Intestinal worms, or parasitic worms, are simple organisms that feed off the human body. Many people recognize the more common varieties, such as tapeworms and hookworms, but may be less aware of the others.
Intestinal worms can cause many symptoms in the body, some of which are similar to the symptoms of other gut disorders. A quick and thorough diagnosis is crucial in each case to avoid complications
In rare cases, if the infestation is left untreated, pinworm infections for instance can lead to a urinary tract infection (UTI) in women. Pinworms can also travel from the anus into the vagina, affecting the uterus, fallopian tubes, and other pelvic organs. This may result in other infections, including vaginitis and endometritis.
MOST AFFECTED BODY PART
In the lungs
After you swallow the tiny (microscopic) ascariasis eggs, they hatch in the small intestine and the larvae migrate through the bloodstream or lymphatic system into the lungs. At this stage, one may experience signs and symptoms similar to asthma or pneumonia, including:
Persistent cough
Shortness of breath
Wheezing
After spending 10 to 14 days in the lungs, the larvae travel to the throat, where you cough them up and then swallow them.
In the intestines
The larvae mature into adult worms in the small intestine, and the adult worms typically live in the intestines until they die. In mild or moderate ascariasis, the intestinal infestation can cause:
Vague abdominal pain
Nausea and vomiting
Diarrhea or bloody stools
WORMS TYPES
Common types of intestinal worms that cause worm infestation in humans include:
1. Pinworm
Pinworm infestation is the most common roundworm infection. Pinworms are white, tiny, thread-like worms that live in the rectum (the last part of the large bowel). The female worm crawls out of the anus at night and lays eggs in nearby skin causing a terrible itching . Pinworm eggs live up to 2 weeks outside the body on clothing, bedding, toys, toilet seats, or other objects and spread easily.
2. Roundworm (Ascaris lumbricoides)
Ascariasis is a roundworm infection of the small intestine caused by Ascaris lumbricoides.
The worm is usually found in human feces and is transmitted due to poor hygiene from hand to mouth. Adult worms usually grow up to 41 cm long.
3. Hookworm
Hookworm is a type of roundworm that passed through human feces into the ground. It is transmitted into the host body while walking barefoot on soil infested with hookworm larvae, which pierce through the skin. Hookworms attach themselves to the walls of the small intestine with a hook and live there. They are usually less than half an inch long.
4. Trichinosis worm(whipworm)
Trichinosis is the third most common roundworm that infects humans. Humans get trichinosis by eating undercooked meat that contains larvae. The larvae mature in the intestines. As they reproduce, the larvae travel outside the intestines into muscle and other tissue.
5. Tapeworm
Tapeworm is a flatworm and looks like a long, white ribbon. These can grow up to 80 feet long and live in a human host for up to 30 years. Tapeworm infection is caused by drinking contaminated water and eating raw or undercooked meat. Tapeworms embed their heads in the intestinal wall and remain there. They produce eggs that mature into larvae that migrate to other parts of the body to form cysts.
6. Flukes:
Flukes are a type of flatworm that is transmitted to humans through drinking contaminated water as well as eating watercress and other freshwater plants raw. There are many varieties of flukes that live in the intestines, blood, or tissues. These grow up to a few inch in length.
CAUSES OF INFESTATION
1. One way to become infected with intestinal worms is eating undercooked meat from an infected animal, such as a cow, pig, or fish. Other possible causes leading to intestinal worm infection include:
2. Consumption of contaminated water.
3. Consumption of contaminated soil.
4. Contact with contaminated feces.
5. Poor sanitation.
6. Poor hygiene.
Roundworms are typically transmitted through contact with contaminated soil and feces.
GENERAL OR COMMON SYMPTOMS
1. Abdominal pain
2. Intestinal cramps and colic
3.Diarrhea
4. Dysentery (loose stools containing blood and mucus)
5. Nausea or vomiting
6.Gas or bloating
7. Fatigue
8. Weight loss
SPECIFIC SYMPTOMS ASSOCIATED WITH SPECIFIC WORM INFESTATION
I. PINWORM
1. Rash or itching around the rectum or anus
2. Disturbed sleep due to itching and/or painful urination.
II. ROUNDWORM
1. Diarrhea,
2. Passing worms with stools. 3.Dry cough.
4. fever.
