What are worms? Worms are scientifically called helminths. Helminths mean any worms that parasitize in the organisms of people, animals, plants. Accordingly, worms are not a specific type of parasite, but a whole group of different worms, three of which are the most common.
Some scientists argue that almost the entire population of the Earth is infected with one or another parasitic worm. However, in this case, helminthic infestations should be the most common types of diseases in the world, besides, a number of serious studies prove that in reality everything is not so bad. But the thought that helminths are still present in a person makes him immediately look for an answer to the question of how to get rid of the worms.
It should also be understood that helminthic invasion is still not something rare and insignificant. There are more than three hundred species of them, the larvae in humans do not only enter the intestines and continue to develop there, gradually poisoning the body. Let's figure out what the symptoms of parasites are in humans, because the warned one, as you know, is armed. And then we will learn how to get rid of worms effectively and what is needed to prevent them from returning.
What is the danger of being unaware?
Determining the presence of parasites in the body of any person is actually very easy - you just need to pass a stool test. The problem, however, is that most people don't even think of being tested. The problem is that helminths in adults and children manifest themselves, disguising themselves as a huge number of diseases, and at first they do not betray their presence at all. A person can heal the intestines, liver, kidneys, stomach, gall bladder for years, and the root of evil will be helminthiases and parasites, which feel great when they are not fought with.
Often, helminthic invasion causes the development of diseases that have nothing to do with the helminths themselves. And in this case, you can be treated endlessly, if you do not understand in time what is the matter.
All this proves that worms are not just an unpleasant phenomenon. And given the presence of a huge number of ways of infection, it is vitally important to know the signs of worms in humans.
Infection paths
How do parasites get into the human body? Worms in an adult, we will look at their symptoms a little later, start from four main sources. Their list looks like this:
- Geohelminthiasis- in this case, helminth eggs are transmitted through the soil. This happens in a circle. First, the waste products of a person, animal or bird, infected with mature eggs, appear in the ground. Then they end up on our hands, food. The next destination is the mouth and then the intestines, where the worms hatch and begin to develop. Insects also play an active role in the transfer of eggs (for example, flies, with them the eggs of parasites can fly long distances) and pets, whose dirty wool we iron. Further, everything is extremely simple.
- Contact helminthiasis- the path of transmission from one person to another, as the name implies, with various contacts. In this way, for example, pinworms move.
- Biohelminthiasis- despite the love of people for delicious food, situations often happen when not fully cooked meat or fish is eaten. For example, we all love kebabs, now Japanese cuisine, which involves the use of raw fish, has gained immense popularity. These products, if they are infected with parasites, become their suppliers to the human body. As a result, we get helminthiasis, the symptoms of which will be discussed below.
- Insects- this route of infection is the rarest of the listed, however, it should not be ruled out or discounted.
No treatment for worms will be effective enough if a persistent source of infection is not ruled out. The fact is that in order for new individuals to appear in the human body, he must swallow them in some way. Otherwise, the eggs of parasites that have come out with feces will remain there, unable to return.
Why do worms appear? They are not able to reproduce inside the body, the eggs must temporarily leave it in order for maturation to take place. At the same time, the worms themselves in humans, the symptoms of which are very important to know, do not live very long, some - only a few weeks.
If everything is clear about how worms from the soil get into a person, then I would like to talk in more detail about infection through contact. Pinworms are usually spread in this way. At night, the female leaves the intestines and lays thousands of eggs near the anus. They soon begin to cause annoying itching, so the person unknowingly scratches the area. As a result, the eggs fall under the nails, on clothes, on the bed - and then everywhere. Thus, how to determine if a person has worms? Observe his behavior carefully. This will help to notice the first signs of worms and begin surgical treatment of helminthiasis. This method of infection is especially common in children.
Water is another medium that contributes to the spread of helminths. Everything here is similar to soil. The eggs of the worms, which we will talk about the treatment of later, fall into the water, and the person drinks it. Therefore, you should never swallow liquid while swimming in open water. It is necessary to use germicidal filters, especially in villages without running water.
Signs
The symptoms of parasites in an adult can vary. As mentioned above, they are often easy to confuse with signs of other diseases. In some cases, everything happens according to the classic scenario of massive infection. In this case, the signs of worms in an adult and a child will be similar, most likely in children - more pronounced.
Obvious symptoms of worm infestation:
- Itching in the anus, especially at night;
- sudden weight loss or vice versa;
- anemia, outwardly manifested in the pallor of the skin;
- tired, haggard appearance.
If you or your children begin to experience similar phenomena, it is imperative to visit a doctor and insist on being tested for the presence of parasite eggs in the feces. Of course, it may not be about them. Worm infestation symptoms are not always to blame for poor health, but communication with a doctor will be useful in any case, because disorders in the body are evident.
