It is difficult for an ordinary person to imagine how many parasites can threaten their health. These "settlers" can live in the human body for years, literally sucking life from it and poisoning it with their own poisons.
Types of parasites
From a medical point of view, parasites are unicellular and protozoan. They are divided into exoparasites (lice, insects, etc. ) and endoparasites according to their habitat.
Endoparasites have their own subspecies:
- Larvae laid by insects.
- Protozoa (amoeba, lamblia).
- Helminths (worms or worms).
Ways of infection
Each parasite has its own way of penetration into the human body. The most common way is to eat, that is, with the help of water or food. Many insects can carry parasitic larvae by polluting the environment. Humans are infected with parasites by consuming raw water, unwashed and poorly cooked foods.
Some species are transmitted directly through contact with a person - this path is called contact-home. It is not necessary to contact the distributor directly for infection, it is enough to use household items. Enterobiasis and some other parasitic forms are transmitted in this way.
An equally popular vector infection route. In this case, the parasites are carried by blood-sucking insects. Thus, it can be obtained after being bitten by a mosquito or other insect.
The last method of obtaining parasites is the percutaneous route, the second name is active. Infection occurs when larvae penetrate the mucous membranes and skin. This is due to contact with contaminated soil or water in the body of water.
symptoms
Parasites in the human body can live for a long time and do not manifest themselves. The symptoms will be there, of course, but they are hidden like other diseases. Therefore, a person may not be aware that he has been infected for a long time.
Symptoms most often depend on the location of the larvae, but the body can signal infection and other manifestations. The most common:
- Flatulence, and stable, indicates the presence of worms in the small intestine;
- Diarrhea.Causes the absorption of sodium chloride by parasites;
- Constipation.Worm entanglements can clog some organs;
- Pain in joints and muscles.These pains are caused by the migration of larvae from the human body, to which the immune system reacts in this way;
- Allergy.Parasites themselves are an allergen to the body, and damage to the walls of the stomach contributes to indigestion and the entry of food molecules into the blood;
- Appearance of granulomas.This is a type of neoplasm caused by parasites invading the cells of destroyed eggs;
- Dermatological manifestations;
- Anemia.People often suffer from anemia due to the activity of parasitic forms;
- Sharp fluctuations in weight;
- Mental disorders.In the process of vital activity, parasites release toxins that adversely affect the host's nervous system. The result of poisoning the body can be neurosis, depression, anxiety;
- Bruxism.This is the gnashing of teeth during sleep. This is the nervous system's response to the appearance of foreign bodies. However, this fact has not been conclusively proven by science;
- Sleep Disorders.Usually caused by anxious feelings. An example is the needle worms that lay eggs at night. Pinworm secreted from the rectum secretes a toxin that causes severe itching;
- Dysbacteriosis;
- Oncological diseases;
- Chronic fatigue.Occurs due to malnutrition, which adversely affects the condition of the body;
- Respiratory diseases.A number of parasites can live in the respiratory tract and cause disease. Other parasites act on the respiratory system to provoke colds;
- Immune disorders. Absorption of most vitamins by parasites weakens the body's barrier functions and increases the likelihood of infection.
However, there are also symptoms characteristic of the presence of parasites in a particular human body. For example, papillomas, the appearance of bald spots on the head, cracked heels, etc. , May indicate the life of parasites in the liver. In addition, the presence of certain types of parasitic forms can cause certain diseases in humans.
Diagnosis
Unfortunately, some doctors cancel their duties and do not send a person to special tests to identify parasites in the body. The most common test is the delivery of feces for worm eggs. The fact is that the parasites can be located in different organs.
There have been cases of worms being found in the human brain and eyes. Most likely, the eggs in their brains will enter the feces? Most likely not. Although there are worms in the intestines, the parasite's eggs cannot be found.
First of all, the doctor should conduct a visual examination of the patient. Externally, the presence of human parasites can be suspected. The easiest way to detect them is to do a blood test to detect specific antibodies against worms.
Description of Human Parasites
There are several dozen types of parasites that live in the human body.
Worms or helminths are a type of worm.Their size depends on the species, for example, female roundworms reach 40 centimeters. Some species can exceed 10 meters in length. The favorite habitat for worms is the intestines, but they are often found in other organs, even the brain.
For example, roundworm larvae roam the body, collect food and return to the intestines where they have grown and multiplied. They often live in the respiratory tract. The presence of ascaris in the human body is accompanied by disorders of the internal organs, intoxication, allergic reactions and even fever.
Among sugar worms, there is a pig tapeworm that migrates to the brain through the bloodstream. 
This parasite enters the body through poorly processed meat products. This worm lives up to 20 years.
Pinworms most commonly develop in children, but are quite common in adults. These worms are small and reach 1 cm in length. The spread of pinworm eggs is in contact at home. The female emerges from the rectum and lays an egg in the outer folds of the anus. The toxin released by the female causes severe itching, which causes the eggs to fall into human hands and be transmitted to all surrounding objects.
The second name for enterobiasis is a disease of dirty hands. All people who come in contact with the carrier are probably infected. Therefore, when pinworms are detected, it is recommended to treat the whole family.
Toxocarais a type of parasite that lives in dogs. They enter the human body and develop well at the same time. Unlike these worms in the dog's body, human toxocars do not come out, but they affect many organs and cause certain diseases. You can get toxocariasis from the soil, because the larvae of these worms come out of the dog's feces. The parasite's eggs can also be spread by the dog's wet breath.
Alveococcus and Echinococcusinfect the body in many ways. Their danger is that the larvae turn into cysts that can be found in various internal organs.
Giardia is the simplest.Like pinworms, Giardia is the most common infection in children.
They not only reduce a child's immunity, but also cause a delay in children's mental and physical development.
This list is incomplete. The main danger of parasites is that no one is immune to infection. Their secrecy has allowed a person to feed on parasites for years without a doubt. Adherence to personal hygiene, constant wet cleaning of the apartment and adherence to the norms of heat treatment of meat products is not a bad prevention of infection. To prevent the spread of parasites, it is helpful to see a doctor every six months and get the necessary tests.