What are the common parasitic skin diseases and problems? How can they be identified and treated? Explore the details of various parasitic infestations, their symptoms, and the available treatments.

Understanding Parasitic Skin Diseases

Parasitic skin diseases are a common concern, affecting individuals worldwide. These conditions are caused by various types of parasites that can infest the skin, leading to a range of symptoms and potential complications. Understanding the different parasitic skin diseases, their causes, and their management is crucial for maintaining good skin health.

Bedbugs: The Uninvited Guests

Bedbugs are small, flat insects that thrive in environments like furniture, wallpaper, mattresses, and cluttered areas. They feed on human blood, often during the night, and can cause allergic reactions and skin irritation. While bedbugs do not spread diseases, the itching and scratching can lead to secondary infections. Treating bedbugs requires a comprehensive approach, including the use of antiseptic creams or lotions and antihistamines to alleviate the symptoms.

Lice: Crawling Critters

Lice are parasitic insects that live on the human body and feed on blood. There are three main types of lice: head lice, body lice, and pubic lice. While head and pubic lice are more common, only body lice can spread diseases. Lice are transmitted through close contact with an infected person, and they lay eggs on the host. Over-the-counter and prescription medications and shampoos are used to treat lice infestations.

Scabies: The Burrowing Mites

Scabies is a condition caused by a mite that burrows into the skin and lays eggs. It is transmitted through skin-to-skin contact with an infected individual. Symptoms of scabies include intense itching, particularly at night, a pimply rash, sores, and crusty patches. Prescription scabicides, medications that kill the mites, are the primary treatment for scabies.

Pinworms: The Intestinal Invaders

Pinworms are a type of roundworm that infect the human intestines. They are transmitted through the ingestion of contaminated food or water, or by coming into contact with the feces of an infected person. Pinworm infections can lead to anal itching, and in some cases, can affect the brain and cause cysticercosis. While some people recover without treatment, others may require medication or even surgery.

Naegleria Fowleri: The Brain-Eating Parasite

Naegleria fowleri, also known as the “brain-eating amoeba,” is a rare but deadly parasite found in warm freshwater. It enters the body through the nose and causes a condition called primary amebic meningoencephalitis, which destroys brain tissue. Symptoms include headache, fever, vomiting, confusion, stiff neck, seizures, and loss of balance. Unfortunately, there are currently only experimental treatments available, and the survival rate is low.

Roundworm Diseases: A Diverse Threat

Roundworms are a diverse group of parasites that can infect the human intestines, leading to a range of symptoms. Common roundworm diseases include ascariasis (belly pain), hookworm (blood loss), pinworm (anal itching), trichinosis (pain, fever, face swelling, pink eye, rash), and whipworm (mucus, water and blood in stool, rectal prolapse). Prescription drugs are often used to treat these infections.

Giardia: The Gut-Dwelling Parasite

Giardia is a parasite that infects the intestines and can cause diarrhea, gas, stomach cramps, bloating, and nausea. It is typically contracted through contaminated food or water, or from contact with the feces of an infected person or animal. Prescription drugs are used to treat giardiasis.

Chagas Disease: The Stealthy Parasitic Threat

Chagas disease is a life-threatening condition caused by the Trypanosoma cruzi parasite, which is transmitted through contact with the feces of the triatomine bug. Symptoms can appear quickly, including fever, fatigue, aches, headache, rash, loss of appetite, diarrhea, vomiting, and swollen eyelids. If left untreated, Chagas disease can lead to heart and intestinal problems. Doctors use medication to treat the disease and kill the parasite.

Cryptosporidium: The Water-Borne Parasite

Cryptosporidium, also known as “crypto,” is a parasite that affects the intestines. It is spread through contact with the stool of an infected person or animal, often from contaminated water sources, especially in swimming pools. While the diarrhea it causes can last for a long time, it usually resolves on its own without the need for treatment.

