Helminths or parasitic worms work very secretly in the human body.Symptoms of the immune response to a parasitic infection can easily be confused with the flu, food poisoning, allergies, chronic fatigue syndrome, and more.And you may not know you are infected with pork tapeworm, a tapeworm up to 3 meters long, throughout its life cycle - 2-3 years.Today we will talk about helminths, as well as about anthelmintics and why you should not take them “just for prevention”.
So, first an introduction.Most of the helminths common in our area live in the intestines.However, some types of parasites can also settle in body tissues - muscles, lungs, brain, eyeball tissue, etc.
All types of parasitic worms on the human body are divided into three types:
- Roundworms - nematodes:Roundworms, pinworms, trichinella, hookworms, etc. Nematodes are the most "common" parasitic diseases.According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than one billion people in the world are simultaneously infected with them (a total of more than two billion people are infected with many different types of helminths).
- Helminths are trematodes.They affect the liver, bile and urinary tract, pancreas, intestines, lungs and blood.The most common types of trematodes are opisthorchiasis, schistosomiasis, clonorchiasis, fascioliasis, etc., and some of them can cause cancer - the development of tumors.
- Tapeworms are cestodes.There are currently 3,500 known species, and each of them can parasitize the human body.Which cestode your body chooses depends on the country you live in.One of the main sources of infection for these parasites is fish that has not been completely heat-treated.Echinococcosis, dirofilarziasis, taenzheimosis, teniarinchchiasis are cestodiase diseases that affect not only humans but also pets.
Helminths suppress immune responses, so the body's defenses are affected even in severe infections.They cause allergies, digestive disorders and disrupt the function of internal organs.The body is poisoned by the metabolic products and decomposition of helminths, suffers mechanical damage and the immune and nervous systems are suppressed.
Additionally, the presence of parasites:
- reduces the effectiveness of vaccination;
- further complicates the course of various concomitant diseases;
- negative effects on the growth and development of children and the working ability of adults;
- causes changes in intestinal biocenosis and triggers the development of “bad” microflora (pathogenic and opportunistic - for example, fungi of the genus Candida, which cause candidiasis).
In general, treatment of helminths is really necessary.But you need to do this wisely.
Treatment of helminths.Worm medicine
Once upon a time, people used mainly herbal remedies to fight worms - male ferns, wormwood, chenopodia oil, etc.Nowadays, synthetic substances are used for these purposes.Therefore, some outdated drugs (the herbal medicines mentioned above, as well as hexylresorcinol, carbon tetrachloride, etc.) are excluded from the nomenclature of anthelmintics, and some remain, but are used very limitedly (wormwood and tansy flowers, thymol, sulfur, pumpkin seeds, etc.).
Modern anthelmintics are divided into groups depending on their main effect on helminths of different classes (cestodes, nematodes, trematodes).Some medications can treat several different types of helminths.But it is important to remember that there is no such thing as "the best way to cure worms" - it all depends on what type of parasite has taken hold of your body.
Today, most anthelmintic drugs are produced on the basis of six main active ingredients - albendazole, mebendazole, praziquantel, pyrantel, piperazine adipate and levamisole.Let's look at their assets in more detail.
Albendazole
Albendazole preparations are effective against many different types of parasites – both intestinal and those living in other organs.Furthermore, the effect of this substance depends on the time of use:
- On an empty stomach, albendazole is not absorbed but only passes through the digestive tract, killing intestinal parasites;
- Together with fatty foods, albendazole is absorbed and destroys extraintestinal parasites (muscles, liver, lungs, brain, other organs).
Therefore, the use of albendazole requires a doctor's clear consent based on diagnosis and preliminary test results.
Mebendazole
Compared with albendazole, mebendazole is less well absorbed and its effects are mainly manifested in the gastrointestinal tract.Despite this, mebendazole can also be prescribed against helminths living in tissues - for example, in cases of echinococcosis, when the bladder is caused by Echinococcus in one place that cannot be removed in time.
According to recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO), albendazole and mebendazole should be used for helminths caused by earthworms: roundworms, whipworms, and hookworms.Both substances belong to the same group and have a similar effect - disrupting the process of absorbing glucose in the body of helminths.Without glucose, the parasite will die of starvation.
The drugs albendazole and mebendazole are not “popular” drugs, but they are valuable because they have relatively few potential side effects.
Praziquantel
Effective against trematodes (cat fluke, lung fluke, schistosomiasis).It is used to treat clonorchiasis, paragonimiasis, opisthorchiasis, intestinal cestodizemia (taenzheim, teniarinchchiasis), etc.Under the influence of praziquantel, the parasite disrupts the absorption of glucose by the body's cells, paralyzing and killing the helminths.
