This article looks at different types of intestinal worms, the symptoms they cause, who is at risk, and the treatment available.
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Intestinal worms can cause many symptoms, and some of these resemble the symptoms of other gut conditions. A prompt, accurate diagnosis can prevent complications. Most cases respond well to treatment, which usually involves medication.
Types of intestinal worms include tapeworm, hookworm, liver fluke, threadworm, Ascaris, which causes ascariasis, and Trichinella, which causes trichinosis.
Intestinal worms are organisms that feed off the human body. Tapeworm, hookworm, pinworm, and other types of worms affect the body in different ways. A person may notice worms in stool.
Some types of worm, including some tapeworms, can affect the central nervous system , with potentially severe consequences.
The symptoms of intestinal worms can vary between individuals and depend on the type of worm present. Potential symptoms include:
Pinworms, the most common type of worms in the U.S., are more common in places where people live or spend time closely together, such as child care settings and residential care homes.
Worms can enter the body in various ways, depending on the type. Sanitation problems often play a role, but intestinal worms can happen anywhere.
Various types of intestinal worms can affect human health, such as:
A tapeworm is a type of flatworm that lives in the intestine, where it attaches itself to the intestinal wall.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimate that fewer than 1,000 new cases of tapeworms occur each year in the U.S.
There are several types, including:
Tapeworm eggs can also be present in water and may enter the body if a person consumes contaminated water.
Most people with tapeworm have no symptoms, or only mild symptoms. If symptoms do occur, they may include:
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), though, only T. solium tapeworms cause significant health problems. Without treatment, T. solium larvae can cause cysts in the skin, eyes, muscles, and nervous system. In the brain, they can lead to:
Experts believe that in areas where it occurs, T. solium is responsible for up to 70% of epilepsy cases.
Praziquantel (Biltricide) can remove a tapeworm. This drug paralyzes the worm, forcing it to detach from the intestinal wall. It then helps dissolve the worm so it can pass through the digestive system and leave the body during a bowel movement.
Hookworms live in the small intestine. Their name refers to how one end of the body tapers off into a needle or hook shape.
Hookworms enter the body through the skin ' for instance, if a person walks barefoot on contaminated soil. Once inside, they find their way to the small intestine and lay eggs. A person can pass them on through defecating outdoors, such as in bushes, or by using feces as fertilizer.
One type of hookworm can also enter the body if a person consumes the larvae in food or on the hands.
According to the CDC, hookworm affects around 576'740 million people worldwide. In the past, hookworm was common in the southeastern U.S., but numbers have fallen due to improvements in living conditions.
Most people with hookworm have no symptoms. Some individuals may have gastrointestinal symptoms, especially with a first-time infection. More serious complications include protein loss and anemia due to blood loss.
Doctors may prescribe medications such as albendazole and mebendazole to treat hookworm, usually for 1'3 days.
Flukes are a type of flatworm. They can affect the lungs, intestines, liver, and other parts of the body. Liver flukes affect the liver, gallbladder, and bile duct.
Two types of liver fluke, Clonorchis and Opisthorchis, can enter the body when a person eats contaminated raw or undercooked:
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Another liver fluke, Fasciola, can occur anywhere there are sheep or cattle. The larvae can enter the body if a person eats contaminated watercress or other water plants.
Most people with flukes will not have symptoms, but an infection that lasts a long time can lead to severe symptoms and complications. Without treatment, infection can last for up to 25'30 years, which is the life span of these parasites.
If a person has symptoms, they may experience:
Treatment for flukes involves taking medications. For many flukes, the drugs of choice are praziquantel. For Fasciola, it is triclabendazole.
A pinworm is a small, thin roundworm around the length of a staple. They are relatively harmless and can live in the colon and rectum of humans.
A person can pass the worms on to someone else through direct contact or by sharing a contaminated object with them, such as food, clothing, or bedding. Bathing with others can also allow the eggs to spread.
Washing regularly can help prevent pinworm infection or re-infection. Showering is best, as this washes away any eggs down the drain.
Many people with pinworm experience only mild symptoms. When symptoms do occur, a person may have itching around the anus, which can affect sleep.
Prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) medications can remove pinworm. A person will need two doses, one 2 weeks after the other. The whole household will need treatment.
Ascaris is one of the most common parasites globally, affecting up to 1.2 billion people around the world. It causes the disease ascariasis. It is uncommon in the U.S.
Ascaris is similar to a hookworm but only a few inches long. It lives in contaminated soil. It can enter the body when people ingest the eggs on fruits or vegetables that have not been carefully washed, peeled, or cooked. A person with Ascaris can pass on the eggs in feces.
Individuals with an ascariasis infection may have:
It can also affect growth in children due to malnutrition.
Antihelminthic drugs, which aim to remove worms from the body, can treat ascariasis. A doctor may prescribe albendazole or mebendazole for 1'3 days.
Trichinella are a type of roundworm. A person can ingest them by eating undercooked or raw meats from animals that eat also meat, such as pigs, as well as wild animals, such as:
Smoking or curing these meats does not effectively kill the worms, so people can also get trichinella from homemade jerky, sausage, and similar products.
Contaminated meat contains live larvae. The larvae then grow in the intestines. On reaching their full size, the Trichinella worms may leave the intestines and live in other tissues, such as the muscles.
Trichinella infection is relatively rare in the U.S., but it can affect those who eat game meats or hunt for food.
This type of worm causes the disease trichinosis. Abdominal symptoms can appear 1'2 days after eating contaminated meat, and other symptoms can appear 2'8 weeks later.
Symptoms include:
Severe cases can be fatal.
Prescription drugs can treat Trichinella infection. A person should seek medical help as soon as possible if they notice symptoms.
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