Anyone can experience a worm infestation. Toddlers - attending kindergarten, adults - for other reasons. Despite all the preventive measures, you need to 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 invasion: abdominal and tissue. Depending on the species, habitats are also divided:
- Cavitary worms settle in the small intestine and the large intestine. In particular, the first sections of the small intestine are affected by a large tapeworm, hookworm, roundworm. The lower part of the small intestine is the habitat of the dwarf tapeworm, the pinworm. The large intestine most often becomes the habitat of the whipworm.
- Tissue helminths affect organs of all types: 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 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 strings
Determining the signs of worms in adults, you need to understand what kind of invasion we are talking about:
- Vlasoglavy. The chains were named for the filamentous body with a thickening at the posterior end. The life cycle of parasites is straightforward. Habitat - tropics, subtropics. The chains are located in the cecum, so they are difficult to burn.
- Nematode. A suborder of roundworms that live in nature and the human body. The most famous representatives: roundworms, pinworms.
- Paw. Flat type moats. They pose a huge threat to the carrier's body, as they are able to settle in any organ, system. Representatives: schistosomiasis, worms opisthorchiasis.
- Pork tapeworm (tapeworm). Tapeworms are hermaphrodites. Having strong hooks on their heads to attach to walls, they can affect the brain, intestines, liver, eyes, muscles. Consequences of non-treatment: paralysis, death of the wearer.
All types of worms are found in the human body. Fallen ill with ascariasis, enterobiasis, diphyllobothriasis, the patient suffers from a lack of nutrients, the intestines cease to absorb food residues normally. Consequences of the invasion: metabolic disorders, neurohumoral reaction.
Some facts about the routes of infection:
- Ascariasis - vegetables, fruits, unwashed 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 implied: weakness, cough. And although for a full diagnosis, an examination is necessary. However, there are a number of signs by which you can determine: where the worms are and if they exist.
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.
Made! Most often, parasites in the brain are discovered only after an autopsy.
In the body
Hundreds of known species 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. The symptoms vary according to the localization zones: in the heart, the liver, the lungs, under the skin. Common signs of worms in an adult:
- muscle and joint pain;
- deterioration of the skin;
- weight jumps: decrease or adjust;
- severe constant fatigue;
- immediate decrease in immunity.
Made! Some worms have the ability to crawl from the anus to the perineum, enter 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 found in the large and small intestine. Infection occurs through the mouth, by contact. The period of development of the larva and adult from the egg takes place in the intestinal mucosa. The parasite takes nutrients for itself, blocking their absorption through the intestines. For this reason, there are intestinal problems that cause helminths in adults. Symptoms:
- the stomach is often bloated;
- the stool is broken;
- flatulence appears;
- changes in body weight;
- constantly and strongly desire to eat.
Of course, with worms, the symptoms can be different, overgrown with signs characteristic of gastric diseases, if the patient has them. This is why correct diagnostic measures are so important. Only a specialist will accurately determine: where the worm is, the type and the dynamics of the development of the invasion.
Signs of helminthiasis according to 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 disease, 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 know 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 roundworms are up to 40 cm long and are able to easily move along the intestinal walls, live in the lungs and liver. It's a very dangerous invasion to get rid of.
Whether tapeworms or roundworms have settled in the human body, they must be eliminated. Even in small quantities, the invasion can cause serious damage 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 cancel frequent bloating for ordinary indigestion, perhaps this is a sign of helminthiasis, which means it's time to see a doctor.