The main symptoms of their development will help determine the presence of roundworm in the body. Most of the signs of helminthiasis are very similar, but there are certain ones that occur specifically when infected with roundworms. Therefore, knowing the symptoms of such helminths, you can protect yourself from serious diseases that ascariasis can provoke.
Infection with worms is not a surprising phenomenon and can occur in both children and adults. Among the many types of helminths, the most insidious and dangerous are roundworms. These are large worms, reaching a length of up to 40 cm (females). In 24 hours, an adult is capable of laying hundreds of thousands of eggs. 
The main location is the gastrointestinal tract, but blood can also migrate with sweat to other vital organs (liver, kidneys, heart), causing serious disruptions in their functioning.
The source of infection is humans. From infected patients, roundworm eggs are excreted from the body along with feces, and then enter the body of a healthy person through contaminated soil, water and food (vegetables, fruits).
It is worth noting that roundworms, before entering directly into the intestines, go through several stages of their migration. Only after a few weeks does the active phase of adult life begin.
It is worth noting that with a small amount of ascaris eggs entering the human body, the signs of their presence are almost invisible. In case of worms a large number of the symptoms are pronounced, and in children there may generally be intoxication of the body and a significant increase in temperature. The child looks weak, exhausted, and sick. The skin may become pale and dark circles appear under the eyes. The child loses appetite, refuses food, becomes irritable and nervous. This condition can also be observed in an adult when infected with roundworms.
At the late stage of ascariasis, when roundworms are actively developing in the body, changes occur not only in the gastrointestinal tract. The nervous system is also susceptible to negative disturbances. Problems with sleep begin (nightmares, insomnia, unreasonable fears and anxiety), and headaches appear. The child and adult feel seriously unwell, quickly get tired both mentally and physically - general exhaustion of the body occurs.
If we talk about children, roundworms can cause the development of asthmatic disease in a child. The presence of helminths can also provoke chronic bronchitis and a permanent decrease in immunity. The child may also develop stomatitis. Helminths provoke frequent infectious diseases.
If a child or adult experiences similar symptoms, you should immediately contact a specialist. There are many methods for detecting worms. These include stool examination for the presence of roundworm eggs and larvae, blood sampling to determine antibodies to roundworm antigens, as well as x-rays of affected organs. The main thing is to seek help in time, otherwise ignoring the problem can lead to serious complications.
Symptoms of helminth infection in adults appear gradually.
With mild damage, a person may complain of fatigue, weakness, and general malaise. The temperature rises periodically. A rash similar to hives is visible on the skin.
With intense infection, a cough appears, sometimes with sputum and blood. Larvae migrating through the blood enter the alveoli and in some cases cause bronchitis and pneumonia. Sometimes there are disturbances in the functioning of the heart and liver.
- Intestinal phase: occurs already 14 days after the first. It is characterized by two syndromes:
- Steal syndrome. The man doesn't get required amount vitamins and nutrients, since they are consumed by helminths located in the intestines. He loses weight, although the amount of food he eats remains the same; anemia develops (that is, a decrease in the absolute number of red blood cells - red blood cells and hemoglobin, due to a lack of vitamin B12 and iron); metabolic disorders occur in brain cells, memory deteriorates, and weakness and fatigue are observed.
- Dyspeptic syndrome: Intestinal inflammation occurs due to mechanical irritation by helminths. Appetite decreases, periodic abdominal pain appears, constipation is replaced by diarrhea, flatulence (as a result of the accumulation of gases), belching, and nausea are present.
- Asthenia (loss of strength);
- Insomnia;
- Irritability;
- Vomit;
- Convulsions;
- Aversion to food;
- Copious secretion of saliva;
- The skin turns yellow, the face becomes pale;
- Itching and redness in the anus;
- Detection of roundworms in feces.
To make a diagnosis and select appropriate treatment, it is necessary to undergo an examination.
Diagnosis of the disease includes the following laboratory and instrumental tests:
A set of tests will allow you to establish a diagnosis and prescribe further treatment.
Attention! Roundworms often cause diseases such as pneumonia, cholecystitis, acute intestinal obstruction, and peritonitis. The last two pathologies can lead to death.
