Symptoms of the presence of worms in the human body and how to deal with them

Worms are parasitic worms. They live thanks to plants, animals, inside them there is nutrition, reproduction of these worms, including inside the human body. According to statistics, every third person has worms. And each of us, at least once, had helminths inside the body. We generalize and call these parasites one concept "worms", but in fact there are many types of them. What do worms look like? In different ways, it all depends on the type.

Varieties of parasites

What worms can live in the human body? They are divided into 3 main groups:

• nematodes, they are referred to as round parasites. This group includes roundworms, pinworms, etc.;
• tape, they are also called flat. These types of worms are referred to as cestodes (these are echinococci, tapeworms, tapeworms);
• flukes, another name for such parasites is trematodes. Such worms in humans are capable of provoking paragonimiasis, fascioliasis, opisthorchiasis and other diseases.

Causes of the appearance of worms

Usually, the disease that develops as a result of helminths is called helminthiasis. It appears after the eggs of the worms, their larvae, enter the body and settle there. When does this happen, why and how to treat worms? The most common situations are worth mentioning:

• a person does not observe hygiene, even standard rules. He may not wash his hands when he returned from the street, visited the toilet, before eating;
• he constantly bites his nails, can hold various objects in his mouth, suck his fingers. As for the objects, it can be a pen or a pencil. And here is the result - parasites appear, which leads to the need to use a suspension from worms;
• very often people get helminthiasis if there are animals in the house. This is especially true for those cats, dogs that walk on the street. They can be treated with anthelmintic therapy, but animals can still be spreading worms, because they carry their eggs, and they take them outside the house, the eggs of the worms cling to the hair of a dog or cat, to their paws;
• if a person does not process fruits, vegetables before eating. To process them, you need to rinse them with hot water;
• raw water is also dangerous if a person washes food with it or drinks it (when the source is unknown);
• when fish or meat is not processed, as well as when the cooking process was performed in violation of technology. In this case, there is a risk that people who consume such food will be infected. Worm pills can help in this situation. If the heat treatment of beef was poorly performed, then a person risks contracting a bovine tapeworm, in the case of poor-quality processing of raw or lightly salted fish, a wide tapeworm can enter the human body, when eating poorly processed pork, you can catch a pork tapeworm;
• worms can be found indoors. This applies to those apartments where people neglect cleaning, rarely carry out wet cleaning, walk in street shoes;
• helminths are transmitted from a person who already has parasites in his body, to another through bedding, dishes, and infection is also possible through close contact.

Almost all the reasons for the appearance of worms in the human body rest on the fact that a person simply does not observe hygiene. If you take care of yourself, the room where you live, your pets, then you can forget about the treatment of worms.

When to see a doctor

If you have any suspicions about the presence of worms, it is worth visiting specialists. We are talking about an infectious disease doctor, pediatrician, therapist JSC "Medicine" (Academician Roitberg's clinic) in the center of Moscow. 

An appointment should be made if there are symptoms in an adult that indicate the presence of worms:

• the person feels constant fatigue, weakness, malaise;
• he develops an allergic reaction (asthma, cough develops, a rash appears on the skin). Such symptoms of worms are quite common;
• he eats too much or too little;
• he is nauseous, often vomiting, while there is no sign of poisoning;
• pain in the abdomen;
• constipation, diarrhea are often noted;
• body weight decreases, even with excellent appetite;
• he cannot sleep normally, he is tormented by insomnia;
• a person's lymph nodes increase, become inflamed;
• body temperature rises for no reason;
• there are painful sensations in the joints, muscles, despite the fact that the person does not exert much physical stress on himself;
• while sleeping, he grinds his teeth, snores;
• in the analysis for worms, worms are observed;
• in the anal area it often itches. This usually indicates the presence of pinworms.

There are 2 phases of worms - acute and chronic. As for the first option, here its duration is up to 8 weeks from the moment the parasites enter the body. At this stage, such a symptom of worms as an allergy often occurs. After 2 months, the disease passes from an acute stage to a chronic one. Here, the symptoms can be different, it all depends on the type of pathogen, as well as on the place where it lives.