III. HOOKWORM
1. Wheezing.
2. Coughing.
3. Fatigue.
4. Anemia.
IV. TRICHINOSIS
1. Chills.
2. Muscle aches.
3. Joint pain.
4. Difficulty in moving.
5. Swelling of the face or eyes.
6. Breathing, or heart problems.
V. TAPEWORM
1. Allergic reaction.
2. Neurological problems (such as seizures).
3. Jaundice.
4. Nausea,or vomiting.
5. Loss of appetite,.
6. Eating too frequently,.
7. Malnutrition.
VI. FLUKE
1. Inflammation and blockage of the bile ducts,.
2. Abnormally large liver, or unusual readings on a liver test.
HOW TO DIAGNOSE WORM INFESTATION IN HUMANS
Worm infestation can be diagnosed through studying clinical history, symptoms, and special tests, such as:
1. Fecal test/stool test: Examination of stool samples to find parasites.
2. Colonoscopy: This can be helpful when stool samples do not show evidence of parasites due to diarrhea.
3. Tape test: This test involves touching a tape to the anus several times and then examining the tape under a microscope to identify pinworm eggs.
4. Blood test: To detect some types of parasites in the blood.
5. Antibody test: This test checks for antibodies that the body produces when it is infected with a parasite.
6. Imaging tests: X-rays, computed tomography (CT), or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to detect the extent of organ injury caused by worm infestation.
HOW TO AVOID INFESTATION
Healthy practices of good hygiene can help prevent worm infection:
1. Washing hands with soap before cooking, eating, drinking , after playing, changing the diaper, using the toilet, and touching an animal or animal waste.
Always wash your hands after gardening and smoking.
2. Always wash fruit and vegetables before eating
3. Avoiding eating raw or undercooked meat, fish, or poultry.
Cook beef and pork thoroughly.
.4. wear shoes when in areas of moist, sandy soil or that may be contaminated with dog faeces
5. Wash your hands after handling dogs
6. Supervise dogs so that they can’t feed on dead stock animals or wild animals
7. Do not feed offal to your dog
8. Ensure dogs are regularly de-wormed, with worming tablets.
9. Cleaning up animal waste and disinfecting the area.
10. Maintaining pet hygiene and deworming pets regularly.
11. Frequently washing and drying bedding in the sun.
12. Washing children’s toys and clothes with disinfectant.
13. Drinking safe clean water.
14. Do not use the teeth to cut the finger nails .
HIOW TO GET RID OF WORMS NATURALLY
Try the following remedies at home for your little one if you want to avoid giving him medicines:
1. GARLIC
Garlic has a strong anti-parasitic due to its high amounts of sulfur-containing amino acids. Garlic also has antibacterial, antifungal and antiseptic properties which help in killing microbes present in your toddler’s body. There are different ways of using garlic to get rid of intestinal worms:
• Give 2-3 cloves of raw garlic daily to your toddler on an empty stomach for a week.
• Boil 2-3 crushed cloves of garlic in half a cup of milk and give it to him daily for a week.
• You can also make a paste of raw garlic and mix it with a petroleum jelly like Vaseline and apply it to the anal region of your toddler. This will kill the worm eggs in the region and relive your toddler’s itching too. Take care not to apply if your toddler’s skin is very sensitive or has inflammation or broken skin in the area.
2. RAW PAPAW
Raw papaya has been used since ages to get rid of worms. Raw papaya has an enzyme called papain which has anthelmintic properties (ability to destroy parasitic worms). Papaya seeds also contain caricin, a substance that can expel the intestinal roundworms from your toddler’s body. The different ways of using papaya are:
• Powder papaya seeds and add 1 teaspoon of it to a cup of water or milk. Let your toddler drink this daily on an empty stomach in the morning for 3 days.
• Mix 1 tablespoon of raw papaya juice and 1 tablespoon of honey in 3-4 tablespoons of warm milk or water. Feed this to your toddler on an empty stomach daily for 3 days.
• You can also make an infusion by taking 15g of dry papaya leaves and adding 250ml of boiling water to it. Strain, add honey and then give it to your toddler to drink on an empty stomach daily for 3-4 days.
3. COCONUT
Coconut is another well-used item to deworm your toddler and very effective too especially for threadworms. It has very strong anti-parasitic properties. A couple of ways of using coconut are:
• Give your toddler 1 tablespoon of grated coconut daily at breakfast time for a week.
• Give 4-6 teaspoons of extra-virgin coconut oil daily, in the morning, to your toddler for a week. The oil contains medium-chain triglycerides that will expel the worms from his body. In addition to it, the oil will also boost his immunity to prevent the infection from recurring.
