Symptoms that indicate the presence of parasites in the human body are not specific.In addition, they differ in the acute and chronic phases of the disease.How to recognize them?
The invasion of parasites into the human body has always been and remains one of the most pressing issues in medicine.Although the level of hygiene 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 networks and population migration, new types of parasites that were previously absent are constantly appearing.Accordingly, new symptoms appear that indicate the presence of helminths in the human body.In addition, parasites living in children's bodies require special attention.Let's try to figure out when you need to pay attention to your health and consult a specialist.
Classification of parasites
There are a large number of parasite species 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 the most common parasites.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 (pinworms, roundworms, whipworms, hookworms, intestinal eels, trichinella).
- Tapeworms, or cestodes (pig tapeworm, cattle tapeworm, dwarf tapeworm, cysticercus, broad tapeworm, alveococcus, echinococcus).
- Flukes (liver, lung, cat, lanceolate, blood).
- Single-celled parasites (amoeba, lamblia, balantidium).
According to the characteristics of their life cycle, there are the following parasites:
- Biohelminths require intermediate hosts to go through different phases of development.Sexually mature individuals, able to reproduce, live in the body of the definitive host.
- Geohelminths - the eggs mature and spread through the soil.
- Infectious helminths are transmitted directly from person to person.
Based on the habitat in the body, it can be divided as follows:
- Cavities - parasites in the intestines and other cavity organs, for example, bile ducts, bladder.
- Tissues - parasites in internal organs and parenchymal muscles, that is, outside the intestine.
Clinical picture of helminthiases
What are the signs you should look out for?Conventionally, the course of helminthiasis can be divided into two phases - acute and chronic.The acute phase develops immediately after the parasite "settles" in the human body and lasts from two weeks to two months.
Acute phase
The symptoms of this phase are caused by the body's general response to the penetration of foreign proteins, which is the allergic mechanism.The following syndrome appears:
- drunk;
- articular;
- dermatology;
- cataracts;
- bronchopulmonary;
- hepatolienal;
- stomach;
- cerebral.
The hangover syndrome is characterized by increased body temperature, chills, sweating, general weakness, and muscle pain.Children may experience anxiety, cry for no reason, and lack sleep.Enlargement of peripheral lymph nodes often occurs.
Given the non-specific symptoms, the patient is in no hurry to see a doctor, regarding the symptom complex as the initial phase of ARVI.But even if parents seek 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 produced in response to pathogen penetration not only affect it, but also tissues similar in structure to it.Patients complain of severe pain in the joints, swelling, redness, and increased local body temperature.
Skin lesions occur as allergic dermatitis and are characterized by itching and the appearance of various rashes.In some patients the rash is very noticeable, but there are others who are not aware of its presence.
Catarrhal syndrome is accompanied by symptoms of runny nose, conjunctivitis, and sore throat.Bronchopulmonary symptoms include prolonged cough with sputum production, bronchial asthma attack, clinical picture of pneumonia and pleurisy.
With almost all types of helminths, the liver and spleen become enlarged.But these organs pay special attention when Giardia, Echinococcus, and liver worms settle in the human body.Then the patient complains about:
- bitterness in the mouth;
- pain and heaviness in the right hypochondrium;
- yellowing of the skin and mucous membranes.
Stomach syndrome can be very noticeable in children of preschool or elementary school age.Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain were observed.These symptoms are often the cause of misdiagnosis, when helminthiasis is considered acute intestinal intoxication.
Cerebral manifestations are mild and characterized by headache, dizziness, and decreased performance.
The severity of the above symptoms in adult patients and children 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, because the symptoms are mild and many people do not pay attention to them.
Chronic phase
In this phase, symptoms, or more precisely, their severity, are largely determined by the following factors:
- the type of parasite that has entered the body;
- the number of parasitic individuals;
- the location of the parasite in the body of an adult or child.
If the helminth is "armed" with a suction cup, hook, spike or cutting plate, it mechanically damages the localization site, causing inflammation.
Volumetric formations formed as a result of vital activity of helminths can compress neighboring structures.Moreover, if this is an important organ, for example, the brain, then the consequences can be catastrophic.
Since the parasite consumes substances intended for the host's body, the latter suffers from 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, protracted course, the development of complications, the formation of chronic forms and asymptomatic transportation.
Features of some helminthiases
Some helminthiasis have characteristic symptoms that make it possible to distinguish them from other diseases.
- Children with enterobiasis will experience itching in the anus in the evening and at night.
- A large roundworm infestation causes hemorrhagic colitis.
- Roundworms can cause intestinal obstruction, obstructive jaundice, and pancreatitis.
- Mine worms, feeding on the host's blood, are the cause of severe iron deficiency anemia.
- The presence of tapeworms can be diagnosed with a very specific complaint - the passage of parasite segments independently or during defecation.
- Urinary schistosome, which lives in the human body, is characterized by the appearance of drops of blood at the end of urination.
- Filariasis affects the eyes.
Due to the presence of liver fluke, patients suffer from 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 complaint is 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 cysts are formed in the affected organ.Sometimes it can reach a fairly large size and, as a rule, is diagnosed by accident.Cysticercosis of the central nervous system is characterized by various symptoms due to the location of the cyst.
Conclusion
As can be seen from above, the clinical picture of the presence of worms is very diverse.They are easily confused with other diseases, especially when patients follow the basic rules of personal hygiene in everyday life.If you notice suspicious symptoms that have no explanation, do not delay to visit your doctor.Competent consultation will help you avoid many problems in the future.