Echinococcosis is a rare parasitic disease that occurs when the larvae of the ribbon echinococcus worm affect the body. A person, as a rule, gets infected by oral contact with animals, in particular cats and dogs, swallowing helminth eggs.
Getting into the human body, echinococcus settles in the intestines, where it lays eggs, some of them stand out with feces, and some penetrate into the blood vessels and internal organs. There they turn into echinococcal cysts - Finns, in which a parasite develops. Most often, Finns are found in the liver and lungs, less often in the brain. Over time, Finns are growing, squeezing the surrounding tissues disrupting the normal functioning of the organs.
Stages of development of echinococcosis
Echinococcus symptoms in humans manifest depending on the stage in which the disease is located. There are four stages in the development of echinococcosis:
- latent (asymptomatic), from the entry into the body of the larvae of the ribbon echinococcus worm;
- mild disorders;
- pronounced symptoms;
- complications.
The duration of each of these stages is difficult to predict. It is known only that the signs of echinococcus in a man manifests itself depending on the organ in which echinococcal cysts develop. Thus, the cyst of the peripheral parts of the liver parenchyma can not bother people for years, and if it were located near the gates of the liver, it would quickly provoke obstructive jaundice, squeezing the hepatic passages, or lead to the development of ascites, compressing the portal vein.
With the increase in echinococcal cysts, the person starts to squeeze nearby organs, which causes discomfort.
Echinococcus localization
Often the liver suffers from echinococcosis. Echinococcus liver has more severe symptoms. In particular, there are painful sensations of different intensity in the right hypochondrium, weakness, rapid fatigue, a feeling of pressure, severity, malaise, sometimes allergic reactions, decreased activity. The liver is enlarged.
Echinococcus lungs in second place in prevalence. It is accompanied by pain in the chest , shortness of breath, cough.
Echinococcus of the brain causes a headache, vomiting, dizziness, sometimes there are paralysis, mental disorders, convulsions, paresis.
With the defeat of other internal organs, mainly echinococcus symptoms reveal, which simulate the tumor process.
An important common symptom of echinococcus are periodic allergic reactions.
Complications of echinococcal cyst can cause suppuration or its rupture and, as a result, the spread of echinococcal larvae in the body.