Opisthorchiasis - Symptoms And Treatment Of Opisthorchiasis In Adults And Children

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Opisthorchiasis - Symptoms And Treatment Of Opisthorchiasis In Adults And Children
Opisthorchiasis - Symptoms And Treatment Of Opisthorchiasis In Adults And Children

Video: Opisthorchiasis - Symptoms And Treatment Of Opisthorchiasis In Adults And Children

Video: Opisthorchiasis - Symptoms And Treatment Of Opisthorchiasis In Adults And Children
Video: Liver Fluke 2024, March
Anonim

Last updated 20 January 2018 at 19:15

Reading time: 6 minutes

At the end of the 19th century, an Italian doctor named Rivolta discovered an unfamiliar form of a worm. The parasite was found in the body of a cat. Why the Italian began to dissect the unfortunate animal is not known for certain. But the cat who suffered in the field of science became a co-author of the discovery. Though posthumously.

A few years later, the existence of the helminth was confirmed by a scientist from Tomsk. Mr. Vinogradov did not stoop to dismemberment of domestic animals, but during the autopsy of a human corpse he found exactly the same worm as his Italian predecessor. Comparing the description of the Italian with the creature found, Vinogradov realized that he was dealing with exactly the same individual as his foreign colleague.

Since then, mankind has learned about the disease, which, with the light hand of a Siberian researcher, was called opisthorchiasis. The causative agent of the disease was nicknamed the feline or Siberian fluke, thanks to a cat that died under a surgical scalpel and Vinogradov's Siberian location.

The answers to these questions lie in the plane of consumption, in this case, fish. It is through her that infection occurs.

In order to check the effectiveness of treatment for the disease of opisthorchiasis, it is possible by donating feces and blood, and checking them by a laboratory assistant.

Medical and folk treatment for opisthorchiasis in time can be fast, and maybe long.

During or after treatment, it would be nice to diagnose your body for other ailments that could arise in the process of opisthorchiasis.

These include pancreatitis, cirrhosis of the liver, abscess, pancreatic cancer, the formation of sand and stones in the gallbladder, cholangitis, cessation of the outflow of bile. After all, any disease is easier to prevent than to cure later, spending your health, time and money.

Content

  • 1 The cause of the disease is helminth
  • 2 Modes of transmission
  • 3 Symptoms of the disease
  • 4 Diagnostics
  • 5 Treatment
  • 6 Prevention

    6.1 Similar articles

The cause of the disease is helminth

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So, the parasite enters the human body through an infected fish. But she is not the first station on the way to man.

Initially, the worms settle inside the shellfish. This happens in shallow water, in dry bodies of water or floodplains of shallow rivers. The mollusk, feeding on various organic matter, swallows the eggs of the worm, which, with the excretion products of animals or humans, entered the environment.

The parasite remains in the mollusk until the larvae hatch from the eggs. Then they leave the living incubator, getting directly into the reservoir, and infect the fish. There, the larva feels great, leads an active parasitic lifestyle, and after 45 days is ready to move on and infect humans. Speaking in official language, it becomes invasive.

It should be noted that human infection occurs due to insufficient heat treatment of the product. That is, the fish is eaten uncooked, undercooked, or even raw. That is why the indigenous northern peoples, who have strong raw food traditions, are susceptible to opisthorchiasis.

Modes of transmission

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Fluke does not affect all aquatic inhabitants. It does not threaten marine species in any way, and only inhabitants of freshwater rivers become infected with the worm. However, not all. Among the risk group are representatives of the carp family: bream, ide, sabrefish and others like them. If someone asks if a pike gets infected, the answer is: yes, it happens. But rarely enough.

Proceeding from the fact that the fluke parasitizes in fresh waters, it is possible to determine its habitat. The greatest activity of the worm was noted in the lower reaches of the Irtysh, in the middle Ob, in the channel of other Siberian rivers. You can also get infected from fish in the basins of the Volga, Dnieper, Dniester.

Once in the human body, helminths settle in the liver, gallbladder or pancreas. After two weeks, they reach sexual maturity and begin to lay eggs, which can maintain their vital activity for more than a year.

