Worms in humans are a rather unpleasant phenomenon that may not appear for a long time. Parasitic worms in science are called helminths. Human infection is called helminthiasis. This happens due to the eggs of the worms entering our body. Contrary to popular belief that worms are a purely childhood disease, adults are also susceptible to a severe attack of parasites. Scientists believe that one in four people on earth carry this disease.
Where can they live?
Adult helminths move through the body until they lodge in the organs that are best for them. Parasite eggs enter the intestine and settle there. This is the most common position. It is easy to find worms in the intestine and remove them.
In second place in popularity among worms is the liver. The lungs follow it. There are very rare forms of the disease in which worms enter the eyeballs and muscles.
Classification
Human worms are classified based on their location. There are luminal and tissue types.
Tissues are those that live in the organs. They can cause the following diseases:
- paragonimiasis is a type of damage to lung tissue by worms;
- echinococcosis - liver damage;
- cysticercosis - of the brain;
- filariasis - lymph nodes.
The second type of human worms is luminal. This is the most common type of disease affecting the gut. Worms can be completely different: hookworms, roundworms, tapeworms, whipworms, broad tapeworms, pinworms and others.
Stages of development
Worms in an adult can appear from completely different sources. In order for the parasite to start developing in the body, it must enter through the mouth. Worm eggs can be in raw meat, in untreated water from tanks, on dirty hands. In this form, they enter the oral cavity, then into the stomach, and then are absorbed by the intestine.
Already in the stomach, a larva hatches from an egg, which begins its journey through the human body until it finds an ideal environment for further development. If these are intestinal parasites, you don't have to move for long. If it is pulmonary or cerebral, the larva will move through the bloodstream until it settles in the right place.
In the third stage of development, the larva turns into an adult helminth, which feeds on vitamins and minerals intended for the human body. The parasite lays eggs again and reproduces at a very high rate.
The time frame for completing all stages ranges from a few hours to several days. During this time, it is important to find a good remedy for worms for a person.
Symptoms
There aren't always clear signs of worms in humans. Symptoms may appear only during certain periods of the development of the disease or may not appear at all. When an adult lives in the body, it is extremely difficult to notice, because you can mistake a disorder for any other disease. Helminths can be detected randomly by donating feces for testing.
To imagine what happens in the body, consider an example with the life cycle of a nematode. This type of worm loves to travel, and in the process of moving through the body it can fail.
Ascaris infection can be caused by eating unwashed fruits and vegetables. The parasite lays its eggs on the ground and they can easily get on plants.
After the worm's egg enters the mouth and stomach, it begins to grow and turns into a larva, which very quickly (in 2-3 hours) enters the circulatory system and begins to move along the small bloodstream. Its target is the lungs.
In the lung tissue the larva grows to become an adult, which will have little space, and will have to feed on the cells of the alveoli and small bronchi. At this stage, the first symptoms appear, and if the diagnosis is correct, the remedy for worms will quickly help a person get rid of them.
The patient begins to cough, attacks of shortness of breath and the body temperature rises. In rare cases, an allergic rash appears. This is what worms look like in humans. Symptoms and treatment will depend on the stage of development, because all of these signs can be mistaken for a common cold.
After the adult has made its way through the respiratory tract to the mouth, he will lay the eggs for the person to swallow again and so that they are in the gastrointestinal tract, where the circle will begin again.
Stages of the course of the disease
Symptoms of worms in an adult will be different, depending on what stage of the course of the disease. There can be two of them:
- Sharp
- Acquired.
The first stage appears in the first few days after infection, as the larvae travel through the body. A person may feel itchy, his skin will turn red, and rashes will appear. There may be a dry cough that barks with suffocating attacks. If you donate blood for tests, the result will show a significant increase in eosinophils.
The transition to the second stage indicates that a person's worms have settled in the right place and exist calmly, without interfering with anyone. This is a latent phase that may not appear even for several years.
A medicine for worms in a person will help get rid of them only if an infection is accidentally detected. Men and women should listen carefully to their bodies. Over the months that people feed parasites, the general condition of the body will change. The metabolism suffers first of all. After all, the peculiarity of helminths is that, attaching themselves to the walls of the organs, they suck all nutrients and minerals from the cells, as a result of which the functionality of the affected areas is disrupted.