Because immunity little man is still weak, the symptoms of the disease will appear faster and more vividly than in an adult. Moreover, the complexity of the disease depends on age: the younger the child, the more severe the process.
It is important that parents closely monitor the slightest changes in his behavior. If the baby has become inactive and does not want to eat, it means that problems have arisen with his health. Attentive parents will immediately notice this, which means they will quickly identify the presence of the disease.
And if they can easily detect pinworms (by the presence of larvae in the stool, by itching in the anus and perineum), then ascariasis is more difficult to identify at first glance. Therefore, you need to be able to figure out how to find out whether there are roundworms in a child’s body or not, what signs of the disease should cause alarm and help to suspect the presence of helminths.
There are two simple ways to do this:
- Pay attention to the baby’s unusual behavior and try to identify his symptoms of illness.
- Seek the help of a doctor who will prescribe an examination and be able to make the correct diagnosis.
How to determine whether there are roundworms in the body:
- Unexpected pain in the right hypochondrium or in the navel area, regardless of the time of day or food intake;
- Nausea, vomiting, often after eating. Especially if it is food that is not accepted by worms;
- Increased appetite or, conversely, lack thereof. An infected baby initially gains weight, but then necessarily begins to lose weight;
- Decreased activity, lethargy. In this case, the probability of detecting worms is very high;
- Prolonged dizziness ending in severe headaches. This is a dangerous sign, since it can signal not only ascariasis, but also be a manifestation of another serious disease;
- Tearfulness, irritability, moodiness, with frequent mood swings indicate intoxication;
- Presence of allergic reactions. Their appearance is provoked by the fact that worms secrete such a large amount of toxins, poisoning the body, that the baby’s immunity cannot cope with them.
At the initial stage, with a weak infection, the disease can proceed unnoticed, without complications.
Its signs are erased and often go unnoticed. However, the first symptoms appear:
- Weakness, malaise;
- Low-grade fever that does not exceed 38˚C;
- Dry or productive cough, in which mucous or mucopurulent sputum is discharged;
- Blood in the secretions of the bronchi;
- Crackles in the lungs on auscultation (wet or dry type);
- An x-ray will show damage to one or both lungs. Infiltrates will be visible, having a round or polygonal, star-shaped shape (single or multiple);
With intensive infection, the following signs of intoxication appear:
- High temperature, chills;
- Enlarged lymph nodes;
- Splenomegaly (increase in the size of the liver and spleen);
- Headache;
- Pneumonia or pleuropneumonia may occur;
- Heart damage, tachycardia;
In the chronic stage, the child develops abdominal pain, especially around the navel, sometimes in the right iliac region (it is important to differentiate from acute appendicitis).
Hives on feet and palms - characteristic feature ascariasis. Children are often troubled by allergic dermatoses, which doctors mistake for atopy and try to cure it. But the real reason remains unnoticed.
When examined in such children, a higher than normal number of eosinophils is found in the sputum. If the x-ray shows infiltrates in the lungs, then a diagnosis can be made. If treatment is not done in a timely manner, changes in the lungs will be detected again after 14-21 days. This will provoke the development of bronchial obstruction.
Contrary to popular belief, teeth grinding during sleep does not always indicate the presence of worms. Although this increases the chances of their detection. Symptoms of infection are both isolated and varied. Therefore, parents should not self-medicate, but rather, at the slightest suspicion, seek qualified advice.
In a clinic, the doctor will conduct a conversation, find out the symptoms, prescribe tests and a functional examination. It is not difficult to detect worms in feces, since they lay more than 200 thousand eggs per day. A blood test will reveal anemia, as well as antibodies that the immune system secretes to fight helminths. Usually they are not limited to a one-time examination. It is carried out twice for a more accurate diagnosis.
During an early-stage invasion, roundworm eggs that enter the gastrointestinal tract lose their shell under the influence of enzymes, and the released larvae spread to various organs: liver, heart, lungs. With further migration, ascaris larvae through the respiratory tract enter the oral cavity, from where, together with saliva and ingested food, they return to the intestines for further existence and reproduction at the chronic stage of ascariasis.
What do roundworms look like?
