Ankylostoma In Humans Symptoms And Treatment Methods

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Ankylostoma In Humans Symptoms And Treatment Methods
Ankylostoma In Humans Symptoms And Treatment Methods

Video: Ankylostoma In Humans Symptoms And Treatment Methods

Video: Ankylostoma In Humans Symptoms And Treatment Methods
Video: Hookworm, Causes, Signs and Symptoms, Diagnosis and Treatment. 2024, March
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All signs and symptoms of hookworm infection in humans

Content

  • 1 Hookworm - description
  • 2 What is hookworm infection?
  • 3 Ways and mechanism of infection
  • 4 Symptoms of infection

    • 4.1 The clinical picture of percutaneous hookworm invasion in humans
    • 4.2 The clinical picture of the intestinal stage
    • 4.3 Symptoms of oral infection
    • 4.4 Symptoms of chronic hookworm infection in humans
  • 5 Diagnostics
  • 6 Treatment of hookworm in humans
  • 7 Prevention

Ankylostoma in humans shows blurred symptoms, which explains the difficulty of diagnosis. It is believed that every 4th inhabitant of the planet is a carrier of these parasites. The halo of spread of helminthic invasion is limited to the tropics and subtropics.

Mines and mines in Africa, South Asia and Latin America become hotbeds of infection. An adult hookworm can live in the human body for up to 8 years. However, with proper therapy, a successful cure occurs in 95 infected patients out of a hundred.

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Ankylostoma - description

Hookworms in humans are small, light pink parasites belonging to the roundworm family (nematodes). The adult is about 1 cm long. The larvae are so small that they cannot be seen without a microscope. An adult worm has a characteristic bend of the body in the head region, according to which it is called a crooked head.

Since the worm seeks to enter the human intestine, the full name sounds like "intestinal crooked head". A female hookworm is capable of producing about 30 thousand viable eggs in 1 day.

There are several types of hookworms, but humans are mainly affected by the Ancylostoma duodenale or intestinal hookworm. Less commonly, infections with the American hookworm (Necator americanus) are detected. Parasites of this species are the third in the ranking of the spread of helminthic invasions, after ascariasis and pinworms.

Hookworms are attached by the mouth apparatus to the intestinal wall and periodically bite through it, feeding on blood.

What is hookworm infection?

Ankylostomiasis is a disease caused by hookworms. What is ankylostomiasis? It is synonymous with hookworm disease, but has a more general meaning, since it unites all invasions - hookworm infection and non-coronary disease.

Ankylostomosis in humans has two ways of occurrence: oral (through the mouth) and percutaneous (percutaneous). These are the main routes of entry of parasite larvae into the body.

Ways and mechanism of infection

Hookworms are geohelminths. The stage of development from eggs to larvae takes place in the ground. It is believed that a person becomes infected from a person, but this does not happen directly. From the source of infection, hookworm eggs fall into the ground with feces.

Ankylostomiasis is caused by contact with the ground. Through the skin, hookworm larvae enter the body when the human skin is in direct contact with the ground. Oral infection occurs through dirty hands, contaminated food and water.

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With oral invasion, the larvae of the worm are swallowed with saliva and immediately enter the intestine. Infection through the skin is fraught with migration of the parasite to all organs with blood flow. The hookworm can settle in the lungs, liver, heart, and other organs.

The mechanism of infection by contact can be schematically described as follows:

  • The larvae penetrate the skin, stay there for some time, causing itching, redness of the skin (symptoms mistaken for scabies);
  • Then the larvae penetrate the vessels and move along them to the heart and lungs;
  • Are fixed in the right atrium and to the alveoli;
  • Damaging the tissue of the lungs, they enter the respiratory tract and migrate with breathing into the oral cavity;
  • In the oral cavity, they are swallowed and enter the intestines, which is the purpose of their entire journey through the human body.

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Adults feed exclusively on human blood. Their oral cavity produces an anticoagulant that prevents blood from clotting. The result of such activity is microscopic multiple damage to internal organs and tissues.

With a large number of parasites, infection can result in the death of a person.

Infection symptoms

Ankylostomiasis - the symptoms of the disease depend on which organs are infected and how large the number of parasites is. With mild invasion, the symptoms are insignificant. The difficulty in diagnosing ankylostomiasis in humans is that the symptoms of infection are not characteristic, but are similar to therapeutic pathologies.

Depending on the location of the parasites, the clinical picture of helminthic invasion is confused with an intestinal disorder, colds and inflammatory respiratory diseases.

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The clinical picture of percutaneous hookworm invasion in humans

The acute phase of infection begins with dermatological symptoms that persist for about 10 days.

At the point of penetration of the larvae, the skin turns red, itches, swells. The first sensation is like a stinging nettle. Then the symptomatology is replaced by pulmonary.

