Often, the deterioration of well-being is caused by various types of parasites, which are mistaken for stress or vitamin deficiency. Where and what type of analysis do you need to perform to identify the infection?
Tests for parasites - how and what to take - this question arises when the health condition worsens for no apparent reason.
Various types of parasites, ideally adapted to exist in the human body, may not manifest for a long period of time. Generally, children who attend school or kindergarten are tested from time to time for helminths. However, in adults it is also very common to become infected with parasites.
Some symptoms of helminth infestation, such as:
- decreased hemoglobin in the blood;
- lack of appetite;
- sleep disturbance;
- weight loss;
- increased body temperature.
They have similarities to various types of pathological conditions.
The probability of infection is very high. Many people are unknowingly carriers of one type or another. Also, damage to human health can be caused not only by worms, but also by some protozoa. Its presence in the human body leads to toxoplasmosis and other dangerous diseases. It is obvious that the analysis of parasites in the human body must pass in order to detect the infection in time and as soon as possible prescribe the appropriate treatment. What tests for parasites to pass, the local therapist will tell you.
When should adults be tested for parasites?
Experts recommend testing for parasites if you have one or more of the symptoms on this list:
- Problems in the digestive tract: tendency to constipation, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, flatulence.
- The skin is pale due to lack of vitamins and nutrients.
- There is rapid fatigue, loss of energy, listlessness.
- Body weight dropped rapidly.
- Allergy manifestations have appeared in the absence of obvious irritants (such a reaction is caused by the waste products of worms).
Testing (doing a thorough parasite analysis) is recommended if, as a result of decreased immunity, the body's resistance to colds has worsened.
Furthermore, itching of the skin around the anus indicates the presence of helminthic invasion (enterobiasis), which can be confirmed by performing a parasite test.
What tests are generally performed to identify parasites in the human body?
If we suspect that we are infected with helminths or other parasites, we want to start treatment immediately. However, in order to prescribe the necessary drugs, you must first check for the presence of parasites, since it is necessary to understand which species of them have settled in the body. Where to get tested for parasites, you can find out by contacting the nearest clinic.
Stool analysis
The simplest and most common solution in this case is stool analysis, in which specialists will look for helminth eggs.
This type of analysis allows you to determine the presence of:
- roundworms;
- trematodes or flukes;
- tapeworms.
However, this type of analysis has a major drawback: the results of stool analysis for parasites are not always reliable, as parasites multiply at certain times and may not lay eggs for a long time. Therefore, for greater reliability, stool analysis for parasites is repeated 2 to 3 times with an interval of several days.
Extended Stool Analysis
In addition to the standard stool analysis, there is also a detailed one, whose reliability and precision is much higher. This type of diagnosis, which is based on PCR technology, helps detect the DNA of a parasite, even dead or inactive. This method makes it possible to find out what type of worms are in the body, which means that the doctor will be able to determine which medicine will cope with the disease most effectively.
Enterobiasis scraping
Pinworms are one of the most common types of helminths. To get tested for this type of parasite, you must scrape the skin folds around the anus, where you can find its eggs. To improve the accuracy of the results of such a study, it should also be repeated after a few days. This method of examination is painless, like the usual analysis of parasites, it is suitable for both adults and children.
Blood test
It is possible to establish a parasite infestation with high precision by performing an enzyme-linked immunosorbent blood test. If you pass this type of test, you can detect the presence of antibodies and antigens to almost all types of parasites. The antigens, in this case, are the waste products of the parasites and themselves, and the antibodies are immunoglobulins, which are synthesized in the human body to fight infection. With this method, it is possible to diagnose the disease in the early stages, when there are not many parasites yet, and it is easy to treat them.
This test requires donating blood from a vein. The result, whose reliability is at least 95%, will be known no later than 9 days. Of course, this research is more suitable 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 allow the diagnosis of various types of infection in children and adults with great precision.
Some medical institutions offer a comprehensive blood test to detect various types of helminths.
To prepare for analysis, you must:
- that the last meal was between 10 and 12 hours before the test;
- exclude fatty, smoked and salty foods from the diet of the day before;
- 24 hours before the test, exclude smoking and alcohol consumption.