Malaria: The Mosquito-Borne Scourge

Malaria is a parasitic disease transmitted by infected mosquitoes. It causes flu-like symptoms, including body chills, fever, and sometimes nausea or vomiting. Early diagnosis and treatment are crucial, as malaria can be life-threatening. Certain prescription drugs can be used to cure most types of malaria.

Trichomoniasis: The Sexually Transmitted Parasite

Trichomoniasis is a sexually transmitted disease caused by a parasite. While many infected individuals do not experience any symptoms, some may notice itching, burning, or irritation of the penis or vagina. Trichomoniasis is treated with antibiotics.

Blastocystis: The Elusive Intestinal Parasite

Blastocystis is a parasite that can infect the human large intestine. Some individuals with Blastocystis infection may experience stomach pain and diarrhea, while others have no symptoms at all. Doctors can prescribe medication to help rid the body of this parasite.

Toxoplasmosis: The Zoonotic Parasite

Toxoplasmosis is a parasitic infection caused by the Toxoplasma gondii parasite, which can be found in meat, water, and infected cat feces. While the illness may feel like the flu, it can have serious consequences for pregnant women and those with weakened immune systems, potentially leading to cysts in the muscles, brain, and eyes. In most cases, toxoplasmosis does not require treatment, but severe infections may require medication.

Combating the Parasitic Threat

Parasitic skin diseases and problems pose a significant challenge, but with increased awareness and proper management, individuals can take steps to prevent and treat these conditions. By understanding the various types of parasites, their modes of transmission, and the available treatment options, people can effectively address these health concerns and maintain their skin’s well-being.

Lice, Bedbugs, Ringworms, Pinworms, Scabies, and More

Medically Reviewed by Debra Jaliman, MD on March 18, 2021

Furniture, wallpaper, mattresses, and clutter provide nesting spots for these small, flat insects. They like to live near people or pets, and they come out while you’re asleep to feed on your blood. Bedbugs don’t cause disease, but you might have an allergic reaction to their bite. If you scratch too much, the bitten area could get infected. Use antiseptic creams or lotions, or take an antihistamine, to ease the itch.

These insects live on your blood. There are three types: head, body, and pubic. Only body lice spread diseases. Since they crawl, you can get lice through close contact with someone. They lay eggs on you, and the itching starts when they hatch. You can treat them with over-the-counter and prescription medications and shampoos.

A mite that digs into your body and lays eggs causes this condition. You get it from skin-to-skin contact with an infected person. Symptoms include itching at night, a pimply rash, sores, and crusty patches. You can treat it with a prescription medicine that kills the mites called scabicide.

You can’t get these bugs from eating pork, unless it’s raw or undercooked. Both people and pigs carry them, but they’re spread when you swallow the eggs from tainted food and water. You can also get them if you come in contact with the feces of someone who has them. They infect the intestines and brain, which can lead to a disease that causes headaches and seizures, called cysticercosis. Some people get better without treatment. Others need medication or surgery.

People in the U.S. don’t have to worry as much about this parasite as people in Southeast Asia do. The bug, also known as N. fowleri, lives in warm freshwater, and it enters the body through the nose. It causes a condition that destroys brain tissue called primary amebic meningoencephalitis. Symptoms include headache, fever, vomiting, confusion, stiff neck, seizures, and loss of balance. Only experimental treatments are available now, so the survival rate is low.

Most of these bugs infect your intestines. But the one that causes trichinosis also affects your muscles.

Common roundworm diseases and their symptoms include:

• Ascariasis — belly pain
• Hookworm — blood loss
• Pinworm — anal itching
• Trichinosis — pain, fever, face swelling, pink eye, rash
• Whipworm — mucus, water and blood in stool, rectal prolapse (when part or all of the rectum slides out of place)

Your doctor may prescribe drugs to treat these infections.

If you’ve ever been camping and you came down with diarrhea, gas, stomach cramps, bloating, and nausea, you’ve likely caught this bug. You get it through food or drinking water, or from contact with the feces of an infected person or animal. The illness can be treated with prescription drugs.

