Ascarids: symptoms in adults. Ascaris in children

Ascarids are a species of round worms of the class of nematodes. Being very tenacious parasites, they are perfectly adapted to the climatic conditions of the middle belt, therefore, ascaridosis (infection with ascarids) is one of the most common parasitic pathologies for today. Worms actively manifest themselves. Ascarids, the symptoms of infection which always manifest clearly, require immediate treatment.

Man's defeat by parasites: causes

Any defeat of the body by parasites, whether protozoa or helminths, begins with contact with the carrier. The carriers of ascarids can be absolutely all vertebrates. Nematodes are the most ancient creatures able to adapt to any conditions. They usually inhabit the digestive tract. With feces of an animal or a person, the eggs of the ascaris go out. Symptoms of infection are manifested in different ways, because after penetration into the body, worms are localized in various organs. A person becomes infected with ascarids only from infected people. Extremely rare cases when parasites pass from animals, this happens with extremely weak immunity. Eggs of nematodes are kept in feces. From there they get on the surface of the skin or food. Larvae in eggs are quite tenacious, they can easily survive drying. The only prevention is hand washing with soap and quality food processing.

Ascarids: what is it?

Ascaris is a round worm of red and yellow color. Dead individuals acquire a pale yellow color. The females reach a diameter of up to 6 mm. The length of an adult is sometimes 45 cm. The females are extremely mobile, unlike small infantile males. Ascarids, pinworms and other nematodes develop best in the middle band. Why does not he live in other places? The polar and tundra zones do not have suitable conditions, where nematode larvae do not survive outside the host's body.

Where do the roundworms live

The most common place of dislocation of parasites is the human gastrointestinal tract. Penetrating through the mouth, the worm gets into the stomach, then into the intestine. There, small mobile individuals enter the bloodstream system, passing through the walls of small vessels. This period lasts from a few days to two weeks. With the flow of blood parasites are entered into the liver and lungs of the alveoli. Ascarids, pinworms and other helminths, because of their size in the adult state, live in the intestine. At the age of up to three months they travel throughout the body. There are cases when they lived in the pleura, brain and eyeballs.

How parasites get into the human body

The only possibility to get infected is to allow the penetration of the larvae or adult into the digestive tract. By inattention, food pieces containing ascaris eggs are ingested. Infection occurs and in the absence of the habit of washing hands before eating. Therefore, the best treatment in this issue is, of course, prevention.

Risk groups

Ascaris most often infect children, grabbing food with unwashed hands or eating dirty vegetables and fruits. The risk is many times higher in rural areas. It is important to educate the children in the culture of nutrition and pay sufficient attention to hygiene. You can also pick up the ascarids in humans. Symptoms are not always obvious, but there are certainly enough eggs and larvae of parasites on their hands. Adults suffer less from this disease, but the path of infection is the same. Preventive measures remain the same: carefully wash your hands, fruits and vegetables. It is important to remember that infected animals are extremely rare, but still can be carriers, especially if they themselves are infected from a person. Therefore it is important to carry out prophylaxis with anthelminthes regularly, regardless of the presence of symptoms.

What is dangerous for parasites

Ascaridosis is not only unpleasant, but also very dangerous. Traveling through the body, the larvae make through holes in the vessels and walls of internal organs. They eat at the expense of a person and the waste of life is thrown into our bodies, which causes strong intoxication. In the late stages of the disease, the patient's immunity is so exhausted that worms can grow and multiply uncontrolled. They are weaved into tangles, many perish and decay. At this stage of development, treatment becomes extremely difficult. The blood flow is broken, to all else is added an obstruction of the intestine. Worms penetrate into other organs and accumulate in them. Running cases in children can be fatal.

Ascaris: Symptoms

Everyone should know about these signs, since no one is immune from infection by parasites. At the stage of penetration of the ascaris, the symptoms of the disease are practically absent. The period of reaching sexual maturity in larvae lasts up to three months. For this time they can not show themselves in any way, but can give themselves information about themselves by weight loss, itching, sudden allergies. Such weak symptoms are due to the small size of worms and a small number of worms. Getting rid of them at the initial stage is easier, but this is obtained only with early diagnosis. As a rule, people seek medical help after the appearance of abdominal pain, diarrhea, constipation or severe intoxication. These symptoms indicate a prolonged illness. Typically, these patients subsequently reveal a large number of adult parasite in the intestine, severe erosion of the walls of the small intestine. Ascarids often concentrate in the lungs. Can be found quite large specimens in the eyeball, in the brain. A living worm destroys surrounding tissues, after death begins to decompose and causes sepsis. Neurotoxic substances released by these parasites cause neural disorders. Treatment should appoint a specialist.

Stages of the disease

The first stage is from the moment of infection to the appearance of the first symptoms. To detect any deviations from the norm with external observation is impossible, sometimes laboratory analysis reveals eggs in feces or sputum. The immunity of a healthy adult who adheres to the habit of eating right can quite easily cope with them. It is important that the mucous membranes of the intestine and duodenum are healthy, then penetration of the ascaris from the intestine will be difficult, and they will be destroyed in the gastrointestinal tract at the egg stage.

