How do helminthic diseases manifest in humans? Types of helminthic diseases. How to scrape for helminthiasis

In the middle zone, ascariasis and enterobiasis (infection with pinworms) are the most common in children. These diseases are figuratively called. As the name itself suggests, the causes are contaminated vegetables, fruits, berries (very often strawberries, which children eat straight from the garden), as well as the lack of the habit of washing hands before eating. If a child suffering from ascariasis or enterobiasis attends kindergarten, the disease may be epidemic in nature. With helminthiasis, signs characteristic of each type of lesion develop.

Ascariasis

Ascariasis - when infected with roundworms, skin rashes first appear, the liver enlarges, the composition of the blood changes (increased content of eosinophils in it, which indicates an allergization of the body), bronchitis and pneumonia can develop. In more late dates there is malaise, headaches, nausea, sometimes vomiting, abdominal pain, irritability, restless sleep, appetite decreases. excreted in feces a large number of Ascaris eggs. In the future, complications such as a violation of the integrity of the intestines with the development of peritonitis, appendicitis (when roundworm enters the appendix), and intestinal obstruction are possible.

With the penetration of roundworms into the liver - its abscesses, purulent cholecystitis (inflammation of the gallbladder), jaundice due to blockage biliary tract. When roundworms crawl through the esophagus into the pharynx and respiratory tract, asphyxia may occur (impaired pulmonary ventilation resulting from obstruction of the upper respiratory tract and trachea).

Treatment:

Mintezol, Vermox, Pipsrazine.

Enterobiasis

Treatment:

It consists of following the rules of hygiene, because... The lifespan of pinworms is very short. In case of prolonged course of the disease (usually in weakened children), combantrin, mebendazole, and piperazine are used. For very severe itching, an ointment with anesthetic is prescribed.

The prognosis is favorable.

Prevention:

An examination for the presence of pinworm eggs is carried out once a year. Those who have recovered from the disease are examined for the presence of pinworms three times - the first time 2 weeks after the end of treatment, then a week later. A patient with enterobiasis should wash himself with soap and water 2 times a day, then clean his nails and wash his hands thoroughly, sleep in underpants, which should be changed and boiled every day. Iron trousers and skirts daily, bed sheets every 2-3 days.

Echinococcosis

Jaundice may also develop due to compression of the bile ducts by the cyst, dropsy (ascites) due to compression of the inferior vena cava, etc. If the cyst is located close to the surface of the liver, rupture can occur even with light pressure on the abdomen.

Cases of spread of echinococcus throughout abdominal cavity manifested by skin rashes, itching, as well as the most severe of allergic reactions - anaphylactic shock(a condition consisting of a severe disruption of blood supply and lack of oxygen in the tissues of the body, metabolic disorders), which sometimes causes the death of the patient.

When an hydatid cyst is located in the lung, there are initially no clinical manifestations. As the cyst enlarges and the surrounding tissues are compressed, pain occurs in the chest, cough, shortness of breath. With large cysts, the shape of the chest may change.

When the brain is affected by echinococcus, headache, dizziness, vomiting; as the cyst enlarges, these phenomena become more intense. Possible paralysis (lack of movement in the affected limb or lack of body activity - intestinal paralysis), paresis (decreased movement or activity of an organ), mental disorders, seizures. The course of the disease is slow.

Treatment:

Only surgical - removal of the cyst with suturing of the cavity left after it.

The prognosis depends on the location of the cyst, as well as on the presence or absence of them in other organs and general condition sick.

Description of the disease Helminthic diseases are not intended for prescribing treatment without the participation of a doctor

Helminthiasis is an extremely common disease that absolutely anyone can encounter. Children are most susceptible to this disease, but cases of helminth infection in adults are not isolated.

The main factor that influences the prevalence is the lack of a concept of personal hygiene. It is not common for many people to wash their hands when they come from the store or come home from work. And if you remember how many times a day he grabbed door handles or handrails on public transport, it will immediately become clear where the worms come from.

• through the soil (geohelminthiasis);
• through animals (biohelminthiasis);
• from an infected person.

The common causes of helminthiases include:

• lack of personal hygiene, the simplest thing - a person does not wash his hands before eating, after coming home from work, after a walk;
• drinking running water (without prior boiling);
• contact with pets;
• improper processing of meat and fish;
• eating unwashed fruits and vegetables.

Or the most common thing is to kiss your pet. Have you ever wondered where he was before this moment? Most likely, he “communicated” with his friends, maybe even ate something, for example, a mouse, and washed down his “lunch” with rainwater.

Do not underestimate the importance of worms, as they are capable of many things. Some can live in the body for quite a long period, feed on your energy, and then lead to complete exhaustion. And others can even cause the development of many diseases, for example, myocarditis, meningitis or central nervous system damage.

