Helminths or parasitic worms behave very secretly in the human body.Symptoms of an immune response to parasite infection can easily be confused with the flu, food poisoning, allergies, chronic fatigue syndrome, etc.And you may not be aware of the pork tape infection, a tape 3 meters long, for its entire life - 2-3 years.Today we will talk about helminthiasis, as well as anthelmintic drugs and why you should not take them "just for prevention".
So, let's do an introduction first.Most helminths that are common in our area live in the intestines.However, some types of parasites can also settle in tissues of the body - tissues of muscles, lungs, brain, eyeball, etc.
All helminths that parasitize the human body are divided into three categories:
- Roundworms - nematodes:roundworms, tapeworms, trichinella, hookworms, etc.Nematodes are the most "popular" parasitic diseases.According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than one billion people in the world are simultaneously infected by them (in total, more than two billion people are infected by various helminths).
- Fluke worms are fickle.They affect the liver, bile and urinary system, pancreas, intestines, lungs and blood.The most common trematodes are opisthorchiasis, schistosomiasis, clonorchiasis, aponeurosis, etc., and some of them can cause carcinogenesis - the development of tumors.
- Films are cheesy.There are currently 3,500 known species of them and each of them can parasitize the human body.Which cestodes your body chooses depends on the country you live in.One of the main sources of contamination with these parasites is fish that has not undergone complete heat treatment.Echinococcosis, dirofilariasis, taeniasis, tenirgiasis are cestodes that affect not only humans, but also domestic animals.
Helminths suppress immune reactions, with the result that the body's defenses suffer even in severe infections.They cause allergies, digestive disorders and disturb the functions of internal organs.The body is poisoned by the metabolic products and decomposition of helminths, suffers from mechanical damage and suppression of the immune and nervous systems.
In addition, the presence of parasites:
- reduces the effectiveness of vaccinations.
- complicates the course of various concomitant diseases.
- negatively affects the growth and development of children and the ability to work in adults.
- causes a change in the intestinal biovacuum and activation of the growth of "bad" microflora (pathogenic and opportunistic - for example, fungi of the genus Candida, which cause candidiasis).
In general, it is really necessary to treat helminths.But you have to do this wisely.
Treatment of helminthiasis.Medicines for worms
At one time, mainly herbal remedies were used to combat worms - male fern, cypress wormwood, fennel oil, etc.Nowadays, synthetic substances are used for these purposes.Therefore, some obsolete drugs (the aforementioned herbal drugs, as well as hexylresorcinol, carbon tetrachloride, etc.) are excluded from the pharmaceutical anthelmintic nomenclature, and some remain, but are used very limited (wormwood and tansy flowers, thymol, sulfur, pumpkin seeds, etc.).
Modern anthelmintics are divided into groups according to their main effect on helminths of different orders (cestodes, nematodes, trematodes).Some drugs can treat many different categories of helminths.But it's important to remember that there is no such thing as a "best treatment for worms" - it all depends on the type of parasite that has taken over your body.
Today, most anthelmintic drugs are produced on the basis of six main active ingredients - albendazole, mebendazole, praziquantel, pyrantel, piperazine adipic and levamisole.Let's consider their properties in more detail.
Albendazole
Albendazole preparations are effective against various parasites – both intestinal and those living in other organs.In addition, the effect of this substance depends on the time of reception:
- on an empty stomach, albendazole is not absorbed, but simply passes through the digestive tract, destroying intestinal parasites.
- Together with fatty foods, albendazole is absorbed and destroys parasites outside the intestines (muscles, liver, lungs, brain, other organs).
Therefore, the use of albendazole drugs should be clearly agreed with the doctor based on the diagnosis and the results of the preliminary tests.
Mebendazole
Compared to albendazole, mebendazole is less intensively absorbed and its effect is mainly manifested in the gastrointestinal tract.However, mebendazole can also be prescribed to combat helminths living in tissues - for example, in the case of echinococcus, when the echinococcus cyst is in such a place that it cannot be removed immediately.
According to the recommendation of the World Health Organization (WHO), albendazole and mebendazole should be used for helminthiasis caused by the so-called soil helminths: roundworms, whipworms, hookworms.Both substances belong to the same group and have a similar effect - disruption of glucose absorption in the body of the helminth.If there is a lack of glucose, the parasite dies of starvation.
The drugs albendazole and mebendazole are not "budget", but they are valuable because they have relatively few potential side effects.
Praziquantel
Effective against trematodes (feline and lungworms, schistosomiasis).It is used for the treatment of clonorchiasis, paragonimiasis, opisthorchiasis, intestinal cestodiasis (tapeworm, tenirgiasis), etc.Under the influence of praziquantel, the parasites disrupt the uptake of glucose by the body's cells, which paralyzes and kills the helminths.