What can be the consequences
There are parasites that cause dangerous conditions in the body. For example, the existence of trichinella or schistosoma leads to anemia and vitamin deficiency.
Do not forget that worms also release their waste products in the human intestine, as a result of which dysbiosis and excessive reproduction of opportunistic organisms develop.
The immune system suffers. Weakens, allergies appear. A person becomes susceptible to viral attacks and gets sick more often.
If human worms aren't treated, the consequences can be unpredictable. Each type of parasite affects different organs and they are the first to suffer from it. If the liver is damaged, jaundice can develop. Hookworm infection leads to anemia, as this type of helminth feeds exclusively on blood. So the most important thing at each stage is to find a worm medicine for a person.
Diagnostics
Only two analyzes will help save lives. This is a general blood and stool test. With an annual physical exam, the risks of missing a disease are minimal.
There will be such changes in the blood: leukocetosis - a shift in the leukocyte formula to the right and an increase in the number of eosinophils.
Worms in stool in humans are the safest and fastest way to detect them. You need to take fresh analysis, then the result will be correct.
Worm prevention tablets for humans
Drugs produced in our country can be divided into two groups: those that have a broad spectrum of action and those that kill a certain type of helminth. Since there are more than 70 types of worms that infect humans, it is impossible to determine without testing which parasite it has inside. Worm tablets for prophylaxis for a person should be prescribed by a doctor.
In medicine, all worms are divided into three groups:
- nematodes;
- cestodes;
- flukes.
Treatment will depend on the type of helminth that inhabits the body.
Cure for roundworms (roundworms)
This species includes: pinworms, nematodes, trichinella, vagoslav, toxocara. In children and adults, the first two representatives are most often found.
The most suitable medicine in the form of suspensions or chewable tablets will be selected by a specialist.
Medicines for tapeworms (tapeworms)
Tapeworms are a huge number of representatives of helminths. The most common are teniarinchiasis, coenurosis, alveococcosis, sparganosis, tapeworms and others.
Most often, drugs with a wide spectrum of action are used, as they are also used in the treatment of nematodes. Also suitable for prophylaxis.
Medicines for flukes (flat worms)
Representatives of this class can be enumerated for a long time. Most often, the organism is affected by opisthorchosis (cat stroke), fascioliasis, clonorchiasis (Chinese fluke), lung fluke and others.
Do not self-medicate, a specialist will select tablets for flatworms.
How to take worm pills?
Regardless of the type of worm that has lodged in the body of an adult or a child, remember the basic and most important rule: if a worm is found in a family member, then everyone should be treated. All objects in the house must be disinfected. If there are pets, first of all it is necessary to check them too, as our pets can be the source of the problem.
All worming drugs act on adults, without touching eggs and larvae. Therefore, the second rule sounds like this: two weeks after taking the drug, the course must be repeated. This is especially true of pinworm cases. These parasites are so cunning that they leave the larvae out of the body and a person can self-infest themselves again.
It is recommended to take the tablets in the morning and in the evening to make a cleansing enema.
Watch out! Any medications should be taken as directed by the doctor. This is especially true for cases of flatworm and tapeworm infection. They are so dangerous that the treatment is carried out in a hospital. When removing them, it is necessary to strictly observe the dosage, with the calculation of the weight and age of the patient, since the drugs are very toxic. Self-medication in such cases is unacceptable!
Prevention of worms
Mothers' disputes over whether or not to take worm prevention pills never ceases. Some are sure that this is a good way to protect themselves from dangerous consequences, because children are more susceptible to infections. Others consider it useless and do not want to load the body with pills that are not needed.
Most often, children of school and preschool age are affected by pinworms. An analysis of enterobiasis can be falsely negative, and therefore a sick child, having brought parasites to a house or school, can infect everyone. The transfer of pinworm eggs occurs through household items, handshake, pet hair, doorknob, and other surrounding objects.
The main methods of prevention include adherence to the rules of personal hygiene. It is imperative to wash your hands with soap and water after diffraction, before eating, after walking outdoors or visiting public places.
What if the baby complains of itching in the anus? This is one of the most pronounced symptoms of pinworm infection. In this case, it is necessary to test for enterobiasis as soon as possible. Let's say that the child complained in the evening, then in the morning you have to run to the clinic.
If the result of the first curettage is negative and the itching continues, the analysis should be repeated two days later for a week and then after another two weeks.
