Parasitologists have their own definition of the summer season - the season of helminths.During the warm season, various types of parasites feel great and actively reproduce.
You can meet them everywhere - in country gardens, during a picnic and during communication with our younger brothers.How to avoid this encounter and what to do if it does happen?
Worms or helminths are parasites that affect humans, animals and even plants.Previously, it was generally accepted that helminth infections are very unscrupulous people, but today it is known that this is not the case.No one is immune to helminth infection.And according to expert estimates, worms affect 70 to 95% of the world's population.
Signs of helminthiasis
Often there are situations when it is not easy to guess about such a neighborhood.Symptoms for the presence of parasites in the body are non-specific.In some they will cause intestinal disorders, in others - asthenia, and in others they will feel absolutely nothing.Experts warn that worms can live in the human body for years and go unnoticed.However, a lot depends not only on your individual characteristics, but also on the type of parasites themselves.
People at risk of helminth infection include people with weakened immune systems and children under 3 years of age.The acidity of the gastric juice of a healthy adult is usually fatal to worms.Parasites live in every sandbox, and if a baby likes to put his fingers in his mouth, it can end sadly.
Pediatrician Maxim Pereverzentsev claims that there are at least fifty worm eggs for every square meter of sandbox.Also, young children often play with pets that carry parasite eggs on their fur or in their saliva.
enterobiosis
The most common children's parasites are pinworms, which cause the disease enterobiosis.It is not difficult to suspect their presence.At night, pinworms lay eggs in the anus area, causing severe itching in humans.Other symptoms include decreased appetite and restless sleep.Enterobiosis must be treated, and only a doctor can help with this.A little known fact: if the child is infected with worms, the vaccinations given to him will not be effective.
Here are some other symptoms that may indicate the presence of worms in the human body: abdominal pain, skin rashes, allergic reactions, increased salivation, constipation or diarrhea, nausea.
Of the three hundred types of worms known in the world, the two most common in our country are pinworms and roundworms, which parasitize the intestines.According to Doctor of Laboratory Diagnostics Vasily Yurasov, at least half of the population of our country has one or the other.
ascariasis
For example, it is easy to get infected with roundworms in the dacha - there are many of them in our garden beds.They enter the body through poorly washed vegetables and leafy greens.The life span of the roundworm is measured at two years, and, as Yurasov says, theoretically, ascariasis can disappear on its own (to continue to exist, the worm must be in the ground).However, during these two years, these worms can significantly ruin your life, because they affect not only the gastrointestinal tract, but also the respiratory system.Most often, ascariasis manifests as skin dermatitis, muscle pain, stool disorder and a dry cough that worsens at night.If there are many roundworms, they can lead to the development of pancreatitis, inflammation of the appendix, cholecystitis, intestinal obstruction and liver abscess.
Toxoporosis
Toxoporosis is transmitted through domestic animals, causing damage to the liver and mucous membranes of the eyes.Poorly fried skewers or insufficiently smoked or salted fish (usually carp and carp) carry tapeworms and liver flukes.
If we talk about the diagnosis of helminths, then everything is not so simple here.Each of us has been examined for egg worms at least once in our life (for example, to get a certificate for a swimming pool), but their detection in the research material is quite difficult.For example, roundworms release eggs every few days.Therefore, in order to understand the real situation, says Doctor of Laboratory Diagnostics Vasily Yurasov, such tests should be done at least three days in a row.
Diagnosis and treatment of helminthiasis
In addition, if there are serious suspicions about the presence of worms in the body, the doctor can prescribe an additional test - examination of feces for worms.Based on the results of this analysis, the specialist will be able to understand the presence of helminths in the body based on a number of indirect signs.Another important help in determining helminthic invasions is an enzyme immunosorbent blood test, which allows you to determine antibodies against different types of parasites.To complete the picture, the doctor can prescribe the patient a routine biochemical blood test.For example, if it turns out that a person has exceeded the normative value of eosinophils, it is quite possible that the reason lies in the presence of something else in his body.
Treatment of parasites should be carried out only under the strict supervision of a specialist.You should contact a therapist or parasitologist.As for prevention, it's pretty simple.Wash your hands as often as possible, thoroughly rinse the greens from your garden beds, cook your meat and fish well, and don't let your pets eat too much.Good folk remedies for prevention include pumpkin seeds, ginger and tansy.