Toxocariasis: How To Treat, Drugs And Pills

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Toxocariasis: How To Treat, Drugs And Pills
Toxocariasis: How To Treat, Drugs And Pills

Video: Toxocariasis: How To Treat, Drugs And Pills

Video: Toxocariasis: How To Treat, Drugs And Pills
Video: Psychoactive Drugs: pharmacology, intoxication, withdrawal, and treatment 2024, March
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Toxocariasis is a parasitic disease caused by worms of the genus Toxocara. These worms are similar to the normal human roundworm. The toxocara larva reaches 0.02 mm. Toxocariasis belongs to the group of zoonotic diseases, since parasites lead their life cycle in the body of animals. A person from toxocariasis can have serious consequences.

Content

  • 1 Sources of infection
  • 2 Ways of infection
  • 3 Signs
  • 4 Visceral form
  • 5 Ocular form
  • 6 Skin form
  • 7 Neurological disease
  • 8 Latent form
  • 9 Consequences of self-medication
  • 10 Treatment

Sources of infection

People are infected with this ailment from dogs and are only carriers of toxocariasis. Infection from a patient with human toxocariasis is excluded. Since the human body is an uncharacteristic ecological niche for toxocara, this prevents their development to a sexually mature state.

According to domestic studies, the presence of pathogen eggs in the soil of courtyards, parks and streets is 10-30%.

The parasite takes several weeks to mature in moist, humid conditions outside the host and become infectious. For this reason, eggs that have just emerged from the animal are not dangerous.

Infection routes

If dogs with cats can become infected by eating eggs or through the trans-mammary route, then in humans, infection occurs from external factors - dirty hands, animal hair, food, polluted water.

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In addition, infectious helminth eggs can be found on a large number of surfaces and objects. The same flies that consume feces are capable of spreading eggs to food and all kinds of objects.

The highest probability of infection with toxocariasis is observed in the hot season, since it is during this period that the largest number of eggs enter the soil and products. It is common for children to put dirty objects and hands in their mouths, which increases the risk of developing the disease. Adults, in turn, do not wash contaminated food and hands before eating.

There is another way of infection - insufficient heat treatment of chicken, rabbit or sheep meat. Parasite larvae, which are in special capsules in meat, in a new host can come into an active state and move, giving rise to toxocariasis. This is especially true for the liver and viscera.

Signs

Signs of infection with this disease are due to both the number of larvae that circulate in the blood and the affected organs. If, during the diagnosis of toxocariasis, treatment was not carried out, or the person tried to fight parasites with traditional medicine, the ailment becomes recurrent and prolonged.

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Based on the affected organs and symptoms, there are several main forms of toxocariasis:

  • visceral;
  • hidden;
  • ocular.

Visceral form

This form of the disease manifests itself if a lot of toxocars have entered the body. As a rule, helminths parasitize in the lungs, cardiovascular system, liver. The main features include:

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  • increased body temperature (often up to 37.5 ° c);
  • chills (especially if the lungs are affected);
  • general malaise and apathy;
  • rapid and labored breathing, coughing, the development of bronchitis or bronchial pneumonia is possible;
  • skin rash;
  • enlarged liver and spleen;
  • enlarged lymph nodes.

With prolonged illness, anemia may develop.

Eye shape

This form is observed less frequently than visceral toxocariasis. It is formed as a result of weak immunity, which is unable to prevent the penetration of larvae into the organ of the visual system.

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With toxocariasis of this form, one organ of vision is infected. Once in the choroid, the parasites form granulomatous inflammation.

Cutaneous form

This form is inherent in all kinds of allergic skin rashes, eczema, redness. Along with this, the patient may observe symptoms such as edema and itching in various places, which is explained by the movement of the larvae.

Neurological disease

This diagnosis is made when parasites enter the brain. This form of the disease is quite dangerous, capable of causing inflammation of the brain tissue. Granulomas form here too. First of all, the symptoms include seizures, headache. In addition, the following may appear:

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  • swings in mood and behavior;
  • deterioration of attention and memory;
  • difficulty reading;
  • epileptic seizures.

If, with this form, treatment is absent, dangerous and irreversible consequences may develop.

Hidden form

Toxocariasis of this form is less dangerous, but it is chronic. As signs note:

  • pain in the abdomen;
  • heat;
  • chills;
  • cephalalgia;
  • trouble falling asleep;
  • changes in behavior.

Often, experts observe an enlarged liver and lymph nodes in patients.

The consequences of self-medication

If toxocariasis is treated out of time, the disease can cause tissue damage, hemorrhage, inflammatory changes, and necrosis. If the optic nerve is infected, unilateral loss of vision is possible.

Some believe that these parasites die in the body anyway, which gives the right to self-medication with traditional medicine. Yes, helminths die in the human body, but the time of their existence is a serious health hazard. For this reason, they resort to traditional medicine only in conjunction with the main treatment, otherwise there is a risk of developing all kinds of complications that will manifest themselves in the quality of life.

Treatment

The most effective and recommended drugs in the fight against toxocariasis:

  • Albendazole;
  • Medamin;
  • Vermox.

Medicines effectively fight migratory parasites. Their effect will be insufficient if there are granulomas in the tissues. The duration of taking the medicine is 1-3 weeks, which is determined by the form, stage of the disease and the drug itself. Basically, the treatment gives a positive result. Sometimes it is required to repeat the course with a break of 2-4 months.

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Since pills against toxocariasis are effective only with migrating larvae, a long course of therapy is required. Only in this case is it possible to destroy even those larvae that were in encapsulation at the beginning of the drug intake.

A surgical route is used to remove granulomas. Ophthalmic nodules are removed using laser coagulation and cryopexy.

Timely therapy gives a positive prognosis. Death can be caused by colossal infection and lack of treatment. Speaking of ocular toxocariasis, the result of treatment depends on the duration and course of infection. If the larvae actively migrate, it is possible to cure the disease with drugs. With the formation of fibrosis and the location of foci in the central places, visual impairment is irreparable. Only a specialist can determine how to treat toxocariasis.

To combat worms, a powerful drug course is needed. The doctor can only recommend the additional use of traditional medicine recipes. There are a wide variety of recipes that enrich the body with a sharp and bitter taste, since it is he who is intolerable to parasites.

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