If immunity does not manage in the early stages, and the larvae nevertheless begin their journey through the bloodstream, then the ascaris shows the human symptoms of the disease already more noticeable.

At the stage of growth of the larvae, they linger in the portal vein, throwing out the products of their vital activity into the liver. Worms penetrate the bile ducts and cause them to clog. Dyskinesia leads to severe intoxication, accompanied by vomiting. One of the favorite places of growth of ascaris are the lungs. Folding a ball in the alveoli, they cause a dry cough, similar to allergy manifestations. Later, it is possible to develop bronchitis with a plentiful separation of sputum, which also contains ascarid eggs.

Late stages are characterized by severe lesions of the internal organs. Perhaps the development of appendicitis, perforation of the walls of the intestine or its obstruction. If the ascarids penetrated other organs, the pathologies are the same: destruction of the walls of the organ, blockage of the ducts and vessels. To all other things, strong exhaustion, intoxication and endless bacterial infections join against the weakened immunity.

Methods of diagnosis

In the early stages, the diagnosis is only laboratory, since there are no symptoms in the anamnesis. In this case, only a blood test can reveal the presence of an immune response to penetration of the parasite. With more serious lesions in the feces, you can detect red-yellow or whitish worms with the naked eye. Human ascarids, the symptoms (photos in the article) whose appearances have been studied for a long time, are recognizable and difficult to confuse with other species of nematodes. A smear during microscopic examination shows the presence of helminth in the body only in the late stages, when the adult has already begun to multiply. In some cases, immature larvae are seen on the x-ray in the alveoli of the lungs.

Traditional medicine: how to treat ascarids?

As a rule, treatment begins with the manifestation of visible symptoms. At the age of three weeks to three months, the ascarids begin to show symptoms. Treatment in children is more difficult than in adults. Not only that protective functions are not yet strong, so also hygiene rules kids are not fully observed. Treatment in most cases is medicated. Appointed drugs that increase the motor activity of parasites. For example, the drug "Mebendazole", which is used in the form of tablets, penetrates the body of nematodes within two to five hours. How does it work? The drug causes a metabolic disorder in the organisms of worms, blocks the absorption of glucose. The parasite perceives the environment as unfavorable and increases mobility to leave the human body. Within one to three days, ascaris dies from exhaustion and the inability to synthesize glucose.

If the parasites lived only in the digestive tract, and their number was moderate, then during the following days they are excreted with feces. In uncomplicated cases, treatment shows 100% effectiveness provided that a person observes precautions. The treatment with Mebendazole has a drawback: if the nematodes managed to colonize the lungs, when they try to get out of there they cause a strong cough, with the phlegm getting into the digestive tract and causing a re-infection.

With small amounts in the body ascaris symptoms, treatment will be slightly different. "Levamisole" is a preparation that paralyzes ascaris. In addition, it has a pronounced immunostimulating effect. In complex cases, with the formation of coils in the intestine, a hardware treatment is shown: introduction through the probe of oxygen - directly into the cluster of worms. After their death and elimination it is possible to use medicines. If the parasites managed to form clusters in other organs and tissues, surgical intervention can not be avoided.

Treatment with folk remedies

Askaridoz is known for a long time. And the methods of treatment by folk remedies have proved themselves well. There are cases when medications are contraindicated - early childhood, pregnancy and feeding. Here are a few proven folk recipes:

Mix evenly tansy and wormwood, a tablespoon of a dry mixture, pour a glass of boiling water, warm in a water bath for 20 minutes. During the week in the morning and evening take this broth on an empty stomach. Decoctions from the root of elecampane, a thousand centner and blueberry fruit also have a pronounced anthelmintic effect.

Clefts with garlic. In a glass of milk boil the head of garlic until soft, cool, filter and make enemas at night. Garlic is extremely toxic to askarids, and milk softens it, not allowing damage to the intestinal mucosa. The volume depends on the weight of the patient. Within a week, the ascarids die, the symptoms disappear.

Decoctions of seeds of flax, carrots, walnut leaves are used for one to two weeks throughout the day.

Folk remedies have proven effective with regular admission, in addition, they are safe. But a specialist consultation before and after treatment is mandatory. Recovery should be confirmed by laboratory tests to avoid relapse.

Precautionary measures

Hygiene and careful heat treatment of food before cooking make it possible to avoid getting into the human body ascarids. Symptoms in adults are manifested quite late, when the disease has already become chronic. Treatment should be carried out under the supervision of a physician, regardless of the method chosen. In complicated cases, self-medication is fraught with serious consequences. Especially dangerous is the irresponsible approach to the treatment of young children, in whom the disease itself and its complications develop rapidly.

How to prevent penetration of ascarids into the body

In the modern world, parasites are as easily infected as in the old days. Unwashed hands and unprocessed food contribute to the appearance of ascarids in the body. Symptoms, treatment and complications can be of different severity, so prevention should be in the first place. It is always easier, more efficient and safer than any, even the most sparing treatment. The maintenance of immunity, an active lifestyle and healthy diet have the most beneficial effect on the body, prevent the development of any parasitic diseases.