Having worms in the abdomen is a common problem. When we call worms in the abdomen, it means worm in the intestines. Whatever food we do, it reaches in the intestines by becoming a paste from the mouth to the stomach, where it has full digestion and absorption. Worms in the intestines eat the same food and are not absorbed into the body and are used by worms to increase their number. As a result, even while eating well, the person gets abdominal diseases, more gas, constipation, pain, cramps, and anemia. Worms are parasites and grow by nourishing themselves, eating nutrients present in the intestines.
A variety of worms can be found in human intestines, such as pick or threadworms, roundworms or, hookworms and tapeworms. These worms can be from the size of rice to several feet long. When the number is high, it starts to get out of different parts of the body. When discharged from the anus, it is often itching on the anus. In some people, these insects can also get out of the mouth.
The infection of tapeworm is called taeniasis. Its three main species are Tinia Seginita Taenia saginata, Taenia Solium Taenia solium (pork tapeworm), and Tinia Asiatica Taenia Asiatica (Asian tapeworm). Human beings can be infected with raw or half-baked food from these tapeworms. In addition, drinking contaminated water, which contains its eggs, can also cause infection of tapeworms by touching the infected soil, putting the hand in the mouth or drinking contaminated water containing its eggs.
What is a tapeworm?
Tapeworm is called a tapeworm because it is long and flattened like a tape. The body of this worm is in small segments. This worm is connected to the intestines. It is glued to the sucker and sucks blood.
Tapeworm is usually found in the fecal stool of animals. For any reason, it reaches the ground with rainwater and then reaches the belly of human beings through raw vegetables. It is usually used in salads like radishes, carrots, cabbage, and it goes to the abdomen. From the abdomen, it goes into the intestine and increases by eating food. The number increases continuously. It can reach nervous systems and brains through blood so that the patient can get seizures/seizures.
Tapeworms can reach the brain through the nervous system. For this reason, the victim starts to have epileptic seizures. In some cases in the world, the spinal cord is not the same. Due to the tapeworm in the spine, people faced persistent pain and difficulty in walking.
A few years ago, there was a case in which a person visited doctors for lower back pain, weakness, difficulty in walking, and non-control of urine and stool in the spine OPD of the hospital. When the doctors conducted the investigation, the initial X-ray came to normal. The MRI test conducted by the hospital’s spine surgery detected a cyst in the middle of the spinal cord, causing pressure over the nervous system and hurting the patient. It was decided to have surgery to remove the cyst. During surgery, doctors found tapeworms between spinal Cord part spinal L2 and S1, which had a very high number. The disease is called medically neuro cystic sarcosis (NCC), and so far only six cases have been reported all over the world. This was the first such case seen in India. The doctors open the spine and cleaned the tapeworm. Just as the cyst is formed in the brain, the cyst was also made in the spine. It is a rare disease that is treated by surgery and removing it.
In another case, doctors removed a 6 feet long tapeworm (worm) from a male’s abdomen. The worm found in the patient’s abdomen was about 2 meters (6.6 feet) in length. The 48-year-old patient was complaining of abdominal pain for two months for which it showed doctors. The initial investigation found anemia in the patient. But later on, the rest of the test was detected to be insects. When endoscopy was done after the colonoscopy, it was discovered that this man had a long worm in his abdomen. This 6 feet long worm was in the upper part of the patient’s small intestine.
The scientific name of the tapeworm found in the intestine is Taenia solium. The worm can be up to 3.5 meters, i.e., 11.5 feet long and can survive in the abdomen for a few years. There are no signs of this being. People do not feel any infection from it. But in some cases, the abdominal pain begins.
Diagnosis of teniasis is difficult, it is not checked and therefore the exact number of its being is not known. It is likely that the cases are high but they are not reporting.
Symptoms of Intestinal Worms
About 50 kinds of worms can be found in human intestines. There may be symptoms according to worms. Nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea are common symptoms of worms. In some cases, symptoms of breathlessness, cough, and cough, symptoms of allergies on the body, such as dizziness and itching on the body at night, etc. are seen. Itching is also around the anus at night. The guinea worm comes out of the body like a thread by blistering in the leg.
- Abdominal pain
- Itching on the anus
- To have no appetite
- Weakness
- Decreased or stopping of children
- Anemia
- Becoming a lot of gas
- Fever
- Internal lumps (ulcers)
- Symptoms of allergies
- Headaches, dizziness
The other two are tapeworms (usually 3 meters) and can often cause digestive problems including abdominal pain, loss of appetite, weight loss, and stomach. The most visible symptom of taeniasis is the removal of fragments of progloid (tapeworm segment) or tapeworm through the anus and feces. In rare cases, fragments of tapeworms can get into bile and pancreatic ducts.
Tapeworms can be very large in size, so they can cause special difficulties. It can reach the brain and swell so that seizures begin. It has symptoms like epilepsy. The tapeworm can also reduce the light of the eye. When it is in the spine, everything becomes difficult.
Which food is more likely to contain a tapeworm?
Vegetables that are just above or inside the ground may be more likely to be tapeworms. Eating raw vegetables can reach the eggs of the tapeworm in the body:
- Cabbage
- Carrot
- Broccoli
- Other vegetables growing around the soil
- Contaminated water
Some people eat cabbage at lunch to lose weight. They believe that it can help to lose weight faster. Similarly, burgers also put it in sandwiches like salads. But it is dangerous. The special size of cabbage and its soil are very likely to have eggs of insects. On rainy days, the chances of infection become more likely when the water stops.
Do not eat cabbage without heating it. There is also food to eat its vegetables or boil well. The eggs and worms of the tapeworm are destroyed by cooking.
In people who are carnivores, the infection of the tapeworm is caused by eating animal meat. In half-baked meat, these worms are there, and eating them also makes humans ineffective.
- Meat that is not cooked properly
- Perfectly not cooked fish in freshwater
Treatment of Tapeworm
Doctors detect having tapeworms by stool samples and perhaps a blood test. Medicines are available for Treatment Praziquantel, Niclosamide. According to the problem, in some cases, the drug is also required for surgery. Other tests, some more medication, and surgery may be required to remove the cyst.
TapeWorm Preventions
Hygiene is the best way to avoid any worm. Individual cleaning can prevent worms from going through hands into the body. By cutting the nails, coming from the restroom and eating well, washing hands before every meal and drinking, and eating in a clean pot can make a lot of difference.
- Wash fruits, vegetables, and salads thoroughly.
- Dip the vegetables and fruits in water and clean 2-3 times. Then wash in a sharp edge under the tap.
- Clean the salad with a good pan before eating. Do not eat cabbage without cooking well.
- Drink clean water. Do not drink dirty water, contaminated water, no bottled water on the roadside.
- Don’t turn barefoot outside.
- Wash hands thoroughly after using the toilet.
- Wash your hands before cooking.
- Do not eat meat.
- Use the pesticide every 6 months.