There are 4.5 billion people recorded worldwide suffering from parasitic infections (infestations).In addition, the number of people infected with helminths (worms) is constantly increasing.
Causes of helminthiasis infection
It is not difficult to introduce worms into your body.Here are some causes of infection that are familiar to everyone from childhood:
- Insufficient hygiene.The desire to eat unwashed fruits and vegetables, not wearing gloves when working in the garden and not caring about hygienic procedures leads to infection with various helminths.
- Addiction to street fast food.It's no secret that sellers of these foods do not always undergo medical examinations and often neglect basic hygiene rules.And their products are not stored in the best conditions.Another risk group is lovers of street whites and pâtés.
- Love for exotic cuisines, including dishes based on raw fish and shellfish containing parasites.It is precisely sushi and roll lovers who are responsible for the increased incidence of flukes, tapeworms, nematodes, roundworms and worms.
- Nthe ability to properly protect against infections during rest.Love for the "Turkish shores" has led to an increase in cases of infection with exotic helminthiasis - schistosomiasis, hookworm and dracunculiasis.Having walked barefoot on an overseas beach, you can bring back from your trip not only pleasant impressions, but also dangerous worms.
- Infection from petswho often sleep with their owners.Those who like to “kiss” their pets run the risk of contracting parasites.
What parasites live in the human body
If an adult had the opportunity to examine his body, they would be horrified:
- Roundworms –pinworms, roundworms, whipworms, nematodes, toxocara, trichinella.Large helminths collect into huge balls, blocking the intestinal lumen and leading to obstruction requiring surgical treatment.Doctors remove an incredible amount of parasites from these people's intestines during surgery.
- Tapewormsare among those who like to taste rare meats and raw fish.Causes digestive problems, anemia, allergies.Children experience seizures similar to epileptic seizures.The most dangerous helminth of this group is echinococcus, the larvae of which form huge cysts in the human body.When they rupture, the parasites disperse throughout the body.The infection can be fatal.
- Moat– flukes, flukes and fasciolas are dangerous parasites that suck blood from the vessels of the liver, pancreas, intestines and bladder.
- Protozoa– leishmania, amoeba, lamblia… Although these tiny parasites are only visible under a microscope, they can cause dangerous complications, including intestinal perforations and liver abscesses, which are fatal.
By what signs can we suspect the presence of “foreigners”: if you have a stomach ache, it means someone lives there
Signs of the presence of helminths:
- Abdominal pain- the most common sign of helminth infection.It can be constant, periodic, affecting certain areas of the abdomen.Pain in the right hypochondrium during helminthiasis indicates damage to the liver and gallbladder caused by worms.
- Digestive disorders– diarrhea, constipation, irregular stools.Sometimes patients see crawling segments of worms or even entire parasites in their stool.Poor food absorption and gastrointestinal dysfunction lead to weight loss.
- Anemia.Worms suck blood from the body and interfere with the digestion of food.The human host does not feed itself, but the worms.Patients complain of weakness, fatigue, loss of strength and dizziness.
- Damage to the urinary tractcaused by parasites that live in the kidneys and bladder.Patients complain of pain and swelling in the lower back.Sometimes traces of blood are visible in the urine.
- Chronic slow vaginitis.Roundworms and pinworms crawl from the anus to the genital tract, causing vaginal dysbiosis and provoking the development of thrush.Women are treated for itching and discharge, without realizing that the problem is parasites.
- Skin manifestations.Worm infection poisons the body and weakens the immune system, leading to allergies.Rashes vary from small blisters to large focal areas.
- Inflammation of the mucous membraneand itching in the anal area caused by irritation from crawling worms.
- General deterioration of health.Low immunity, poor digestion and anemia weaken the body, which cannot resist infections.A person is haunted by constant colds, acute respiratory infections and acute respiratory viral infections.
Why ultrasound is more effective than traditional exams in detecting worms and other parasites
Passing stools or scraping does not always reveal the presence of worms.The fact is that parasites have a certain development cycle and do not always lay eggs.There is a whole group of extraintestinal helminthiases, in which the worms live outside the intestines.In this case, a stool test will not provide any information.
