Worms in humans: possible causes, symptoms, diagnosis, therapy and preventive measures

worms in the human intestine

Worms in humans are a rather unpleasant phenomenon that may not appear for a long time. Parasitic worms in science are called helminths. Human infection is called helminthiasis. This happens as a result of the worm eggs entering our body. Contrary to popular belief that worms are a purely childhood disease, adults are also susceptible to a strong attack from parasites. Scientists believe that one in four people on earth is a carrier of this disease.

parasitic worm of human body

Where can they live

Adult helminths move around the body until they settle in the organs that suit them best. The eggs of the parasites enter the intestines and settle there. This is the most common location. It is easy to find worms in the intestines and get rid of them.

The liver is the second in popularity among worms. The lungs follow her. There are very rare forms of the disease in which the worms enter the eyeballs and muscles.

Classification

Human worms are classified according to their location. There are luminal and tissue types.

Tissues are those that live in organs. They can cause the following diseases:

  • paragonimiasis is a type of damage to lung tissue caused by worms;
  • echinococcosis - liver damage;
  • cysticercosis - of the brain;
  • filariasis - lymph nodes.

The second type of human worms are luminal. It is the most common type of disease that affects the intestines. Worms can be completely different: hookworms, roundworms, tapeworms, whipworms, broad tapeworms, pinworms and others.

parasitic worm of the human esophagus

Stages of development

Worms in an adult can come from completely different sources. In order for the parasite to start growing in the body, it must enter through the mouth. Worm eggs can be found in raw meat, untreated water from tanks, on dirty hands. In this form, they enter the oral cavity, then into the stomach, and then are absorbed through the intestines.

Already in the stomach, a larva hatches from an egg, which begins its journey through the human body until it finds an ideal environment for its further development. If it's intestinal parasites, you don't have to move for long. If it is pulmonary or cerebral, then the larva will move through the bloodstream until it settles in the right place.

At the third stage of development, the larva turns into an adult helminth, which feeds on vitamins and minerals intended for the human body. The parasite lays eggs again and reproduces at a very high rate.

The time to complete all steps is from several hours to several days. During this period, it is important to find a good remedy for worms for a person.

Symptoms

There are not always clear signs of worms in humans. Symptoms may only appear during certain periods of disease development, or may not appear at all. When an adult lives in the body, it is extremely difficult to notice it, because you can confuse a disease with any other disease. Helminths can be detected at random by donating feces for testing.

In order to imagine what is happening in the body, consider an example with the life cycle of a roundworm. This type of worm loves to travel and moving through the body can give itself.

Ascaris infection can be caused by eating unwashed vegetables and fruits. The parasite lays eggs on the ground and they can easily reach plants.

After the egg of the worm enters the mouth and stomach, it begins to develop and turns into a larva, which very quickly (within 2-3 hours) enters the circulatory system and begins to move. along the small blood stream. Its target is the lungs.

In the lung tissue, the larva grows until it becomes an adult, which will have little space, and it will have to eat the cells of the alveoli and small bronchi. At this point, the first symptoms appear, and if the diagnosis is correct, the remedy for worms will quickly help a person get rid of them.

The patient begins to cough, attacks of shortness of breath, and body temperature rises. In rare cases, an allergic rash appears. This is how worms appear in humans. Symptoms and treatment will depend on the stage of development, as all of these signs can be mistaken for a cold.

Once the adult has gnawed its way through the airways to the mouth, it will lay eggs for the person to swallow again and to be found in the gastrointestinal tract, hence thecircle will start again.

abdominal pain with worms

Phases in the course of the disease

Symptoms of worms in an adult will be different, depending on the stage of the disease course. There can be two:

  1. Sharp
  2. Acquired.

The first phase appears in the first days after infection, when the larvae travel through the body. A person may feel itchy, their skin will turn red, and rashes will appear. There may be a dry cough with barking with suffocating attacks. If you donate blood for testing, the result will show a significant increase in eosinophils.

The transition to the second phase indicates that a person's worms have settled in the right place and exist calmly, without interfering with anyone. This is a latent stage that may not appear even for several years.

Medicine for worms in a person will help get rid of them only if an infection is accidentally detected. Both men and women need to listen carefully to their bodies. Over the months that people feed the parasites, the general condition of the body will change. The metabolism suffers in the first place. After all, the peculiarity of helminths is that, attaching themselves to the walls of organs, they suck all the nutrients and minerals from the cells, which disrupts the functionality of the affected areas.

