Dorothy FarrarSchistosomiasis (schistosomiasis)
Schistosomiasis (schistosomiasis) is a tropical disease caused by so-called trematodes (sucking worms). Schistosomiasis occurs predominantly in inland waters of subtropical or tropical countries; these mainly include regions in South and Central America, Africa and Asia.
What is schistosomiasis (schistosomiasis)?
Schistosomiasis (schistosomiasis) is a classic worm disease that can affect not only humans, but also animals. It is estimated that around 200 million people in Asia, Africa and South and Central America are affected by the disease. There are no cases of this worm disease in Europe.
In the end, the physician distinguishes between four pathogens that can trigger schistosomiasis. The pathogens need an intermediate host in the course of their development; these are certain freshwater snails. These pathogens were first discovered in 1852. Theodor Bilharz, German physician and discoverer of the pathogens, documented the first cases of worm disease. The disease was named after him.
Schistosomiasis or schistosomiasis causes not only acute, but sometimes also chronic complaints. If left untreated, schistosomiasis inevitably leads to serious organ damage and subsequently to the death of the patient.
Causes
Persons and animals suffering from schistosomiasis excrete the eggs of the pathogens through their urine and stool. If these excretions enter the surface water, the freshwater snails, which serve as so-called intermediate hosts, take up the eggs. After a few weeks, these develop into larvae; afterwards they are excreted again by the snails.
When the pathogens reach the stage of the tail larva, they can swim in inland waters and adhere to the skin of animals and humans; these are also the final host. The larvae penetrate through the skin – after which the same cycle begins again. The reasons why these pathogens occur at all are inadequate hygienic conditions of any water treatment plants. For this reason, the disease occurs primarily only in areas where inadequate hygienic precautions have been taken.
Symptoms and course
Typical symptoms of schistosomiasis (schistosomiasis):
The patient complains predominantly of itching, which occurs wherever the larvae have penetrated the body. Schistosomiasis is also accompanied by a rash and reddening of the skin. The patient suffers from high fever, chills and cough. Among other things, the patient may also suffer from headaches or be affected by swelling of the lymph nodes.
The incubation period of the worm disease is between three and eleven weeks. The incubation period describes the period of penetration of the larva until the first complaints. The tail larvae have classic adhesive organs, so that they can adhere to the skin of their final hosts without any problems. After the larvae have attached, they get under the tissue layer within a few moments.
The patient does not notice the penetration, but gentle spots remain in the positions, which can sometimes trigger itching. After the larvae have arrived in the lymphatic and bloodstream, they make their way through the liver. After a few weeks, they have developed into sexually mature worms. After that, the classic symptoms appear. The patient suffers from fever, headache, abdominal and body aches, and complains of swollen lymph nodes. Also, the secreted eggs can migrate to other organs, so that inflammation can occur throughout the body.
Diagnosis
The physician can make the diagnosis of schistosomiasis relatively easy. Once the larvae lay their eggs, they can be seen relatively easily – in the excretion of humans. In the further course, the immune system also produces antibodies; these are also detectable in the blood of the final host. If there is already a manifestation of the disease, the disease can only be detected by means of a biopsy. The biopsy is taken from the affected organs (bladder wall, liver or intestinal mucosa).
Treatment and therapy
Therapy and treatment is divided into two parts. The physician mainly deals with alleviating the symptoms. This means that the physician prescribes analgesic and antipyretic drugs to alleviate any signs and symptoms of schistosomiasis. Furthermore, the physician prescribes a special worm remedy so that the causative disease can be combated. These include, for example, praziquantel. With this remedy, it is possible that the worms can be killed in a targeted manner. The worm eggs are also killed by means of the active ingredient.
How successful the therapy is ultimately depends on how far the worm infestation has progressed and whether it is acute or chronic schistosomiasis. In the affected areas, schistosomiasis is also repeatedly associated with Cirrhosis of the liver , bladder cancer and pneumonia . No other forms of treatment or therapies are currently known. As a rule, the prognosis is favorable; only in very few cases do complications arise which are due to the fact that the diagnosis was made too late.
Prevention
There is no drug prophylaxis. For this reason, it is important that people who travel to areas where schistosomiasis pathogens occur primarily avoid inland waterways.
Hello and welcome to my Health Guide & Encyclopedia! My name is Dorothy Farrar, and I'm the founder and main author of this platform.
My passion for health and wellness started at a young age when I became interested in the connection between the food we eat and the way we feel. This fascination led me to study nutrition and dietetics in college, where I learned about the importance of a balanced diet and the impact of various nutrients on the body.