The symptoms that indicate the presence of parasites in the human body are non-specific.In addition, they are different in the acute and chronic stages of the disease.How to recognize them?
The invasion of parasites in the human body has always been and remains one of the most pressing issues in medicine.Despite the fact that the level of sanitary culture of the population is constantly increasing, the number of people suffering from the presence of parasites in the body does not decrease.In addition, due to the development of transport links and population migration, new types of parasites that were previously absent are constantly appearing.Therefore, new symptoms appear that indicate the presence of helminths in the human body.In addition, parasites living in a child's body require special attention.Let's try to understand when you should pay attention to your health and consult a specialist.
Classification of parasites
There are a large number of types of parasites in the world, but not all of them are adapted to life in our climate.Therefore, in this article we will consider the classification and symptoms of only those parasites that are more common.Scientists divide all worms that can parasitize the human body into several groups.
According to their biological characteristics, parasites are divided as follows:
- Roundworms, or nematodes (roundworms, roundworms, whipworms, hookworms, intestinal eels, trichinella).
- Tapeworms, or cestodes (pork tapeworm, bovine tapeworm, dwarf tapeworm, cysticercus, broad tapeworm, alveococcus, echinococcus).
- Flukes (liver, pulmonary, cat, lancet, blood).
- Unicellular parasites (amoeba, lamblia, balantidium).
According to the characteristics of their life cycle, the following parasites are distinguished:
- Biohelminths require intermediate hosts to pass through various stages of development.A sexually mature individual, capable of reproduction, lives in the body of the definitive host.
- Geohelminths - eggs mature and spread through the soil.
- Contagious worms are transmitted directly from person to person.
Based on the habitat in the body, it can be divided as follows:
- Cavity - they parasitize the intestines and other organs of the cavity, for example, the bile ducts, the bladder.
- Tissues - parasitize in internal parenchymal organs and muscles, that is, outside the intestines.
Clinical picture of helminthiasis
What signs should you pay attention to?Conventionally, the course of helminthiasis can be divided into two stages - acute and chronic.The acute phase develops immediately after the parasite "sets" in the human body and lasts from two weeks to two months.
Acute phase
The symptoms of this stage are due to the body's general reaction to the penetration of foreign proteins, that is, allergic mechanisms.The following syndromes stand out:
- drunkenness;
- articular;
- dermatological;
- catarrh;
- bronchopulmonary;
- hepatolienal;
- abdominal;
- cerebral.
Intoxication syndrome is characterized by increased body temperature, chills, sweating, general weakness and muscle pain.The child may experience anxiety, cry for no reason and sleep poorly.Enlargement of the peripheral lymph nodes often occurs.
Given the non-specificity of the symptoms, patients are not in a hurry to see a doctor, regarding the complex of symptoms as the initial stage of ARVI.But even if parents ask for advice because their child has a high temperature, not every pediatrician will suspect the presence of parasites in the body at this stage.
Joint damage occurs as a type of reactive arthritis, due to the presence in the human body of proteins similar in structure to parasite proteins.Antibodies that are produced in response to the penetration of the pathogen affect not only it, but also tissues similar in structure to it.Patients complain of severe joint pain, swelling, redness and increased local body temperature.
Skin lesions occur as allergic dermatitis and are characterized by itching and various rashes.In some patients the redness is very pronounced, but there are others who do not notice its presence.
Catarrhal syndrome is accompanied by symptoms of runny nose, conjunctivitis and sore throat.Bronchopulmonary signs include a prolonged cough with sputum production, attacks of bronchial asthma, the clinical picture of pneumonia and pleurisy.
With almost all types of helminths, the liver and spleen are enlarged.But these organs pay special attention when Giardia, Echinococcus and liver fluke settle in the human body.Then patients complain of:
- bitterness in the mouth;
- pain and heaviness in the right hypochondrium;
- yellowing of the skin and mucous membranes.
Abdominal syndrome can be very pronounced in a preschool or elementary age child.Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal pain are observed.These symptoms are often the cause of wrong diagnosis, when helminthiasis is considered acute intestinal intoxication.
Cerebral manifestations are moderate and are characterized by headache, dizziness and decreased performance.
The severity of the above symptoms in both an adult patient and a child may vary.It depends on the strength of the immune system.In addition, the severity of the immune response depends on the morphological form in which the parasite is present in the body.The largest amount of antibodies is synthesized in response to larval penetration.
Over time, the strength of the immune response weakens and the disease becomes chronic.In this case, it can last for years, as its symptoms are mild and many simply do not pay attention to them.
Chronic phase
At this stage, the symptoms, or more precisely, their severity, are determined mainly by the following factors:
- the type of parasites that have entered the body;
- the number of parasitic individuals;
- the location of parasites in the body of an adult or child.
If the helminth is "armed" with suction cups, hooks, spikes or cutting plates, they mechanically damage the site of localization, causing inflammation.
Volumetric formations that are formed as a result of the vital activity of helminths can compress neighboring structures.Moreover, if this is a vital organ, for example, the brain, then the consequences can be catastrophic.
Since the parasite feeds on substances intended for the host's body, the latter develops anemia, hypovitaminosis and protein deficiency.
To survive in the human body, parasites severely suppress the immune system.As a result, susceptibility to viral and bacterial diseases increases;they tend to have a severe, prolonged course, the development of complications, the formation of chronic forms and asymptomatic transport.
Characteristics of some helminthiasis
Some helminthiasis have characteristic symptoms that make it possible to distinguish them from other diseases.
- A child suffering from enterobiasis will experience itching in the anus in the evening and at night.
- Massive whipworm infection causes hemorrhagic colitis.
- Roundworms can cause intestinal obstruction, obstructive jaundice and pancreatitis.
- The hookworm, which feeds on the blood of the host, is the cause of severe iron deficiency anemia.
- The presence of tapeworms can be diagnosed by a very specific complaint - passing segments of the parasite independently or during defecation.
- Urinary schistosome, which lives in the human body, is characterized by the appearance of a drop of blood at the end of urination.
- Filariasis affects the eyes.
Due to the presence of liver damage, the patient develops chronic hepatitis, cholecystitis and cholangitis.Such patients complain of pain and heaviness in the right hypochondrium, bitterness in the mouth, yellowing of the skin and mucous membranes.The same complaints are characteristic of giardiasis.Even after successful treatment, phenomena such as biliary dyskinesia often remain.
Echinococcus, alveococcus, cysticercus do not reveal their presence in any way until a cyst is formed in the affected organ.Sometimes it can reach quite large sizes and, as a rule, it is diagnosed accidentally.Cysticercosis of the central nervous system is characterized by a variety of symptoms due to the location of the cysts.
CONCLUSION
As can be seen from the above, the clinical picture of the presence of worms is very diverse.They are easily confused with other diseases, especially when the patient adheres to the basic rules of personal hygiene in everyday life.If you notice suspicious symptoms that have no explanation, do not delay the visit to your doctor.Competent consultation will help you avoid many troubles in the future.