What may be the consequences

There are parasites that cause dangerous conditions in the body. For example, the existence of trichinella or schistosomes leads to anemia and vitamin deficiency.

Remember that worms also release their wastes into the human intestine, which leads to the development of dysbiosis and excessive reproduction of opportunistic organisms.

The immune system suffers. It weakens, allergies appear. A person becomes susceptible to viral attacks and gets sick more often.

If human worms are left untreated, the consequences can be unpredictable. Each type of parasite affects different organs, and they are the first to suffer from it. If the liver is damaged, jaundice can develop. Hookworm infection leads to anemia, as this type of helminth feeds exclusively on blood. So the most important thing at all times is to find a worm medicine for a person.

Diagnostic

Just two tests will save lives. This is a general test of blood and feces. With an annual physical exam, the chances of missing an illness are minimal.

There will be such changes in the blood: leukoketosis - a shift in the formula of leukocytes to the right and an increase in the number of eosinophils.

Worms in the stool in humans are the safest and fastest way to find them. You must resume the analysis, then the result will be correct.

Tablets against worms for prevention in humans

Drugs produced in our country can be divided into two groups: those with a wide spectrum of action and those that kill a certain type of helminth. Since there are more than 70 types of worms that infect humans, it is impossible to determine without testing which parasite has entered them. Tablets from worms intended for prophylaxis of a person should be prescribed by a doctor.

In medicine, all worms are divided into three groups:

  • nematodes;
  • cestodes;
  • trematodes.

Treatment will depend on the type of helminth that inhabits the body.

a man is infected with worms from a dog

Remedy for nematodes (roundworms)

This species includes: pinworms, roundworms, trichinella, vagoslaves, toxocara. In children and adults, the first two representatives are most often found.

The most suitable drug in the form of suspensions or chewable tablets will be selected by a specialist.

Medicines for cestodes (tapeworms)

Cestodes are a large number of representatives of helminths. The most common are tapeworm, cenurosis, alveococcosis, sparganosis, broad tapeworm and others.

Most often, drugs with a broad spectrum of action are used, since they are also used in the treatment of roundworms. Also suitable for prophylaxis.

Drugs for fluke (tapeworms)

Representatives of this class can be counted for a very long time. Most often the body is affected by opisthorchosis (cat fluke), fascioliasis, clonorchiasis (Chinese fluke), lung fluke and others.

Do not self-medicate, a specialist will select tablets for tapeworms.

How to take worm pills

Regardless of the type of worm that has settled in the body of an adult or a child, remember the basic and most important rule: if a worm is found in a family member, everythingthe world must be treated. All items in the house should be disinfected. If there are any pets, you should first check them as well, as our pets may be the source of the problem.

All medicines for worms work on adults, without affecting the eggs and larvae. Therefore, the second rule looks like this: two weeks after taking the drug, the course should be repeated. This is especially true for cases of pinworms. These parasites are so cunning that they leave the larvae outside the body and a person can self-infest again.

It is recommended to take the tablets in the morning and do a cleansing enema in the evening.

Be careful! Any medication should be taken as directed by your doctor. This is especially true for cases of infection with tapeworms and tapeworms. They are so dangerous that the treatment is carried out in a hospital. When removing them, the dosage should be strictly observed, with the calculation of the patient's weight and age, since the drugs are very toxic. Self-medication in such cases is unacceptable!

Prevention of worms

Mothers' arguments over whether or not to take pills for worm prevention never stop. Some are convinced that this is a good way to protect against dangerous consequences, as children are the most likely to be infected. Others consider it unnecessary and don't want to overload the body with pills that are not needed.

Very often, children of school and preschool age are affected by pinworms. An enterobiasis test can be falsely negative, then a sick child, having brought parasites to a house or school, can infect everyone. The transfer of pinworm eggs occurs through household items, the handshake, animal hair, doorknobs, and other surrounding objects.

The main methods of prevention include observance of the rules of personal hygiene. It is imperative to wash your hands with soap and water after diffraction, before eating, after walking outside or visiting public places.

What to do if the child complains of itching in the anus? It is one of the most pronounced symptoms of pinworm infection. In this case, you should get tested for enterobiasis as soon as possible. Let's say the child complains in the evening, then in the morning you have to run to the clinic.

If the result of the first scratching is negative and the itching persists, the analysis should be repeated two days later for a week, and then after another two weeks.

