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Roundworms: causes, symptoms and treatment of ascariasis

Under the ascariasis understand the disease, caused by the penetration in the human round worms — ascarids that cause inflammatory processes and cause disease of intestines, lungs, and sometimes the human brain. When this infected with Ascaris is very simple, the risk of getting their eggs in the body is very high. Let's face it, what are these parasites, what are the signs of ascariasis and causes of infection and, most importantly, what are the symptoms and variations in health needs to get a man to suspect the disease and begin treatment. We will also look at possible methods of treatment, prevention and complications of this disease.

Askaridy: prichiny, simptomy i lechenie askaridoza

What is a roundworm?

Ascaris of man is worms, that is a worm, which belongs to roundworms. Length of male roundworm is 25 cm, and females can grow up to 40 cm in length. They are painted in a pale pink color and have a spindle shape. Females of this worm can lay up to 25 eggs per day.
According to official figures, on the planet more than one billion people are carriers of the pathogen. But ascariasis is most common in tropical and subtropical zones, where the most suitable environmental conditions for their survival and reproduction outside of the human body. There the number of infected people reaches 80%. This type of worms is the human body, the most susceptible children, as their immune system is more poorly developed compared with adults.

Askaridy: prichiny, simptomy i lechenie askaridoza

The stages of the development cycle of Ascaris and their characteristics

During the development cycle define some forms of life roundworm:

  • egg — females lay eggs in the human intestine, which faeces are ejected and ripen in the soil with the necessary conditions: high humidity and temperatures over 20 degrees Celsius. With ripening in the egg comes the larva, which is getting into the human organism leads to infection (invasion),
  • the larval stage direct development of the parasite in the body. Larvae infiltrating the vessels through holes in the intestines and travels through the body, entering the liver or lungs. Also when moving, the larva moves into the respiratory tract or throat. The period of duration of this stage is about 15 days,
  • the adult grows in the gut of the larvae, females can lay new eggs.
Askaridy: prichiny, simptomy i lechenie askaridoza

The second and third stage of development is only possible in the human body. The entire life cycle of ascarids takes an average of about 1 year.

What causes infected with ascariasis?

The main sources of parasites are animals and people. Because roundworm eggs are excreted from the human body together with feces and live in the soil, the domestic animals in contact with such soil may be carriers of the infection on its fur, leaving them on any surface in the home, such as flooring and furniture. There are roundworm eggs die faster than in soil, but viable enough to infect the time. To get into the human body in a domestic environment the egg can with the dust in the air through the mouth, as they are able to be in a weightless position as much as up to 15 minutes, including at the level of the respiratory tract.
Other common ways of getting eggs in the body is consumption of unwashed or poorly washed fruit and vegetables that had contact with contaminated soil, dirty hands, some insects that carry disease. But still the threat is prolonged contact with infected soil, which leads to the introduction of its eggs roundworm in the body through the mouth.

Askaridy: prichiny, simptomy i lechenie askaridoza

Symptoms in children and adults

To detect ascariasis in the early stages is difficult because symptoms in adults in the presence of worms in the body is felt as the specimens of the worms reach an impressive size and lead to health problems. The symptoms will vary depending on the stagethe development of the roundworm in the body and intensity of infection, i.e. the number of eggs trapped in the body. Starting from these factors, the symptoms will differ depending on the phase of development of the disease:
During the migration phase:

Most often, symptoms are mild or negligible, but can manifest as General malaise, appearance of dry cough with mucous sputum, fever infected. But the children upon intake at the same time a significant number of eggs, even the first phase may be accompanied by intoxication, manifested in increased body temperature to 38 degrees, swollen lymph nodes, acute headaches, enlarged spleen or liver.
The most common symptoms of ascariasis in the early phase of infection is the appearance of allergic dermatitis, i.e. skin allergic reactions as hives on hands and feet.

In intestinal phase:

The name of the phase suggests that the symptoms of roundworm are changing after penetration of ascarids in the small intestine, where the detected ascarids leads to such problems as diarrhea, constant constipation and flatulence. Very often, in combination with decreased immunity is the appearance in the intestine of Ascaris leads to various infectious diseases.
Children in this phase have a more severe symptoms:

  • the abdominal pain cramping in nature,
  • nausea, sometimes with vomiting,lack of appetite,
  • fast fatigability,
  • morbid,
  • sometimes redness and itching in the anus.
Askaridy: prichiny, simptomy i lechenie askaridoza

The nervous system can tell about the presence of such diseases as ascariasis manifesting such symptoms as dizziness, nightmares or insomnia, memory impairment, meningitis, oppressive headache, convulsions.
Also characteristic symptom of ascariasis is a manifestation of intolerance to dairy products, which were not previously inherent in man. Sometimes, you may experience a decrease in blood pressure.

