Amoebiasis - Diagnosis, Symptoms And Treatment Of Amoebiasis

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Amoebiasis - Diagnosis, Symptoms And Treatment Of Amoebiasis
Amoebiasis - Diagnosis, Symptoms And Treatment Of Amoebiasis

Video: Amoebiasis - Diagnosis, Symptoms And Treatment Of Amoebiasis

Video: Amoebiasis - Diagnosis, Symptoms And Treatment Of Amoebiasis
Video: Amebiasis (Amoebic Dysentery) | Entamoeba histolytica, Pathogenesis, Signs & Symptoms, Treatment 2024, March
Anonim

Last updated on June 30, 2017 at 05:06 PM

Reading time: 6 minutes

Amoebiasis is an infectious disease caused by protozoan parasites.

With it, ulcers appear in the large intestine and on the walls of other internal organs.

Low level of sanitation and environmental pollution also provoke the appearance of amebiasis.

Today, this disease is one of the most serious medical problems, although there is treatment and doctors apply all their knowledge and medicines to treat people even from poor countries and cities.

Content

  • 1 What Causes Amoebiasis?

    • 1.1 How is this infection spread?
    • 1.2 How does the disease develop?
  • 2 What forms do amoebiasis have?

    • 2.1 Intestinal amebiasis - the main symptoms
    • 2.2 It is acute and clinical
    • 2.3 Extraintestinal amebiasis
  • 3 Cutaneous amebiasis: what are the symptoms

    • 3.1 Diagnosis of amebiasis
    • 3.2 How is amebiasis treated in the hospital?
    • 3.3 How to treat amoebiasis with folk remedies?
  • 4 Is it possible to completely cure amoebiasis?

    • 4.1 Disease prevention
    • 4.2 Conclusions
    • 4.3 Similar articles

What causes amoebiasis?

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The causative agent of this disease is a dysentery or histological amoeba. This bacteria can be active or passive. In its usual form, it is not dangerous, but at rest it provokes ulcers and abscesses.

If the treatment was carried out incorrectly or not completely, the ulcers will transform into cysts, and the symptoms of amebiasis disappear. In this case, a person still continues to be a carrier of this disease and to secrete substances in feces that can infect other people.

How is this infection spread?

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This single-celled bacterium is passed from one person to another.

Amoebiasis is also called "dirty hands disease" - as well as many similar infectious diseases. The carrier of the infection must carry out all hygiene procedures. You need to wash your hands after going to the toilet, because otherwise it will transfer bacteria to personal items, clothing, food and even another person upon contact.

Other people, in order not to get infected, should also follow these simple rules. Wash your hands, vegetables and fruits before eating them, and do not drink dirty water.

How does the disease develop?

Once in the large intestine, the amoeba bacteria begin to move into an active form. However, infection does not always occur. These protozoa can simply live in the large intestine and calmly feed on its contents. As such, they will not do you any harm. This form of amebiasis is called asymptomatic carriage. When you do this, you still release bacteria that can infect other people.

Also, a person with impaired bowel function, frequent stress or starving can become infected with this disease. In this case, amoebas begin to show aggression, because they do not have enough of those substances that are in the intestines of such people. Then they stick to the walls of the organs and begin to suck out the nutrients from them. The intestinal wall reacts to this with the appearance of ulcers. At the same time, amoebas throw the waste of their own life into the human body, gradually polluting it and poisoning it.

Most often, ulcers are located on the intestinal walls, but they can also be on the appendix. Their depth is quite large, some large ulcers eat away the entire intestinal wall, forming a perforation in it. As a result, peritonitis develops - an inflammation of the abdominal cavity, because all waste from the intestine enters it.

If there is a blood vessel at the site of such an ulcer, then there is a great risk of internal bleeding. The ingress of amoebas into the blood will contribute to their spread throughout the body, and this will lead to the appearance of abscesses - abscesses in all organs. It is very dangerous for the patient!

What forms do amoebiasis have?

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Intestinal amebiasis - the main symptoms

There is a separate form in which an asymptomatic course of the disease occurs. It does not threaten the carrier with anything, but other types of amebiasis are very scary and in some forms ends in death for the patient.

This form is accompanied by certain symptoms, in contrast to asymptomatic amebiasis. In another way, it is also called amoebic dysentery or amoebic dysentery colitis.