If you are characterized by any of the following statements, you should take preventive measures:

  • the presence of fur-bearing animals;
  • constant games in the sandbox or on the floor;
  • travel to an exotic country;
  • father is passionate about fishing or hunting.
washing your hands to prevent infection with worms

Folk recipes

Consider how to get rid of worms from a person at home. Recipes against helminths have been known since ancient times. And despite the fact that they are successfully replaced by synthetic substances, the traditional method remains proven for prevention.

Consider the most effective recipes.

Onions, honey, aloe juice. Onions are considered the most versatile remedy. It has anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and deworming effects. Mix it in equal proportions with aloe juice and honey and get a real medicine against worms. Take 1 teaspoon several days before breakfast. Since the product turns out to be sweet, children will surely drink it.

Carrot juice. Fresh carrot not only contains a reserve of vitamins, but also has an anthelmintic effect. Drinking it on an empty stomach, you can enrich the body with energy for the whole day, and at the same time prevent unpleasant illness.

Garlic is one of the most effective remedies for worms. Consider the recipes for removing worms from a person at home:

  • Finely chop or squeeze the garlic. Roll the resulting porridge into small portions in cheesecloth so that it resembles a candle. Insert into the anus at night for 10 days. Such a remedy is effective against pinworms and is used for adults and children.
  • Garlic enemas. Another way to remove unpleasant neighbors from the intestines. The solution should consist of water and garlic, chopped into a porridge in one ratio. For a drink you need to take some cloves. The procedure is repeated 2 times a week.
  • Garlic with honey. Another option for a child's medicine. To prevent the garlic from burning, it is mixed with a natural method. Take 1 teaspoon twice a day.
  • Garlic with milk. For lovers of extraordinary tastes, a milk-based medicine is offered. There are five crushed garlic cloves per liter of cow product. The mixture is boiled and taken in small portions before bedtime.
wormwood to remove worms from the body

Herbal infusions

Since time immemorial, all medicines have been prepared with herbs. Mother Nature knows best how to get rid of parasitic worms. It is time to systematize this knowledge.

To prepare an herbal remedy, you need to choose bitter plants like cloves, wormwood, thyme, calamus, cumin. Prepared infusions should be taken every day. It will take a month to completely cleanse the body, but improvement occurs in 2-3 weeks of course.

Consider the most famous recipes of herbal tinctures for treating worms:

  • Based on tansy. Pour boiling water over the grass in the following ratio: 100 grams of dry mixture to 150 ml of hot water. Close the lid and let sit for 8-10 hours. You should take 30 drops dissolved in a glass of water.
  • Absinthe based. This herb should be insisted on alcohol for a week. The proportion is 1: 1. For 100 grams of herb, 100 ml of alcohol. Take 25 drops dissolved in a glass of water.
  • Tincture effective on walnut shells. It must be filled with alcohol for 100 grams of dry product, 150 ml of "fire" water.
  • Based on cloves. For tincture, use dry, unopened clove buds. Pour 100 grams of aromatic spice with a glass of boiling water and let stand for at least 3 days. The daily dose of the drug is 30 drops per glass of water.

Pumpkin seeds against worms

Pumpkin seeds are safe for children and adults. This is a very popular folk remedy for dewormer. Consider how to eliminate worms in humans using this product.

What's the secret? The fact that the shell of pumpkin seeds contains a substance such as cucurbine, which is lethal to worms. Therefore, you should use only unpeeled green seeds.

pumpkin seeds for worms

The cucurbine does not kill worms, but only paralyzes them. Adults are deprived of the ability to move around, to grab body cells, to suck in nutrients, which means that they will soon die naturally and be excreted through a person's anus.

The most potent recipe is that of pumpkin seeds and castor oil. A portion of unpeeled seeds in the amount of 100 pieces should be eaten in the morning. Then wash it off with a teaspoon of castor oil. The latter has a laxative effect to eliminate parasites from the body.

Combine the pumpkin and honey. First, grind the seeds into a porridge in a blender, then add a little honey. Eat "muesli" in the morning on an empty stomach. The duration of treatment is several days. It is advisable to repeat it after 2 weeks.

Another healthy breakfast is pumpkin seeds and garlic. First, the grains are fried in a pan without fat and water until golden brown. Then the mixture is poured into a blender, the garlic is added and crushed into a pasty state. Let it steep overnight and in the morning take a tablespoon of the mixture.