Auxiliary symptoms:

  • Ascariasis in adults is manifested by symptoms that are common to many other diseases, including infectious nature, but the presence of ascarids in the body can be suspected if a person feels simultaneously a number of special specific characteristics:
  • abdominal pain changes the site of localization, it appears and disappears rapidly and spontaneously,
  • some jaundiced skin, pale skin,
  • noticeable and unexplained weight loss. Mismatch age norm in children,
  • symptoms of aversion to food, loss of appetite,
  • constipation and diarrhea that alternate with each other for no apparent reason,
  • nausea, sometimes accompanied by vomiting,
  • gnashing of the teeth during sleep, trouble sleeping,
  • frequent disease SARS.
Askaridy: prichiny, simptomy i lechenie askaridoza

It must be remembered that pronounced symptoms occur only after at least two months after infection, which greatly complicates the process of determining the presence of ascarids in the human body.

Methods of diagnosis or to determine the ascariasis?

How to detect roundworm? If you suspect the presence of parasites data the patient is administered a diagnostic consisting of a number of procedures, which includes:

  • the analysis of blood — increased number of eosinophils indicates the presence of allergic reactions,
  • a study of blood plasma — definition of specific antibodies to the larvae of the roundworm,
  • microscopic examination of sputum helps to determine the presence of larvae by moving them into the respiratory tract,
  • radiography — a method to determine the area of darkening in the lungs in places of larvae in the alveoli,
  • examination of stool is carried out under a microscope to identify the eggs of ascarides, which are presented barrel-shaped formations. This type of diagnostics is carried out at least three times at intervals of 3-4 days, as the output of parasite eggs from the body is non-uniform, and therefore received a negative result without confirmation a few days can not be considered completely reliable.
Askaridy: prichiny, simptomy i lechenie askaridoza
Etiological laboratory diagnosis of ascariasis includes in the migration phase – microscopic examination of sputum specimens for the detection of larvae, detection of DNA of the parasite

A positive diagnosis of a disease together with the presence of characteristic symptoms are the basis for the selection of the correct treatment of ascariasis.

Treatment of Ascaris

Treatment of Ascaris is only possible with the use of integrated medical therapy, which is represented by the appointment and reception of these groups of drugs:

  • desensitization — one of the most popular options include Suprastin Tavegil,
  • anthelmintic are the main means in the treatment of ascarids. Widely recognized the effectiveness of drugs, such as Albendazole, Mebendazole, Pyrantel, Levamisole.. Their alternative is Nitazoxanide and Tiabendazol. But take any of these drugs is onlyprescription, as each of them has its own characteristics and can be administered only by a specialist. So, it is necessary to consider that the admission of Pyrantel may lead to intestinal obstruction, when a large number of ascarids and he does not kill larvae in the early stage of infection. And, for example, Albendazole is one of the most effective options, but is contraindicated in pregnant women, children up to 2 years. Often additionally prescribe piperazine, which leads to the paralysis of the species of worms that makes it impossible for them to migrate to the esophagus,
  • enzyme Mezim, CREON, and multivitamin complexes,
  • iron preparations — to restore hemoglobin and red blood cells,
  • antiemetics.
Askaridy: prichiny, simptomy i lechenie askaridoza

In addition to receiving complex medication that the treatment was really effective, the patient is obligatorily a diet that is based on restricting the eating of fat, completely eliminated alcohol. A number of proteins, on the contrary, need to increase. It is strictly forbidden to drink tap water, and all fruits and vegetables before taking food, wash.
Another method is treatment of the disease is the method of oxygen exposure. The method in the introduction of oxygen into the stomach through the probe, the number of treatments — 3.

The consequences after the disease

All the possible consequences and complications of ascariasis in adults caused by that species of worms, moving on to the body damage the tissue of almost all organs. So often the presence in the body of ascarids leads to such consequences as perminit, appendicitis, pancreatitis, liver abscess, inflammatory processes of the urinary system, pneumonia, bowel obstruction and similar causes.

Prevention of infection with Ascaris

In order to prevent eggs of ascarids in the human organism and their further long-term treatment should follow a few simple rules:

Askaridy: prichiny, simptomy i lechenie askaridoza
  • to observe personal hygiene,
  • to abandon the habit of nail biting,
  • wash hands thoroughly after working with soil,
  • to carry out wet cleaning,
  • to abandon the use of raw water.