Pyrantel
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 the worms that are sensitive to it and in this immobilized state they are expelled from the body.
Pyrantel preparations are approved for use by children aged 6 months and older - they can be given the drug in the form of a suspension, as it is easier to dose (in tablet form, the drug is approved for use only from 3 years).In general, pyrantel is well tolerated, the main thing is to take it with food or immediately after.
Piperazine adipate
This substance affects the muscles and nerve cells of nematodes and roundworms, causing the parasites to become paralyzed and leave the intestines naturally (along with the feces).
For ascariasis, a two-day course of taking piperazine is usually prescribed, and for enterobiasis (pinworms) - 1-3 five-day courses with weekly breaks between them.Worms do not respond to piperazine as quickly as roundworms - they are more resistant.Between courses, it is necessary to do enemas to gradually wash out battalions of dead pinworms from the intestines.
Levamisole
Levamisole paralyzes the muscles of roundworms and hookworms.GREAT!Alcohol consumption is strictly prohibited within 24 hours after taking Levamisole.Otherwise, expect dizziness, rapid heartbeat, general weakness and other unpleasant consequences.These are all "disulfiram-like reactions".they form the basis for the action of drugs used in the treatment of alcoholism and cause aversion to alcohol.
In general, Levamisole differs from other anthelmintics in the most common side effects, even if it is not mixed with alcohol.These include headaches, seizures, peripheral polyneuropathy, tremors, sleep disturbances and confusion.
Another typical side effect of Levamisole is olfactory hallucinations.Many people who took Levamisole complained that for several days after taking it, everything around them seemed to smell like bleach, smoke, "chemicals", etc.Of course, all these side effects do not occur in every case and depend on many individual factors, but our job is to warn you that such situations are very possible.
Why You Shouldn't Take Dewormers 'Just to Be on the Safe Side'
It is not strictly recommended to take antiparasitic drugs "just for prevention", even if you have animals in the house that take them outside.The role of pets in infecting humans with parasites has been greatly exaggerated.Yes, humans and dogs have a "common" parasite - Toxocara, but in most cases humans become infected with Toxocara through street dirt, which contains dog excrement particles and, consequently, Toxocara larvae.In addition, dogs and farm animals can be carriers of the Echinococcus parasite, which is also dangerous to humans.However, you still cannot take anthelmintics by accident.
The fact is that different drugs from this group not only act on different helminths, but also have different contraindications for use, as well as different side effects.Some of these side effects can be extremely serious because many anthelmintic drugs are toxic - because otherwise you cannot neutralize the worms: they are very resistant, like any other parasitic organism.Sometimes, after taking certain anthelmintics, for example Dekaris, as well as during the treatment of opithorchiasis, it may even be necessary to admit the patient to a hospital.
It is worth exposing your body to "toxic attacks" only when the invasion is confirmed in the laboratory (tested for helminthiasis and received a positive result).
Therefore, you should not follow the example of parasitophobia, although it is constantly fueled by aggressive advertising of various "miracle drugs" and horror stories on the Internet.Do not forget that the sanitary conditions in our country are, to say the least, far from the same as in Africa, where mass preventive deworming is fully justified.The World Health Organization (WHO) has identified a list of countries in which continuous helminth control is recommended.
Prevention of helminths
Of course, helminth infection must be prevented.But what is meant here is not drug prevention.To minimize the risk of catching "uninvited guests", just try to follow two basic rules:
- Wash your hands.The most common nematode infections in our region (toxocariasis, ascariasis, enterobiasis) and echinococcosis are not called diseases of dirty hands for no reason.So, as trivial as it sounds, wash your hands often and thoroughly.Moreover, now, against the backdrop of the coronavirus pandemic, this basic rule of hygiene has taken on even greater meaning.
- Maintain food hygiene.Pest eggs can enter the body from unwashed fruits, vegetables and herbs - so rinse well under running water.Meat and fish that have not undergone sufficient heat treatment are also an increased risk.Larvae of parasites are especially common in carp species of fish and can also await you in salted caviar at home, especially in pike, where broad tapeworm larvae like to settle.Raw ground beef and rare steaks may contain beef or pork larvae.
In addition to normal heat treatment, there is another reliable way to disinfect meat and fish - freezing them.A household freezer with a temperature of -20°C is suitable for this.Keep the fish or meat there for at least two days - and you can be sure: the larvae of most parasites cannot withstand such a "cold test".
As you can see, the complete prevention of helminthiasis is mostly a lifestyle, and not at all the regular use of toxic drugs.So don't get carried away with medicines for no particular reason, pay attention to your food and personal hygiene and do periodic examinations.