Symptoms indicating the presence of parasites in the human body are non-specific.In addition, they are different in the acute and chronic phases of the disease.How to recognize them?
The invasion of parasites in the human body has always been and remains one of the most pressing problems in medicine.Despite the fact that the level of sanitary 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 migration, new types of parasites that were previously absent are constantly appearing.Accordingly, new symptoms appear, indicating the presence of helminths in the human body.In addition, parasites that live 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 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 those parasites that are most common.Scientists divide all worms that can parasitize the human body into several groups.
According to their biological characteristics, parasites are divided into:
- Roundworms or nematodes (sedges, roundworms, whipworms, hookworms, intestinal eels, trichinella).
- Tapeworms, or cestodes (pig tapeworm, beef tapeworm, dwarf tapeworm, cysticercosis, broad tapeworm, alveococci, echinococci).
- Flukes (hepatic, pulmonary, feline, lanceolate, blood).
- Unicellular parasites (amoeba, lamblia, balantidium).
According to the characteristics of their life cycle, there are the following parasites:
- 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.
- Geohelminths - the eggs mature and spread in 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 - they parasitize the parenchymal internal organs and muscles, i.e.outside the gut.
Clinical picture of helminthiasis
What signs should you pay attention to?Conditionally, the course of helminthiasis can be divided into two phases - acute and chronic.The acute phase develops immediately after the "settlement" of the parasite in the human body and lasts from two weeks to two months.
Acute phase
The symptoms of this phase are due to the body's general reaction to the penetration of foreign proteins, that is, allergic mechanisms.The following syndromes come to the fore:
- intoxication;
- joint
- dermatological;
- catarrhal;
- bronchopulmonary;
- hepatolienal;
- abdominal;
- cerebral.
The syndrome of intoxication 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 is often observed.
Given the non-specificity of the symptoms, patients are in no hurry to visit a doctor, considering the complex of symptoms as the initial phase of ARVI.But even if parents seek advice because their child has a high fever, not every pediatrician will suspect the presence of parasites in the body at this stage.
Joint damage occurs as a type of reactive arthritis due to the presence in the human body of proteins similar in structure to parasite proteins.The antibodies that are produced in response to the penetration of the pathogen affect not only it, but also tissues similar in structure to it.Patients complain of severe pain in the joint, swelling, redness and increased local body temperature.
Skin lesions occur as allergic dermatitis and are characterized by itching and various rashes.In some patients, the rash is very pronounced, but there are others who 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 discharge, attacks of bronchial asthma, clinical picture of pneumonia and pleurisy.
In almost all types of helminths, the liver and spleen are enlarged.But these organs pay special attention when Giardia, Echinococcus and liver fluke settle in the human body.Then patients complain of:
- bitterness in the mouth;
- pain and heaviness in right hypochondrium;
- yellowing of the skin and mucous membranes.
Abdominal syndrome can be very pronounced in a child of preschool or elementary school age.Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal pain are observed.These symptoms are often the cause of misdiagnosis when helminthiasis is considered acute intestinal intoxication.
Cerebral manifestations are moderate and are characterized by headache, dizziness and reduced work capacity.
The severity of the above symptoms in both an adult patient and 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 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, since its symptoms are mild and many simply do not pay attention to them.
Chronic phase
In this phase, the symptoms, or rather their severity, are largely determined by the following factors:
- type of parasites that have entered the body;
- number of parasitic individuals;
- location of parasites in the body of an adult or child.
If the helminth is "armed" with suction cups, hooks, spikes or cutting plates, they mechanically damage the site of localization, causing inflammation.
Volumetric formations that are formed as a result of the vital activity of helminths can compress neighboring structures.Moreover, if it is a vital organ, for example the brain, then the consequences can be catastrophic.
As the parasite feeds on substances intended for the body of the host, the latter develops anemia, hypovitaminosis and protein deficiency.
In order to survive in the human body, parasites strongly suppress the immune system.As a result, susceptibility to viral and bacterial diseases increases;they are prone to a severe, prolonged course, the development of complications, the formation of chronic forms and asymptomatic carriage.
Characteristics of some helminthiasis
Some helminthiasis have characteristic symptoms that allow them to be distinguished from other diseases.
- A child suffering from enterobiosis will feel itching in the anus in the evening and at night.
- Massive whipworm infestation causes hemorrhagic colitis.
- Roundworms can cause intestinal obstruction, obstructive jaundice and pancreatitis.
- A hookworm feeding on the host's blood is the cause of severe iron deficiency anemia.
- The presence of tapeworms can be diagnosed by a very specific complaint - the passage of parasitic segments on their own or during defecation.
- Urinary schistosoma, which lives in the human body, is characterized by the appearance of a drop of blood at the end of urination.
- Filariasis affects the eyes.
Due to the presence of liver fluke, 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 characteristic of giardiasis.Even after successful treatment, phenomena such as biliary dyskinesia often remain.
Echinococcus, alveococcus, cysticercus do not reveal 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 various symptoms due to the location of the cysts.
Conclusion
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 observes elementary rules of personal hygiene in everyday life.If you notice suspicious symptoms that have no explanation, do not delay the visit to the doctor.Competent consultation will help you avoid many problems in the future.