Symptoms indicating the presence of parasites in the human body are not specific.Moreover, they are different 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 problems in medicine.Despite the fact that the level of health culture of the population is constantly growing, 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 migrations, new, previously absent types of parasites are constantly appearing.As a result, new symptoms appear indicating the presence of helminths in the human body.In addition, parasites that live in a child's body 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 huge 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 distributed as follows:
- Roundworms or nematodes (pinworms, roundworms, whipworms, hookworms, intestinal eels, trichinella).
- Tapeworms, or cestodes (pork tapeworm, bovine tapeworm, dwarf tapeworm, cysticercus, large tapeworm, alveococcus, echinococcus).
- Flukes (liver, lung, feline, lanceolate, blood).
- Single-celled parasites (amoeba, lamblia, balantidium).
Depending on the characteristics of their life cycle, the following parasites are distinguished:
- Biohelminths require intermediate hosts to pass through different phases of development.A sexually mature individual, capable of reproduction, lives in the body of the definitive host.
- Soil-transmitted helminths – eggs mature and spread through the soil.
- Contagious helminths are transmitted directly from person to person.
Depending on the habitat in the body, it can be divided as follows:
- Cavity - parasitizes the intestines and other cavity organs, for example the bile ducts and bladder.
- Tissues - parasitize internal organs and parenchymal muscles, i.e. outside the intestine.
Clinical picture of helminthiasis
What signs should you watch 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 due to the general response of the body to the penetration of foreign proteins, i.e. allergic mechanisms.The following syndromes stand out:
- drunkenness;
- articular;
- dermatological;
- catarrhal;
- bronchopulmonary;
- hepatolean;
- abdominal;
- cerebral.
Intoxication syndrome is characterized by increased body temperature, chills, sweating, general weakness and muscle pain.The child may feel anxious, cry for no reason, and sleep poorly.Enlargement of peripheral lymph nodes often occurs.
Given the non-specificity of symptoms, patients are in no hurry to consult a doctor, considering the set of symptoms 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 presents itself 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 the penetration of the pathogen affect not only it, but also tissues similar in structure.Patients complain of severe joint pain, swelling, redness and increased local body temperature.
Skin lesions manifest themselves in the form of allergic dermatitis and are characterized by itching and the appearance of various rashes.In some patients, the rash is very pronounced, but others do not notice its presence.
Catarrhal syndrome is accompanied by symptoms of runny nose, conjunctivitis and sore throat.Bronchopulmonary signs include prolonged cough with sputum production, attacks of bronchial asthma, a clinical picture of pneumonia and pleurisy.
With almost all types of helminths, the liver and spleen enlarge.But these organs come under special attention when Giardia, Echinococcus and liver fluke take hold 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 child of preschool or primary school age.Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal pain are observed.These symptoms are often the cause of diagnostic errors, when helminthiasis is considered as acute intestinal poisoning.
Cerebral manifestations are moderate and are characterized by headache, dizziness and decreased performance.
The severity of the above symptoms in an adult patient and in 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 greatest 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 its symptoms are mild and many simply do not pay attention to it.
Chronic phase
In this phase, the symptoms, or more precisely their severity, are largely determined by the following factors:
- type of parasites entered the body;
- number of parasitic individuals;
- localization of parasites in the body of an adult or child.
If helminths are “armed” with suction cups, hooks, spikes or cutting plates, they mechanically damage the localization site, causing inflammation.
Volumetric formations resulting from the vital activity of helminths can compress neighboring structures.Furthermore, if it concerns a vital organ, for example the brain, the consequences can be disastrous.
As the parasite feeds on substances intended for the host's body, the host develops anemia, hypovitaminosis and protein deficiency.
In order to survive in the human body, parasites significantly weaken the immune system.As a result, susceptibility to viral and bacterial diseases increases;they tend to have a severe and prolonged course, the development of complications, the formation of chronic forms and asymptomatic carriage.
Characteristics of certain helminthiases
Some helminthiases have characteristic symptoms that help distinguish them from other diseases.
- A child suffering from enterobiasis will feel itching in the anus in the evening and at night.
- A massive whipworm infestation causes hemorrhagic colitis.
- Roundworms can cause intestinal obstruction, obstructive jaundice and pancreatitis.
- The hookworm, which feeds on the blood of the host, causes serious iron deficiency anemia.
- The presence of tapeworms can be diagnosed by 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 a drop of blood at the end of urination.
- Fillariasis affects the eyes.
Due to the presence of the liver fluke, the patient develops chronic hepatitis, cholecystitis and cholangitis.These 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 persist.
Echinococci, alveococci, cysticerci in no case reveal their presence until a cyst forms 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 the above shows, the clinical picture of the presence of worms is very diverse.They are easily confused with other diseases, especially when the patient respects the basic rules of personal hygiene on a daily basis.If you notice suspicious symptoms without explanation, do not delay in consulting your doctor.Competent consultation will help you avoid many problems in the future.