Worms in humans are a rather unpleasant phenomenon that may not appear for a long time. Parasitic worms are scientifically called helminths. Infection of humans is called helminthiasis. This occurs as a result of worm eggs entering our body. Contrary to popular belief that worms are a purely childhood disease, adults are also susceptible to severe attacks from parasites. Scientists have calculated that every fourth person on earth is a carrier of this disease.
Where can they live?
Adult helminths move throughout the body until they settle in the organs that are best for them. Parasite eggs enter the intestines and settle there. This is the most common location. It is easy to detect worms in the intestines and remove them.
In second place in popularity among worms is the liver. Next comes the lungs. There are very rare forms of the disease in which worms enter the eyeballs and muscles.
Classification
Human worms are classified according to their location. There are luminal and tissue types.
Fabric- these are those that live in organs. They can cause the following diseases:
- paragonimiasis– this is a type of infection of lung tissue by worms;
- echinococcosis– liver damage;
- cysticercosis– brain;
- filariasis– lymph nodes.
The second type of human worms isluminous. This is the most common type of disease that affects the intestines. Worms can be completely different: hookworms, roundworms, tapeworms, whipworms, tapeworms, pinworms and others.
Stages of development
Worms in an adult can appear from completely different sources. For the parasite to begin to develop in the body, it must enter through the mouth. Worm eggs can be found in raw meat, untreated water from reservoirs, or on dirty hands. In this form, they enter the oral cavity, then into the stomach and are then absorbed by the intestines.
Already in the stomach, the larva hatches from the egg, which begins its journey through the human body until it finds an ideal environment for further development. If these are intestinal parasites, then you don’t have to move for long. If it is pulmonary or cerebral, then the larva will move through the bloodstream until it settles in the right place.
At 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 speed.
The time frame for completing all stages is from several hours to several days. During this period, it is important to choose a good remedy for worms for a person.
Symptoms
There are not always clear signs of worms in humans. Symptoms may appear only during certain periods of the disease, or may not appear at all. When an adult lives in the body, it is extremely difficult to notice, because the disease can be mistaken for any other disease. Helminths can be detected randomly by having stool tested.
In order to imagine what happens in the body, consider the example of the life cycle of the roundworm. This type of worm loves to travel and in the process of moving around the body can give itself away.
The cause of infection with roundworms can be the consumption of unwashed vegetables and fruits. The parasite lays eggs on the ground, and they can easily get onto plants.
After the worm egg has entered the mouth and stomach, it begins to grow and turns into a larva, which very quickly (within 2-3 hours) enters the circulatory system and begins to move through the small bloodstream. Her goal is the lungs.
In the lung tissue, the larva grows until it becomes an adult, which will have little space and will have to eat the cells of the alveoli and small bronchi. At this stage, the first symptoms appear, and if the diagnosis is made correctly, then a remedy for worms will quickly help a person get rid of them.
The patient begins to cough, have attacks of shortness of breath, and the body temperature increases. In rare cases, an allergic rash appears. This is how worms manifest themselves in humans. Symptoms and treatment will depend on the stage of development, because all these signs can be mistaken for a common cold.
Once the adult has chewed its way through the respiratory tract and into the mouth, it will lay eggs for the person to ingest again and for them to end up in the gastrointestinal tract, where the cycle begins again.
Phases of the disease
Symptoms of worms in an adult will be different, depending on the phase of the disease. There can be two of them:
- Acute
- Acquired.
The first phase appears in the first days after infection, while the larvae travel through the body. A person may experience itching, reddened skin, and rashes. There may be a dry barking cough with suffocating attacks. If you donate blood for tests, the result will show a significant increase in eosinophils.
The transition to the second phase indicates that human worms have settled in the right place and exist quietly, without disturbing anyone. This is a hidden stage that may not appear even for several years.
Medicine for worms in humans will help get rid of them only if an infection is accidentally discovered. Men and women need to listen carefully to their bodies. Over the months that people feed parasites, the general condition of the body will change. Metabolism suffers first. After all, the peculiarity of helminths is that, by attaching to the walls of organs, they suck out all the nutrients and minerals from the cells, as a result of which the functionality of the affected areas is disrupted.
