Helminthiasis- It's a worm infection. It is recorded in children and adults mainly in hot and humid countries. The risk group is boys and girls aged 5 to 15 years old, due to knowledge of the outside world, low immune reactivity and insufficiently low gastric 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, young individuals enter the bloodstream through the destroyed wall.
Initially, the helminth descends into the intestines, grows for 40-80 days, gradually turning into an adult, which at an advanced stage of development lays eggs that leave the body with feces.
Causes of disease
A person becomes infected after consuming contaminated food and water or coming into contact with dirty soil. Individuals are transmitted to another person through ordinary objects - dishes, toothbrush, napkin, forks, spoons, toys.
The provoking factors are non-compliance with hygiene rules, improper food preparation (cooking meat and fish at low temperatures), adherence to a raw food diet.
The eggs are brought by animals that regularly wander outside.
Types of worms
Parasites are divided into classes that differ in the way they exist in the environment:
- Contact. Transmitted between people.
- Geohelminthiasis. For development, an intermediate host is not needed, the habitat is soil.
- Biohelminths. 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 necatoriasis.
- Spiny heads (acanthocephalans) – disease: acanthocephalosis.
- Trematodes (flukes) – cause opisthorchiasis and fascioliasis.
- Cestodes (tapeworms) – tapeworm, echinococcus.
Helminths settle in the intestines, lungs and gallbladder.
Clinical image
Symptoms are determined by the type of worm, the affected organ, the anatomical and physiological characteristics of the patient and immunity.
Feed options:
- Acute.Duration – 2 to 8 weeks.Intoxication syndrome and allergies predominate: weakness, loss of strength, nausea, vomiting, fever, rash, lymphadenopathy, feeling of lack of air, bloating and abdominal pain. The pathognomic symptom is bruxism (teeth grinding). It mainly appears at night. Local changes are possible - redness and irritation of the perianal area.
- Chronic.Duration – several years.The patient worries about stool disorders, pain in the lower abdomen, sour or bitter belching, dyspepsia, intolerance to certain foods. Damage to the liver and gallbladder leads to jaundice (change in skin color) 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.
Helminthiases reduce immune reactivity, promoting the accumulation of secondary bacterial flora, caries, severe allergic reactions (anaphylactic shock) and exacerbation of concomitant pathologies.
Complications
The parasites' waste causes local symptoms (itching, urticarial rash), pneumonia, cardiac and bronchial asthma. The worms feed on human macronutrients, leading to psychomotor and mental delay in the child's development. Whipworms use red blood cells and hemoglobin, forming anemia. In case of massive infection, patients develop appendicitis, dysbiosis, frequent obstruction of the bile ducts and intestinal obstruction.
Diagnostic
At the first symptoms, you should consult a specialized specialist or therapist.
An enlargement of the spleen, liver and regional lymph nodes is determined by palpation. In BCC, the number of eosinophils increases and the ESR increases.
To verify the diagnosis and control treatment, we carry out:
- scratching of the perianal area;
- examination of biological material (vomiting, urine, sputum, stools);
- coprogram;
- allergy tests.
The severity and extent of pathological changes are revealed by chest x-ray, ultrasound, contrast-enhanced CT, MRI, gastro- and colonoscopy.
The diagnosis of helminthiasis is difficult due to the irregular release of eggs, the disappearance of antibodies 2 to 3 months after infection and the diversity of the clinical picture.
Treatment
Patient care tactics are determined by the doctor after consultation.
Drug therapy involves selecting an anthelmintic drug based on symptoms and type of worm.
Bronchopulmonary manifestations are treated with steroids, expectorants, antihistamines and antispasmodics. Normal intestinal microflora is restored thanks to probiotics and digestion is improved thanks to 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 helminthic infestations:
- Wash your hands after using the toilet, after returning from a walk and before eating.
- Rejection of bad habits.
- Rinse greens, vegetables, apples, oranges under the tap.
- Proper treatment of products.
- Drink boiled water.
- Active lifestyle.
Drug prophylaxis (for adults, children, pets) with non-specific anthelmintic drugs is indicated twice a year.