Ascaris - Symptoms Of Ascariasis In Children And Treatment Methods

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Ascaris - Symptoms Of Ascariasis In Children And Treatment Methods
Ascaris - Symptoms Of Ascariasis In Children And Treatment Methods

Video: Ascaris - Symptoms Of Ascariasis In Children And Treatment Methods

Video: Ascaris - Symptoms Of Ascariasis In Children And Treatment Methods
Video: What is Ascariasis ? ( Ascaris Lumbricoids Infections - FAQ ) 2024, March
Anonim

Last updated 16 January 2018 at 04:08 PM

Reading time: 6 minutes

Ascariasis is understood as a disease caused by the penetration of roundworms into the human body - ascaris, which cause various inflammatory processes and lead to diseases of the intestines, lungs, and sometimes the human brain. At the same time, it is very easy to become infected with ascaris, the risk of their eggs entering the body is very high.

Let's also figure out what exactly these parasites are, what are the signs of ascariasis and the causes of infection, and, most importantly, what symptoms and abnormalities in health should make a person suspect this disease and begin treatment. We will also get acquainted with the possible methods of treatment, prevention and complications of this disease.

Content

  • 1 What are roundworms?
  • 2 Stages of the development cycle of ascaris and their characteristics
  • 3 What are the causes of infection with ascariasis?
  • 4 Symptoms in children and adults
  • 5 Diagnostic methods or how to define ascariasis?
  • 6 Treatment of ascaris
  • 7 Consequences after an illness
  • 8 Prevention of Ascaris infection

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What are roundworms?

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Ascaris human is a helminth, that is, a worm, which belongs to round worms. The length of male roundworms reaches 25 cm, and females can grow up to 40 cm in length. They are pale pink and spindle-shaped. Females of this worm can lay up to 25 thousand eggs per day.

According to official figures, more than one billion people on the planet are carriers of the pathogen. But ascariasis is most common in the tropical and subtropical zones, since it is there that the natural conditions are most suitable for their survival and reproduction outside the human body.

Stages of the development cycle of ascaris and their characteristics

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During the development cycle, several life forms of roundworms are determined:

  • egg - females lay eggs in the human intestines, which are excreted with feces and ripen in the soil under the necessary conditions: high humidity and air temperature over 20 degrees Celsius. When ripe, a larva appears in the egg, which, when entering the human body, leads to its infection (invasion);
  • larval stage - the direct development of the parasite in the body. The larva enters the human vessels through the holes made in the intestine and moves through the body, entering the liver or lungs. Also, when moving, the larva moves to the respiratory tract or pharynx. The duration of this stage is about 15 days;
  • an adult grows in the intestine from a larva, females can lay new eggs.

What are the causes of infection with ascariasis?

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The main sources of parasites are animals and humans. Since roundworm eggs are excreted from the human body along with feces and live in the soil, pets, upon contact with such soil, can become carriers of infection on their fur, transferring them to any surfaces in the house, for example, floor coverings and furniture. There, roundworm eggs die faster than in the soil, but they are viable enough time for infection.

Other common ways eggs enter the body are unwashed or poorly washed vegetables and fruits that have come into contact with contaminated soil, dirty hands, and some insects that carry the disease.

But all the same, the most dangerous is prolonged contact with contaminated soil, which leads to the ingestion of the roundworm eggs in the body through the mouth.

Symptoms in children and adults

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It is quite difficult to detect ascariasis in the early stages, since the first symptoms in adults in the presence of helminths in the body are already felt when the worms reach impressive sizes and lead to health problems. In this case, the symptoms of the disease will differ depending on the stage of development of roundworm in the body and the intensity of infection, that is, the number of eggs that have entered the body.

Based on these factors, the symptoms will differ depending on the phase of development of the disease:

During the migration phase

Most often, the symptoms are mild or insignificant, but can manifest themselves in the form of general malaise, the appearance of a dry cough with mucous sputum, an increase in the body temperature of the infected.

But in children, when a significant number of eggs enter the body at the same time, even the first phase can be accompanied by intoxication, expressed in an increase in body temperature up to 38 degrees, an increase in lymph nodes, acute headaches, an enlarged spleen or liver.

The most common symptoms of ascariasis in the early phase of infection is the appearance of allergic dermatoses, that is, allergic skin reactions in the form of urticaria on the hands and feet.

In the intestinal phase

The very name of the phase suggests that the symptoms of roundworm change after the penetration of roundworms into the small intestine, where the discovered roundworm leads to problems such as diarrhea, changing with constipation and flatulence.