This parasite causes Chagas disease, which can be life-threatening. People get infected  from contact with the bug’s feces. Symptoms show up quickly as fever, fatigue, aches, headache, rash, loss of appetite, diarrhea, vomiting, and swollen eyelids. Later, it can lead to heart and intestine problems. Doctors treat the disease and kill the parasite with medication.

This bug’s also called “crypto,” and it affects your intestines. It’s spread by contact with the stool of an infected person or animal. People tend to catch it from pool water, especially kids. The diarrhea it causes can last a long time, but it usually goes away on its own without treatment.

Some mosquitoes carry this parasite, which causes malaria. The disease kills more people than any other of its kind. It feels like the flu, and it causes body chills, fever, and sometimes nausea or vomiting. A doctor has to look at someone’s blood under a microscope to tell if they have it. Early treatment is best. Certain prescription drugs can cure most types.

This parasite causes a sexually transmitted disease called trichomoniasis, the most common curable STD. Most infected people don’t have any symptoms, but some may notice itching, burning, or irritation of their penis or vagina. It’s treated with antibiotics.

Doctors aren’t sure how you get this parasite, which infects your large intestine. Some people have stomach pain and diarrhea, but others have no symptoms. It’s common in all parts of the world. Your doctor can prescribe medicine to help you get rid of it.

This bug makes its home in meat, water, and infected cat feces. It causes an illness called toxoplasmosis, which can feel like the flu. Pregnant women and people with weak immune systems can have serious symptoms, like cysts in the muscles, brain, and eyes. Usually it isn’t treated, but a doctor can prescribe medication for a severe infection.

This roundworm’s days of spreading disease are nearly done, thanks to health groups that teach people how to avoid getting infected. People catch the bug by drinking water from ponds infected with larvae. The worms mate and grow in the stomach, then burst out through a blister on the skin. Symptoms can include fever, swelling, and pain near the blister, but it usually takes a year after infection for warning signs to show up. There’s no treatment.

Parasites do a whole lot of bad, but some researchers are trying to find out if they might be used for good, too. Studies of “worm therapy,” in which you swallow parasite eggs to treat disease, show it helps relieve symptoms of colitis, Crohn’s disease, type 1 diabetes, and asthma. It’s still experimental in the U.S.

IMAGES PROVIDED BY:

(1)    iStock/Getty Images
(2)    istock/Getty Images
(3)    Scott Camazine/Getty Images
(4)     Thinkstock
(5)    “Taenia solium scolex” by Roberto J. Galindo. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons –
(6)    iStock/Getty Images
(7)    Science Picture Co./Getty Images
(8)    Science Picture Co./Getty Images
(9)    Science Picture Co./Getty Images
(10)    CDC
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(13)    Oxford Scientific/Getty Images
(14)    Photolibrary/Getty Images
(15)    The Carter Center
(16)    Visuals Unlimited/Getty Image

SOURCES: 

Centers for Diseases Control: “Bed Bugs FAQ,” “Parasites – Lice,” “Definition of Ringworm,” “Fungal nail infections,” “Malaria – FAQs,” “About Parasites,” “Taeniasis,” “Parasites – Cysticercosis Treatment,” “Parasites – Cysticercosis,” “Parasites – Giardia,” “Parasites – Giardia FAQs,” “Trichomoniasis Fact Sheet,” “Cryptosporidium Infection – General Public,” “Dientamoeba fragilis FAQs,” “Parasites – Scabies,” “Scabies – FAQs,” “Naegleria fowleri – Primary Amebic Meningoencephalitis (PAM),” “Parasites – Toxoplasmosis Biology,” ““Parasites – Toxoplasmosis (Toxoplasma infection),” “Parasites – American Trypanosomiasis (also known as Chagas Disease),” “Parasites – Dracunculiasis (also known as Guinea Worm Disease). ” 

Studdiford, J., American Family Physician, 2012. 

Badiaga, S., Clinical Microbiology and Infection, 2012. 

Johns Hopkins Medicine: “Tinea Infections (Ringworm).” 