What could be the consequences?
There are parasites that cause dangerous conditions in the body. For example, the existence of trichinella or schistosome leads to anemia and vitamin deficiency.
Do not forget that worms also secrete their metabolic products into the human intestines, resulting in the development of dysbacteriosis and excessive reproduction of opportunistic organisms.
The immune system suffers. She becomes weaker and allergies appear. A person becomes susceptible to viral attacks and gets sick more often.
If human worms are not treated, the consequences can be unpredictable. Each type of parasite affects different organs, and they are the ones that suffer first. If the liver is damaged, jaundice may develop. Hookworm leads to anemia, since this type of helminth feeds exclusively on blood. So the most important thing at any stage is to choose a medicine for worms for a person.
Diagnostics
Just two tests can save a life. This is a general blood and stool test. With an annual medical examination, the risks of missing a disease are minimal.
There will be the following changes in the blood: leukocytosis - a shift in the leukocyte formula to the right and an increase in the number of eosinophils.
Worms in human feces are the surest and fastest way to detect them. You need to take the test fresh, then the result will be correct.
Tablets for prevention of worms for humans
Medicines can be divided into two groups: those that have a broad spectrum of action, and those that kill a specific type of helminth. Since there are more than 70 types of worms that infect humans, it is impossible to determine without testing which parasite has gotten inside. Tablets for prevention of worms for humans should be prescribed by a doctor.
In medicine, all worms are divided into three groups:
- nematodes;
- cestodes;
- trematodes.
Treatment will depend on what type of helminth inhabits the body.
Nematodes (roundworms)
This species includes: pinworms, roundworms, trichinella, whipworm, and toxocara. In children and adults, the first two representatives are most often found.
Cestodes (tapeworms)
Cestodes are a huge number of helminth representatives. The most common are teniarhynchosis, coenurosis, alveococcosis, sparganosis, broad tapeworm and others.
Trematodes (flatworms)
Representatives of this class can be listed for a very long time. Most often the body is affected by opisthorchiasis (cat fluke), fascioliasis, clonorchiasis (Chinese fluke), pulmonary fluke and others.
How to take deworming tablets
Regardless of what type of helminth has settled in the body of an adult or child, remember the basic and most important rule: if a worm is found in one family member, then everyone should be treated. It is necessary to disinfect all items in the house. If you have pets, then first of all you need to check them, since our pets can be the source of the problem.
All anti-worm medications affect adults without affecting the eggs and larvae. Therefore, the second rule is: two weeks after taking the drug, the course must be repeated. This is especially true in cases of pinworm infection. These parasites are so cunning that they leave the larvae outside the body, and a person can become self-infected again.
It is recommended to take the tablets in the morning and do a cleansing enema in the evening.
Be careful! Any medications must be taken as prescribed by a doctor. This is especially true for cases of infection with flatworms and tapeworms. They are so dangerous that treatment is carried out in a hospital. When removing them, the dosage must be strictly observed, taking into account the weight and age of the patient, since the drugs are very toxic. Self-medication in such cases is unacceptable!
Prevention of worms
Mothers' debates about whether they should take tablets to prevent worms or not never cease. Some believe that this is a good way to protect against dangerous consequences, because children are most susceptible to infection. Others consider it unnecessary and do not want to burden the body with pills that are not needed.
Very often, children of school and preschool age are affected by pinworms. The test for enterobiasis may be false negative, and then the sick child, bringing parasites into the house or school, can infect everyone. Transmission of pinworm eggs occurs through household items, a handshake, pet hair, door handles and other surrounding objects.
The primary methods of prevention include following the rules of personal hygiene. It is necessary to wash your hands with soap after defecation, before eating, after going outside, or visiting public places.
What to do if a child complains of itching in the anus? This is one of the most pronounced symptoms of pinworm infection. In this case, you need to get tested for enterobiasis as quickly as possible. Let’s say a child complains in the evening, then in the morning you need to run to the clinic.