Symptoms

The gastrointestinal tract is the most favorite habitat of helminths. Moreover, each species prefers a certain section. For example, pinworms live and reproduce mainly in the lower sections small intestine, roundworms - in the initial ones, whipworms live in the large intestine.

There are two stages in the development of helminthiasis: acute and chronic.

The most common diseases that are provoked by “introduction” into the body different types worms:

• enterobiasis;
• trichocephalosis;
• diphyllobothriasis;
• trichinosis.

How does enterobiasis manifest?

The appearance of this disease is provoked by pinworms - small, slightly more than one centimeter, thin, roundworms.

Poorly washed vegetables and fruits, poor personal hygiene, direct contact with soil or pets - all this contributes to the colonization of pinworms in the body.

The development and reproduction of helminths occurs in the gastrointestinal tract. The larva that has entered the body turns into an adult in just a couple of weeks.

While still a larva, the pinworm secretes substances that can have a destructive effect on the intestinal walls. An adult is the cause of minor hemorrhages and subsequent colonization of the mucous membrane by pathogenic bacteria.

Symptoms of enterobiasis:

• malaise;
• stomach ache;
• itching in the anus;
• nausea, vomiting;
• in some cases, body temperature rises;
• inflammatory processes in the genitourinary system;
• developmental delay (in children);
• nervous disorders.

Ascariasis: symptoms

The development of the disease is provoked by roundworms - large roundworms, yellow-red in color. They can reach forty centimeters in length.

These individuals are capable of causing enormous harm to almost all organs.

The main symptoms of ascariasis include: painful sensations in the stomach, nausea, vomiting, loose stool, headache, malaise. Due to the release of allergens by roundworms, severe allergic reactions can develop.

Manifestations of diphyllobothriasis

A disease characterized by colonization human body broad tapeworms - large tapeworms that can reach ten meters in length.

These individuals can enter the body through eating contaminated fish.

Symptoms of diphyllobothriasis:

• disorders in the gastrointestinal tract;
• development of B12 deficiency anemia.

Trichocephalosis: manifestations

The development of the disease is provoked by Trichinella - small round-shaped organisms. Eating poorly processed meat is the main reason trichinella enters the body.

Most often, this is pig meat, but cases of eating wild animal meat are also not uncommon.

A person complains of pain in the epigastric region, nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, and diarrhea. After one or two weeks, these symptoms are joined by: muscle pain, itching, rash and fever.

If you do not go to the hospital in time, it is possible death(due to massive infestation with larvae).

Helminthiasis: diagnosis

As a rule, all biological materials are examined: feces, bile, blood, sputum, bile, rectal mucus. In some cases, more complex immunological blood tests are performed. Also carried out: X-ray, ultrasound, computed tomography and endoscopic examination.

Treatment

At the first suspicion of the presence of helminths, you should contact a specialist. Do not self-medicate under any circumstances.

Must be comprehensive, aimed at strengthening immune system. Apply as drug therapy(anthelminthic drugs), and surgical, since not all worms can be removed with tablets. In addition, antiallergic drugs are prescribed, which help restore intestinal microflora.

Prevention

To prevent infection with helminths, first of all, follow the banal rules of personal hygiene. Don't eat fruits and vegetables until you wash them, even if they grew in your garden or garden. Process meat and fish correctly. Do not drink unboiled water.

Worms in humans can be suspected with a high probability based on certain symptoms, but helminthiasis clinically manifests itself only when mass reproduction worms In case of asymptomatic cases, laboratory tests will help to reliably diagnose helminthiasis.

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Worms - what are they?

How can you become infected with worms?

Main methods of infection:

• lack of hygiene skills - dirty hands, working on the ground;
• eating food contaminated with helminths - unwashed fruits and food that husbands ate, as well as insufficiently heat-treated meat and fish (kebabs, rare steak, smoked foods, sushi, etc.);
• drinking unboiled water contaminated with worm eggs;
• contact with animals that are natural reservoirs for worms - cats and dogs, wild animals (hunting, fishing, work on fur farms);
• contact with a person with helminthiasis - a handshake, through bed linen, door handles, etc.

In what organs can worms live?

Entering the human body at the larval stage, most worms begin to grow and multiply in the small and large intestines. At the same time, large invasions can cause disruption of the outflow of bile and pathology of the pancreas due to disruption of enzyme synthesis.

Symptoms of worms in humans are perceived as a specific gastrointestinal disease (colitis, dysbacteriosis, biliary dyskinesia), but the treatment provided only a slight temporary improvement in the patient’s condition. Some types of worms enter the bloodstream, causing lung damage (cough due to ascariasis, paragonimiasis).