It can be acute and clinical

The symptoms of intestinal amebiasis are very similar to common dysentery.

The incubation period usually takes from a week to 4 months. After this, symptoms such as frequent stools, fever, pain in the lower abdomen and false, frequent urge to bowel movements begin to appear. At the beginning of the development of the disease, the carrier can go to the toilet 4 to 6 times a day, and in the midst of it - 10-20 times.

In a more severe version, the disease is accompanied by symptoms of vomiting and a decrease (lack) of appetite.

Intestinal amoebiasis lasts for 3-5 weeks and can be completely healed during this period. After that, a period of remission begins and all symptoms disappear. The disease progresses to a chronic stage. You can also try to cure it, but it will be much more difficult and longer to do it.

In the chronic stage of this form of amebiasis, the following ailments are observed: general weakness of the body, decreased appetite, enlarged liver, exhaustion, pallor of the skin, palpitations.

Extraintestinal amebiasis

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This form of amebiasis can develop as a complication. It is often experienced by immunosuppressed patients. Body ulcers tend to appear in areas where the skin has the most contact with the toilet seat and human feces.

Diagnostics of the amebiasis

The diagnosis is made only by a doctor after a complete examination of the person. At the same time, reports on the sanitary and epidemiological situation of the district or region where the person lives are also taken into account.

After a long study, the doctor will prescribe the correct treatment and the necessary drugs, their dosage and frequency of use.

How is amebiasis treated in the hospital?

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Patients with a severe course of the disease or at later stages are sent for treatment to an infectious diseases hospital.

For efficiency and speed of recovery, doctors advise the use of medicines. They can be found in the diagnosis of amebiasis. The doctor will prescribe the drugs you need and select the correct dosage.

Also, if there are ulcers or cysts on the internal organs, surgical intervention may be used. With cutaneous amoebiasis, special ointments are often prescribed.

How to treat amoebiasis with folk remedies?

Treatment of amebiasis with folk remedies at home is possible only with a mild or initial stage of the disease. Even in antiquity, when there were no medicines, patients with amoebiasis were treated with decoctions of sea buckthorn, hawthorn or bird cherry. Garlic was also used - they mixed one hundred milliliters of vodka and forty grams of chopped and dried garlic, infused for two weeks and took ten drops before meals with a dairy or fermented milk product.

When using folk remedies for treatment, remember that medications are much more effective and better at coping with amebiasis. However, you can use them together for the best effect.

Is it possible to completely cure amoebiasis?

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This disease can be completely cured in a few months. If there was no treatment for the disease at all or the disease was detected too late, it may even be fatal.

Now you know what amebiasis is, and if you notice the symptoms of the disease indicated above, immediately consult a doctor. In this case, it is better not to self-medicate, but to trust a professional.

Prevention of the disease

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First, always remember that the causative agent of amoebiasis is an amoeba that lives in a polluted environment. Therefore, it is very important to follow all the rules of normal hygiene. And we are taught this from childhood - to wash our hands after using the toilet and before every meal, not to drink dirty water, not to touch insects and animals that mainly live in landfills. They can also carry this contagious disease.

Secondly, there are certain risk groups - people who need to be tested more often for these bacteria. These are those who suffer from chronic diseases of the intestines and excretory system, as well as workers of treatment facilities, sewage systems. Also homosexuals and people who have visited a country with warm, hot temperatures and low levels of sanitation.

Also, all persons who get a job in preschool and school institutions, in food processing plants, in sanatoriums are subject to such a survey. If they test positive for the bacteria that cause amoebiasis, they are not hired until they are fully treated.

The rules of personal hygiene are promoted among the population and absolutely everyone is taught this from an early age. After all, no one has any questions about washing their hands after using the toilet or before eating.

And sanitary rules must be followed by all buildings where food is served - the presence of a toilet and a sink, where after it you can wash your hands with soap and water, is a must!

conclusions

So, if you find you have any symptoms of the disease, you should go to the doctor and get tested.

Prevention is just as important as annual checks. It is important to carry them out, even if you are not at risk. Self-diagnosis and an attempt to treat amoebiasis should not be carried out. This disease is insidious enough and can be fatal for you if not treated at all.

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