Treatment of worms

Helminthiasis definitely needs to be treated so as not to get serious consequences. If we are talking about a child, then you should go to the pediatrician. If this is an adult then he should see a therapist. In no case should you independently treat worms in adults. Pharmacies sell drugs that are capable of removing them, but they are quite heavy for the human body. Therefore, it is necessary to be under the supervision of a doctor.

In most cases, a person is treated with complex therapy. Its goal is to destroy the worms, as well as remove everything that remains of their vital activity. In such situations, it will not be possible to limit ourselves only to anthelmintic drugs for worms. What is very important - the whole family should be treated, because the circle here is quite narrow and the infection in it very quickly passes from one person to another.

In parallel with the pills for worms, the doctor may prescribe the intake of enzymes that help improve digestion, as well as vitamins. For the treatment of parasites to be effective, it is worth excluding flour, sweets, adhere to a certain diet.

If you have a pet in the room, you should take care of them too. 2 times a year it is necessary to carry out anthelmintic therapy to dogs and cats, otherwise all efforts to overcome worms will be in vain.

What drugs can be used

When it comes to worms, this problem is delicate. Most people don't want to talk about it, which entails self-medication. Many people watch ads about miracle drugs and immediately start taking them for a quick effect. But every ad says to see a doctor first. For some reason, many people miss this moment. And in vain, because the drugs for worms are quite serious. In the case of uncontrolled use, they can harm the human body.

In practice, such drugs are used for worms:

• anthelmintic drugs, they can kill worms;
• antihistamine tablets for worms for humans. They are able to help in the presence of an allergy to parasites, which die en masse;
• enterosorbents. With their help, you can remove the waste products of worms, harmful substances that are inside the body;
• folic acid, vitamin B12, iron. They are necessary if a person has been diagnosed with anemia;
• hepatoprotectors. Such drugs for worms can create a protective barrier for the liver;
• probiotics.

How long should adults take medication for worms and how often should they do it? These are the points that the doctor should explain. It can be a therapist or infectious disease specialist of JSC "Medicine" (the clinic of Academician Roitberg) in the Central Administrative District. It all depends on the tests, their results, patient complaints and the data obtained during the examination.

Folk remedies against parasites

When we talk about folk methods of treating worms, we can think of pumpkin seeds. They can be given to adults and children. According to doctors, they contain cucurbitins, which can destroy parasites. But do not think that pumpkin seeds can completely heal you from worms.

Those parasites that are inside the human body are of great danger. If it is not seriously treated and monitored by a doctor, then there is a risk of complications (worms multiply very quickly). Parasites are able to penetrate the pancreas, gallbladder, and their ducts. Due to worms, anemia may appear (hemoglobin index decreases), intestinal obstruction. Therefore, you need to see a doctor as soon as possible and take a feces test for worms.

Preventive measures

Everyone knows the standard hygiene rules that are the prevention of worms. We are told about them even in childhood, but we often do not adhere to them:

• you should wash your hands with soap and water every time before going to eat, after walking, using the toilet, etc.;
• it is important to wash fruits and vegetables after buying them, this also applies to greens, and after that they need to be processed using boiling water;
• in the presence of seafood, fish, meat, it is important to provide them with timely heat treatment, it should be carried out for a long time;
• as for living conditions, water must be used here, which will be safe and of high quality. Otherwise, worms may appear in the feces;
• each person should have their own accessories (dishes, hygiene products);
• the room should always be clean, from time to time it is important to carry out wet cleaning;
• in the presence of pets, it is important to provide them with anthelmintic therapy in preventive measures. These procedures should be performed regularly.

To know for sure if you have parasites, it is worth taking an analysis for worms.

Where to go for help

We suggest you visit a therapist who will tell you how to get rid of worms and recover from the disease. JSC "Medicine" (the clinic of Academician Roitberg) offers modern equipment, effective examination, services of experienced specialists. You can make an appointment using the phone number +7 (495) 995-00-33, a special form on the website, or just come to the clinic in person. It is located in a convenient location in the very center of Moscow, next to the Mayakovskaya, Novoslobodskaya, Chekhovskaya metro stations, at 10 2nd Tverskoy-Yamskaya lane.