The accumulation of worms can lead to blockage of the bile ducts, which often becomes the cause of inflammatory processes. The waste products of parasites cause allergies, metabolic disorders, and decreased immunity.

Symptoms of the disease

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Symptoms of opisthorchiasis in adults and children appear after infestation with helminths.

The course of the disease depends on the following factors:

  • time elapsed since infection;
  • activity of worms;
  • the health status of the infected.

There are two forms of the disease: acute and chronic. The acute form lasts no more than 60 days, the chronic one can last for decades.

When opisthorchiasis is detected, the corresponding symptoms appear and signs, it is necessary to immediately begin treatment, having previously taken tests from adults and children.

Symptoms characterizing the acute stage of the disease are as follows:

  1. pain in the right side;
  2. high temperature;
  3. changes in the volume of the liver or gallbladder;
  4. constant gassing;
  5. heartburn;
  6. aching muscle and joint pain;
  7. diarrhea;
  8. lack of appetite.

Symptoms in the chronic stage are similar to those associated with impaired liver and pancreas, and are manifested in the following signs:

  • pain on the right under the ribs;
  • pain attacks in the chest area;
  • indigestion;
  • aversion to fatty and meaty foods.

Diagnostics

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When carrying out diagnostics, data on the epidemiological state of the region are taken into account. Another revealing way is to turn to statistical calculations.

Additional risks leading to infection include factors such as:

  • the possibility of eating raw or underprocessed fish;
  • the number of cases of invasion for a certain number of residents of the region;
  • belonging to a particular ethnic group (meaning the nationalities inhabiting some areas of the Far North).

Diagnosis of opisthorchiasis is performed by taking feces or a mixture of gastric juice, pancreatic and duodenal enzymes for analysis. If a person is infected with Siberian fluke, then the parasite eggs will be present in the analyzes.

Tests should be taken not once, but 3 or 4, since it is not always possible to detect eggs. If there are less than 100 fluke eggs in 1 g of feces, the disease is regarded as mild. If more than 30,000 eggs are present in the same volume, it is considered that the patient has a severe form of invasion.

Adult worms can be identified with endoscopy by examining the internal organs of a person. Ultrasound is also performed, in this case, the presence of helminths can be recognized when the volume of the liver, pancreas changes, the bile ducts are blocked, and inflammatory foci are formed.

Treatment

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For the most part, people do not know how to treat opisthorchiasis in adults and children. In the worst case, as is customary among certain representatives of the northern peoples, cologne or strong drinks are used as a medicine.

At best, the patient is treated with medications. Both methods are unlikely to lead to positive results. Treatment of the disease should be carried out in a hospital, under the supervision of doctors.

The attending physician will prescribe a comprehensive treatment, which is divided into three stages:

  1. preparatory;
  2. main;
  3. rehabilitation.

During the preparatory stage, measures are taken to relieve allergic and anti-inflammatory symptoms.

A careful approach to the preparatory stage is necessary for the successful treatment of the disease. At this point, the patient is prescribed antiallergic drugs, tablets to improve the functioning of the liver and pancreas, general antibiotics.

The main stage of treatment involves taking anthelmintic drugs, such as:

  • albendazole;
  • praziquantel;
  • chloxyl.

They act directly on the parasites themselves, destroying them at the cellular level or paralyzing muscle tissue. Both of these lead to the death of helminths and subsequent removal from the body in a natural way.

The rehabilitation period provides for rehabilitation therapy. At this point, timely bowel movement is essential. If difficulties arise in this regard, the patient is prescribed a laxative medicine.

Also, during the rehabilitation period, drugs are used to improve liver function and promote better bile circulation.

Prevention

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Preventive measures to prevent infection with Siberian fluke are simple: you should thoroughly fry or boil the fish you eat.

In order for the helminths to die, the following rules must be followed:

  1. fry for at least 15 minutes;
  2. you need to cook the fish for at least 20 minutes. If large pieces, then 20 minutes;
  3. baking with fish should be done for about an hour.

To kill the worms in the contaminated product, you can resort to deep freezing.

Here the rules are:

  • at a temperature of -40C, parasites die after 7 hours;
  • at -35C - after 14 hours;
  • at -25 - after 35 hours.

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