Logo

Aliens: Parasites Inside Us

The term "parasite" describes creatures that feed on the life activity of another living being. Intracellular parasites (viruses) and protozoa as well as more complex life forms such as worms, fungi, and others can live inside the human body. The most common parasites that live in the human body are helminth worms: according to WHO statistics, about 4.5 billion people are infected with them.

Dr. Halina

Infectious disease doctor

How dangerous are parasites?

You may not even suspect the existence of parasitesin your body. While living in the human body, they cause damage to internal organs and connective tissues. Certain species can chew through the walls of blood vessels and even intestines, and the eggs laid by them block the capillaries and gland ducts. In addition, parasites feed on nutrients from food, causing illness and metabolic disorders.

How can one become infected and who is at risk?

A person can get parasites from dirty hands, drinking unboiled water, or eating poorly washed fruits and vegetables. There are also contact helminths, which are parasites transmitted from person to person through body contact, shared items, or hygiene products. Finally, insects can be carriers of parasites. Additionally, animals such as pets can carry infections.

Those most at risk of parasitic diseases include large groups of children such as kindergartens and swimming pools as well as children living in socially disadvantaged conditions. People who eat raw food, as well as people of all ages with poor personal hygiene, are also at risk.

What are the symptoms?

You can determine parasitic diseases by taking special tests such as stool tests for egg and protozoa, scraping for enterobiasis, giardia antigen examination, and antihelminthic antibody examination. There is also a comprehensive blood test for antibodies to different groups of protozoa.

It is impossible to determine the presence of parasites in the body without tests, but there are several symptoms to look out for. The most common one is discomfort in the anus area.

In children, specific symptoms can include weight loss or gain as well as lagging in physical or mental development.

Signs also include teeth grinding while sleeping (as a signal from an irritated nervous system), profuse salivation, morning nausea, excessive and frequent feelings of hunger, and excessive dryness of the skin of the hands.

Parasites can cause fatigue, dizziness, and increased anxiety. Often they make it difficult to treat chronic conditions such as anemia, prolonged allergic rashes, enlarged lymph nodes, and frequent intestinal disorders.

So what to do?

It is possible to get rid of parasites only with long-term medical treatment, which includes several stages.

The preparatory stage will involve the doctor prescribing medication to the patient to cleanse the body of parasitic infection.

Next, the medications will prevent the parasites from living as well as their digestion, respiration, reproduction, etc.

The third stage is a recovery of the body and includes taking probiotics, vitamins, and mineral complexes.

05 July 2021

You can discuss. Open this post in the Ornament app and add your opinion.