If you are characterized by any of the following statements, you should take preventive measures:
- the presence of furry pets;
- constant games in the sandbox or in the ground;
- travel to an exotic country;
- the father is an avid fisherman or hunter.
Folk recipes
Consider how to remove worms from a person at home. Recipes against helminths have been known since ancient times. And despite the fact that they have been successfully replaced with synthetic substances, the popular method remains proven for prevention.
Let's consider the most effective recipes.
Onions, honey, aloe juice. Onions are considered the most versatile remedy. It has anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and anthelmintic effects. Mix it in equal proportions with aloe juice and honey and you get real worm medicine. Take 1 tsp for several days before breakfast. Due to the fact that the product turns out to be sweet, children will definitely drink it.
Carrot juice. Fresh carrot contains not only a storehouse of vitamins, but also has an anthelmintic effect. Drinking it on an empty stomach, you can enrich the body with energy for the whole day and, at the same time, prevent an unpleasant illness.
Garlic is one of the most effective remedies for worms. Consider the recipes on how to remove worms from a person at home:
- Finely chop or squeeze the garlic. Roll the resulting porridge into small portions in cheesecloth so that it turns out something like a candle. Insert into the anus at night for 10 days. Such a remedy is effective against pinworms and is used for adults and children.
- Garlic enemas. Another way to remove unpleasant neighbors from the intestines. The solution should consist of water and minced garlic in porridge in a ratio. For a glass, you need to take a couple of cloves. The procedure is repeated 2 times a week.
- Garlic with honey. Another option for a child's medicine. To prevent garlic from burning, it is mixed with a natural method. Take 1 teaspoon twice a day.
- Garlic with milk. For lovers of extraordinary flavors, a milk-based medicine is offered. There are five crushed garlic cloves per liter of cow product. The mixture is boiled and taken in small portions before bedtime.
Herbal infusions
From time immemorial, all medicines were made with herbs. Mother Nature knows best how to get rid of parasitic worms. It is time to systematize this knowledge.
To prepare a herbal remedy, you need to choose bitter plants such as cloves, wormwood, thyme, calamus, cumin. Prepared infusions should be taken every day. It will take a month to completely cleanse the body, but the improvement occurs in 2-3 weeks of the course.
Consider the most famous recipes for herbal tinctures for the treatment of worms:
- Based on tansy. Pour boiling water over the grass in the following proportion: 100 grams of dry mixture per 150 ml of hot water. Close the lid and let it rest for 8-10 hours. It is necessary to take 30 drops dissolved in a glass of water.
- Based on absinthe. This herb must be insistent on alcohol for a week. The proportion is 1: 1. For 100 grams of herb, 100 ml of alcohol. Take 25 drops dissolved in a glass of water.
- Effective dyeing on walnut shells. It must be filled with alcohol for 100 grams of dry product, 150 ml of "fire" water.
- Based on cloves. For tincture use unopened dried clove buds. Pour 100 grams of aromatic spice with a glass of boiling water and let it rest for at least 3 days. The daily dose of the medicine is 30 drops per glass of water.
Pumpkin seeds against worms
Pumpkin seeds are safe for both children and adults. This is a very popular folk remedy for worms. Consider how to remove worms in humans using this product.
What is the secret? The fact that the shell of pumpkin seeds contains a substance such as cucurbine, which is fatal for worms. Therefore, only unpeeled green seeds should be used.
The cucurbine does not kill the worms, it only paralyzes them. Adults are deprived of the ability to move, grasp the body's cells, suck nutrients, which means they will soon die naturally and be excreted through a person's anus.
The most powerful recipe is pumpkin seeds and castor oil. A portion of unpeeled seeds in the amount of 100 pieces should be consumed in the morning. Then wash it off with a teaspoon of castor oil. The latter has a laxative effect to remove parasites from the body.
Mix pumpkin and honey. First, grind the seeds into the porridge in a blender, then add a little honey. Eat "muesli" in the morning on an empty stomach. The course of treatment is several days. It is recommended to repeat it after 2 weeks.
Another healthy breakfast consists of pumpkin seeds and garlic. First, the grains are fried in a fat-free, water-free pan until golden brown. Then the mixture is poured into a blender, garlic is added and ground to a mushy state. Let it brew overnight and in the morning take a tablespoon of the mixture.