According to statistical data, about a third of the world's population is infected with helminths. It's quite difficult to detect the presence of worms on your own. And all because the signs of their presence are similar to the symptoms of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. But if you carefully listen to your own health, put together a clinical picture, you can try to make an accurate diagnosis and in time to seek help from the right people. So, what manifestations can talk about the presence of worms, what manifestations should make you start worrying? Denote the brightest signs of the presence of worms.
There are common signs of the presence of worms. These include the following manifestations:
- Inflammation of the intestinal mucosa.
- General intoxication.
- Allergic reactions.
Symptoms of the presence of helminths
Since helminths enter the intestinal tract of children and adults by the oral route, most of their species settle in the intestinal tract. Their body is arranged in such a way that it is tenaciously fixed to the walls of the intestinal mucosa. Any mechanical damage to the walls causes inflammation. Manifestations of it are well known. This:
- Bloating and flatulence, manifested with varying intensity for a long time. Constant swelling of the abdominal wall is the first sign of the presence of uninvited guests. The presence of this symptom should cause everyone to seek help from the gastroenterologist in order to identify the cause of the ailment.
- Inflammation of the intestinal wall causes digestion disorders. Fat, which must be absorbed in the small intestine, does not have time to digest and falls into the large intestine. As a result, severe painful spasms appear. The patient may complain of the appearance of diarrhea or constipation. Their alternation is another sign of the presence of worms.
- Abdominal pain, pressing or bursting, not having a clear localization is also a symptom of inflammation caused by infection with worms.
- Nausea and vomiting that occurs after a plentiful meal.
- Sharp weight loss is a clear allusion to the presence of helminths. It is due to the fact that the inflamed intestine can not absorb the necessary nutrients. In addition, parasites live inside, which are actively developing, and they also need energy for this development.
- Biting into the walls of the mucosa, some worms tear the walls of the vessels. Sooner or later, microscopic bleeding will necessarily lead to the development of anemia. It develops almost always when ingested Trichomonas. These simple helminths devour blood cells, so the presence of worms can be accompanied by symptoms of iron deficiency( anemia).A person can complain of general weakness, severe headaches, persistent dizziness, shortness of breath with increased physical activity.
Intoxication - a sign of the presence of helminths
Why does the intoxication of the body of children and adult patients become possible during infection with worms? The fact is that during the life of any parasite, toxins are released, slowly but surely poisoning each of us. Signs of intoxication do not appear immediately, the symptoms make themselves felt when the accumulation effect is triggered.
An infected person does not immediately associate the appearance of a malaise with the presence of helminths. Intoxication is not acute, at first protective functions( immunity) cope with the removal of toxins, but the immune system is rapidly depleted. As a result, a gate opens up for the penetration of infections from the outside. A person begins to often get colds, he has allergic reactions. The combination of these two factors is a clear sign of the presence of worms. It should force to address to experts and to hand over all necessary analyzes.
Decreased immunity is not the only symptom of general intoxication. Against the background of insufficient purification of the body, depression develops, uncontrollable irritability and nervousness appear. This is due to the fact that the toxins constantly irritate the nervous system. A person quickly gets tired, complains of a bad dream, an increase in headaches, a sudden change in body weight. Pay attention, the presence of worms does not always cause a sharp weight loss. Often, patients on the contrary, rapidly gain weight. Why is this happening?
Helminths - internal consumers - "rob" any organism, their voracity stimulates a sharp drop in glucose in the blood. This process forms a feeling of hunger. Toxicological effects disrupt metabolic processes, a protective reaction is included, the body actively begins to postpone nutrients. That's why obesity arises. In this case, it becomes a sign of the presence of a large number of worms. It is necessary to fight with excess weight only after the course of dehelminthization has been conducted. Treatment, as the patients note, almost always helps to find peace of mind, balance, patience.
Sleep disorder is the next characteristic sign of the presence of worms. The body tries to get rid of toxins all day. The liver works under extreme loads, so biorhythms are easily broken. Sleep do not give and night "forays" worms from the anus. In pinworms, for example, females crawl out of the anus at night and lay eggs around the anus. They fix them with mucus. It causes severe irritation and itching. Sometimes pinworms can not get back into the rectum and remain in the anal slits. This leads to the formation of hemorrhoids, which also causes a number of additional inconveniences. Severe itching in combination with chronic hemorrhoids is a sign of the presence of worms.
How else can I check for the presence of worms?
As a person can get infected with different worms, each subspecies of helminths can affect each of us in different ways. So, for example, pig tartan due to its large size can block the work of individual organs. Most often, the presence of huge worms simply closes the lumen of the intestine. Because of this, feces can not move normally, so emptying becomes very difficult. Chronic constipation and the presence of fragments of tapeworm in the stool are a characteristic sign of the presence of the parasite.
The simplest helminths, pinworms, for example, in the course of their vital activity produce substances whose compositions are identical with certain hormones. The organism of the child and the adult reacts to the imbalance predictably - tries to get rid of uninvited guests, stimulating peristalsis. Diarrhea is not only a protective reaction of a person, it is a sign of the presence of worms. On the presence of pinworms may indicate the itching, which occurs in the morning in the area of the anus, constant nausea, nocturnal grinding of teeth, profuse salivation.
Larvae of tapeworms migrate very often throughout the body. Where they are delayed, a dangerous pathology may develop. Then the symptoms will be completely different. How to check their presence? If they get into the respiratory tract, a person begins to suffer a severe cough, constant phlegm, a chronic runny nose. If Strongyloids enter the respiratory tract, pneumonia develops. Ascaris can provoke asthma. Worms can settle in the heart, in the liver, in the brain. Then the clinical picture consists of completely different characteristic manifestations.
What else can you say in conclusion? Since the presence of parasites weakens the immune system and provokes the development of allergic reactions, trauma occurs to all internal organs. A prolonged lack of certain vitamins and minerals can provoke the development of cancer tumors.
One who is at risk, wants to know how to check for the presence of worms at home. Their presence is indicated by those symptoms, which were described in detail in the article. The child can check the worms by making a cleansing enema. And then study the feces in detail. If there are helminths, it will contain small white worms or long alien fragments of pink or white. If the patient has more than five signs indicated above, this is a reason to talk about the presence of worms in an adult or a child. It is necessary to go to the doctor immediately.