4. CARROTS
Carrots contain high amounts of vitamin A which is an immunity booster. Give your toddler a cup of freshly grated carrot every morning on an empty stomach for a week. Do not give any other food along with the carrot. Threadworms get cleared easily with this home remedy. You can give him carrot juice, in case he refuses to eat the grated carrot.
5. PUMPKIN SEEDS
Pumpkin seeds have cucurbitacin which has anti-parasitic properties that paralyze the worms (roundworms and tapeworms) and so they are unable to hold on to the intestinal walls and are thus expelled from the body. Add a tablespoon of roasted and crushed pumpkin seeds to a tablespoon of honey. Include laxative foods like papaya, kiwi, and bananas for the breakfast after eating this mixture to expel the fallen worms. You can also blend a handful of pumpkin to a fruit juice of your choice and give it to your toddler.
6. CAROM SEEDS
Thymol content in carom seeds has the ability to inhibit the growth of intestinal worms. The process of giving this to your toddler is as follows:
• Give your toddler a tablespoon of grated jaggery on an empty stomach. Wait for 15-20 minutes. Then give him ¼ to ½ teaspoon of crushed carom seeds with a glass of water. Repeat daily for 2 weeks.
7. TURMERIC
Turmeric is also an excellent remedy for intestinal worms as it has anthelmintic properties. It can make the worms ill and damage the eggs laid by them. Give your toddler a glass of warm water or buttermilk with a teaspoon of turmeric powder added to it. Repeat daily for 5-7 days to destroy the worms.
8. CLOVES
Cloves contain antiseptic, anti-parasitic and bactericidal properties and can thus flush out intestinal worms. It also builds resistance to future infections. Add a teaspoon of cloves to a cup of hot water and keep it for 15-20 minutes. Let your toddler drink this water thrice a week to get rid of the worms.
9. NEEM
Neem or Indian Lilac has anti-parasitic properties and can thus destroy intestinal worms. There are different ways of using it:
• To honey and warm milk, add powdered neem leaves. Let your toddler drink this twice a week.
• Roast neem leaves in ghee (clarified butter) and give it to your toddler to eat with rice.
• Make a paste of neem leaves. Add half a teaspoon of this paste to warm water and give it to your toddler to drink on an empty stomach daily for a week. Repeat on alternate weeks till the worms disappear.
10. POMEGRANATE
The leaves, stem, bark, and root of the pomegranate plant have anthelmintic properties. Punicine present in the pomegranate bark is very poisonous for intestinal worms.
• Boil a piece of the bark (around 1-1.5 inch) in one cup of water. Boil it till the volume reduces to 1/2 of a cup. Let it cool down. Let your toddler drink this water thrice a day with 2-hour intervals in between. Then let him eat a laxative fruit like banana, avocado or kiwi to facilitate a bowel movement. Repeat procedure for a few days.
• Eating pomegranate fruit or drinking its juice will also help your toddler in preventing an intestinal worm infection.
Eat more raw
1. Garlic.
2. Pumpkin seeds.
3. Pomegranates.
4. Beets.
5. Carrots.
6. Mixture of honey and papaya(Pawpaw) seeds.
Drink a lot of water to help flush out the body system.
A LIFE CYCLE OF SOME WORMS, ASCARIASIS.
After one swallows the eggs, they pass into the intestines. There, they hatch into larvae (immature form of worms) and begin to travel through the body:
From the intestines, they reach the lungs by traveling through the bloodstream or lymphatic system.
In the lungs, they pass through the air sacs and into the throat.
They travel to the throat, where one swallows them.
Back in the intestines, they grow, mature into adult worms and mate.
Fertilized eggs leave the body in the stool (poop), with the goal of infecting another host.
The whole process can take two to three months. The worms can live in the body for up to two years
REFERENCES
1.
https://www.medicinenet.com/what_are_the_symptoms_of_worm_infestation_in_human/article.htm
2.
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/ascariasis/symptoms-causes/syc-20369593
3.
https://www.apolloclinic.com/for-patients/services/consultations/paediatrics/worm-infestations
4.
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/15240-roundworms
5.
https://www.parashospitals.com/blogs/signs-and-symptoms-of-worm-infestation/
6.
https://www.vims.ac.in/blog/stomach-worms-in-children/
7.https://theconversation.com/health-check-the-low-down-on-worms-and-how-to-get-rid-of-them-36486
8.
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/14071-ascariasis
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