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Types of abdominal worms and their treatment. Roundworms are parasites that live in your intestines. They are contagious through contact with infected feces from people or animals. Abdominal worms can also be contracted through contact with infected surfaces (usually soil and dirt). Read on to learn about the types of abdominal worms and their treatment.
Belly worms
- Roundworms are parasites that live in your intestines.
- A parasite is a creature that lives in or on another organism in order to survive.
- They have long, cylindrical bodies and range in size. Roundworms can live in or on humans and can cause many problems.
- They are usually found in soil and feces and can enter the body through the mouth or direct contact with the skin. They can live in the human intestine for a very long time.
- There are several types of roundworms and all of them can be very harmful.
Infection with abdominal worms
- Anyone can become infected with roundworms.
- Poverty-stricken individuals living in underdeveloped areas of the world are most vulnerable to roundworm infection.
- School-age children and people in care institutions are also at risk.
- Poor hygiene practices are a large contributing factor to roundworm infestation.
- Roundworms grow best in warm to hot climates, so people in these climates need to be more aware of the symptoms of roundworms.
Types of abdominal worms and their treatment
- There are many types of abdominal worms, as well as multiple ways of infection, as well as ways of transmission within the human body.
- The symptoms of these worms vary depending on their type, and the diagnosis is made by a specialist doctor, after performing the necessary tests and analyses.
- The appropriate treatment for each worm infection is prescribed based on its type, but hygiene and disinfection remain the most important methods of prevention.
- The most important types of these worms are: Ascaris, hookworm, pinworm, pigworm, whipworm, and roundworm.
- Each worm will be dealt with separately, explaining the methods of infection, diagnosis, and treatment.
Ascaris infection
- Ascaris, or roundworm infection of the intestine, is common worldwide in both temperate and tropical regions where sanitation and hygiene are poor.
- In those areas, each person may harbor the parasite that causes the infection.
- Ascaris is one of the most common parasitic infections in humans and, according to the World Health Organization, infects more than a billion people worldwide.
- Ascaris is most common in children between the ages of 3 and 8 years.
Ascaris transmission
- More than any other parasitic disease, inadequate personal hygiene leads to ascaris.
- Human feces found in fields, streets and squares are a major source of infective eggs in densely populated areas.
- The eggs do not infect humans when they are secreted by roundworms, and are usually transmitted by hand to mouth.
- The use of human feces as fertilizer may also allow infectious eggs to be transferred through food grown in soil and eaten without being washed well. The eggs are resistant to extreme temperatures and humidity.
- The eggs take several weeks to grow and become infective. If you swallow infective eggs, they travel to your intestines where they hatch into larvae and then begin their journey through your body.
- Once they cross the intestinal wall, the eggs reach your lungs via your bloodstream or lymphatic system.
- In your lungs, they pass through the alveoli, and are carried up the bronchial tree with respiratory fluids to your throat.
- Once they’re in your throat, you re-swallow them, and they go back to the small intestine where they grow, mature and mate. The worms mature in about two months.
Causes and symptoms of Ascaris infection
- Ascaris infection is caused by a parasitic worm called Ascaris lumbricoides.
- This worm resembles a common earthworm, ranging in length from 6 to 13 inches. The female worm may grow to be as thick as a pencil. Up to 100 worms can infect a human body.
- If you have a few roundworms in your intestines, you may not have symptoms. If you have symptoms, you may have vague or intermittent abdominal pain.
- The first sign of infection may be the presence of live worms in your vomit or stool. If the larvae migrate to your lungs, you may have a pneumonia-like illness with wheezing, coughing, and fever.
- This stage of the disease occurs weeks before the intestinal stage, and it is difficult for the doctor to diagnose the symptoms.
- If you have a severe worm infection, you may have partial or complete obstruction of the small intestine and experience the following symptoms:
- Severe abdominal pain, vomiting.
- Insomnia and disturbed sleep.
- The older or more severe the worm infection, the more severe the symptoms are likely to be. The pancreas may become inflamed, and serious infections, especially those that cause an obstruction, can be fatal.
Ascaris diagnosis and treatment
- Once mature female worms are in your intestines, your doctor can diagnose the infection by finding the eggs (or live worms) in your stool.
- Lung infection is more difficult to diagnose, but a doctor can confirm this by finding evidence of larvae in lung or stomach fluids.
- Your doctor can successfully treat ascaris with mebendazole, albendazole, or pyrantel pamoate.
Hookworm disease
- Hookworm disease is one of the most common types of parasitic roundworm infections of the intestine.
- This disease is common in tropical and subtropical countries where people may defecate on the ground and where soil moisture is more favorable for hookworm eggs to develop into larvae (immature worms).
- The World Health Organization estimates that hookworm disease affects 740 million people worldwide.
- Hookworm disease was a major problem in the southeastern United States, and is now largely controlled in this country.
Causes and method of transmission of hookworm infection
- The parasitic worm, commonly known as hookworm, causes disease. Necator americanus is the most common type of hookworm causing infection in the United States.
- Hookworm eggs are passed in human feces on the ground where they develop into infective larvae (immature worms).
- When the soil is cold, the larvae crawl to the nearest moist area and extend their bodies into the air.
- The larvae remain in the soil – waving their bodies back and forth – until they come into contact with human skin, usually when they find a bare foot, or until the heat drives them to the ground.
- You can get hookworms by walking barefoot on contaminated soil.