Other helminthic larvae, migrating with the blood, settle in other organs - the liver (echinococcosis, opisthorchiasis, clonorchiasis), lymph nodes (filarosis), genitourinary system(schistosomiasis) and brain (cysticercosis) and muscle tissue (trichinosis).

Symptoms of worms in humans, first signs

However, in addition to those characteristic of gastrointestinal lesions, there are signs indicating dysfunction of other organs.

Helminthiases also appear skin rashes. At the same time, the nature of the skin rash is varied: from frequent allergic reactions and acne, to total furunculosis, fungal infection and neurodermatitis.

However, the main danger of helminthiasis is a significant increase in the risk of cancer. Modern medicine has established a clear relationship between helminthic infestations and the development of cancer. In this case, the main role is played by chronic damage to the intestinal mucosa and a general decrease in immune defense.

Diagnostics - how to find out if a person has worms?

There is a high probability of suspecting helminthiasis when passing the test:

• itching of the anus;
• excessive drooling and cravings for sweets;
• nausea/vomiting and bitterness in the mouth;
• frequent skin rashes;
• anemia that cannot be stablely corrected with iron-containing medications;
• brittle nails, peeling eyelids, dull and poorly growing hair;
• constant insomnia or drowsiness;
• frequent colds;
• enlarged lymph nodes;
• muscle discomfort.

Therefore, self-administration of these medications is not recommended. Only a doctor, relying on laboratory confirmation of the type of helminthiasis, can prescribe effective medicine, its age dosage and duration of administration.

Important! Some deworming medications do not affect the larvae. Therefore, to prevent self-infection, the course of the drug is repeated after a certain period. The patient must follow hygiene rules to prevent the entry of worm eggs from the anal area into the mouth.

• However, recovery is confirmed only after a three-time clean test for worm eggs.

Often people, especially when helminthiasis is detected in children, resort to folk remedies. Treatment of worms at home is carried out using pumpkin seeds and subsequent cleansing enema by swallowing a clove of garlic. People often resort to using tansy infusion: it should be used carefully, medicinal herb toxic and can provoke uterine contractions.

However, the effectiveness of treatment with such methods is very doubtful; as a rule, their use should be long-term. Home recipes are not a complete alternative to drug therapy prescribed by your doctor!

• Echinococcosis - what is it? Symptoms in humans...

• Gnathostomiasis

A helminthic disease that does not have a mass distribution; according to statistics, about 1000 cases of gnathostomiasis are known, mainly in India, Thailand, Japan, Israel, etc. People living along the shores where the disease is localized are more often affected. Gnathostomosis is a biohelminthiasis from the group of nematodes, the route of transmission of the pathogen is fecal-oral.

Symptoms of the disease begin to appear when a single larva migrates through the skin, internal organs, central nervous system or eyeball(form of helminthic eye). An inflammatory reaction and various internal disorders are observed as the larvae progress: itching, pain, swelling, cough, hematuria, fever, etc. The eyelids and limbs are especially affected. With severe brain damage with necrotic changes and hemorrhages, death is often recorded.

• Metagonimiasis

It is more often recorded in carnivores, but the trematode is also found in small intestine cats, dogs, humans and pigs. Metagonimiasis is a biohelminthiasis, the intermediate host is freshwater mollusks, the additional host is fish, which is why helminthic disease is widespread in Far East, Asian countries and the Amur basins. Infection of carnivores or humans occurs when eating raw or poorly cooked fish. The worms penetrate the duodenum and grow, and after 2 weeks they exit into the lumen of the small intestine.

• Elephantiasis

Wuchereriosis looks like a giant swelling, mainly lower limbs. According to statistics, helminthic disease is registered in 80 million people worldwide. The pathology is provoked by filamentous helminths (filariae) circulating in the blood. The pathogen's habitat is subtropics and tropics; in rare cases, it has been recorded in Central Asia. The threadworm in adulthood is found mainly in lymphatic vessels, in connection with this, lymph stagnation, thickening or blockage of lymph ducts develops. Severe swelling develops in the affected areas.

A helminthic disease that almost always occurs in a severe form with damage to vital important organs. The nematode enters the human body through infected fish, a secondary intermediate host. The larvae, entering the gastrointestinal tract, penetrate the intestinal wall through and migrate throughout the body, the last stage of development occurs in the renal pelvis. Dioctophimosis is a helminthic disease that is difficult to detect, since the symptoms of helminth infection are similar to many internal pathologies. The bright active phase occurs when the worm penetrates the kidneys.

• Sparganosis

Helminthic infestation, related to cestodiases affecting internal organs and subcutaneous tissue. Most often recorded in wild animals and reptiles, in humans, sparganosis occurs accidentally, when swimming in the wrong place and swallowing water with crustaceans, carriers of procercoids. You can also become infected by eating the meat of wild boars that have not passed the required veterinary inspection. In rare cases, the worm can penetrate through small wounds on the skin. Helminthic infestation makes itself felt through inflammatory reactions, allergic processes, swelling of the eyelids, and lacrimation.

