Taeniasis - causes and signs of taeniasis

There are no types of taeniasis as such.

Causes of taeniasis

Taeniasis is caused by pork chainworms. Infection occurs after a person has eaten pork that was previously infected with helminth eggs and that was not properly cooked, or was cooked but with violations of sanitary and hygienic standards.

Helminth eggs, getting into the human body, disintegrate under the influence of an acidic environment, the parasites are released and end up in the circulatory system, thanks to the processes of blood circulation in the body, they spread throughout the body. Most parasites are concentrated in the intermuscular connective tissue.

Symptoms

The main symptoms of teniasis are as follows:

• intestinal disorders;
• general weakness;
• dizziness;
• nausea;
• vomiting;
• constipation;
• diarrhea;
• loss of appetite;
• fainting;
• periodic headaches;
• sleep disturbances;
• gastrointestinal tract disorders;
• abdominal pain of unknown origin and a variety of character;
• hypochromic anemia;
• diarrhea;
• weight loss;
• pancreatitis;
• cysticercosis of the brain.

These symptoms will not necessarily accompany the course of taeniasis. It happens that a person with taeniasis has no symptoms at all.

Taeniasis is rarely accompanied by complications.

However, there have been cases where taeniasis caused complications such as:

• intestinal obstruction;
• intestinal perforation;
• appendicitis;
• cholangitis;
• cysticercosis.

Diagnosis of taeniasis

The presence of taeniasis in a patient can be diagnosed based on the data obtained from stool samples, in which segments of the pork tapeworm are detected. The patient's feces and scrapings are also examined under a microscope. This is not always easy to do, since the segments of the pork tapeworm are slightly mobile, so for a long time they may not show their "presence" in the human body. For this reason, diagnostics by laboratory technicians takes a lot of time and effort.

Also, to diagnose taeniasis, the doctor conducts a consultation, questions the patient about the main symptoms of taeniasis, and conducts an initial examination.

Detecting the presence of these parasites can take a lot of time and requires utmost care and competence from the laboratory staff. Diagnosis of taeniasis is complicated by the fact that the pathogen can remain motionless for a long time and not show its presence.

Treatment

It is very important to start treating taeniasis at an early stage.

Sometimes, a consultation and medical opinion from several doctors are needed to compile a complete treatment complex. If the patient has abdominal pain, he should consult a surgeon to rule out possible abdominal complications.

If the patient's vision has worsened, an ophthalmologist should be examined to rule out the possibility of cysticercosis. Sometimes taeniasis is accompanied by neurological symptoms. In this case, the patient is also referred to a neurologist.

A patient with taeniasis does not need medical examination. The patient is prescribed praziquantel or niclosamide, phenasal or essential extract of male fern.

The patient is also prescribed a special diet. Food should be easily digestible, but well-nutritious.

If the patient experiences vomiting (especially after taking the fern extract) or there is a possibility of recurrence of vomiting, then, in order to avoid repeated entry of eggs from the intestine into the stomach, the patient should be provided with complete rest, a heating pad or mustard plasters should be placed on the epigastric region, Vlidol should be given or ice pieces should be swallowed.

If the patient has experienced a drop in cardiovascular activity with a fainting condition, he is prescribed cardiovascular drugs, again - heating pads are placed, hot drinks are prescribed, ammonia inhalations, injections of saline and glucose.

After the completed treatment, after one to three months, the patient undergoes a control study of feces for the presence of helminth segments in them.

Prognosis for the treatment of taeniasis, as a rule, always favorable.

Prevention of taeniasis

The main preventive measures against the occurrence and development of taeniasis:

• buying meat and meat products only in stores or supermarkets, but not in markets or from hands;
• observing the rules of personal hygiene;
• when buying meat at the market, you need to ask to see documents on the veterinary and sanitary examination and check for the presence of a stamp on the meat itself;
• eat only well-cooked and fried meat, that is, which has undergone good heat treatment;
• it is forbidden to try raw meat, semi-finished products, or minced meat during the cooking process.