Parasites are disease-causing organisms that can inhabit the human body, animals, and even some plants. There are many types of creatures in the world that penetrate the host's body, feed on its useful substances, actively multiply and leave waste in its body, which leads to the development of all kinds of diseases.
Worms are most commonly found in humans. They are worms of various lengths and sizes, which live mainly in the intestines of vertebrates. But some helminths can migrate throughout the body, invading the muscles, liver, heart, joints, lungs, and even the brain.
Worms damage the body of their host, so everyone should know how to determine the presence of parasites in the body. But many people don't want to go to the hospital, waste time, and get tested for helminths for no reason.
In this case, a person can find out if there are parasites in the body by paying attention to such an important criterion as the characteristic symptoms that develop with a certain type of helminthiasis. What if they are not there? This does not happen!
However, in the initial stage of helminthic invasion, the signs of vital activity of foreign microorganisms are poorly expressed or completely absent. The clinical picture becomes intense and pronounced only when helminths are actively developing, because their larvae cannot parasitize in humans.
How to establish the presence of worms in the body without medical investigation?
Different types of parasites cause characteristic symptoms in the host. If identified in a timely manner and correctly decrypted, this will allow infection to be determined even at an early stage.
In this way, the probability of an incorrect diagnosis is minimized, which will allow a correct and effective deworming using popular or medical dewormers.
So to identify parasites in the human body, you need to pay attention to the symptoms:
- Grinding your teeth at night.
- Allergic skin rashes: acne, acne, hives, herpes on the lips, eczema, red spots, papillomas, neurodermatitis, psoriasis and more.
- Development of diseases of the upper respiratory tract (bronchitis, pneumonia, runny nose), which is typical of ascariasis and strongyloidosis.
- Bloating and diarrhea appear due to the fact that the long worms prevent the excretion of bile and pancreatic juice.
- Constipation occurs when worms form a ball that blocks the passage of the intestines.
- Discomfort in joints and muscles due to the migration of parasites.
- Severe irritability, caused by painful symptoms.
- A persistent dry cough that cannot be treated with standard antitussives.
An increase in body temperature is also observed at subfebrile values. The reasons for this condition can lie in allergies, blood intoxication, neurological disorders, dysfunctions in the functioning of internal organs and the brain, and anemic syndrome.
In addition, the worm living in a person greatly reduces his immunity, as a result of which the patient often suffers from colds. Also, the patient has a prolonged depression caused by intoxication of the body.
The characteristic symptoms of helminthiasis are nausea and vomiting, which are also caused by the release of toxic substances. Additionally, certain types of worms can live in the human body, producing specific hormones that affect the intestinal microflora, leading to diarrhea.
However, in some cases, these symptoms are not attributed to helminthiasis, as they are similar to the signs of food poisoning. Although this can become a serious problem, as further treatment begins, the more damage to the host's organs and systems the parasites will have time to inflict.
Therefore, to detect helminthiasis at home, a kind of test must be performed. To do this, you must answer the following questions:
- Does the anus itch at night?
- Are the lymph nodes swollen?
- Is there a skin rash?
- How often does insomnia occur?
- Do you experience vomiting and nausea?
- Are there muscle and muscle aches?
- How often does flatulence develop?
- How often do you have a bitter taste in your mouth?
If a person gave seven affirmative answers to these questions, then with a high probability it can be argued that his body is infected with worms.
How to identify the type of helminthiasis by symptoms?
At home, you can determine which helminths inhabited the human body. But this can only be done if the parasitosis has reached the active phase of its development.
Ascariasis and diphyllobothriasis are characterized by neurological signs that are more intense in young patients. Aggressive behavior and increased nervousness occur due to the effects of toxic substances in the nervous system. For similar reasons, an infected person develops migraines and dizziness.
As a general rule, trichinosis is accompanied by joint and muscle pain, as well as swelling of the face and eyelids. This is due to the peculiarities of the life of Trichinella, which lives in skeletal muscles. You can become infected with this parasite if you eat the meat of a wild animal or pig, which has been poorly thermally processed.
Giardiasis affects the functioning of the liver and kidneys and causes all kinds of allergic reactions. Also, some people, when the body is damaged by lamblia, suffer from arthritis, which develops as a result of intoxication. Also, in an invasive patient, immunity is weakened, against the background of this, the following diseases develop:
- sinusitis;
- stomatitis;
- Bacterial vaginosis and more.
A characteristic feature of pinworm enterobiasis is itching in the anal canal. Also, most infected people experience disturbances in the digestive tract.
Anemic syndrome is characteristic of schistosomiasis. There are also manifestations of dysbiosis (pathogenic microorganisms inhibit the favorable microflora).
With chloronchiasis, fasciaellosis, and opisthorchiasis, the gallbladder is affected and the jaundice syndrome develops. Also, against the background of these helminthiases, the liver and spleen increase.
Strongyloidiasis has many symptoms. So, with its progression, there are dysfunctions in the gastrointestinal tract, dyspeptic disorders and allergic manifestations.
How to determine if helminth eggs are available without laboratory conditions? When worms are in the multiplication phase, it is quite easy to discover their presence in the body. To do this, you need to conduct an analysis of the eggs for parasites.
With the development of opisthorchiasis, you can conduct a home study on your own. To do this, tape or duct tape should be placed on the skin of the anal area.
It is best to do it immediately after getting up in the morning. If a person has opisthorchias, their eggs will be identified on the sticky surface of the tape.
Laboratory methods to detect parasites
If a patient has more than three characteristic symptoms of helminthiasis, they should contact a medical institution to have the determination of the presence of parasites in the home laboratory confirmed.
The first step in case of suspected helminthic invasion is the study of the stool. This allows you to identify the eggs of tapeworms, round helminths, and flukes. However, for accurate confirmation of the diagnosis, tests should be performed three times every few days.
To determine enterobiasis, a scraping is done near the anus. Likewise, one of the most accurate and convenient tests for the patient is the ELISA, which allows detecting in the blood the antibodies produced by the organism when parasitizing pathogenic microorganisms.
Sometimes bioresonance diagnoses are carried out, studying the frequency of parasites. This method is very informative, as it determines the state of the body as a whole. In addition, in addition to parasites, this study allows you to know the state of immunity, which weakens it, to identify other diseases, as well as fungi, bacteria and pathogenic viruses.