Pirantel
Pyrantel is practically not absorbed in the human body, and therefore has a targeted effect only on those helminths that have settled in the intestines.It immobilizes worms that are sensitive to it and in this immobilized state they are eliminated from the body.
Pyrantel preparations are approved for use in children from 6 months of age and older - they can be administered in the form of a suspension because it is easier to administer (in tablet form, the drug is allowed to be used only from 3 years of age).In general, pyrantel is well tolerated, the main thing is to take the drug with food or immediately after.
Piperazine adipate
This substance affects the muscle and nerve cells of nematodes and roundworms, causing the parasites to become paralyzed and leave the intestines naturally (with feces).
For ascariasis, a two-day course of Piperazine treatment is usually prescribed, and for ascariasis (pinworms) - 1-3 5-day courses of treatment with a break in between weeks.Pinworms do not respond to piperazine as quickly as roundworms - they are more resistant to the drug.Between sessions, it is necessary to do enemas to gradually remove colonies of dead pinworms from the intestines.
Levamisole
Levamisole paralyzes the muscles of roundworms and hookworms.IMPORTANT!It is strictly forbidden to drink alcohol within 24 hours after taking Levamisole.Otherwise, you will experience dizziness, tachycardia, general weakness and other unpleasant consequences.All of these are “disulfiram-like reactions”;they are the basis for the action of drugs used in the treatment of alcoholism and aversion to alcohol.
In general, Levamisole differs from other anthelmintics in its most common side effects, even if it is not mixed with alcohol.These include headaches, seizures, peripheral polyneuropathy, tremors, sleep disorders, and confusion.
Another characteristic side effect of Levamisole is olfactory hallucinations.Many Levamisole users complain that for a few days after taking the medication, it seems like everything around them smells of bleach, smoke, “chemicals,” etc.Of course, all these side effects do not occur in all cases and depend on many individual factors, but our job is to warn you that such situations are possible.
Why you shouldn't use deworming medication “just to be safe”
Absolutely do not use anti-parasitic medication “just as a precaution,” even if you have animals at home that are taken outside.The role of livestock in transmitting parasites to humans has been greatly exaggerated.Yes, humans and dogs both have a “common” parasite - Toxocara, but in most cases, people are infected with Toxocara through street dirt, which contains particles of dog feces and, accordingly, Toxocara larvae.Additionally, dogs and farm animals can be carriers of the Echinococcus parasite, which is also dangerous to humans.However, you still cannot use deworming medication randomly.
The fact is that different drugs in this group not only act on different types of helminths, but also have different contraindications for use, as well as different side effects.Some of these side effects can be extremely serious, as many anthelmintics are very toxic - because otherwise you cannot neutralize the worms: they are tenacious, like any other parasitic organism.Sometimes, after taking certain anthelmintic drugs, such as Dekaris, as well as when treating opisthorchiasis, it may even be necessary to admit the patient to the hospital.
You should only expose your body to "toxic attacks" when the invasion is confirmed in the laboratory (tested for helminths and received a positive result).
Therefore, you should not follow the lead of parasitophobia, although it is constantly fueled by aggressive advertising of various "miracle drugs" and horror stories on the Internet.Do not forget that sanitary conditions in our country are at least far different from those in Africa, where mass preventive deworming is completely justified.The World Health Organization (WHO) has identified a list of countries that recommend continuous helminth control.
Preventing helminths
Of course, prevention of helminth infections must be done.But what we want to talk about here is not drug prevention.To minimize the risk of catching an "uninvited guest", just try to adhere to two main rules:
- Hand washing.The most common nematode infections in our area (ascariasis, onchocerciasis, enterococcus) and echinococcosis are not without reason called dirty hands disease.So, no matter how trivial it may sound, wash your hands frequently and thoroughly.Moreover, now, in the context of the coronavirus pandemic, this basic hygiene rule takes on even greater significance.
- Maintain food hygiene.Parasite eggs can enter the body from unwashed fruits, vegetables and herbs - so rinse them under running water.Meat and fish that have not been adequately heat-treated also pose an increased risk.Parasitic larvae are especially common in carp species and can also sneak up on you in salted caviar at home, especially in pike, where broad tapeworm larvae like to settle.Raw minced meat and rare steaks may contain beef or pork tapeworm larvae.
In addition to conventional heat treatment, there is another reliable way to sterilize meat and fish - freezing them.A household freezer with a temperature of –20°C is suitable for this.Keep fish or meat there for at least two days - and you can rest assured: the larvae of most parasites cannot withstand such a "cold test".
As you can see, complete prevention of helminthiasis is primarily a lifestyle and not the regular use of toxic drugs.Therefore, do not abuse drugs without special reasons, pay attention to diet, personal hygiene and get tested periodically.