An adult roundworm looks like a spindle-shaped worm of a reddish color (after death, the body color changes to yellowish-white). The length of a mature helminth depends on age and sex: males can reach a length of 25 cm, a width of 4 mm, females - up to 40 cm and up to 6 mm.
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Ascaris eggs cannot be seen with the naked eye. Depending on the presence of the fertilization factor, they differ in size and shape, but even the largest of them do not exceed dimensions of 100 x 45 microns.
Roundworms are exceptionally fertile worms; the body of a female can contain up to 27 million eggs in various stages of formation. One adult female can lay up to 240 thousand eggs per day, up to 64 million per year, as a result of which roundworms are the most common type of helminth with the type of infection through the soil. According to general estimates, almost 1.2 billion people are carriers of ascaris; in some countries, the percentage of patients with ascariasis reaches 20.
The high fertility of these worms is due to their rather low survival rate in the external environment compared to the number of eggs laid: for further maturation, the eggs must be in the soil, going through the biological cycle of formation of an invasive larva. In this case, the soil temperature should remain in the range from 13 to 26 ° C, and the humidity of the environment should be from 4 to 8%.
Ways of infection with ascariasis
Ascariasis is a disease with oral infection. Roundworms are helminths that undergo a developmental stage inside and outside humans. A patient with ascariasis, if there are different-sex adults in the body, spreads ascaris eggs along with feces. After a period of development in the soil, microscopic roundworm larvae, along with soil, plants or water, end up on a person’s hands or directly in the mouth.
Eggs are quite easily removed during hygiene procedures (washing hands, vegetables, herbs) or pre-processing food and heating above 50°C or boiling water, which causes a pronounced difference in the number of infected people among different age and social groups. Ascariasis is most often diagnosed in children who are actively in contact with nature and do not have the skills to observe hygiene rules due to age, as well as in residents of rural areas with unfavorable sanitary and hygienic living conditions. Occupational risks include ascariasis in workers treatment facilities and diggers.
After ingestion, roundworm larvae in the intestinal environment lose their egg shell and begin migrating throughout the body. The purpose of migration is to reach the oral cavity and subsequent transportation to the intestine. However, with the bloodstream, the larvae can spread to various organs and tissues, settling in the veins, liver, heart and forming inflammatory infiltrates with a high content of eosinophils. In such cases, the full formation of an adult helminth does not occur, but significant harm is caused to the body.
On average, the early stage of larval development and reaching the oral cavity lasts about 3 months. After secondary ingestion, the late intestinal stage of development of the sexually mature individual begins in the small intestine.
The lifespan of an adult roundworm is on average 12 months, after which the helminth dies and is excreted from the intestines with feces.
Among the individual measures to prevent infection with helminths, the need for mandatory hand washing before eating, the use of hand protection (rubber gloves) when working with soil, and careful processing of vegetables, fruits, and berries are highlighted.
Places where roundworm eggs are likely to accumulate (country houses, village toilets equipped with cesspools) must be neutralized by covering the feces with soil for at least 2 years, after which the compost can be used to fertilize the soil. Otherwise, neutralizing chemicals are used.
Symptoms of the disease at various stages
Symptoms of the early stage of ascariasis: the first signs of infection
How and when can the presence of helminths of this type in the body be detected? After penetration, the first clinical manifestations of the disease appear after 1-2 months. Low-intensity invasion may be asymptomatic or subclinical.
When the body’s reaction is pronounced, signs such as headache, general weakness, increased fatigue, fever to subfebrile levels, allergic manifestations (itching, skin rash). Less commonly, infection is accompanied by a clinical picture of pulmonary pathologies, expressed by cough, sputum production (bloody inclusions are possible), shortness of breath, pain in the chest; examination may reveal signs of exudative pleurisy, the presence of eosinophilic infiltrates of the tissues of the lungs and bronchi. There is also an enlargement of the lymph nodes, spleen, and liver. Migration of larvae can cause the development of pneumonia and bronchitis, as well as signs of disruption of the cardiovascular system and liver.
