How to understand that you have worms

Personal hygiene has improved significantly over the past century, but the problem of worms is still relevant not only for rural residents, but also for city dwellers. Statistics clearly show how high the risk of contracting helminthic invasions is: every third person on the planet suffers from helminthiasis. But this disease does not always manifest itself clearly, and in some cases the sick person cannot correctly interpret the symptoms and remains in the dark for a long time without taking any measures. Questions about how to understand that you have worms arise both with helminthiasis and with other pathologies with similar symptoms.

Worms are a large group of parasitic worms, the main signs of which in the human body are similar to each other. Doctors believe that every person at least once in his life was exposed to helminthiasis. In addition, the presence of helminths in the body can provoke the development of other, sometimes very dangerous, diseases, so the question of diagnosing this disease is very important.

Mechanisms of infection

Worm infection occurs in four main ways:

• Water, earth or sand. Soil and water provide ideal conditions for the storage of parasite eggs. A person bathing in open water is always at risk of swallowing eggs, which then develop into adults. Not as rare as it may seem, people also swallow particles of soil, exposing themselves to the danger of infection. Some types of parasites can enter the body directly through the skin.
• Food.On the shells of fruits and vegetables that have not been washed or cooked properly, there may be worm eggs. Consumption of raw or minimally processed meat, dried fish, dairy products, etc. is no less risky.
• Contact with the patient. Direct contact can occur both with a sick person and with an infected animal. Joint activities, living in a common space, close communication contribute to the rapid entry of parasites into the intestines and its further development.
• Bites.Worms can be transmitted through insect bites. It is one of the rarest modes of infection in temperate latitudes, but sometimes it becomes the cause of the disease. In hot countries, this path is more common, which is something to remember when going on vacation to hot lands.

Symptoms

For those who want to know how to tell you have worms, you need to understand the principles of identifying symptoms. Not all symptoms of helminthiasis appear immediately after infection, but only when the parasite stops migrating through the gastrointestinal tract and begins to develop into an adult.

Some of the signs are due to the ingestion of toxins that the worm releases over its lifetime. All waste enters the intestinal lumen, from where it is absorbed into the bloodstream and transported to all organs. Usually there are more signs and they are stronger in case of multiple infection, when the number of worms becomes large. In people who are immunocompromised or have other chronic illnesses, symptoms worsen in a relatively short period of time.

All signs are divided into two large groups: explicit and hidden. Explicit ones can be assessed independently at home, while hidden ones can only be determined on an outpatient basis with the help of appointments for certain tests and examinations.

Explicit

The most obvious include the symptoms by which one can understand that the worms are present in the body. Their presence does not cause too obvious symptoms, as happens, for example, with the development of viruses. Parasites target life inside the body, so too much deterioration in the condition of the infected host would be a threat to his life. For this reason, the symptoms do not require emergency care.

You can suspect or understand the presence of a helminthic invasion by the following signs:

• Gradual weight loss for no apparent reason, which continues for several months, and sometimes for several years in a row. The rate of weight loss is not catastrophic, most often they are 2-5% per month. With a high intensity of infection in people with reduced immunity, this figure can reach up to 10%.
• Disorders of the gastrointestinal tract. Some worms are able to block the bile ducts or the intestinal lumen, which causes stable constipation. With a high intensity of the release of toxins, on the contrary, recurrent diarrhea may occur. Due to inflammation of the walls of the upper part of the small intestine, increased flatulence and gas formation are often observed, and bloating is possible.
• Severe pain in joints and muscles. Often, such manifestations are attributed to the development of arthrosis, but in the case of helminths, this is due to the migration of parasites. Also, such pain may be due to the influence of toxins on joints and muscle tissue.
• Itching near the anus. This phenomenon is caused by the fact that a large number of species of parasitic worms come out of the lumen of the rectum to reproduce and lay eggs. This causes intense itching, which tends to get worse in the evening and at night.
• allergic manifestations. Often occurs in response to the appearance of a large number of toxins in the blood or due to damage to the intestinal mucosa, which causes an increase in the immune system and an allergic reaction.
• Pulmonary manifestations. Possible in a wide range, ranging from constant cough and ending with pneumonia. Characteristic of intense ascariasis occurring within a period of at least three months from the time of infection.
• High temperature. Such a manifestation can be of different intensity. Most often, a low temperature of about 37 ° C persists around the clock, but in rare cases fever can be observed.

Hidden

Hidden signs can only be revealed by a doctor who will correctly assess the clinical picture and be able to understand that worms can be the probable cause. Preventive measures for the diagnosis of helminthiasis are:

• Analysis of feces for worms. It must be submitted in two stages, therefore, experts do not consider the results of an analysis reliable. This is due to the cyclicity of reproduction, therefore it is far from always possible to understand from an analysis of feces that the patient suffers from helminths.
• Clinical blood test. High levels of eosinophils indicate that parasites are likely to be present in the body. Often such an assumption arises after tests during the treatment or diagnosis of other diseases.
• Antibody analysis. Currently, this is one of the most reliable diagnostic methods that help to understand whether a person has worms. Despite the fact that it is more expensive than similar drugs, doctors increasingly prefer to prescribe it due to its high information content and reliability.

Antiparasitic drugs or laxatives should not be taken prior to any clinical testing for parasites, as this makes diagnosis difficult.

Signs in a child

In children, the presence of worms is diagnosed more often than in adults. This is facilitated by poor hygiene, close contact with pets or street animals, and incomplete development of the immune system. A growing organism generally reacts more intensely to the presence of parasites, and the consequences can be more global than in adults. But understanding that a child has worms is not very easy. Symptoms may be the same as in adults, but more often they are more acute.

In most cases, signs suggestive of helminthic invasion in children are:

• Rapid weight loss. With a running image, such a manifestation can lead to a delay in physical development;
• Damage to hair and nails. This occurs due to a long-term deficiency of nutrients and vitamins caused by a violation of the absorption of digested food in the intestine.
• Sleep disorder. Pathology can cause the child to wake up more often at night, cry, toss and talk in a dream.
• Irritability. Intoxication of the nervous system and poor health can affect the emotional state of the child, cause increased excitability, whims, tears, etc.
• The desire to constantly scratch the anus. Children do not control external manifestations, so this symptom often helps to understand the cause of ailments and physical changes.

Some parents tend to give their children broad-spectrum antiparasitic drugs as a preventive measure, but experts do not recommend this, as most of these drugs are quite difficult to tolerate. It is better to first understand whether the child is infected and what kind of treatment he needs, since the therapy for different types of worms is very different and not always effective for helminths of other groups.