Often times, the deterioration in well-being is caused by various types of parasites, mistaken for stress or vitamin deficiency. Where and what type of analysis do you need to do to identify the infection?
Tests for parasites - how and what to take - this question arises when the state of health worsens for no apparent reason.
Various types of parasites ideally suited to existence in the human body may not manifest themselves for a long period of time. Typically, children attending school or kindergarten are checked for helminths from time to time. However, it is also very common in adults to be infected with parasites.
Some symptoms of helminth infestation, such asB. :
- decrease in hemoglobin in the blood;
- poor appetite;
- sleep disorder;
- weight loss;
- increased body temperature.
have similarities with different types of pathological conditions.
The likelihood of infection is very high. Unaware of this, many people are carriers of one kind or another. In addition, not only worms, but also some protozoa can cause harm to human health. Their presence in the human body leads to toxoplasmosis and other dangerous diseases. Obviously, it is necessary to pass the analysis for parasites in the human body in order to detect the infection in time and prescribe the appropriate treatment as soon as possible. The local therapist will tell you which tests pass for parasites.
When should adults be tested for parasites?
Experts recommend testing for parasites if you have one or more of the symptoms from this list:
- Problems in the digestive tract: tendency to constipation, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, flatulence.
- The skin is pale due to the lack of vitamins and nutrients.
- Rapid fatigue, loss of energy and apathy are observed.
- The body weight dropped quickly.
- Allergy manifestations have occurred with no obvious irritants (such a reaction is caused by the waste products of worms).
It is recommended to conduct tests (conduct a comprehensive analysis for parasites) when the body's resistance to colds has deteriorated due to decreased immunity.
In addition, itching of the skin around the anus indicates helminthic invasion (enterobiasis), which can be confirmed when tested for parasites.What tests are usually done to identify parasites in the human body?
If we suspect we may be infected with helminths or other types of parasites, we want to start treatment immediately. But in order to prescribe the necessary drugs, the first thing to do is to check for the presence of parasites, since you need to know what types have settled in the body. You can find out where you can be tested for parasites at the nearest clinic.
Stool Analysis
The simplest and most common solution in this case is faecal analysis, in which specialists look for worm eggs.
With this type of analysis you can determine the following:
- round worms;
- trematodes or leeches;
- tapeworms.
However, this type of analysis has a significant disadvantage: the results of the fecal analysis for parasites are not always reliable, since parasites multiply in certain periods of time and may not lay eggs for a long time. For reasons of reliability, the analysis of feces for parasites is repeated two to three times with an interval of several days.
Extended stool analysis
In addition to the standard fecal analysis, there is also a detailed one, the reliability and accuracy of which is much higher. This type of diagnostics, based on PCR technology, helps detect the DNA of a parasite, including dead or dormant parasites. This method makes it possible to find out what type of worms are in the body, which means that the doctor can determine which drug will more effectively cope with the disease.
Scraping on enterobiasis
Pinworms are one of the most common types of helminths. To get tested for this type of parasite, you need to scrape away the folds of skin around the anus where you can find their eggs. To improve the accuracy of the results of such a study, it must be repeated even after a few days. This examination method is painless and, like the usual parasite analysis, is suitable for both adults and children.
blood test
If you do an immunoenzymatic blood test, it is possible to detect parasite infestation with high accuracy. Passing this type of analysis, you will be able to prove the presence of antibodies and antigens of almost all types of parasites. Antigens, in this case, are the waste products of the parasites and themselves, and antibodies are immunoglobulins that are synthesized in the human body to fight infection. With this method, it is possible to diagnose the disease at an early stage, when there are not many parasites and it is easy to deal with them.
For this analysis, blood must be donated from a vein. The result, the reliability of which is at least 95%, will be known in 9 days at the latest. Of course, such research is more appropriate for adults.
In addition to this method, some other blood test methods are used to identify parasites, especially in the acute form of helminthiasis. They are based on various examination methods that can diagnose different types of infections in children and adults with high accuracy.
Some medical facilities offer a comprehensive blood test to detect different types of helminths.
To prepare for the analysis, you must:
- that the last meal was no later than 10-12 hours before the test;
- exclude fatty, smoked and salty foods from the diet the day before;
- Exclude smoking and alcohol consumption 24 hours before the test.