Even in our civilized society, it is possible to get infected with worms. These parasites sneak into the body and poison it with the products of their vital activity. The worm's secretions are poisonous and can cause a variety of diseases -- from hives to serious health problems. There is also death.
Common symptoms of worm infection
Not only do worms live in the human gut, some types of parasites also affect other organs, and they can even be found in skeletal muscle. Therefore, the course of each helminthiasis has its own characteristics, but there are still common symptoms:
- Decreased ability to work;
- rapid fatigue;
- poisoning;
- weakness;
- drowsiness;
- loss of appetite;
- lose weight
- joint pain;
- constipate;
- intestinal disease;
- Intolerance to any type of food.
Sadly, so many people are infected with parasites that some don't even know it. Eggs or cysts can be swallowed with seemingly clean food. Often, worms enter a child's body through dirty hands, cats, dogs, etc. with unwashed fruits and vegetables. The problem is that usually no one even suspects we have other people in our bodies because some parasites don't show up for a long time. Therefore, it's worth learning more about the worms, what types there are, and the symptoms the infection causes.
round worm in human body
In humans, pinworms, roundworms, whipworms, and (less common) trichinella can survive.
Roundworms are roundworms with a spindle-shaped body, 15-40 cm long and 4-6 mm wide. The worm lives in the small intestine, although sometimes roundworms can crawl into bile ducts and block them. In humans, females mate with males and lay eggs, which are excreted with feces.
A person cannot be infected with roundworms that live in animals.
Also, eggs need to mature in the soil. If they enter the body with unwashed fruit or vegetables, the larvae are expelled in the gut, where they quickly penetrate blood vessels and follow the bloodstream to the lungs. There, the larvae mature and migrate through the trachea and mouth to the gut. New individuals have been bred there, and everything is repeated. Roundworms live up to 14 months.
With ascariasis, appetite decreases, nausea, diarrhea, intestinal pain, and allergic manifestations appear. Sleep is also disturbed and irritability occurs. Coughing may occur when migrating from the lungs. Bowel obstruction may develop as roundworms accumulate and they form.
Pinworms are small white worms 3-12 mm long. Pinworms live in the small and large intestines. It's easy to get infected with these worms, not washing your hands is enough, and you can even swallow the worm eggs by inhaling the dust. Female pinworms lay eggs in the anus, causing intense itching. Pinworm eggs are so small that they can even be found in dust raised indoors.
You can get it through linens, hygiene products, products, handshakes, and more. In addition, the migration process of pinworms is the same as that of roundworms. Adult individuals have a short life time in a human body, only 1-2 months, and with proper hygiene, they can be disposed of in a very short time. In addition to itching, there are: insomnia, absentmindedness, irritability, allergic rash.
Trichuris are elongated worms that live in the large intestine and are 30-35 mm in length. You can get parasites just like roundworms. Whipworms stick to the intestinal wall and suck blood. The toxins they release can cause headaches, poor sleep, dizziness and nausea. Worms have a lifespan of 5 years.
Trichinella are small worms, they are only 4 mm long. A person became infected through raw pork containing the larvae. Adult worms live in the gut, mate and lay eggs, and then die. Trichinella larvae are excreted, and they penetrate from the gut into the muscle tissue, where they form a capsule and can stay for years.
Helminthiasis can cause the following diseases in the body:
- facial puffiness;
- swelling of the eyelids;
- swelling of the legs and hands;
- rash;
- Muscle pain;
- fever, body temperature;
- Headache;
- insomnia, or conversely, lethargy;
- Reduced mobility of the knee and elbow joints;
- Gastrointestinal disturbances were observed.
Trichinosis is partially cured because if the adults can be eliminated with drugs, the larvae in the skeletal muscle cannot.
Tapeworms in the human body
Bovine tapeworms can be up to 10 m long. The infection occurs when undercooked beef that contains worm larvae is eaten. Housewives can become infected by tasting the salt in raw ground meat. In the body, saltpeter develops from larvae that live in the gut, where it attaches to the gut wall to hold it. A person experiences weight loss, loss of appetite, dizziness, insomnia, nausea, and frequent vomiting.
Pork tapeworms are small, only 2m. Infections can occur after eating poorly processed pork. Symptoms are the same as for bovine tapeworm.
A broad tapeworm is 6m to 15m long, and the source of infection is raw freshwater fish. Helminthiasis manifests as weakness, nausea, vomiting, salivation, abdominal pain, constipation, or diarrhea. There are always bright red sore spots and even cracks on the tongue.
Dwarf tapeworms are 3-5 cm long, and if they have eggs on them, they can infect the worm through contaminated doorknobs, toilet seats. Children get sick more often. Helminthiasis can cause loss of appetite, nausea, abdominal pain, and sometimes diarrhea. In rare cases, children may experience seizures that resemble seizures.
Echinococcus is one of the most dangerous worms. Infections occur in dogs and cats -- carriers of the adult parasite. In humans, the larvae hatch from eggs that travel with the bloodstream to different organs, more commonly the liver, where echinococcal cysts form. In some cases, they even reach the size of a newborn's head. Cysts can only be removed surgically.
human flukes
The flukes live in the bile ducts and the gallbladder itself. Worms are small in size - 4-13 mm. The parasite enters the human body by using brackish or undercooked (fried) fish. First, this helminthiasis presents with high temperatures (up to 40 degrees), joint and muscle pain, gastrointestinal disorders, and in rare cases, jaundice. Then the acute symptoms disappeared and the pancreas had paroxysmal pain. Complications may occur.
Fasciola is harmful to health. The worms are 3-7 cm long, and they also colonize the gallbladder and bile ducts. A person becomes infected by unboiled water or by eating aquatic plants. Weakness, fever, headache, and urticaria.
Conclusions about human worms
Certain types of worms live in the human body for years because they can hardly manifest in any way. Often, the symptoms of helminthiasis are similar to those of gastrointestinal disease, so if special tests are not done to detect the worms, an incorrect diagnosis will be made. But any parasites must be dealt with urgently, as they not only take useful substances from the body, but also release toxins that are harmful to health.