Intestinal stage
Roundworms: symptoms in children
The most pronounced symptom that appears in the presence of roundworm in children is intestinal dyspepsia: stool disorders (diarrhea, constipation, often alternating), and the development of progressive enteritis is possible. The presence of cramping pain in the abdominal area that occurs voluntarily or upon palpation is noted. In this case, pain in childhood is not localized and can cover the entire peritoneal area; in adults, it is limited and localized in the upper right quarter.
Roundworms in children also cause appetite disorders, more often – a stable decrease in appetite, “whims” when eating, nausea, increased salivation, and can also cause the development of intolerance to some food products(in most cases - dairy).
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On the part of the nervous system, ascariasis in childhood is manifested by astheno-neurotic syndrome, weakness, fatigue, headaches, absent-mindedness, decreased concentration, and irritability. Sleep disturbances (anxiety, fears, physical activity in a dream), as well as a decrease in the level of intelligence, hysterical seizures, and epileptiform convulsions and the occurrence of Meniere's symptom complex are included in the clinical picture of severe ascariasis.
Just as at the migration stage, allergic reactions in the form of urticaria may occur.
Roundworms in children, to a much more pronounced extent than in adults, affect the state of the immune system and may be accompanied by frequent colds, viral and fungal infections (of the oral cavity), inflammatory processes of the mucous membranes and skin of bacterial etiology.
Roundworms: symptoms in adults
Diagnosis of ascariasis
When roundworms infect the body in adults and children, the symptoms and signs of the disease are variable; diagnosis and treatment are not made based on manifestations alone. Diagnosis is carried out using several methods.
Scatological research
The most common method for identifying roundworms is a stool test for worm eggs. This diagnosis is effective only in the late phase of the disease, when a sexually mature individual is in the intestinal cavity; at the migratory stage, scatology is ineffective.
Indicators of blood and biological fluids analysis
Although in the early stages an excess of the norm of leukocytes and eosinophils in the blood serves as one of the signs of helminthic invasion, a classical blood test does not provide the opportunity to draw unambiguous conclusions about the diagnosis, since the presence of anemia, leukocytosis, and eosinophilia may not accompany the disease during adaptation of the body or indicate about other reasons.
Several methods of serological research have been developed, but they are not widely used in laboratory conditions. In most cases, it is possible to detect larvae 2-3 months after infection in secreted sputum, but this type analysis is quite rare.
X-ray examination and surgical methods
In the migratory stage, it is possible to use fluoroscopy to detect volatile infiltrates in the lungs. For diagnosis, several images of the lungs are taken, examining the presence and changes in the position of infiltrates, indicating the migration of larvae.
If there is a likelihood of infection, a general clinical picture and the absence of confirmation of infection during several consecutive copro-ovoscopies, preventive treatment is prescribed and its effect on the body is assessed.
Roundworms: treatment of ascariasis
If the presence of roundworm is suspected or confirmed, treatment is primarily prescribed with medication, unless complications of the disease require another primary method of therapy.
The modern choice of anthelmintic drugs makes it possible to achieve rapid recovery in 80% of cases after the first course of treatment. To determine the dose and select the drug, you must consult a specialist: the choice of active substance and the characteristics of administration are calculated depending on the age, body weight, severity of the invasion, as well as the characteristics of the patient’s physiological periods. Thus, ascariasis detected during the gestational period can have an extremely negative impact on the development of the fetus. However, treatment with medications is possible no earlier than the second trimester, although this period also depends on the woman’s well-being.
In the migration phase, anthelmintic drugs become the first choice drugs. wide range actions based on levamisole (Dekaris), mebendazole (Vermox, Thermox, etc.), thiabendazole (Mertect, Tecto, Tetusim, etc.).
In the intestinal stage, the following drugs are used: Decaris, Pyrantel (and its analogues), Piperazine, Vermox (and analogues).
If the disease is accompanied by symptoms of bronchopulmonary obstruction, exudative pleurisy, symptomatic treatment with corticosteroids and bronchodilators is carried out.
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In severe stages of the disease or in the presence of contraindications to drug therapy, administration of oxygen through a tube into the gastric cavity in a course of 2-3 times (once a day, daily) is indicated. This method is not suitable in the presence of peptic ulcers or inflammatory processes in the gastrointestinal tract.
For complications, symptomatic and/or surgical treatment is indicated.
