Symptoms indicating the presence of parasites in the human body are non-specific.In addition, they differ in the acute and chronic stages of the disease.How to recognize them?
The introduction of parasites into the human body has always been and remains one of the most urgent problems in medicine.Despite the constant increase in the level of sanitary culture of the population, 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 did not exist before are constantly appearing.Accordingly, new symptoms appear, indicating the presence of helminths in the human body.In addition, parasites living in the 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 many 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 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 eel, trichinella).
- Tapeworms, or cestodes (pork, bovine tapeworm, dwarf tapeworm, cysticercus, broad tapeworm, alveococcus, exinococcus).
- Flukes (liver, lung, cat, lanceolate, blood).
- Unicellular parasites (amoeba, lamblia, balantidium).
The following parasites differ according to the characteristics of their life cycle:
- Biohelminths require intermediate hosts to pass through different stages of development.A sexually mature, reproductively capable individual lives in the body of a definitive host.
- Geohelminths - 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:
- Cavity - parasitizes the intestines and other cavity organs, for example, bile ducts, bladder.
- Tissue - parasitises in parenchymal internal organs and muscles, that is, outside the intestine.
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 stage develops immediately after the parasite "settles" in the human body and lasts from two weeks to two months.
Acute phase
The symptoms of this stage are related to the general reaction of the body to the penetration of foreign proteins, that is, allergic mechanisms.The following syndromes are prominent:
- intoxication;
- articulate;
- dermatological;
- catarrh;
- bronchopulmonary;
- hepatolienal;
- belly;
- the brain.
Intoxication syndrome is characterized by an increase in body temperature, shivering, sweating, general weakness, muscle pain.The child may be restless, cry for no reason and sleep badly.Enlargement of peripheral lymph nodes is common.
Considering the non-specificity of the symptoms, patients are in no hurry to consult a doctor, considering the symptom complex as the initial stage of ARVI.However, even if parents seek advice because their child has a high temperature, at this stage, not every pediatrician will suspect the presence of parasites in the body.
Joint damage occurs as a type of reactive arthritis, due to the presence of proteins in the human body similar in structure to those of parasites.Antibodies produced in response to the penetration of the pathogen affect not only it, but also tissues with a structure similar to it.Patients complain of severe pain, swelling, redness, local body temperature in the joint.
Skin lesions occur as allergic dermatitis and are characterized by itching and the appearance of various rashes.In some patients, the rash is very obvious, but there are also those who do not feel its presence.
Catarrhal syndrome is accompanied by symptoms of runny nose, conjunctivitis and sore throat.Bronchopulmonary symptoms include prolonged cough with sputum production, attacks of bronchial asthma, pneumonia, and the clinical picture of pleurisy.
With almost all types of helminths, the liver and spleen are enlarged.But these organs pay special attention when giardia, echinococci and liver flukes are located in the human body.Then patients complain:
- bitterness in the mouth;
- pain and heaviness in the right hypochondrium;
- yellowing of the skin and mucous membranes.
Abdominal syndrome can be very clearly expressed in a child of preschool or elementary school age.Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain are observed.When helminthosis is perceived as acute intestinal intoxication, these symptoms are often the cause of misdiagnosis.
Cerebral manifestations are moderate and are characterized by headache, dizziness and decreased performance.
The severity of the above symptoms can be different in both an adult patient and a child.It depends on the strength of the immune system.In addition, the intensity of the immune response depends on the morphological form in which the parasite exists in the body.The largest amount of antibodies is synthesized in response to the penetration of larvae.
Over time, the strength of the immune response weakens and the disease becomes chronic.In this case, it can last for years, because its symptoms are mild, and many simply do not pay attention to them.
Chronic stage
At this stage, the symptoms, more precisely, their severity, are mainly determined by the following factors:
- type of parasites entering the body;
- the number of parasitic individuals;
- the location of parasites in the body of an adult or a child.
If the helminth is "armed" with suction cups, hooks, spikes or cutting plates, they mechanically damage the localization site, causing inflammation.
Voluminous formations resulting from the vital activity of helminths can compress neighboring structures.Moreover, if it is a vital organ, for example, the brain, the consequences can be catastrophic.
Since the parasite feeds on substances intended for the body of the host, the latter develops anemia, hypovitaminosis and protein deficiency.
In order to live in the human body, parasites seriously suppress the immune system.As a result, susceptibility to viral and bacterial diseases increases;they are prone to severe, prolonged course, development of complications, formation of chronic forms and asymptomatic carriage.
Features of some helminthiasis
Some helminths have characteristic signs that allow us to distinguish them from other diseases.
- A child suffering from enterobiosis will feel itching in the anus in the evening and at night.
- A massive whiplash infection causes hemorrhagic colitis.
- Roundworms can cause intestinal obstruction, obstructive jaundice and pancreatitis.
- Hookworm, which feeds on the blood of the host, is the cause of severe iron deficiency anemia.
- The presence of tapeworms can be diagnosed with a very specific complaint - independent passage of parasite segments or during defecation.
- Urinary schistosome living in the human body is characterized by the appearance of a drop of blood at the end of the urine.
- Filariasis affects the eyes.
Due to the presence of liver flu, 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 typical for giardiasis.Even after successful treatment, phenomena such as biliary dyskinesia often remain.
Echinococcus, alveococcus, cysticercus do not show 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 by chance.Cysticercosis of the central nervous system is characterized by different symptoms depending on the location of the cysts.
The result
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 follows the basic rules of personal hygiene in everyday life.If you notice suspicious symptoms that have no explanation, do not delay visiting your doctor.Competent advice will help you avoid many problems in the future.