Parasitologists have their own definition of summer - helminth season.During the warm season, many types of parasites feel great and actively reproduce.
You can meet them everywhere - in country gardens, on a picnic and while communicating with our smaller brothers.How to avoid this meeting and what to do if it happens?
Worms or helminths are parasites that affect humans, animals and even plants.Previously, it was often believed that helminth infections were very unscrupulous, but today it is known that this is not so.No one is safe from helminth infection.And according to expert estimates, worms affect 70 to 95% of the world's population.
Signs of helminth disease
There are often unpredictable situations about such a neighborhood.Symptoms of the presence of parasites in the body are non-specific.For some, they will cause intestinal disorders, for others - weakness, and for others they will not feel anything at all.Experts warn that worms can live in the human body for years without being detected.However, much depends not only on your personal characteristics, but also on the type of parasite.
People at risk of helminth infection include people with weak immune systems and children under 3 years old.Acidity in the gastric juice of healthy adults is most often fatal to worms.Parasites live in any sandbox and if the baby likes to put his fingers in his mouth, this can end sadly.
Pediatrician Maxim Pereverzentsev claims that for every square meter of sandbox there are at least 50 worm eggs.In addition, young children often play with pets that carry parasite eggs in their fur or in their saliva.
intestinal disease
The most common parasite in children is pinworm, which causes ringworm.It is not difficult to suspect their presence.At night, pinworms lay eggs in the anal area, causing intense itching in humans.Other symptoms include decreased appetite and restless sleep.Enterobosis must be treated and only a doctor can help with this.A little-known fact: if a child is infected with worms, vaccination will not be effective.
Here are some other symptoms that may indicate the presence of worms in the human body: abdominal pain, rash on the skin, allergic reactions, increased salivation, constipation or diarrhea, nausea.
Among the three hundred types of worms known in the world, the two most common types in our country are pinworms and intestinal roundworms.According to laboratory diagnostician Vasily Yurasov, at least half of the population of our country suffers from this or that disease.
Ascariasis
For example, it is quite easy to get infected with roundworms at home in the country - there are a lot of roundworms in our garden beds.They enter the body through unwashed green vegetables and leaves.The lifespan of roundworms is measured at two years, and as Yurasov says, roundworms can theoretically disappear on their own (to continue to exist, the worms must stay underground).However, during these two years, these worms can greatly ruin your life, because they affect not only the digestive tract, but also the respiratory system.Most often, ringworm manifests itself in the form of dermatitis, muscle pain, stool disorders and dry cough, worse at night.If there are many roundworms, it can lead to pancreatitis, appendicitis, cholecystitis, intestinal obstruction, and liver abscess.
Toxoporosis
Toxoporosis is transmitted through pets, causing damage to the liver and mucous membranes of the eyes.Inadequately fried grilled meat or inadequately salted or smoked fish (usually carp and carp) transmit tapeworms and liver flukes.
If we talk about diagnosing helminths, then everything is not so simple here.Each of us has been tested for eggworms at least once in our lives (for example to get a swimming pool certificate), but detecting them in research documents is quite difficult.For example, roundworms release eggs every few days.Therefore, to understand the real situation, laboratory diagnostician Vasily Yurasov said, such tests need to be carried out at least three days in a row.
Diagnosis and treatment of helminths
In addition, if there are serious suspicions about the presence of worms in the body, the doctor may prescribe an additional test - a stool test for worms.Based on the results of this analysis, the specialist will be able to understand the presence of helminths in the body based on a number of indirect signs.Another important aid in determining helminth infection is an enzyme-linked immunosorbent blood test, which allows you to determine antibodies to various parasites.To complete the picture, the doctor may prescribe periodic biochemical blood tests for the patient.For example, if it is found that a person has exceeded the standard value of eosinophils, most likely the cause lies in the presence of something else in his body.
Parasites should only be treated under the close supervision of a specialist.You should contact a therapist or parasitologist.As for prevention, it's pretty simple.Wash your hands as often as possible, thoroughly wash the greens from the beds, thoroughly fry meat and fish and do not overfeed your pets.Good folk remedies include pumpkin seeds, ginger and asters.