Helminths or parasitic worms behave very stealthily in the human body.The symptoms of an immune reaction to parasite infection can be easily confused with the flu, food poisoning, allergies, chronic fatigue syndrome, etc.And you may not notice infection with a pork tapeworm, a tapeworm that reaches 3 meters in length, throughout its lifespan - 2-3 years.Today we will talk about helminthiasis, as well as anthelmintics and why it is not advisable to take them “just as prevention.”
So, let's first give an introduction.Most of the helminths common in our area live in the intestines.However, some types of parasites can also settle in the tissues of the body: muscles, lungs, brain, eyeball tissue, etc.
All helminths that parasitize the human body are divided into three categories:
- Intestinal worms - nematodes:roundworms, pinworms, 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 with them (in total, more than two billion people are infected with various helminths).
- Trematode worms are trematodes.They affect the liver, bile and urinary tract, pancreas, intestines, lungs and blood.The most common trematodes are opisthorchiasis, schistosomiasis, clonorchiasis, fascioliasis, etc., and some of them can cause carcinogenesis - the development of tumors.
- Tapeworms are cestodes.Currently there are 3,500 species of them 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 with these parasites is fish that has not undergone complete heat treatment.Echinococcosis, heartworm disease, taeniasis, and taeniarynchiasis are cestodiasis that affect not only humans, but also pets.
Helminths suppress immune reactions, so the body's defenses are affected even in severe infections.They cause allergies, digestive disorders and alter the functions of internal organs.The body is poisoned by metabolic products and decomposition of helminths, suffers mechanical damage and suppression of the immune and nervous systems.
Additionally, the presence of parasites:
- reduces the effectiveness of vaccines;
- complicates the course of various concomitant diseases;
- negatively affects the growth and development of children and the work capacity of adults;
- provokes a change in the intestinal biocenosis and the 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 helminthiasis.But you must do it wisely.
Helminthiasis treatment.Medicines for worms
Once upon a time, mainly herbal remedies were used to combat worms: male fern, cypress wormwood, chenopodia oil, etc.Today, synthetic substances are used for these purposes.Therefore, some obsolete drugs (the above-mentioned herbal drugs, as well as hexylresorcinol, carbon tetrachloride, etc.) are excluded from the nomenclature of medicinal 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 kinds of helminths.But it is important to remember that there is no concept of "the best cure for worms", it all depends on the type of parasite that has occupied 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 consider its properties in more detail.
albendazole
Albendazole preparations are effective against various parasites, both intestinal and other organs.Also, the effect of this substance depends on the time it was taken:
- 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 and other organs).
Therefore, the use of albendazole should be clearly agreed with the doctor based on the diagnosis and the results of preliminary tests.
mebendazole
Compared to albendazole, mebendazole is absorbed less intensively and its effect is mainly manifested in the gastrointestinal tract.Despite this, mebendazole can also be prescribed to combat helminths living in tissues, for example, in case of echinococcosis, when the echinococcal bladder is located in such a place that it cannot be quickly removed.
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 and hookworms.Both substances belong to the same group and have a similar effect: disturbance of glucose absorption in the body of helminths.If there is a deficiency of glucose, the parasite dies of starvation.
The drugs albendazole and mebendazole are not “cheap,” but they are valuable because they have relatively few possible side effects.
praziquantel
Effective against trematodes (feline and lung flukes, schistosomes).It is used to treat clonorchiasis, paragonimiasis, opisthorchiasis, intestinal cestodiasis (taeniasis, taeniarynchiasis), etc.Under the influence of praziquantel, parasites disrupt the absorption of glucose by the body's cells, which paralyzes and kills the helminths.
Pirantel
Pyrantel is practically not absorbed in the human body and therefore has a specific 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 eliminated from the body.
Pyrantel preparations are approved for use in children 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 of age).In general, pyrantel is well tolerated, the main thing is to take it with or immediately after meals.
piperazine adipate
This substance affects the muscle and nerve cells of nematodes and intestinal worms, so the parasites are paralyzed and leave the intestines naturally (along with feces).
For ascariasis, a two-day course of piperazine is usually prescribed, and for enterobiasis (pinworms) - 1 to 3 five-day courses with one-week breaks between them.Pinworms do not respond to piperazine as quickly as nematodes: they are more resistant.Between courses, it is necessary to do enemas to gradually remove battalions of dead pinworms from the intestines.
Levamisole
Levamisole paralyzes the muscles of intestinal worms and hookworms.IMPORTANT!It is strictly prohibited to drink alcohol within 24 hours after taking Levamisole.Otherwise, expect dizziness, tachycardia, general weakness and other unpleasant consequences.These are all “disulfiram-like reactions”;They are the basis of the action of drugs used in the treatment of alcoholism and that cause aversion to alcohol.
In general, levamisole differs from other anthelmintics in the side effects that develop more frequently, even if it is not mixed with alcohol.These include headaches, seizures, peripheral polyneuropathy, tremors, sleep disturbances, and confusion.
Another characteristic side effect of levamisole is olfactory hallucinations.Many people who took Levamisole complained that for several days after taking it it seemed like everything around them smelled like 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 very possible.
Why you shouldn't take worm medicine “just to be safe”
It is strictly not recommended to take antiparasitic medications "just as a preventive measure", even if there are animals at home that go out for a walk.The role of pets in human parasite infection has been greatly exaggerated.Yes, humans and dogs have a "common" parasite - Toxocara, but in most cases people become infected with Toxocara through street dirt, which contains particles of dog feces and, consequently, Toxocara larvae.In addition, dogs and farm animals can carry the Echinococcus parasite, which is also dangerous for humans.However, anthelmintics still cannot be taken randomly.
The fact is that different drugs in 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 medications are toxic, because otherwise the worms cannot be neutralized: they are very tenacious, like any other parasitic organism.Sometimes, after taking certain anthelmintics, for example Dekaris, as well as during the treatment of opisthorchiasis, 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 (a test for helminthiasis is carried out and a positive result is obtained).
Therefore, one should not follow the example of parasitophobia, despite the fact that it is constantly fueled by aggressive advertising of various "miracle drugs" and horror stories on the Internet.Let us not forget that the hygienic conditions of our country are, at least, far from the same as those of Africa, where massive preventive deworming is fully justified.The World Health Organization (WHO) has identified a list of countries where continuous helminth control is recommended.
Helminthiasis prevention
Of course, it is necessary to carry out prevention of helminth infection.But what is meant here is not drug prevention.To minimize the risk of catching "uninvited guests", try to adhere to two main rules:
- Wash your hands.The most common nematode infections in our area (toxocariasis, ascariasis, enterobiasis) and echinococcosis are not called diseases of dirty hands for nothing.Therefore, as trivial as it may seem, wash your hands frequently and thoroughly.Furthermore, now, in the context of the coronavirus pandemic, this basic hygiene rule has taken on even greater meaning.
- Maintain food hygiene.Parasite eggs can enter the body through unwashed fruits, vegetables, and herbs;so rinse them well under running water.Meat and fish that have not been sufficiently heat treated also pose a greater danger.Parasite larvae are especially common in carp fish and can also lurk in salted homemade caviar, especially in pike, where broad tapeworm larvae like to settle.Raw ground beef and undercooked steaks may contain bovine or porcine tapeworm larvae.
In addition to normal heat treatment, there is another reliable way to disinfect meat and fish: freezing them.A domestic 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 rest assured: the larvae of most parasites cannot withstand such a "cold test".
As you can see, complete prevention of helminthiasis is primarily a way of life, and not the regular use of toxic medications.So don't get carried away with medications without special reasons, take care of your diet and personal hygiene and get tested periodically.