People are accustomed to associating the word "parasites" with common worms in the human gut. However, their localization can be so different that the patient is unaware of the presence of subcutaneous parasites for several years. Yes, uninvited guests can easily sit under a person's skin, and their size can rarely be called microscopic.
Types and symptoms of parasites
Is your body itchy? Purulent acne on the face? Occasional blurred vision? All of these are subcutaneous parasites that move rapidly in the body and can affect internal organs. This movement occurs independently or through the bloodstream. For many years, the patient may not be aware of such a "phenomenon" that a worm stays under the epidermis and "greets" it.
To further frighten the reader, it is necessary to present the characteristics of the possible types of parasites whose habitat is only under the skin.
Filariasis
If you go to tropical countries, be prepared to fight insects that can not only cause itching or pain with their bites, but also infect you with nematode filariasis. The danger of the disease is in the long incubation period - about 5-7 years. During all this time, the parasites will multiply in the human body without any symptoms.
When a large amount of waste products is excreted into the body, intoxication begins to develop in a person who manifests himself first of all with a characteristic urticaria on the skin. Gives itching only in the initial stage. In the future, the patient will look for several portable seals, face vision loss, and struggle with acute fever.
As for the diagnosis, here the patient is examined by a specialist when going to the clinic. You can see worms crawling under the skin with the naked eye, and they look perfect when you examine your eyes. After clarifying the course of the disease and previous events, the specialist diagnoses and prescribes appropriate treatment.
It is important!When traveling to hot countries, do not neglect vaccination, even if it is not required by visa control or health services.
Dracunculiasis
The helminths of this group enter the body through contaminated water. It contains larvae that are practically impossible. However, the infection itself can be fatal to a person, because the larvae grow up to one meter. One of these helminths can be located in the stomach or penetrate the lungs and completely block a person's breathing. However, this rarely happens, because in most cases, this type of parasite selects a person's lower limbs.
Symptoms include:
- itching of the lower extremities;
- formation of a characteristic roller in the legs or feet;
- various purulent lesions of the skin;
- specific bubbles that reach at least 8 cm in diameter and explode under the influence of water.
Pay attention to what water you drink, because it is easier to protect yourself and your loved ones from such an infection than to seek treatment.
Do not itch
All the unpleasant itching manifests itself only with itching, you can rarely find any change in the form of spots and redness on the skin. This is only due to skin ticks that occur when you come in contact with another carrier of the disease or when you come in contact with clothing.
Ticks are small, invisible to the naked eye, but their activity in the body is very wide. When it penetrates the skin, the parasites gnaw on the passages in the deeper layers of the epidermis - causing itching. With long walks of parasites, transitions begin to appear on the skin, and if you treat the surfaces with iodine, you can see a characteristic spider web of these transitions.
Related signs include:
- bubbles appear in the scratches;
- hands and joint surfaces are more affected.
It is important!Although diagnosed quickly by a specialist, treatment can take a long time, so it is best to listen to measures against infection.
Demodectic mange
Of the many species of parasites, lesions caused by ticks of the genus Demodex should be noted. Their spread is mainly localized in the sebaceous glands of the face, presented in the form of a characteristic acne. Externally, this kind of reproduction looks very attractive. Eyelash loss is also called lesions and symptoms.
Diagnosis of such a lesion takes only a few minutes. The doctor simply examines the skin. However, even if all the specialist's prescriptions are followed, the treatment can take several years.
Diagnosis of subcutaneous pests
In most cases, the diagnosis of the affected skin is made in the office of a specialist who can already diagnose the disease by visual examination. However, a thorough medical examination of the patient is scheduled to accurately determine the cause of the internal organs and associated lesions. First, it is necessary to clarify all the lesions, and secondly, in this way it is possible to find the foci of accumulation of parasites (if any) and determine their approximate number.
If you find unpleasant symptoms in the form of rashes, itching and other changes, you should contact such specialists:
- dermatologist;
- allergist;
- neuropathologist;
- medical psychologist;
- infectious disease specialist.
Because itching and rashes are often a simple psychological illness, a thorough examination involves a visit to a neurologist or medical psychologist. However, such visits are only due to the lack of an accurate diagnosis that has not been made after being examined by a local doctor.
When determining the type of disease, it is especially important to have a laboratory diagnosis that will accurately show the presence of parasites under the skin or internal organs of the patient. Such a survey consists of two stages:
- Direct diagnosis of parasites - rupture or smearing of mucous membranes is used to study changes. The direct method is used in the presence of obvious manifestations of parasites: redness of the skin, blisters, purulent acne.
- The second stage involves the study of blood for the presence of antigen-antibody complexes that accurately determine 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 can not repel the invasion and activity of uninvited guests.
In order to prescribe treatment, it is necessary to accurately determine the type of parasite that penetrates the human body. It analyzes skin fractures or blisters on the skin and other important biological materials, including mucous membranes, hair, blood, nails, and fecal stains.
Treatment
It is impossible to say anything definite about the treatment of parasites under the skin. Here their localization, area and stage of the lesion play an important role.
In general, only the following methods can be specified:
- Ticks on the skin should be removed using drugs based on the elimination of any parasites in the body. Specialists often prescribe acaricidal drugs, as well as antihistamines. As an external application, antibacterial ointments and gels, as well as vasoconstrictor drugs, such as an aqueous adrenaline-resorsinol solution, act as an effective tool. The instructions for use and treatment regimen will be explained by your doctor depending on the stage of the lesion.
- Dracunculosis undergoes surgery. Including all kinds of worms that spread under a person's skin or have already been injected into internal organs. The danger of such lesions is the spread of parasites in the internal organs, which often leads to brain damage. For this reason, the patient should undergo a thorough examination to learn the location of the worms.
The general principle of removal of parasites from the body is twofold - conservative method and surgical intervention. The use of alternative methods in the treatment of subcutaneous parasites is not recommended, as it will take a long time and the damage to the body may already be serious and lead to consequences for the patient's later life.
Prophylaxis
Infection with parasites occurs in direct contact with a sick person or an infected area in the case of poor quality food or eating water. Among the causes of parasitic infestation, the leading positions are given to violations of hygiene rules.
To protect yourself from the problems presented, you should do the following:
- Wash your hands before eating, after each contact with objects in public places, as well as after using money.
- Do not try other people's things, as the larvae can be infected by parasites that are on the skin and therefore easily transmitted.
- Do not use other people's cosmetics. Lipsticks, mascaras, other people's soaps and other items can be the same carrier of parasitic larvae.
- When eating fruits and vegetables, be sure to wash them from dirt and dust and other cleaning procedures - including larvae of pests.
- In the event of a wound or abrasion, they should be treated immediately to prevent infection.
Take care of your health and get vaccinated for a trip to the tropics. Do not refuse treatment and assistance for wounds, bites and other mechanical injuries of the skin. This way, you can protect yourself from uninvited guests.