California Department of Public Health: “Cysticercosis.” 

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases: “Parasitic Roundworm Disease,” “Ascariasis,” “Hookworm Disease,” “Pinworm Infection,” “Strongyloidiasis,” “Trichinosis,” “Whipworm Disease FAQs.” 

American Family Physician: “Diagnosis, Treatment and Prevention of Giardiasis.” 

Medscape: “Cryptosporidiosis”

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Pictures of Rash & Mites, Symptoms, Treatment

Medically Reviewed by Stephanie S. Gardner, MD on November 22, 2022

Scabies is not an infection, but an infestation. Tiny mites called Sarcoptes scabiei set up shop in the outer layers of human skin. The skin does not take kindly to the invasion. As the mites burrow and lay eggs inside the skin, the infestation leads to relentless itching and an angry rash.

When a person is infested with scabies for the first time, it can take four to six weeks for the skin to react. The most common symptoms are:

• Intense itching, especially at night
• A pimple-like rash
• Scales or blisters
• Sores caused by scratching

In its early stages, scabies may be mistaken for other skin conditions because the rash looks similar. This image compares acne, mosquito bites, and scabies. What sets scabies apart is the relentless itch. Itching is usually most severe in children and the elderly.

Another hallmark of scabies is the appearance of track-like burrows in the skin. These raised lines are usually grayish-white or skin-colored. They are created when female mites tunnel just under the surface of the skin. After creating a burrow, each female lays 10 to 25 eggs inside.

Scabies mites can live anywhere on the body, but some of their favorite spots include:

• Between the fingers
• The folds of the wrist, elbow, or knee
• Around the waistline and navel
• On the breasts or genitals
• The head, neck, face, palms, and soles in very young children

Most people with scabies only carry 10 to 15 mites at any given time, and each mite is less than half a millimeter long. This makes them very difficult to spot. To the naked eye, they may look like tiny black dots on the skin. A microscope can identify mites, eggs, or fecal matter from a skin scraping.

Scabies typically spreads through prolonged, skin-to-skin contact that gives the mites time to crawl from one person to another. Shared personal items, such as bedding or towels, may occasionally be to blame. Scabies can be passed easily between family members or sexual partners. It is not likely to spread through a quick handshake or hug. The scabies mite can’t jump or fly, and it crawls very slowly.

Dogs and cats get scabies, too — better known as mange. However, canine scabies and feline scabies are not caused by the same type of mite that triggers human scabies. You can get mites from handling an infested pet, but these mites can’t reproduce in human skin. This means they usually die off without causing serious symptoms.

Anyone can get scabies, but those at higher risk include:

• Sexually active adults
• Prison inmates
• People in institutional care
• People living in crowded conditions
• People in child care facilities

Scabies outbreaks occasionally strike daycare centers. Young children tend to play in ways that involve skin-to-skin contact. They may also share naptime mats and blankets. If scabies is found in a child who attends daycare, it’s important to notify the staff. The child’s classmates and caregivers will probably need to be treated as well, even if symptoms have yet to appear.

Long-term care facilities, including nursing homes and homes for the developmentally disabled, are also prone to scabies outbreaks. Because caregivers assist residents with bathing and dressing, skin-to-skin contact is common. The CDC recommends all new long-term care patients and staff be screened for scabies.

Also called Norwegian scabies, crusted scabies is a very severe infestation involving tens of thousands of mites on a single person. This causes the skin to develop thick crusts full of mites and eggs. Crusted scabies is most common in people with weakened immune systems, the elderly, and people who are disabled. This type of scabies is highly contagious and requires swift treatment to prevent outbreaks.

The intense itch of scabies makes it difficult to resist scratching. Frequent scratching can create open sores that are prone to infection. Bacterial skin infections, such as impetigo, are the most common complication of scabies. Symptoms may include honey-colored, oozing blisters. This type of infection is usually treated with antibiotics.