Complications of ascariasis
Complications of the disease occur when roundworm larvae migrate to various organs and tissues, as well as when there is a large number and/or active movement of sexually mature individuals in the intestinal area and their movements along gastrointestinal tract. Lack of therapy or independent, especially alternative “folk” treatment leads to this: roundworms can not only significantly harm health, but also cause death.
Among the most common complications of the disease are:
- intestinal obstruction;
- perforated peritonitis;
- acute pancreatitis;
- acute appendicitis;
- development of liver abscesses;
- acute cholecystitis and inflammation of the biliary tract;
- suffocation when adults penetrate the respiratory tract;
- purulent pleurisy, pneumonia;
- tissue sepsis;
- complicated course of pregnancy and childbirth, fetal malformations;
- pronounced decrease in immunity, etc.
Worms belong to the genus of roundworms. The body is long, with a pointed end on both sides. The color is reddish. Dead individuals become gray or white in appearance. The helminth reaches impressive sizes. Average length the body of the worm is 15 cm. An adult female reaches a length of 40 cm, and in medicine there are cases when the helminth in the human body grew up to 1 meter. Worms are predominantly localized in the small intestine, do not attach to its walls, move freely in it, and feed on food debris. An individual roundworm moves in the direction opposite to the movement of food. Therefore, worms are found extremely rarely in feces. Worm eggs get there, and not every time. This makes it difficult to diagnose ascariasis.
Features of the development of roundworms
The helminth cycle from egg to adult roundworm occurs in several stages. Initially, the eggs are passed through the feces. Remains in soil and water. When a person is infected, they penetrate the intestines. This is where it starts life cycle roundworms inside the patient. There are 2 stages – migratory and intestinal. The first is characterized by an unclear location of the helminth. In the intestine, the eggs continue their development and turn into larvae. Initially their sizes are so small. That through the intestinal walls the larvae penetrate into the blood vessels. Together with the bloodstream they are distributed throughout the body.
At first, the larva stops in the liver, moves to the heart, and completes its journey with the lungs. Migration processes of roundworms are associated with the feeding habits of the larvae. After emerging from the egg, they consume blood serum and gradually switch to red blood cells. They have more oxygen. To detect the latter, the larva moves throughout the body, internal organs. The lungs provide complete nutrition for roundworm larvae. They stay there for about 1.5 weeks. They provoke lung disease and cough with a lot of sputum. The larvae emerge from the patient in the sputum. A certain part of them is again swallowed by the sick person. During this process, the larva completes the migratory phase of development, which lasts approximately 14 days. The intestinal begins. In the intestines, the larva transforms into an adult roundworm.
Where do helminths live?
The last stage of development of the roundworm larvae takes place in the small intestine. An adult roundworm feeds on the leftover food that humans consume. The main location of roundworms is the small intestine. The female lays approximately 240 eggs per day. Ascaris eggs gradually leave the body along with feces. After which the person becomes infectious to others. The development of the larvae in the intestine takes several months. The worm lives there for the rest of its life. However, there are cases when roundworms do not adhere to the generally accepted pattern. They remain to live in different organs - heart, lungs, liver.
How long do worms live?
Helminth eggs enter the soil cover with feces. Then they end up on ripened vegetables, fruits, berries, and herbs. With defective heat treatment Ascaris eggs enter the intestines. You can get infected anywhere, anytime. Holding money in your hands, touching the handle on public transport. But workers especially suffer from ascariasis Agriculture. Especially in areas where human feces are used as fertilizer. You can become infected from unwashed hands if basic hygiene rules are not followed.
Children are at risk. Especially at a young age. When little creatures put everything in their mouths. This is how they experience the world and taste everything. A fragile body, unformed intestines, and a weak immune system turn out to be the most favorable place for the existence of helminths. Children can become infected with roundworms when playing in the sandbox, or just on the playground.
Complications of ascariasis
If one roundworm survives in the patient’s body, there will be no obvious symptoms of the disease. Signs of ascariasis will be limited to abdominal discomfort, bloating, and dysbacteriosis. In case of severe infection and large sizes Ascaris, worms can form balls, which cause intestinal obstruction.
