What doctor treats for worms: we go to a specialized specialist

2023 Author: Alfred Shackley | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-05-21 13:14

From the development of helminthic invasion, not a single person is insured, when and under what circumstances this ailment can overtake us, no one knows. Sometimes, many patients are lost: what kind of doctor should they go to?

Symptoms of helminthiasis

The signs of parasite infestation are very varied and affect many systems of the body.

• Disruption of the gastrointestinal tract: manifested by nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, there are pains in the epigastrium, right hypochondrium, along the small and large intestines. The nature of the stool changes - it liquefies to diarrhea, or, conversely, it is delayed - constipation;
• Allergic reactions of the body to the toxins of worms are realized in the form of a rash, usually small-spot, many have a violent response of the body to the worm, such as Quincke's edema or urticaria. The skin becomes dry, itches a lot, especially at night, sometimes excoriation can be seen on the body - scratching sores;
• Fever of unknown origin, which lasts for quite a long time;
• Prolonged paroxysmal cough that does not respond to treatment by any means;
• Disorganization of the nervous system - sick people become irritable, nervous, quick-tempered, often in a bad mood, apathetic. In children, parents observe teeth grinding at night in their sleep;
• Of the common signs, a feeling of weakness, constant fatigue, and decreased performance prevail.

Who should you contact for help?

When the above signs appear, patients think about which specialist to turn to for qualified help. Today the first assistant for adults is a therapist, for children - a pediatrician. You need to make an appointment with them, and then, after considering your disease, he will refer you to a narrow specialist.

Infectious disease physician

A doctor with a narrow spectrum of work, helping people with various infectious diseases, including parasites. His field of activity includes the duty of studying complaints, the causes of the development of the disease, diagnostic manipulations, preventive measures, and specific therapy. There is such a specialist in every district or city polyclinic.

Parasitologist

This specialization is even narrower than the infectious disease specialist. This doctor is studying only worms - their species, development cycles, habitats, properties that they possess, ways and mechanisms of transmission. He is fluent in the knowledge of diagnostic operations that are necessary for patients with this or that helminthiasis.

The parasitologist prescribes medication for deworming. He is engaged in sanitary and educational work among the population, in schools and kindergartens, talking about preventive measures in order to avoid infection with worms. Unfortunately, not even every city hospital has such a specialist.

Doctor helminthologist

She is engaged in the diagnosis and treatment of various helminthiases in both adults and children. This doctor should be consulted only after a referral from a therapist or pediatrician. He prescribes specific methods of examination for parasites, and then chooses the tactics of treating the identified worms. Such specialists are rarely trained. And they work in specialized centers.

Diagnostic manipulations

Even when contacting a general practitioner, a clinical blood test is prescribed, in which an increased number of eosinophils will indirectly indicate the presence of parasites.

With certain types of helminths, the number of leukocytes can increase and the erythrocyte sedimentation rate can accelerate.

• The most common research method in parasitology is stool microscopy. With this method, you can detect the eggs of the parasite or part of it. Sometimes patients, having come to an appointment, bring with them in a jar a segment from a tapeworm that came out with feces, or roundworm;
• Scraping on the eggs of worms. It is done to diagnose enterobiasis;
• Blood is also a unique biomaterial for research. Venous blood is taken from the cubital vein on an empty stomach in an amount of 5 ml. For a more accurate result, it is worth observing the following recommendations before taking blood: do not eat fatty, fried, spicy foods for dinner, do not take medications a few days before the test, limit physical activity. The blood is used for the polymerase chain reaction, where the foreign DNA of the worm is looked for. Immunoassay is a cascade of reactions where antigens are detected using antibodies and their amount is measured using special enzymes;
• Hemoscanning is the latest diagnostic method, which requires only one drop of blood and a high magnification tempopole microscope, a video camera connected to a personal computer. The uniqueness of the test is that it examines the living liquid tissue of the body. You can see how red blood cells, platelets, and other various components of the blood move. But, in addition, there may be parasites that feed on the contents of living blood elements. Another advantage of the method is that the patient himself can observe this whole picture and at the same time listen to the comments of the laboratory assistant;
• Bioresonance scanning is used not only to detect worms, but also to assess the entire state of the body as a whole. With the help of special sensors, which are built into ordinary headphones, electromagnetic waves with different frequencies are detected. Each range is specific to a particular helminth. Their exact place of parasitism is determined. You can also suspect beginning health disorders in order to prevent them in time;
• Instrumental research methods: radiography, computed and magnetic resonance imaging;
• Other biological body fluids, such as bile, are also being investigated. The method is called duodenal intubation. It is carried out to identify hepatic worms.

Therapy

Treatment for each helminthiasis is individual. The doctor selects a drug that is suitable for all indications, taking into account the contraindications for the patient. Calculates the required dose and amount of the drug for the course of treatment. In addition to anthelmintic drugs, drugs are prescribed to maintain the gastrointestinal tract, liver, as well as symptomatic therapy.

Many patients prefer to be treated with folk remedies. But they must have certain properties: bitterness, pungency and acidity. These qualities allow you to drive away parasites from the body. Of the medicinal herbs, wormwood, tansy, cloves, yarrow, male fern, celandine are most often used. Tinctures, infusions, decoctions are prepared from them.

Surely everyone knows that pumpkin seeds also have an anthelmintic effect. They paralyze the muscular system of the worm, it detaches from the intestinal wall and it is at this moment that it is more vulnerable. To remove it, use a cleansing enema several times.

First of all, follow the rules of personal hygiene - wash your hands as often as possible. Eat only washed vegetables and fruits, heat meat and fish well.