Parasitologists have their own definition of the summer season - the helminth season.In the warm season, various types of pests feel good and actively reproduce.
You can meet them everywhere - in country gardens, at a picnic and during communications with our smaller brothers.How can you avoid this encounter and what to do if it happens?
Worms or helminths are parasites that affect people, animals and even plants.Previously, it was generally accepted that helminthic infections were the lot of unscrupulous people, but today we know that this is not the case.No one is safe from helminth infection.And according to expert estimates, worms affect between 70 and 95% of the world's population.
Signs of helminthiasis
There are often situations where it is not easy to guess such a neighborhood.Symptoms of the presence of parasites in the body are not specific.For some, they will cause intestinal upset, for others, asthenia, and for still others, they will not feel anything at all.Experts warn that worms can live in the human body for years undetected.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 old.The acidity of the gastric juice of a healthy adult is most often fatal for worms.Parasites live in any sandbox, and if a baby likes to put his fingers in his mouth, it can end sadly.
Pediatrician Maxim Pereverzentsev claims that for every square meter of sandbox there are at least fifty worm eggs.Additionally, young children often play with pets that carry parasite eggs on their fur or in their saliva.
Enterobiosis
The most common childhood parasites are pinworms, which cause the disease enterobiasis.It is not difficult to suspect their presence.At night, pinworms lay their eggs in the anus area, causing severe itching in humans.Other symptoms include decreased appetite and restless sleep.Enterobiasis needs to be treated and only a doctor can help.A little known fact: if a child is infected with worms, the vaccines 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.
Among the three hundred types of worms known in the world, the two most widespread in our country are pinworms and roundworms, which parasitize the intestines.According to laboratory diagnostics doctor Vasily Yurasov, at least half of the population of our country suffers from one or the other.
Ascariasis
For example, it is quite easy to become infected with roundworms at the dacha - there are a lot of them in our flower beds.They enter the body through poorly washed vegetables and leafy greens.The lifespan of an ascarid 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 soil).However, during these two years, these worms can greatly spoil your life, as they affect not only the gastrointestinal tract, but also the respiratory system.Most often, ascariasis manifests itself as skin dermatitis, muscle pain, stool disturbances and dry cough, which worsens at night.If there are a lot of roundworms, they can lead to the development of pancreatitis, inflammation of the appendix, cholecystitis, intestinal obstruction and liver abscess.
Toxoporosis
Toxoporosis is transmitted by pets, causing damage to the liver and mucous membranes of the eyes.Poorly fried skewers or insufficiently smoked or salted fish (usually carp and carp) transmit tapeworms and liver flukes.
If we talk about the diagnosis of helminths, then everything is not so simple here.Each of us has been tested for egg worms at least once in our life (for example, to obtain a certificate for a swimming pool), but detecting them in research material is quite difficult.For example, roundworms release eggs every few days.Therefore, in order to understand the real situation, explains Vasily Yurasov, a doctor specializing in laboratory diagnostics, these tests must be carried out 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 may prescribe an additional test - a stool test for worms.Based on the results of this analysis, a 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 infestations is an enzyme-linked immunosorbent blood test, which allows you to determine antibodies to various types of parasites.To complete the picture, the doctor may prescribe a routine biochemical blood test to the patient.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.
Parasites should only be treated under the strict supervision of a specialist.You should contact a therapist or parasitologist.As for prevention, it's quite simple.Wash your hands as often as possible, rinse green vegetables from your flower beds thoroughly, fry your meat and fish well, and don't let your pets overeat.Good folk remedies for prevention include pumpkin seeds, ginger and tansy.