Helminths or parasitic worms behave in a very secretive way in the human body.Symptoms of an immune reaction to a parasitic infection can easily be confused with the flu, food poisoning, allergies, chronic fatigue syndrome, etc.And you may not be aware of infection with pork tapeworm, a tapeworm reaching 3 meters in length, during its entire lifespan - 2-3 years.Today we will talk about helminthiasis, as well as anthelmintic drugs and why you should not take them "just for prevention."
So, let's start with an introduction.Most helminths common in our area inhabit the intestines.However, certain types of parasites can also settle in body tissues: muscles, lungs, brain, eyeball tissues, etc.
All helminths that parasitize the human body are divided into three categories:
- Roundworms - nematodes:roundworms, pinworms, trichinella, hookworms, etc.Nematodes are the most “popular” parasitic diseases.According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than a billion people in the world are simultaneously infected with them (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 cestodes.There are currently 3,500 known species, and each of them can parasitize the human body.Which cestode 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 complete heat treatment.Echinococcosis, dirofilariasis, taeniasis, taeniarinchiasis are cestodiases that affect not only humans, but also pets.
Helminths suppress immune reactions, causing the body's defenses to suffer even in cases of serious 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.
In addition, 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 ability of adults to work;
- causes a change in the intestinal biocenosis and 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
In the past, to combat worms, mainly herbal remedies were used - male fern, cypress wormwood, lamb's-quarters oil, etc.Nowadays, synthetic substances are used for these purposes.Thus, some obsolete drugs (the above-mentioned medicinal plants, 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 (cestodes, nematodes, trematodes).Some medications can treat several different classes of helminths.But it is important to remember that there is no concept of "best remedy for worms" - it all depends on what type of parasite has occupied your body.
Today, most anthelmintic drugs are produced based on 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.In addition, 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;
- With fatty foods, albendazole is absorbed and destroys parasites outside the intestines (muscles, liver, lungs, brain, other organs).
Therefore, the use of drugs based on albendazole should be clearly agreed with the doctor based on the diagnosis and preliminary test results.
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 tissues - for example, in cases of echinococcosis, when the echinococcal bladder is in such a location that it cannot be removed quickly.
According to the recommendation of the World Health Organization (WHO), albendazole and mebendazole should be used for helminthiasis caused by 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 body of helminths.In case of glucose deficiency, the parasite dies of starvation.
The drugs albendazole and mebendazole are not "economical", but they are valuable because they have relatively few possible side effects.
Praziquantel
Effective against trematodes (feline and pulmonary flukes, schistosomes).It is used to treat clonorchiasis, paragonimiasis, opisthorchiasis, intestinal cestodosis (taeniasis, teniarinchiasis), etc.Under the influence of praziquantel, parasites disrupt the absorption of glucose by the body's cells, which paralyzes and kills helminths.
Pirantel
Pyrantel is practically not absorbed by the human body and therefore has a targeted effect only on helminths that have settled in the intestines.It immobilizes the worms that are sensitive to it and, in this state of immobilization, they are eliminated from the body.
Pyrantel preparations are approved for children aged 6 months and older - they can receive the drug in the form of a suspension, as it is easier to dose (in the form of tablets, the drug is allowed only from 3 years old).In general, pyrantel is well tolerated, the main thing is to take it with food or immediately after it.
Piperazine adipate
This substance affects the muscle and nerve cells of nematodes and roundworms, resulting in paralysis of the parasites and their natural exit from the intestines (with feces).
For ascariasis, a two-day course of treatment with piperazine is usually prescribed, and for enterobiosis (pinworms), 1-3 five-day courses of treatment with week-long breaks between them.Pinworms do not react as quickly to piperazine as roundworms: they are more resistant.Between courses, it is necessary to do enemas in order to gradually remove the battalions of dead pinworms from the intestines.
Levamisole
Levamisole paralyzes the muscles of roundworms and hookworms.IMPORTANT!Alcohol consumption is strictly prohibited within 24 hours of taking Levamisole.Otherwise, expect dizziness, rapid heartbeat, general weakness and other unpleasant consequences.All of these reactions are “disulfiram-like reactions”;they are the basis of the action of drugs used in the treatment of alcoholism and causing an aversion to alcohol.
In general, levamisole differs from other anthelmintics in having the most common side effects, even if it is not mixed with alcohol.These include headaches, seizures, peripheral polyneuropathy, tremor, sleep disturbances and confusion.
Olfactory hallucinations are another characteristic side effect of levamisole.Many people who have taken Levamisole have complained that for several days after taking it, it seemed that everything around them smelled of bleach, smoke, "chemicals", etc.Of course, not all of these side effects occur in all cases and depend on many individual factors, but our job is to warn you that such situations are quite possible.
Why you shouldn't take anti-worm medications 'just to be safe'
It is strictly not recommended to take antiparasitic medications “just as a preventative measure”, even if you have animals in your home that are taken outside for walks.The role of pets in parasitic infection of humans has been greatly exaggerated.Yes, humans and dogs have a “common” parasite - Toxocara, but in most cases people become infected with Toxocara through street dirt, which contains particles of dog feces and, accordingly, Toxocara larvae.Additionally, dogs and farm animals can carry the Echinococcus parasite, which is also dangerous for humans.However, you still cannot take anthelmintics randomly.
The fact is that different drugs of 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 you cannot neutralize the worms: they are very tenacious, like all other parasitic organisms.Sometimes, after taking certain anthelmintics, for example, Dekaris, as well as during the treatment of opisthorchiasis, it may even be necessary to admit the patient to the hospital.
It is worth exposing your body to "toxic attacks" only when the invasion is confirmed in the laboratory (tested for helminthiasis and positive result).
Therefore, you should not follow the example of parasitophobia, even if it is constantly fueled by aggressive advertising of various “wonder drugs” and horror stories on the Internet.Do not forget that hygienic conditions in our country are, to put it mildly, far from the same as in Africa, where mass preventive deworming is fully justified.The World Health Organization (WHO) has compiled a list of countries in which continuous control of helminths is recommended.
Helminthiasis prevention
Of course, prevention of helminthic infections should be carried out.But this is not about drug prevention.To minimize the risk of catching "uninvited guests", just try to adhere to two main rules:
- Wash your hands.The most common nematode infections in our region (toxocariasis, ascariasis, enterobiasis) and echinococcosis are not without reason called dirty hand diseases.Therefore, as trivial as it may seem, wash your hands often and thoroughly.And today, in the context of the coronavirus pandemic, this basic rule of hygiene takes on even more meaning.
- 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 an increased danger.Parasite larvae are particularly common in fish of carp species and can also lie in wait for you in homemade salted caviar, especially in pike, where the larvae of the broad tapeworm like to settle.Raw ground meat and rare steaks may contain bovine or porcine tapeworm larvae.
In addition to normal heat treatment, there is another reliable way to disinfect meat and fish: freezing them.A domestic freezer with a temperature of –20°C is suitable for this.Store fish or meat in it for at least two days - and you can rest assured: the larvae of most parasites will not withstand such a "cold test".
As you can see, comprehensive prevention of helminthiasis is, first of all, a way of life, and not at all the regular use of toxic drugs.So do not get carried away with medications for no particular reason, monitor your diet and personal hygiene and get tested periodically.