- Upon burrowing into your skin, hookworm larvae (immature worms) may cause an allergic reaction, and from the itchy spot where the larvae entered your body, the early infection became known as “earth itch.”
- Once the larvae penetrate your skin, they enter your bloodstream and travel to your lungs. Unlike Ascaris, another form of parasitic worm, hookworms do not usually cause pneumonia.
- The larvae migrate from your lungs to your windpipe and are then swallowed and transported back to your small intestine.
Symptoms of hookworm infection
- Diarrhea sometimes begins when the worms mature in your intestines and before eggs appear in your stool, especially if you don’t have hookworms.
- During this stage of the disease, you may develop other symptoms, such as barely noticeable abdominal pain, intestinal cramps, cramps, and nausea.
- Scientists have learned that healthy people who eat a diet containing adequate amounts of iron can tolerate the presence of these worms in small or moderate numbers without any symptoms.
- In chronic (long-lasting) hookworm infections, if the parasite population becomes large enough, you can develop anemia (low red blood cell count).
- This is due to blood loss from worms that attach to the intestines and suck blood and tissue juices. When combined with malnutrition, pregnancy, or malaria, anemia can be severe.
Diagnosis, treatment and prevention of hookworm infections
- A laboratory worker will examine stool samples to look for and count eggs that may be there.
- If the number of hookworm eggs in your intestines is large enough — more than 2,000 eggs per gram of stool — your doctor will assume the infection may be causing anemia and begin treating you.
- Once you’re diagnosed with hookworm disease, your doctor may prescribe medications, such as mebendazole or albendazole.
- You may also get an iron supplement with this treatment.
- If you are in an area where hookworm disease is common, or where human feces may be in the soil or sand, you should not walk barefoot on the soil or sand, and do not touch the soil or sand with your bare hands.
Pinworm
- moving in, Pinworm infections are found in the colon and rectum, and develop through pinworm eggs.
- The infection is transmitted when female pinworms lay eggs in and around the anus.
- When you touch the eggs with your fingers, the eggs enter your mouth and travel to your intestines.
- These eggs are also able to stick to bedding, clothing, toys, doorknobs, furniture, and faucets for up to two weeks.
- Pinworms are the most common type of parasitic infection.
- SymptomsThere are no severe symptoms, as the symptoms of this infection are very mild.
- Itching around the anus or vagina may become severe after eggs are laid.
Strongyloides infection
- moving inStrongyloidiasis is found in tropical, subtropical and temperate regions.
- It is acquired through direct contact with contaminated soil, enters through human skin, and then makes its way into the intestines.
- SymptomsSymptoms are very mild. Moderate infections may cause heartburn, nausea, vomiting, and alternating diarrhea and constipation.
- Severe infections include anemia, weight loss, and chronic diarrhea.
Trichinosis
- moving in, Unlike other types of roundworms, trichinosis is not an intestinal infection, it is an infection that affects muscle fibers.
- It is caused by undercooked sausage, pork, horse and bear meat and causes serious problems in muscle fibers. It is transmitted through the consumption of these meats.
- SymptomsSymptoms are very mild, including diarrhea, abdominal cramps, and fatigue.
- When the larvae enter muscle fibers, you may experience muscle aches and pains, a high temperature, swelling of the eyes and face, eye infections and a rash.
Whipworm infection
- moving inWhipworms are transmitted by touching your hands, eating food that has come into contact with them, or growing in soil contaminated with them.
- It is the third most common type of roundworm infecting humans.
- SymptomsThere are usually no symptoms, although severe infection may cause sporadic stomach pain, bloody stools, diarrhea, and weight loss.
Diagnosis of abdominal worms
- Your doctor can perform the necessary tests to correctly diagnose your condition, and will also provide you with the necessary medications.
- Be sure to tell your doctor if you have eaten any raw or undercooked meat, traveled to an area with poor hygiene and sanitation practices, or come into contact with infected wild animals or pets.
- Doctors diagnose roundworms by taking a comprehensive clinical history.
- Look and study the symptoms properly and accurately.
- Performing special blood tests and/or looking at the retrieved eggs under a microscope.
- Conducting stool analyzes and tests for the patient.
Are stomach worms contagious?
- Yes, roundworms are contagious through contact with infected feces from people or animals.
- Roundworms can also be contracted through contact with infected surfaces (usually soil and dirt).
- Can you get roundworms from your pets and other animals? Yes, if your pet has roundworms, they may be exposed to the eggs or larvae in their stool.
- Eggs and larvae can live in many different environments, and infected pets can quickly spread the disease over a large area.
- Talk to your vet about how to protect you and your pet from roundworms.
Treatment of stomach worms
- The most common treatment for roundworms is a medication called albendazole.
- Your doctor may also prescribe an iron supplement or soothing cream to stop the pain of itching.
- Sometimes, depending on the roundworm, the treatment must be repeated after several weeks to ensure that the roundworm eggs are completely eliminated.
Can stomach worm infections be prevented?
There are a number of ways you can prevent a roundworm infection:
إقرأ أيضا:علاج دقات القلب السريعة بالقرآن انظر حولك- Work on getting rid of worms periodically.
- Wash your hands well with soap and hot water after playing with pets or doing outdoor activities.
- Do not let children play outside near animals.
- Clean up well after your pets relieve themselves.
- Teach your children not to eat dirt or soil.
There are many types of abdominal worms and their treatment, and their symptoms range from annoying to mild, but in the long run they may lead to serious complications or irreparable damage, so you must visit a doctor for diagnosis, then take appropriate treatment.