Unfortunately, things are not always that simple. Next, we will talk about the symptoms of helminthiasis in adults and children, which are not obvious.
Gastrointestinal tract
How do you know if a person has worms or not, if they are in the intestines? The signs of the appearance of parasites in this case are as follows:
- diarrhea;
- constipation;
- flatulence;
- nausea;
- vomiting;
- abdominal pain, often localized to the navel;
- painful right hypochondrium.
These symptoms of human worms naturally do not appear at the same time. However, constipation can easily be replaced by diarrhea within a few days, so you should carefully monitor your health. In addition, with parasites, health does not have to be bad all the time. There are days when a person seems to be completely healthy.
Nervous system
Parasites in humans, about the symptoms and treatment for which we are talking about, in the process of their life, like all living things, release waste. These are toxic substances that gradually infect our body. Helminthic invasion often develops as a result. But even if this does not happen, the person's condition cannot but worsen from the constant presence of toxins. Most of all, in this case, the nervous system suffers, which is sensitive to the general intoxication of the body. Symptoms become more pronounced the more parasites are present.
Signs of the presence of worms from the nervous system are as follows:
- headache (even so severe that it resembles a migraine);
- nausea;
- long-term low-grade fever;
- chronic fatigue;
- sleepiness;
- irritability;
- anemia;
- sleep disorders, insomnia, nightmares.
Oddly enough, but the signs of worms in adults are even problems at work that arise as a result of lack of sleep, poor concentration, outbursts of aggression or apathy. Children may have reduced school performance.
Skin reactions, allergies
How to identify worms in a person by the condition of his skin? It would seem, what kind of connection can there be? Can you somehow find out if a person has worms? In fact, in view of the development of the same intoxication of a person, his appearance also suffers. The following are signs of infection:
- presence of skin rashes;
- itching;
- urticaria;
- allergic rhinitis;
- peeling nails;
- brittle hair;
- dry cough.
Many people noted that these signs of infection with helminths disappeared without a trace, as soon as they began to be removed from the body using various means.
If you are unsuccessfully drinking ultra-modern vitamins, and not a single negative manifestation from the above list has disappeared, it's time to pass a stool test. You may need to buy completely different drugs from the pharmacy.
Immune System
Given the serious intoxication of the body, the immune system cannot but suffer. What signs indicate a weakening of the body's defenses? Of course, first of all, this is a person's susceptibility to various infectious diseases, as well as a sudden exacerbation of chronic ailments. Those suffering from helminthiasis often have stomatitis, they also note various inflammations in the nasopharynx. It is believed that even many inflammatory processes in the female reproductive system are caused by parasites.
After all of the above, it becomes more than clear that timely identification of a problem will help save a person from very unpleasant consequences. How to find out if there are worms with one hundred percent accuracy? Contact a specialist and pass the simplest analysis. This will not take much time, but it will rule out or confirm the diagnosis.
Treatment
Parasites are easily eliminated from the body. There is a small list of drugs that affect them. The difficulty here is to determine which parasite is being dealt with. Unfortunately, it is impossible to do this on your own, so you will have to consult a doctor.
The point of treating worms for adults and children is to take anthelmintic drugs. They need to be dosed carefully as they are toxic in themselves. Overdose is especially dangerous for babies.
How to get rid of worms in humans without resorting to medication? There are a number of folk remedies that have long established themselves as effective parasite fighters. One of the most famous are pumpkin seeds. It is very important to purchase them unroasted and uncooked. The fact is that a big milking benefit lies in thin films that are removed along with the husk. Treatment of worms involves long and regular use of seeds. You need to eat at least 300 grams every morning.
How to get rid of worms with carrot juice? It must be drunk freshly squeezed and on an empty stomach - a glass every day. For more efficiency, you can add a little chopped garlic. The treatment lasts up to a month. However, doctors believe that it will not give the desired result without simultaneous drug therapy.
Treating worms with garlic is believed to give good results. You can make a special broth with milk. A glass of the latter will require two large cloves. Milk must be boiled for 15 minutes, and then drink a tablespoon once a day. The treatment lasts approximately two weeks.
Much has been written about how to treat worms with hemp oil. This is an excellent remedy for children who are given it simply with bread.
You can also read about how to get rid of worms by doing medicinal enemas. However, doctors do not recognize this method. The enema simply does not affect those areas of the intestines in which the bulk of the parasites live.
Before treating worms using folk methods, you need to visit a doctor and find out which plan to deal with them is best to choose. Most likely, the specialist will advise you on medications that can be combined with the above methods. In general, folk remedies are indispensable for prevention.
You can write as much as you like about how to cure worms, but none of the methods will give a result if you do not follow basic hygiene standards, in which case they will stably appear again. After all, protecting yourself from parasites is actually very simple. Thus, we figured out how to get rid of worms in adults and kids.