• Mansonellosis

Typical disorders during invasion are allergic reactions characterized by a benign course. Mansonellosis is common in the Caribbean, Central and Southern Africa. Enough rare disease, its source and final owner is man. Some experts believe that helminthic infestation is not pathogenic, but characteristic disorders indicate the opposite; a person experiences headache, fever, arthralgia, itching, hepatomegaly, etc. Treatment measures are poorly developed; there is information about the good effect of Ivermectin.

The second name for the helminthic disease is river blindness; the nematode enters a person after the bite of the Simulium river fly, which lives in running water, therefore, mass infection is observed in people located near rivers. Microfilariae are located under the skin of a person and look like small nodules. Their favorite place is in the eyes or under the skin. In the chronic stage, helminthic infestation can lead to blindness.

• Trichuriasis

• Fasciolopsidosis

• Proliferative sparganosis

• Manifestation of dioctophimosis

How to avoid meeting with a “freeloader”?

For what to the common man know the classification of helminthic diseases? In order to follow preventive measures and prevent encounters with worms as much as possible.

Represent a group infectious diseases, caused wide range various parasitic worms called helminths. Thus, it is obvious that helminths are groups of parasitic worms that can cause various diseases in humans. Accordingly, the name of the group of infections (helminthiases) comes from the name of the class of parasitic helminth worms.

Helminths and helminthiasis - general characteristics and essence of the disease

In addition, all types of helminths, depending on their localization in a specific organ in the human body, are divided into two types:

• Intestinal or luminal helminths (some cestodes and trematodes);
• Extraintestinal helminths or tissue helminths (most nematodes).

• Oral (enter the body through the mouth with unwashed vegetables and fruits, contaminated meat, etc.);
• Percutaneous (enter the body through intact skin).

Photos of helminths

Picture 1– Liver fluke.

Figure 2– Cat fluke (opisthorch).

Figure 3– Bovine (top) and pork tapeworm (bottom).

Figure 4– Echinococcus.

Figure 5– Ascarids.

Figure 6– Pinworm (pathogen of enterobiasis).

Figure 7- Nekator.

For some helminth infections, the source of infection is exclusively another already infected person, for others it is sick people and animals, and for others it is only animals. Thus, transmission from person to person is typical for ascariasis, trichuriasis, enterobiasis, hookworm disease, hymenolepiasis, taeniasis, etc. The following helminthiases are transmitted from animals and humans - fascioliasis, opisthorchiasis, dracunculiasis, diphyllobothriasis, Japanese schistosomiasis, etc. And exclusively from animals Echinococcosis, alveococcosis and trichinosis are transmitted to humans.

Infection with helminths in humans can occur in various ways, such as:

• Oral-fecal (worms, their larvae or eggs enter the body with contaminated water or food, for example, poorly washed vegetables and fruits or insufficiently heat-treated animal products - meat, cheese, milk, etc.). This route of infection is typical for enterobiasis, ascariasis, etc.
• Percutaneous (worms, their larvae or eggs enter the body through intact skin and mucous membranes). This route of infection is typical for schistosomes and hookworms.
• Transmissible inoculation (worms or their larvae enter the human body through an insect bite).

Helminths localized in the liver, biliary tract, pancreas and duodenum, are detected by examining samples of bile and duodenal contents.

Besides, in chronic stage helminths lead to activation of the immune system, resulting in allergization and damage internal organs constantly formed circulating immune complexes. As a result, the human body loses resistance to infections and begins to get sick often.

In general, we can say that various helminthiases are characterized by the appearance of the following clinical syndromes:

1. Toxic-allergic (develops in the acute stage):

• Fever;
• Pain in muscles and joints;
• Skin rash;
• Edema;
• Increased number of blood eosinophils;
• Hepatitis;

3. Malnutrition syndrome - helminths rob the human body by eating incoming nutrients, as a result of which protein deficiency, vitamin deficiency, and anemia develop.

Helminth infections in children are manifested by symptoms of intoxication (fever, weakness, pain in joints and muscles, etc.), allergic reactions and frequently ill child syndrome.

Enterobiasis occurs most often in children (up to 75% of all cases of helminthiasis). In this case, the child complains of itching in the anus. The second most common helminthiasis in children is ascariasis, in which the child suffers from intestinal obstruction.

In more rare cases, children become infected with ancistomosis and trichuriasis, which are manifested by fever, deterioration general well-being, pain in muscles and abdomen, cough and upset stool.

Anthelmintic drugs are classified into the following groups depending on which types of worms they have a detrimental effect on: