A 57-year-old resident of Horodochchyna was diagnosed with a parasitic disease.
A man complained of pain and discomfort in the intestinal area. During the laboratory examination, the eggs of the head lice were found and a diagnosis of trichocephalosis was made.
This disease mainly affects children aged 5 to 15 years. Also, the infection rate of rural residents is much higher than that of urban residents. The summer-autumn seasonality is determined.
According to the statistics of the Lviv Regional Laboratory Center for Disease Control and Prevention of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine in 2022, 29 cases of trichocephalus were registered in the Lviv Region. In the first quarter of 2023, one case of trichocephalus was detected in the Lviv region.
What is trichocephalosis?
This is a parasitic disease that affects the nervous system.
Geohelminthiasis is a disease in which helminths first develop in the human body, and then on a non-living substrate, more often in the ground.
Ascariasis and trichocephalosis are registered among geohelminthiasis in Lviv region.
"The causative agent of this disease is a tapeworm, and the source of trichocephalosis is a sick person. Parasite eggs released during defecation enter the external environment and a certain stage of the development of this parasite already occurs in the soil. That is why this disease is most often detected in people who work with the earth," says Ella Matiyash, a parasitologist.
In the risk group:
- children who do not have proper hygiene skills
- employees of professions that come into contact with the earth: gardeners, builders, farmers, summer residents
Symptoms of the disease: loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, bloating, general weakness, headache, dizziness, sleep disturbances, spasmodic pain in the abdomen localized in the right area, in the epigastrium. The development of ulcers of the mucous membrane of a fat cat is possible.
With trichocephalosis, patients develop the following disorders: inflammation of the appendix, impaired intestinal permeability, diarrhea, anemia.
Infection most often occurs through dirty hands. Over time, larvae emerge from the eggs in the human intestine, which move to the cecum, where they penetrate its mucous membrane, turn into an adult, and remain in this state for up to 5-7 years.
How to prevent trichocephalus?
Spring work on gardens and cottages is now starting, and villagers often use sewage and human feces to nourish the land. This should not be done, because there could be parasite eggs, and they can get on the grown vegetables.
You can get this disease through dirty hands, infected vegetables and fruits, so you should listen to the advice:
- wash fruits and vegetables
- wash hands with soap and warm water before cooking and eating
- teach children to wash their hands after contact with soil to prevent infestation
- wash, clean or heat raw vegetables and fruits before consumption, especially those that have been grown in soil that has been fertilized with manure.
Diagnostics:
Detection of helminth eggs in the patient's feces using a serological test
The Lviv Regional Center for Disease Control and Prevention conducts research on biological material for I/helminths, research on biological material for helminth larvae at the address:
Lviv, st. Krupyarska, 27
Timely diagnosis of trichocephalus is the key to human health and life!
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