, provoking the development of oncological diseases and dystrophy of the hepatobiliary system.
- Fig worms- cause digestive tract problems. The most dangerous for the human body are fat worms and nectars. Localization of parasites mainly in the duodenum area. Fat worms are able to enter the human body not only through the stomach. Parasites have the ability to invade the skin, causing allergic reactions in the form of itching, burning and redness.
- Toxoplasma- the simplest parasites that often affect the human body. The disease proceeds quite easily, often invisibly to humans. Serious consequences for the body arise only in the case of severely weakened immunity.
- Wide band- located in the small part of the human intestine. It can reach several meters in length. The parasite provokes the development of a deficiency in the body of cyanocobalamin (vitamin B12), as well as folic acid. Toxic-allergic reactions of the body are not excluded. Infection occurs when you eat fish affected by larvae.
- Bovine tapewormis a worm that provokes the development of a disease such as teniarinkiasis. Penetrating into the human body through a food pathway, the bovine tapeworm parasite passes through the stomach, where it gets rid of the membrane under the action of gastric juice. Its absorbers are released, and the parasite can easily attach to the mucous membranes of the small intestine. Signs of a bovine strip in the body are abdominal pain, nausea and bursting of gastric contents. The patient loses his appetite, may suffer from dyspeptic disorders (pissing, for example). In some cases, bovine spongiform encephalitis is the appearance of allergic skin reactions in the form of urticaria.
- Pork ribbonis a helminth up to 10 meters in size. It belongs to one of the largest worms that infect the human body. Passing through the stomach, the parasite eggs, due to the action of hydrochloric acid, lose their shell. The larvae that emerge from the egg spread through all the tissues of the human body, provoking the development of cysticercosis. Cysticercosis poses the greatest risk to the nervous system.
- Vlasoglavis a roundworm that causes trichocephalosis of the disease. Invasion symptoms may be absent for a long time. In complicated cases, with a large accumulation of parasites, signs of ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease may occur. The person has abdominal pain, decreased appetite and feces become liquid. In the feces, streaks of blood and mucus are noticed.
Foreign organisms that lead a parasitic lifestyle in the body of their host disrupt the functioning of many organs, causing inflammatory processes and severely destroying body tissues.
Parasitic individuals in the intestinal tract, for their development and reproduction, use nutrients from food destined for the host. The consequences for people are sad. The body is experiencing a severe deficiency of trace elements and vitamin complexes.
Children's organisms are most at risk.
Against the background of severe helminthiasis, the processes of normal growth and development, both physically and psychologically, are seriously disturbed. Helminths have the ability to adapt perfectly and live for decades in the body of the host. Helminth eggs have a pronounced resistance to environmental factors.
Being in the digestive tract, different types of helminthiases can disrupt the digestive process by releasing specific toxic substances to protect them, inactivating enzymatic activity. Helminthiasis can cause gastritis and other dyspeptic disorders.
The symptoms that appear during a parasitic infection can be very different in their manifestations. In the vast majority of clinical cases, discomfort and painful sensations are observed at the location of the parasites. So helminths, whose habitat is the skin, damage the dermis, which leads to the appearance of allergic reactions. Parasites localized in the lung structures can cause a disturbing cough or shortness of breath. Symptoms of dwarf infection are manifested by weakness throughout the body, memory impairment, pain in the abdomen and head. Sometimes nausea and persistent vomiting are diagnosed, as with a stomach ulcer.
Stool disorders, bad breath, painful intestinal sensations or digestive disorders, in most cases, are accompanied by the action of parasites on the digestive tract.
The effect of foreign microorganisms on the human body as a whole leads to the following symptoms:
- added weakness;
- headache attacks;
- insomnia;
- bounce;
- redness and itching of the skin of an allergic nature;
- bronchial asthma attacks.
Moreover, the body's overall resistance decreases, against the background of changes in the functioning of the immune system. In young children, helminthiasis is manifested by a delay in physical and psychological development.
Diagnosis
Diagnosis combines studies to identify worm larvae or eggs.
Biological materials for diagnosis are:
- feces;
- urine;
- saliva;
- duodenal contents;
- bile duct secretion;
- scratches of the rectum;
- stain from perianal space;
- muscle fibers;
- blood.
Based on the fact that helminths and their particles are detected by a macroscopic method, eggs and larvae can only be detected by laboratory examination using a microscope.
Acute phase of helminthiasis caused by parasites in tissues, or by the larvae of parasitic forms of toxocariasis, trichinosis, cystocercosis, trichoepalosis, implies the use of serological samples, such as:
- RSK- complement binding reaction;
- HA- indirect aggregation;
- ELISA- immunofluorescence analysis;
- AHL- lysis collection.
In some cases of helminthiasis, a reliable diagnosis can only be made with the help of special ultrasound examinations, computed tomography, X-ray examination and endobiopsy.
Treatment
Treatment for helminthiasis can vary greatly. Science recognizes more than 300 all types of helminthiases, but the main parasites that cause systemic changes and intoxication are roundworms and flatworms. They are usually divided into intestinal and non-intestinal. When prescribing therapeutic measures, it is important to consider a number of characteristic features that are characteristic only of a certain class of helminths that are harmful to human health.
To get rid of helminths, a specialist prescribes a whole treatment regimen and it is important to consider the factors of the frequency of infection of certain organs, the intensity of the infection, the level of intoxication and the duration of the helminth. This allows you to describe the most effective tools.
Medications
To combat the diagnosed type of helminths, an individual therapy regimen is being developed. The specialist will prescribe the appropriate medication based on the patient's test results.
Folk remedies
Traditional medicine can help you get rid of parasites at home.
To treat helminthiasis, you can use the following recipes:
Wormwood seeds, wormwood flowers should be ground and mixed with honey. Take the drug 3 days in a row 3 times a day, 1 teaspoon. Effective for ascariasis.Preventive measures
If the rules of personal hygiene are not followed, the parasites will have to be constantly removed from the body, which will negatively affect the condition of the body as a whole.
For prevention purposes, it is important to adhere to the following points of basic hygiene:
- avoid close contact with animals;
- keep your hands clean - wash them after you go out;
- it is important to maintain cleanliness in the living area by doing wet cleaning, washing dishes with detergents;
- if there are children in the house, it is recommended to wash children's toys with soap, especially after a walk;
- wash vegetables and fruits under running water, preferably warm or even hot, as worm eggs have a sticky substance that prevents them from separating from the surface;
- eat meat and fish products only after pre-heat treatment;
- drink clean water, avoid tap water, as it may contain lamblia and schistosomes.
Helminthiases not only cause discomfort but also greatly damage the human body. Neglected cases of helminth damage lead to disturbances in the functioning of the whole organism. It is important to take timely preventive measures to avoid infection.