In most cases, a doctor can identify scabies based on the appearance of the rash and your description of the itch. Sometimes a skin scraping is used to confirm the diagnosis. This involves collecting skin from the affected area and using a microscope to check the sample for mites, eggs, or fecal matter.

Scabies will not go away on its own. It can only be cured with prescription medications that kill the mites. Treatment is a cream or lotion that is applied to the entire body from the neck down in most cases. It is left on for 8 to 14 hours and then washed off. In some cases, a doctor may prescribe pills to treat scabies. Treatment takes up to three days, depending on the medication used.

While prescriptions can kill scabies mites and their eggs, they don’t provide any immediate itch relief. To control itching, especially at night, antihistamine pills can help. Hydrocortisone cream may also help, but it can change the appearance of the scabies rash, making the condition harder to diagnose. It’s best to use this cream only after your doctor has confirmed the diagnosis.

When someone is diagnosed with scabies, anyone who has close physical contact with the person should also be treated. Close contact includes bathing together, sleeping in the same bed, or even holding hands. Doctors usually recommend treating all members of the household, even if symptoms are not present. (Remember, it can take four to six weeks for symptoms to appear.)

Scabies mites can live up to two to three days on the surface of clothes, bedding, or towels. To make sure these mites are killed, wash any sheets and clothing used by the affected person within the past three days. Wash the items in hot water and dry them in a hot dryer or take them to a dry-cleaner. Items that can’t be washed should be placed in a sealed plastic bag for seven days.

Scabies medications can kill the mites and eggs quickly, and patients can usually return to school or work 24 hours after starting treatment. However, the itch may persist for a few weeks. This is the result of an ongoing allergic reaction in the skin. If the itching continues for more than four weeks or a new rash appears, see your doctor. It may be necessary to reapply scabies medication.

IMAGES PROVIDED BY:
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2)   Dr. P. Marazzi / Photo Researchers, Inc.
3)   Rom Rom, ISM/Phototake, Interactive Medical Media LLC
4)   John Radcliffe Hospital / Photo Researchers, Inc.
5)   Dr. P. Marazzi / Photo Researchers, Inc.
6)   Eye Of  Science/Photo Researchers Inc.
7)   LWA-Dann Tardif/Flirt Collection
8)   Gregory Byerline
9)   Erik Isakson/Tetra Images
10)   Picture Partners/Age  Fotostock
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13)   Dr P. Marazzi / Photo Researchers, Inc.
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17)   Lucianne Pashley/Age Fotostock
18)   Steven Errico/Photographer’s Choice
19)   Jim Craigmyle/Flirt

REFERENCES:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Delaware Department of Health and Human Services.
Peteducation.com.
The International Foundation for Dermatology.
The Nemours Foundation.

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Skin rashes with worms: photos of rashes and pimples

Skin problems are familiar to everyone. This may be the result of an unhealthy lifestyle. But often there are rashes on the skin with worms.

Parasites can cause skin irritation

Contents

1. Can there be pimples from worms: causes?
2. Skin parasite symptoms and stages
3. Which worms cause skin problems?
4. Ascaris
5. Pinworms
6. Giardia
7. Tapeworms
8. Diagnosis of worms
9. Prevention of parasite infestations

Can there be pimples from worms: causes?

Many experts are of the opinion that there are problems with the skin when infected with parasites. Such a rash can have a different localization zone. All helminths gradually destroy the intestinal wall, food particles can enter the circulatory system. Cells are secreted that protect the body from allergic reactions. They are called eosinophils. If there are too many cells, then red spots appear, which are often confused with hives, allergic reactions of other types, or psoriasis.

Symptoms of the presence of parasites on the skin and their stages

There are more serious skin problems up to purulent ulcers. Acne is one of the main signs of infection with parasites, indicating intoxication. Waste products of worms accumulate in the body and exit through the skin. In bowel disease, which is inevitable in case of infection with parasites, acne is a common occurrence.