Very often, in combination with a decrease in immunity, the appearance of ascaris in the intestines leads to various infectious diseases.

Children in this phase have more pronounced symptoms:

  • cramping abdominal pain;
  • nausea, sometimes with vomiting, lack of appetite;
  • fast fatiguability;
  • painful appearance;
  • sometimes redness and itching in the anus.

The nervous system can suggest the presence of such a disease as ascariasis, showing symptoms such as dizziness, nightmares or insomnia, memory impairment, meningitis, pressing headache, convulsions.

Sometimes there may be a decrease in blood pressure.

Auxiliary symptoms:

  • Ascariasis in adults is manifested by symptoms that are inherent in many other diseases, including of an infectious nature, but nevertheless, the presence of ascaris in the body can be suspected if a person simultaneously feels a number of special specific signs:
  • abdominal pain changes its location, appears and disappears abruptly and spontaneously;
  • some jaundice of the skin, pallor of the skin;
  • noticeable and unexplained weight loss. Inconsistency with the age norm in children;
  • manifestations of aversion to food, loss of appetite;
  • constipation and diarrhea, which alternate with each other for no apparent reason;
  • bouts of nausea, sometimes accompanied by vomiting;
  • gnashing of teeth in sleep, sleep problems;
  • frequent illness of ARVI.

Diagnostic methods or how to define ascariasis?

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If the presence of these parasites is suspected, the patient is prescribed a diagnosis, consisting of a number of procedures, which includes:

  • blood test - an increased number of eosinophils indicates an allergic reaction;
  • study of blood plasma - determination of the presence of specific antibodies to roundworm larvae;
  • microscopic examination of sputum - helps to determine the presence of larvae when moving them into the respiratory tract;
  • X-ray of the lungs is a method that allows you to determine the areas of darkening in the lungs at the places where the larvae exit into the alveoli;
  • fecal examination - carried out under a microscope in order to determine the eggs of roundworms, which are represented by barrel-shaped formations. This type of diagnosis should be carried out at least three times at intervals of 3-4 days, since the withdrawal of parasite eggs from the body is not uniform, therefore, a negative result obtained without confirmation after a few days cannot be considered completely reliable.

Ascaris treatment

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Ascaris treatment is possible only with the use of complex drug therapy, which is represented by the appointment and administration of such groups of drugs:

  • desensitizing - the most popular options are Supravtin and Tavegil;
  • anthelmintic - the main means in the treatment of ascaris. The efficacy of drugs such as Albendazole, Mebendazole, Pirantel, Levamisole is widely recognized. Natazoxanide and Thiabendazole are their alternatives. But taking any of these drugs should only be prescribed by a doctor, since each of them has its own characteristics and can only be prescribed by a specialist. So, it must be borne in mind that taking Pirantel can lead to intestinal obstruction with a large number of ascaris and it does not kill larvae at an early stage of infection. And, for example, Albendazole is one of the most effective options, but is contraindicated in pregnant women for children under 2 years of age. Often, piperazine is additionally prescribed, which leads to paralysis of the worms, which makes it impossible for them to migrate to the esophagus;
  • enzyme - Mezim, Creon, and multivitamin complexes;
  • iron preparations - to restore the level of hemoglobin and erythrocytes;
  • antiemetics.

In addition to taking a set of medications, in order for the treatment to be really effective, the patient must be prescribed a diet that is based on restricting the consumption of fats, alcohol is completely excluded. On the other hand, the amount of protein needs to be increased.

Another method - the treatment of the disease is the method of oxygen exposure. The essence of the method is in the introduction of oxygen into the stomach through a tube, the number of procedures required is from 3.

Consequences after an illness

All possible consequences and complications after ascariasis in adults are caused by the fact that individuals of helminths, moving through the body, damage the tissues of almost all organs.

Therefore, most often the presence of ascaris in the body leads to such consequences as peretinitis, appendicitis, pancreatitis, liver abscess, inflammatory processes of the genitourinary system, pneumonia, intestinal obstruction and similar causes.

Prevention of ascaris infection

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In order to prevent ascaris eggs from entering the human body and their further long-term treatment, you should adhere to just a few simple rules:

  • observe personal hygiene;
  • give up the habit of biting your nails;
  • wash hands thoroughly after working with soil;
  • carry out wet cleaning of premises;
  • stop drinking raw water.

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