Many will be surprised to find that a person constantly lives "not alone". Above himself, as well as within his body, microorganisms exist constantly, and without this mutually beneficial coexistence, a person would be seriously ill and could not survive. So on the surface of healthy skin, there is a normal microflora that protects it from the reproduction of harmful microbes. In the vagina in women, there are lactobacilli, or Dederlein sticks, which form a normal acidic environment. Finally, in the colon and feces of a healthy person, there are hundreds of billions of microorganisms involved in digestion, the production of vitamins, and the protection of a person from disease.
But,except microbes, all other random organisms - protozoa as well as worms - are parasites. . . Some begin to multiply, "poisoning" our body. How to detect parasites in the human body?
This question is far from invalid. Of course, if the doctor points the finger and says what parasites live in the body of a certain person, then this patient will immediately go for tests. The same thing will happen if, for example, small worms are accidentally found in fresh feces. The question is clear: helminthic invasion is evident. It remains only to clarify the diagnosis and start treatment.
But parasites have learned to "keep their nose out", and often their existence in the body causes incomprehensible changes that the patient does not associate at all with the presence of parasites. What are these symptoms? How can chronic helminthiasis be suspected, for example?
Common signs of parasites
The whole variety of parasites, starting from the accidental ones (transient ones) and ending with those parasites that live constantly in the human body, are manifested by several symptoms. They can be divided into two groups:
- specific(characteristic of a particular type of parasite), for example, muscle puffiness and pain with trichinosis, development of acute appendicitis when creeping into the appendix ascaris, or torturous itching in the perianal region in the presence of pinw worms.
But it is good if there is such a symptom that accurately indicates the cause of the invasion (in medicine it is called pathognomonic). But how to determine the presence of parasites in the human body if there are no such direct signs?
To do this, check for other common symptoms of parasitosis - non-specific.
- not specificsymptoms are signs that indicate poisoning of the body with the products of the remains of worms and protozoa.
On the other hand, these signs appear more often in the form of two syndromes:
- an allergic reaction of the body to a parasite;
- intoxication syndrome, or poisoning.
How to identify parasites in the human body and what symptoms cause them?
The most common symptoms of parasitosis
- gradual but progressive decrease in body weight, not associated with chronic stress, increase in the level of physical activity;
- the appearance of insomnia. It can be caused by itching of the skin and the release of toxins, for example, during larval migration. In this case, the person simply experiences a deterioration of well-being in the evening and night.
- the appearance of nausea and vomiting, sometimes due to aversion to food;
- anorexia, or a marked decrease in appetite, up to and including its complete absence. For example, with giardiasis, children often have morning food aversion;
- has pronounced weakness, weakness, decreased performance;
- daytime drowsiness appears;
- temperature rises to subfebrile numbers (37. 1-37. 5);
- there is a cephalic syndrome: a headache appears that is not accompanied by physical and mental stress.
Allergic manifestations of helminthiasis can be different. Urticaria can occur, itching without cause of the skin may appear and disappear, Quincke's allergic edema, bronchospasm.
In that case,if you or your loved ones have the above symptoms, then consult a doctor. . .
Of course, this does not limit the range of symptoms, but these are the most common.
About laboratory signs
How to identify parasites in the human body using simple tests? For example, when studying the result of a general blood test, the following findings indicate a helminthic invasion:
- anemia, or a decrease in the level of hemoglobin and color index;
- eosinophilia. . . Normally, the number of eosinophils does not exceed 5%, and their number increases with parasitic diseases.
Of course, you do not have to do all the tests in a row yourself, the doctor knows better what to prescribe in each specific case.
For accidental findings
Sometimes an accidental discovery helps to identify the presence of parasites in the human body. How does this happen?
- for example, with fluorography, an unusual darkening is found in the pulmonary field, which may turn out to be a parasitic cyst;
- during an MRI of the brain, it is also possible to detect single or multiple cysts, often without any symptoms.
In conclusion, it must be said thatupon detection of these symptoms, a specific diagnosis is made: immune reactions are established, feces are analyzed, if necessary, duodenal contents are taken. Of course, life story is very important. So if a person the day before rested in the hot countries of Asia and Africa, and swam where it is not recommended, or uses water of dubious quality, or unwashed fruit, then the presence of helminthic infestation is more than likely.
In the same way, if a child has similar symptoms after attending school, kindergarten and parents are sure that the cause is not a stressful situation due to the influence of an organized team, then there are more than enough reasons tovisited a pediatrician specializing in infectious diseases.
The treatment of identified helminthiasis is carried out in a special helminthological (parasitological) room, which usually exists in each regional center in the main infectious disease hospital.