Symptoms of lung injury:

  1. Wet cough with a lot of discharge;
  2. Suffocation;
  3. Feeling of perspiration and tickling in the respiratory tract, pharynx;
  4. Attacks similar to asthmatic;
  5. Inflammation of the lungs with significant invasion;
  6. Weakness, drowsiness;
  7. Headaches, loss of spatial orientation.

    Headaches
    Headaches
    Pneumonia
    Pneumonia
    Weakness
    Weakness

The clinical picture of the intestinal stage

The classic symptomatology of hookworm disease in humans is associated with intestinal damage.

Intestinal ankylostomiasis, symptoms:

  • Violation of taste preferences, loss of appetite, desire for unusual food or inedible things;
  • Nausea, vomiting, drooling;
  • Headache, weakness, blurred eyes;
  • Faintness, disorientation;
  • Pain in the abdomen, chest, heart, lungs, stomach and right side;
  • Persistent drop in blood pressure.

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It should be understood that the above symptoms may be present, but they are not required. The incubation period lasts about 60 days. Symptoms from dermatological to intestinal are also extended over time.

Oral infection symptoms

With oral infection, the clinical picture of hookworm infection in humans is somewhat different and may be more pronounced. The acute phase includes the listed intestinal symptoms. To them are added manifestations of general intoxication with products that parasites release in the course of their vital activity.

It:

  1. Increased body temperature;
  2. General weakness;
  3. Feverish condition;
  4. Pallor, dry skin;
  5. Tachycardia, arrhythmia.

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If the hookworm remains in the human body for a long time, and not diagnosed invasion can last for years, the course of the disease becomes chronic. Symptoms remain complex but less pronounced. Suspicion of helminthic infection is caused by symptoms of unmotivated iron deficiency anemia.

Symptoms of chronic hookworm infection in humans

The clinical picture of chronic hookworm disease is explained by the development of iron deficiency anemia, which develops against the background of constant blood loss.

The symptoms are as follows:

  1. Constant weakness;
  2. Periodic dizziness, reaching fainting;
  3. Dry skin, weak, falling hair, exfoliating, brittle nails;
  4. Pallor;
  5. Low pressure.

    Pallor
    Pallor
    Dry skin
    Dry skin
    Dry skin
    Dry skin

Anemia is confirmed by a blood test. In women, a malfunction in the menstrual cycle and neurotic manifestations are superimposed. Unmotivated aggression is accompanied by bouts of hysteria or inhibition.

When listening to the heart, systolic ejection murmurs are noted. ECG shows dystrophic changes in the work of the myocardium. Loss of appetite is permanent. Patients complain of persistent pain in the epigastrium and intestines. Bloating and erratic stools are noted.

Infection of a pregnant woman is fraught with miscarriage or the birth of a defective child. Hookworm infection in children leads to a delay in physical and mental development.

Diagnostics

Diagnostic studies begin with the study of the clinical picture and patient complaints. Unfortunately, the symptomatology does not immediately prompt the therapist to suspect a parasitic infection. Stool examination is not always indicative. The symptoms of hookworm disease in humans become "characteristic" as soon as there is a guess about possible worms.

The following things can lead to the correct interpretation of the manifestations of hookworm infection:

  1. An obligatory story about early dermatological symptoms, if any;
  2. A story about direct contact with the ground. Picnics, gardening, barefoot walks, travel to high-risk countries are important;
  3. Epidemiological data.

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Specific diagnostics include:

  • General, biochemical, serological blood test. Investigate the indicators of eosinophils (rise up to 30-60%), a fall in erythrocytes, an increase in ESR, a decrease in albumin;
  • Study of feces for worm eggs;
  • Radiography (fluoroscopy). In the lungs, it will show the presence of infiltrates, in the intestines, a decrease in tone and a delay in feces are diagnosed;
  • Duodenal intubation for the presence of helminthic invasion.

Treatment of hookworm in humans

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Treatment of hookworm in humans is medication and more often outpatient. Hospitalization with hookworm disease is carried out in advanced cases or in the treatment of children according to individual indications. The prognosis directly depends on how quickly the infection is diagnosed.

Classic drugs for the treatment of ankylostomiasis:

  1. Albendazole 400 mg single dose.
  2. Pirantel. The drug is dosed depending on body weight at the rate of 10 mg per kg. Treatment is carried out for 3 days in a course with a single daily dose.
  3. Dekaris. Adult 150 mg per dose. Children's dosage is calculated by weight at the rate of 1 kg per 2.5 mg of the drug. A three-day course with a single daily dose.

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In parallel, the patient, depending on the condition, is prescribed symptomatic therapy. These are vitamin complexes, iron preparations, antihistamines. In severe cases, blood transfusion is performed.

Prevention

Preventive measures to protect against infection with helminths are to observe personal hygiene and hygiene of food preparation. Water from unfamiliar sources should be boiled or chemically disinfected. To do this, you need to take appropriate drugs on travel.

Travelers should be alert to any unusual occurrences associated with recent travel. Regular preventive examinations will not interfere with people who are in the area of occupational or domestic risk and often deal with land.

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