Parasitologists have their own definition of the summer season - the helminth season.During the warm season, various types of parasites feel great and actively reproduce.
You can meet them everywhere - in country gardens, during picnics and during communication with our smaller brothers.How to avoid this meeting 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 were part of unscrupulous people, but today it is known that this is not so.No one is safe from helminth infection.And according to expert estimates, worms affect 70 to 95% of the world's population.
Signs of helminthiasis
Situations often occur when it is not easy to guess such a neighborhood.Symptoms of the presence of parasites in the body are non-specific.In some it will cause intestinal disturbances, in others - asthenia, and still others will not feel anything at all.Experts warn that worms can live in the human body for years and remain undetected.However, a lot depends not only on your individual characteristics, but also on the type of parasites themselves.
Persons at risk of infection with helminths are persons with a weakened immune system and children under 3 years of age.The acidity of the gastric juice of a healthy adult is usually fatal for worms.Parasites live in any litter box, 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 sand.In addition, young children often play with pets, which carry parasite eggs on their fur or in their saliva.
Enterobiasis
The most common parasites in childhood are pinworms, which cause the disease enterobiasis.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.Little known fact: if a 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 rash, allergic reactions, increased salivation, constipation or diarrhea, nausea.
Of the three hundred known types of worms in the world, the two most common in our country are pinworms and roundworms, which parasitize the intestines.According to Vasilij Jurasov, doctor of laboratory diagnostics, at least half of the population of our country has one or the other.
Ascariasis
For example, it is quite easy to get infected with roundworms at the dacha - there are a lot of them in our garden beds.They enter the body through poorly washed vegetables and leafy vegetables.The life span of a roundworm is measured at two years, and, as Yurasov says, theoretically, ascariasis can pass by itself (to continue to exist, the worm must be in the ground).However, during these two years, these worms can greatly ruin your life, because they affect not only the gastrointestinal tract, but also the respiratory system.Most often, ascariasis manifests itself as skin dermatitis, muscle pain, stool disorder and a dry cough, which worsens at night.If there are a lot of roundworms, they can lead to the development of pancreatitis, appendicitis, cholecystitis, intestinal obstruction and liver abscess.
Toxoporosis
Toxoporosis is transmitted through domestic animals, which causes damage to the liver and mucous membranes of the eyes.Poorly fried kebabs 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 worms at least once in our life (for example, to get a certificate for a swimming pool), but it is quite difficult to detect them in research material.For example, roundworms release eggs every few days.Therefore, in order to understand the real situation, says Doctor of Laboratory Diagnostics Vasilij Jurasov, such tests should be done at least three days in a row.
Diagnosis and treatment of helminthiasis
In addition, if there are serious doubts 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, the expert will be able to understand the presence of helminths in the body based on numerous indirect signs.Another important aid for determining helminthic infestations is the enzyme immunosorbent blood test, which allows you to determine antibodies to different types of parasites.In order for the picture to be complete, the doctor can prescribe a routine biochemical blood test for 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 be treated only under the strict supervision of a specialist.You should consult a therapist or parasitologist.As for prevention, it is quite simple.Wash your hands as often as possible, rinse the greens well from the beds, fry the meat and fish well and don't let your pets eat too much.Good folk remedies for prevention include pumpkin seeds, ginger and tansy.