Anyone can experience a worm infestation. Young children, attending kindergarten, adults, for other reasons. Despite all preventive measures, you need to know the signs of worms in humans in order to notice the disease in time and begin to treat it. What are worms, where do they settle and how do they manifest themselves? We will consider it in more detail.
What organs can be affected by worms?
There are two types of invasions: abdominal and tissue. Depending on the species, habitats are also divided:
- Cavitated worms settle in the small and large intestines. In particular, the first sections of the small intestine are affected by a wide tapeworm, hookworm, pinworm. The lower part of the small intestine is the habitat of the dwarf tapeworm, the roundworm. The large intestine most often becomes the habitat of the whipworm.
- Tissue helminths affect organs of any kind: liver, brain, lymph nodes, bile ducts.
Important! It is impossible to determine the signs of the presence of worms in a patient at the initial stage of the development of an invasion. Although the number of worms is small, toxic poisoning with waste products is within the normal range, the body itself is facing invasion. The appearance of characteristic or acute symptoms indicates a significant increase in the number of helminthic invasions - the maturation of individuals and their dynamic development.
types of strings
Determining the signs of worms in adults, you need to understand what kind of invasion we are talking about:
- Vlasoglavy. The chains got their name from the filamentous body with a thickening at the posterior end. The life cycle of parasites is direct. Habitat - tropics, subtropics. The chains are located in the cecum, so they are difficult to record.
- nematodeA suborder of roundworms that live in nature and the human body. The most famous representatives: roundworms, roundworms.
- Chance. Flat type flukes. They pose a great threat to the carrier's body, as they can settle in any organ, system. Representatives: schistosomiasis, opisthorchiasis worms.
- Pork tapeworm (tapeworm). Tapeworms are hermaphrodites. Having strong hooks on their heads to attach to walls, they can affect the brain, intestines, liver, eyes, and muscles. Consequences of non-treatment: paralysis, death of the carrier.
All types of worms are found in the human body. When getting sick with ascariasis, enterobiasis, diphyllobothriasis, the patient experiences a lack of nutrients, the intestines cease to absorb food residues normally. Consequences of invasion: metabolic disorders, neurohumoral reaction.
Some facts about the forms of infection:
- Ascariasis: vegetables, fruits, unwashed hands;
- Raw or slightly salted fish, caviar - diphyllobothriasis;
- Pinworms - household contact method. The development period is up to 60 days, after which there is a chronic phase of invasion, characterized by a decrease in immunity and a high incidence of infectious diseases, exacerbations of chronic processes.
Signs of worms in humans.
The general symptoms of worms in adults depend on the location of the helminths. The main danger is posed by parasites that settle in vital organs. Worms appeared, the symptoms are implicit: weakness, cough. And although for a complete diagnosis, an examination is necessary. However, there are a number of signs by which you can determine: where the worms are and whether they exist.
Brain
Most of the time, there are no obvious symptoms, but if the worms live in the human brain, the patient may experience:
- persistent episodes of nausea;
- frequent vomiting;
- severe weakness;
- lethargy of consciousness;
- decreased visual acuity, hearing;
- fluctuations in body temperature for no apparent reason;
- epilepsy.
Done! Very often, parasites in the brain are found only after an autopsy.
In body
Hundreds of known species of parasites can reside in a patient's body. It is difficult to determine the presence of worms in the body of an adult. Symptoms vary depending on the areas of localization: in the heart, liver, lungs, under the skin. Common signs of worms in an adult:
- muscle, joint pain;
- skin breakdown;
- weight jumps: decrease or set;
- severe constant fatigue;
- Immediate decrease in immunity.
Done! Some worms have the ability to crawl from the anus to the perineum, penetrate the bloodstream to other organs, appear in the abdominal cavity, and affect the nose and ears.
in the intestines
The most common worms in humans, the symptoms of which are most pronounced, can be in the large and small intestines. The infection occurs through the mouth, by contact. The period of development of the larva and the adult from the egg takes place in the intestinal mucosa. The parasite takes up the nutrients on its own, blocking their absorption by the intestines. Because of this, there are intestinal problems that cause helminths in adults. Symptoms:
- the stomach is often swollen;
- the stool is broken;
- flatulence appears;
- changes in body weight;
- Constantly and strongly wants to eat.
Of course, with worms, the symptoms may be different, covered with characteristic signs of gastric diseases, if the patient has any. That is why correct diagnostic measures are so important. Only a specialist will accurately determine: where the worm is located, the type and dynamics of the development of the invasion.
Signs of helminthiasis depending on the type of parasite.
Symptoms of worms in an adult may differ from childhood symptoms. Strong immunity repels the invasion, but the child does not have such a feature. Knowing the signs of the presence of worms in a person, it is easier to understand the cause of the ailment and, at the first suspicion of infection, consult a doctor. An infectious disease specialist, a parasitologist, a helminthologist - a specialist of the required profile will quickly find out where worms live in the human body and how to get rid of them.
Each parasite causes the appearance of its own symptoms:
- from tapeworms there are intestinal problems: loss of appetite, sleep disturbances, flatulence;
- round - cough, bloating, gas formation, loss of appetite.
Important! Roundworms or pinworms grow up to 40 cm long and can easily move along the intestinal walls, live in the lungs and liver. This is a very dangerous invasion that must be eliminated.
Regardless of whether tapeworms or roundworms have settled in the human body, they must be removed. Even in a minute amount, the invasion can cause serious damage to the body, and in a large mass, the parasites poison the host, often leading to the death of the patient. Knowing where the worms live, do not rush to rule out frequent bloating from ordinary indigestion, perhaps this is a sign of helminthiasis, which means it's time to see a doctor.