If the result of the first scraping is negative, and the itching continues, then the test should be repeated after two days for a week, and then after another two weeks.
If one of the following statements applies to you, then you should take preventive measures:
- presence of furry pets;
- constant games in the sandbox or ground;
- travel to an exotic country;
- father is an avid fisherman or hunter.
Folk recipes
Let's look at how to remove worms from a person at home. Recipes against helminths have been known since ancient times. And despite the fact that they are successfully replaced with synthetic substances, the folk method remains proven for prevention.
Let's look at the most effective recipes:
Onions, honey, aloe juice.Onion is considered the most universal remedy. It has anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and anthelmintic effects. Mix it in equal proportions with aloe juice and honey and get a real medicine against worms. Take 1 teaspoon before breakfast for several days. Due to the fact that the product is sweet, children will probably drink it.
Carrot juice.Fresh carrots not only contain a whole storehouse of vitamins, but also have an antihelminthic effect. By drinking it on an empty stomach, you can enrich your body with energy for the whole day and, at the same time, prevent an unpleasant disease.
Garlic– one of the most effective remedies against worms. Let's look at recipes on how you can remove worms from a person at home:
- Finely chop or squeeze the garlic. Roll the resulting porridge in small portions into cheesecloth so that it looks like a candle. Insert into the anus at night for 10 days. This 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 chopped garlic into porridge in the ratio. For one glass you need to take a couple of cloves. Repeat the procedure 2 times a week.
- Garlic with honey. Another option for children's medicine. To prevent garlic from burning, it is mixed with natural honey. Take 1 teaspoon twice a day.
- Garlic in milk. For lovers of unusual tastes, milk-based medicine is offered. There are five crushed cloves of garlic per liter of cow product. The mixture is boiled and taken in small portions before bed.
Herbal infusions
From time immemorial, all medicines were prepared using herbs. Mother Nature knows better than anyone how to get rid of worm parasites. It's time to systematize this knowledge.
To prepare a herbal remedy, you need to choose bitter plants, such as cloves, wormwood, thyme, calamus, and cumin. Prepared infusions should be taken every day. It will take a month to completely cleanse the body, but improvement occurs within 2-3 weeks of the course.
Let's look at the most famous recipes for herbal tinctures for treating helminths:
- Based on tansy.Pour boiling water over the grass in the following proportion: 100 grams of dry mixture per 150 ml of hot water. Cover with a lid and let stand for 8-10 hours. You need to take 30 drops dissolved in a glass of water.
- Based on wormwood.This herb needs to be infused in alcohol for a week. Proportion 1: 1. For 100 grams of grass, 100 ml of alcohol. Take 25 drops dissolved in a glass of water.
- Effectivetincture on walnut shells.It needs to be filled with alcohol per 100 grams of dry product and 150 ml of "fire" water.
- Clove based.Dry, unopened buds of the clove tree are used for the tincture. Pour 100 grams of aromatic spice into a glass of boiling water and leave 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 fighting helminths. Let's look at how to remove worms from humans using this product.
What's the secret? The fact is that the shell of pumpkin seeds contains a substance such as cucurbin, which is destructive to worms. Therefore, you should only consume unpeeled green seeds.
Kucurbin does not kill worms, but only paralyzes them. Adult individuals lose the ability to move, grab onto body cells, and suck out nutrients, which means they will soon die naturally and be excreted through the human anus.
The most effective recipe is pumpkin seeds and castor oil. One serving of 100 unhulled seeds should be eaten in the morning. Then take a teaspoon of castor oil. The latter has a laxative effect to remove parasites from the body.
Mix pumpkin and honey. First, you need to grind the seeds into 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 advisable to repeat after 2 weeks.
Another healthy breakfast is pumpkin seeds and garlic. First, the grains are fried in a frying pan without fat and water until golden brown. Then the mixture is poured into a blender, garlic is added and ground into a paste. Let it sit overnight and take a tablespoon of the mixture in the morning.