Ultrasound of the abdominal cavity shows changes characteristic of the presence of parasites in the liver and pancreas.It is harmless, non-traumatic and can be used several times.
If the doctor does not find live helminths and 100% signs of their presence on ultrasound, he will suspect an infection and prescribe an additional examination.It is also useful to have an ultrasound if the test for worms is positive.The study will show where the parasites are hiding.
Signs of helminthiasis determined by ultrasound of the abdominal cavity - semi-living organs and live worms
When examining the gastrointestinal tract using modern 3D and 4D devices, doctors often see living parasites in the intestines.If helminths are not detected, their presence can be suspected by an enlarged pancreas, compacted at the head level.The spleen is also too big.
The liver is enlarged due to parasitic infection with flukes, trematodes and flukes.It reveals areas of dystrophy which hinder the functioning of the organ.
The gallbladder also suffers.Patients experience stagnation of bile, causing pain in the right hypochondrium.Sometimes bladder function is so impaired that the organ is not detected at all on ultrasound.
The presence of parasites leads to the formation of abscesses - life-threatening purulent liver lesions.In 85% of cases, abscesses form in a lobe of the liver.Other departments suffer less frequently.Purulent lesions are characteristic of hepatic amoebiasis - infection with a protozoan - an amoeba that enters the liver area from the intestine.
Significant changes in the liver are observed during echinococcosis, a parasitic disease in which cavities filled with helminth larvae form inside the organ.Ultrasound shows round formations with clear boundaries.These are cysts that contain parasites.Over time, calcium is deposited around echinococcal lesions.Such formations have a dense structure, so on ultrasound they appear lighter than the surrounding tissues.
With prolonged infection, large cysts with partitions are formed, resembling wheel spokes or large honeycombs.There is destruction of the bile ducts.Doppler examination reveals a disturbance in blood flow.
For lovers of Japanese cuisine.Pests - as a gift
A wide variety of parasites are found in lovers of Asian exotics, but the most common is opisthorchiasis - an infection with Chinese fluke.The source of helminths is unprocessed fish containing parasites.
At the beginning of the disease, ultrasound reveals eosinophilic infiltrates in the liver and gallbladder, dense formations with clear boundaries.If the fight against helminths is postponed until better times, foci of dead cells will appear in these organs, resembling mottled areas, and the hepatic ducts will lose their elasticity.The situation can lead to the development of liver failure.
If the urinary tract is victim of parasites
Echinococcus affects not only the liver, but also the kidneys.When the parasite enters the kidney tissue, a single-chamber cyst (bladder) containing larvae is formed.By gradually increasing in size, the hydatid cyst destroys the organ.Large parasitic cysts adhere to the liver, spleen and intestines.
Schistosomiasis is contracted by those who like to walk barefoot on warm beaches in overseas countries.The larvae of the parasite enter the bloodstream through the skin and are then carried into the bladder with the blood.Settling there, they cause the appearance of compactions - infiltrates that appear in response to irritation of the walls of the bladder.As the infection spreads, the kidneys are affected.
Enzyme immunoassay blood test - we bring helminths to clean water
This test can detect infection with one or more types of parasites.It is carried out for the presence of roundworms, toxocara, trichinella, opisthorchis flukes, echinococci, Chinese flukes, etc.
The principle of the test is based on the body's immune response to the presence of helminths.Infection with worms causes the production of protein antibodies, which are detected during analysis.Since each parasite causes the formation of a certain immunoglobulin, the test results show which helminths are found in the human body.
The analysis reacts to all forms of parasites - eggs, larvae, adult worms.The accuracy is over 90%.The examination shows not only the presence of an infection, but also its degree.
After processing, the test is repeated.A positive result can be observed some time after the death of the parasites.The concentration of immunoglobulins will gradually decrease for several more months.The analysis will then become “clean”.For the study, blood is taken from a vein on an empty stomach in a volume of 3-5 ml.The analysis is performed twice.
Ultrasound and immunoglobulin tests can identify helminthiasis and start treatment.Thanks to their use, the number of cases of diagnostic errors leading to complications has decreased.The main thing is to seek medical attention promptly if you suspect a helminthic infestation.