People are accustomed to associating the word "parasites" with common worms common in the human colon. But their localization can be so varied that the patient does not even know about the presence of subcutaneous parasites for several years. Yes, uninvited guests can sit comfortably under a person's skin, and their size can rarely be called microscopic.
Types of parasites and their symptoms
Does your body itch? Purulent acne on the face? Occasional cloudiness in the eyes? All of these are subcutaneous parasites that move rapidly in the body and can affect internal organs. Such a movement occurs independently or with blood flow. The patient may not be aware of such a "phenomenon" for many years until a worm is beneath the epidermis and "greets" it.
To scare the reader even more, it is necessary to provide the characteristics of possible varieties of parasites, whose habitat is located only under the skin.
Filarioza
If you go to tropical countries, prepare for a fight with insects, which through their bite can not only cause trouble in the form of itching or pain, but can also infect you with parasites from nematode species - filariasis. The risk of the disease lies in the long incubation period - about 5-7 years. During all this time, the parasites will multiply in the human body without giving themselves any sign.
With a large amount of waste products thrown into the body, intoxication gradually begins to develop in a person, which is manifested, first of all, with a characteristic urticaria on the skin. It gives itching only in the initial stage. In the future, the patient will jump for some movable seals, will face vision loss, will cope with acute fever.
In terms of diagnosis, here the patient is examined by a specialist when contacting the clinic. With the naked eye, you can see worms crawling under the skin, they are also perfectly visible when examining the eyes. By clarifying the course of the disease and the events that precede it, the specialist diagnoses and prescribes the appropriate treatment.
Important!When traveling to hot countries, do not neglect vaccination, even if it is not required by visa control or health services.
Drakunkuloza
The helminths of the presented group enter the body through ingested contaminated water. It contains larvae, the detection of which is, in principle, impossible. But the infection itself can be fatal to a person, as the larvae grow up to one meter in size. Such a helminth can settle in the stomach or penetrate the lungs, completely blocking the person's breathing. But this rarely happens, as in most cases this type of parasite will pick up a person’s lower limbs.
Symptoms include:
- itching of the lower extremities;
- formation of a characteristic roller on the foot or legs;
- various purulent skin lesions;
- special bubbles, reaching at least 8 cm in diameter, which simply explode under the influence of water.
Pay attention to the type of water you drink, because it is easier to protect yourself and your loved ones from such an infection than to use treatment.
mange
All unpleasant itching is manifested only by itching, rarely on the skin you can find any change in the form of spots and redness. This is due to skin mites, whose infection occurs only when you interact with another carrier of the disease or in case of contact with its clothing items.
Ticks are small in size, they are not visible to the naked eye, but their activity in the body is quite wide. In case of penetration into the skin, parasites erode their passages in the deep layers of the epidermis - this provokes itching. With long walks of parasites, the passages begin to appear on the skin, and if the surfaces are treated with iodine, you may notice a characteristic mesh network of such passages.
Related signs include:
- bubbles form at the scratch sites;
- hands and articular surfaces are most affected.
Important!Despite prompt diagnosis through examination by a specialist, treatment can take a long time, so it is best to listen to precautions against infection.
Demodicosis
Of the many varieties of parasites, it is worth mentioning separately the lesions from ticks of the genus Demodex. Their distribution is localized mainly in the sebaceous glands of the face, which appears in the form of a characteristic acne. From the outside, such a reproduction looks very unattractive. Eyelash loss is also referred to as lesions and symptoms.
Diagnosis of such a lesion takes only a few minutes. The doctor simply examines the skin. But treatment can take several years, even if all the specialist recommendations are followed exactly.
Diagnosis of subcutaneous pests
In most cases, the diagnosis of affected skin is performed directly in the office of a specialist, who, after visual examination, can already determine the disease. But to accurately identify the cause and the accompanying lesions of the internal organs, the patient is prescribed a comprehensive medical examination. First, it is necessary to clarify all the lesions, and secondly, in this way it is possible to find the foci of parasite clusters (if any) and to approximate their number.
If you find unpleasant symptoms in the form of a rash, itching and other changes, you should contact specialists such as:
- dermatologist;
- allergist;
- neuropathologist;
- medical psychologist;
- infectious disease specialist.
A comprehensive examination involves a visit to a neurologist and a medical psychologist, as itching and redness are often a simple psychological disorder. But such visits are due only to the lack of an accurate diagnosis, which was not made after examination by the local doctor.
In identifying the type of disease, laboratory diagnosis of the patient is especially important, which will accurately indicate the presence of parasites under the skin or in internal organs. Such a study involves two phases:
- Direct diagnosis of parasites - a scratching or staining of the mucosa is used to study the changes. The direct method is used in case of a clear manifestation of the presence of parasites: skin rash, blisters, purulent acne.
- The second phase involves studying the blood for the presence of antigen-antibody complexes, which precisely determines the immune response to the fight against parasites in the human body. As a rule, discarded elements of the vital activity of parasites almost completely kill the protective antibodies, as a result of which the weakened immunity of the body is unable to overcome the invasion and activity of uninvited guests.
To prescribe treatment, it is necessary to accurately identify the type of parasite that has penetrated the human body. Here, along with a scratch on the skin or a stain on the mucosa, hair, blood, nails, feces, blister content on the skin, and other important biological materials are often taken for analysis.
Treatment
It is impossible to say exactly about the treatment of parasites under the skin. Here, their location, area and stage of the lesion play an important role.
Only the following techniques can be cited as general information:
- Subcutaneous mites should be removed using medications based on eliminating all types of parasites in the body. Here, specialists often prescribe acaricidal agents as well as antihistamines. As an external application, antibiotic ointments and gels, as well as vasoconstrictor drugs, for example, an aqueous solution of adrenaline-resorcinol, act as an effective medicine. The instructions for use and treatment regimen will be explained by the doctor depending on the stage of the lesion.
- Dracunculosis undergoes surgical intervention. Including all types of worms that have spread under a person's skin or have already hit the internal organs. The risk of such lesions lies in the spread of parasites to internal organs, which often causes the brain to suffer. This is why the patient must undergo a thorough comprehensive examination to detect the location of the worms.
The general principle of removing parasites from the body occurs in two ways - a conservative method and surgical intervention. The use of alternative methods is not recommended in the case of treatment of subcutaneous parasites, as it will take a long time, and the damage to the body can already be serious and have consequences for the later life of the patient.
Prophylaxis
Parasitic infection occurs through direct contact with a sick person or an infected area, in case of eating poor quality food or water. Leading positions among the causes of parasite infection are given to violations of hygiene rules.
To protect yourself from the problems presented, you need:
- Wash your hands before eating food, every time after contact with objects placed in public places, as well as after using the money.
- Do not try on another person's things, as they can become infected with parasites whose larvae are found on the skin and are easily transmitted.
- Do not use other people's makeup. Lipsticks, mascara, someone else's soap and other items can become the same carriers of parasite larvae.
- When eating fruits and vegetables, be sure to expose them to washing and other cleaning procedures from dirt and dust - these may include pest larvae.
- In case of sores or abrasions, it is necessary to treat them immediately in order to prevent infection.
Take care of your health and get mandatory vaccinations in case of a future trip to tropical countries. Do not refuse there from the help and treatment of wounds, bites and other mechanical damage to the skin. So you can protect yourself from visiting uninvited guests.