Roundworms in the body are extremely dangerous phenomenon. Worms are annoying due to their presence nervous system, cause toxicosis, decreased hemoglobin, and weakening of the body as a whole. For children, helminths are dangerous due to retardation in mental and physical development.
Diagnosis of the disease
Currently, several methods are used to study the human body for ascariasis.
Treatment of the disease
The average duration of treatment for roundworms is 2 months. For this purpose, medications and folk recipes are used.
Drug treatment is carried out in courses of one week with breaks. They undergo periodic examinations. The main rule in the presence of roundworms in the body is that cough cannot be treated with medications. The sputum should be spat out, and the mouth should be rinsed periodically with a decoction of wormwood.
Treatment for roundworms folk recipes involves the use of herbs and various products. Wormwood, tansy, pumpkin seeds, garlic with milk are widely used, walnuts, pomegranate with peel and many others. Before starting treatment for the disease, you should consult a specialist.
Disease prevention
The disease can be prevented by following simple rules:
Roundworms are capable for a long time exist in the patient's body. We should not forget about the danger, neglect simple rules hygiene. In this case, prevention plays an important role.
Most often, people living in rural areas who come into contact with soil every day become infected with ascariasis. The disease is widespread in those regions where human feces are applied to the soil as fertilizer.
Children are also at risk for this disease. While playing in the sandbox and tasting everything, they become infected with worms.
Where do they live and what are the dangers?
While inside the host, this type of worm goes through two stages of development:
- Migration;
- Intestinal.
At first, the eggs enter the human body, where, under the influence of internal fluids, their shell is destroyed and larvae appear. This process occurs in the intestines, from where the larvae penetrate through the walls into the circulatory system and spread through it to all internal organs.
In the liver and pancreas
This type of worm easily migrates throughout the body. Therefore, they are able to learn to survive in any of the organs. Most often it affects the liver, because the environment existing in this organ is the most suitable for human roundworm.
As a result, development is possible diabetes mellitus and other complications.
How do roundworms get into the heart?
The eggs of worms that have penetrated into the intestines under the influence of acid lose their shell and larvae hatch from them. Through the mucous membrane they penetrate into organs adjacent to the gastrointestinal tract, including the heart muscle and right ventricle. The appearance of helminths in this organ poses a mortal danger.
And it often leads to very serious consequences: from coronary artery disease to hemorrhage, which can cause death.
Tapeworms in the eyes
Perhaps this is the most unusual of places where you can find worms. However, occasionally roundworms are located in the eyes of an infected person. This happens when there is a large accumulation of worms in the human body, when they begin to crawl away in search of new habitats.
When the worm lives in the eyes, the choroid suffers, this is a suitable environment for life
Helminths in the vagina
There have been cases of roundworms settling in the genitals of women, including the vagina. They penetrate there through the rectum, and can even crawl into the uterus. Such patients may experience complications associated with the development of female diseases.
The greatest danger from the appearance of worms in the vagina is for the girl’s still unformed body. Untimely administration of treatment can lead to deviations in the development of reproductive function.
Worms under the skin
Skin and allergic rashes due to infection
But how do worm eggs end up on your hands? Everything is very simple. Caught in environment With the feces of an infected person, they are found in the soil, on plants, and are spread by flies and other insects. As soon as you work in the garden without gloves, pick up unwashed vegetables or fruits, dozens of helminth eggs will end up on your skin. From here they spread to household items, clothing, shoes and even pets, and also enter your body.
Therefore, we can come to the conclusion that the place where roundworm eggs wait in the wings can be almost everything: from soil to human hands. Moreover, only temperatures above 60°C are detrimental to the larvae. Which gives them the opportunity to exist beautifully everywhere.
Interesting video:Ascaris in our body
How long can worms live in the body?
The important point is that eggs laid by the female inside the body cannot develop. They require soil to ripen. Therefore, it is possible to achieve a complete recovery without medications, but only with strict hygiene. Otherwise, the population will constantly renew itself and grow. In such a situation, you will never get rid of the disease.
But even for so short term During their existence, roundworms are capable of causing great damage to human health. When infected with them, various complications are possible: from the development of inflammation to an allergic reaction.
These worms are especially dangerous for children, since a large number of parasites can lead to developmental delays.
