Anyone can experience worm infestation. Toddlers - attending kindergarten, adults - for other reasons. Despite all the preventive measures, you should know the signs of worms in humans in order to notice the disease in time and start treating it. What are the worms, where they settle and how they manifest themselves - we will consider 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:
- Cavitary worms settle in the small and large intestines. In particular, the first sections of the small intestine are affected by a wide tapeworm, hookworm, roundworm. The lower part of the small intestine is the habitat of the dwarf tapeworm, pinworm. The large intestine most often becomes the habitat of the whipworm.
- Tissue helminths affect organs of any type: 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. While the number of worms is small, toxic poisoning with waste products is within the normal range, the body itself copes with the 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 chains
Determining the signs of worms in adults, you should understand what kind of invasion we are talking about:
- Vlasoglavy. Chains were named for the filamentous body with a thickening at the posterior end. The life cycle of parasites is direct. Habitat - tropics, subtropics. Chains are localized in the caecum, therefore they are difficult to etch.
- Nematode. A suborder of roundworms that live in nature and the human body. The most famous representatives: roundworms, pinworms.
- Fluke. Flat type flukes. They represent a huge threat to the carrier's body, as they are able to settle in any organ, system. Representatives: schistosomiasis, opisthorchiasis worms.
- Pork tapeworm (tapeworm). Tapeworms are hermaphrodites. Having strong hooks on the head for attaching to the walls, they can hit the brain, intestines, liver, eyes, muscles. Consequences of non-treatment: paralysis, death of the carrier.
All types of worms are found in the human body. Having become ill 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.
A few facts about the ways of infection:
- Ascariasis - unwashed vegetables, fruits, hands;
- Raw or lightly salted fish, caviar - diphyllobothriasis;
- Pinworms - contact-household method. The period of development 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
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, symptoms are implicit: weakness, cough. And although for a full diagnosis, examination is necessary. However, there are a number of signs by which you can determine: where the worms are and whether they exist at all.
Brain
Most often, there are no obvious symptoms, but if worms live in the human brain, the patient may experience:
- persistent bouts of nausea;
- frequent vomiting;
- severe weakness;
- lethargy of consciousness;
- decreased visual acuity, hearing;
- fluctuations in body temperature for no apparent reason;
- epilepsy.
Fact! Most often, parasites in the brain are found only after autopsy.
In body
Hundreds of known types of parasites can take up residence in a patient's body. It is difficult to determine the presence of worms in the body of an adult. Symptoms vary according to localization areas: in the heart, liver, lungs, under the skin. Common signs of worms in an adult:
- muscle, joint pain;
- deterioration of the skin;
- weight jumps: decrease or set;
- severe constant fatigue;
- immediate decrease in immunity.
Fact! Some worms have the ability to crawl from the anus to the perineum, penetrate the bloodstream into 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 more pronounced, can be in the large and small intestines. Infection occurs through the mouth, by contact. The period of development of the larva and the adult from the egg is carried out in the intestinal mucosa. The parasite takes nutrients for itself, 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;
- body weight changes;
- constantly and strongly want to eat.
Of course, with worms, the symptoms may be different, overgrown with characteristic signs of gastric diseases, if the patient has any. That is why correct diagnostic measures are so important. Only a specialist will determine with accuracy: 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 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, parasitologist, helminthologist - a specialist of the required profile will quickly figure out where the worms live in the human body and how to get rid of them.
Each parasite provokes the appearance of its own symptoms:
- from tapeworms there are intestinal problems: loss of appetite, sleep disturbance, flatulence;
- from round - cough, bloating, gas formation, loss of appetite.
Important! Roundworms or roundworms grow up to 40 cm in length and are able to easily move along the intestinal walls, live in the lungs and liver. This is a very dangerous invasion that should be disposed of.
Regardless of whether tapeworms or roundworms have settled in the human body, they need to be removed. Even in a minimal amount, the invasion can cause severe harm to the body, and in a large mass, the parasites poison the host and often lead to the death of the patient. Knowing where the worms live, do not rush to write off frequent bloating for ordinary indigestion, perhaps this is a sign of helminthiasis, which means it's time to see a doctor.