The following eruptions testify to worms:

• purulent or dark blisters resembling eczema. Cause severe itching and burning;
• urticaria is typical in the early stages of infection;
• acne – the result of contamination of the body;
• papillomas appear due to a weakened immune system by parasites;
• Purulent boils occur after weak immunity. The skin can no longer fight parasites. Intoxication is strongly expressed.

Irritation on the skin from worms

Rashes in the presence of parasites in the body are often confused with allergies or psoriasis.

Damage to the epidermis and the nature of the rash on the skin depends on the stage of development.

1. Sharp. Helminths live in the intestines, lungs and liver. At this stage, the first allergic reactions appear: a small rash, erythema, swelling of the face and papules.
2. Latent. This period of the disease is secretive, almost asymptomatic. It is rare to find pimples on the body.
3. Chronic. Here the activity of parasites increases, they lay a large number of eggs. Symptoms are varied: small pimples and boils, minor rashes and allergic spots, psoriatic plaques.

With helminths, the rash appears in different areas. But in many cases it is the area of ​​the forehead, chin and back.

What a rash on the skin with parasites looks like can be seen in the photo.

Helminths cause skin rashes

Which worms cause skin problems?

There are 4 main types of worms that can cause rashes. These are roundworms, pinworms, Giardia and tapeworms.

Ascaris

Infection with ascariasis occurs after contact with animals, walking and eating unwashed fruits and vegetables. In this variant, a rash appears in the form of small red spots. They look like hives. Without timely treatment, this rash spreads to the mucous membrane and throughout the body. There is severe itching.

Spots on the skin from roundworms

Pinworms

They appear due to contact with an infected person. You can also become infected by inhaling street dust. Or after eating vegetables and fruits that have not undergone heat treatment. In this case, the disease is called enterobiasis. The rash itself may look different, but extensive redness and swelling are noticeable.

Skin rash caused by pinworms

Giardia

Giardiasis begins when the giardia protozoa infects the small intestine. During the period when they actively multiply, severe poisoning of the body occurs. This sooner or later affects the condition of the skin. The number of rashes inexorably grows, and the complexion becomes pale. Several types of acne are possible. Among them: urticaria, blisters, extensive dermatoses, accompanied by painful itching, subcutaneous acne.

Giardiasis may cause subcutaneous pimples

Tapeworms

Tapeworm causes intoxication, it manifests itself as a skin rash or fungal infection. The skin is very flaky and fades. Due to the liver, which can no longer cope with poisoning, all the consequences are reflected in the condition of the skin.

When infested with a tapeworm, the skin flakes and turns pale

Diagnosis of worms

If infestation is suspected, a doctor should be consulted immediately. Various analyses.

Important!

For an accurate diagnosis, each of the methods is selected individually. A combined examination using each of the methods is possible.

If infection with worms is suspected, the following tests are prescribed:

1. PCR diagnostics. Allows you to detect infection based on DNA tests, but you can not determine the number of parasites in the body.
2. Enzyme immunoassay. It is possible to diagnose the exact type of parasites and the stage of development.
3. Microscopic examination. An affordable method of examination, but not all varieties of helminths can be detected.
4. Computer diagnostics. Modern diagnostic method. The main advantage is fast results.
5. Vegetative resonance diagnostics. Many experts note controversial results, it is recommended as an additional option.
6. Hardware diagnostics. Basic techniques: ultrasound, endoscopy and endobiopsy.

Endoscopy will help identify parasites in your body

Fighting rashes on the body with helminthiasis does not make sense. Local therapy will help get rid of external manifestations for a while, but not eliminate the cause. With parasitosis, correct diagnosis and treatment prescribed by a qualified parasitologist is required.

Prevention of parasite infestations

Good personal hygiene must be observed. Be sure to wash your hands with antibacterial and antiseptic products. Especially after walking in a dusty place, contact with animals.

Be wary of various insects. They may be carriers of helminths. In places where they accumulate, it is better to wear long-sleeved trousers and shirts.

It is better to drink only filtered water or at least boil it. Vegetables and fruits must be thoroughly washed. A cuisine in which meat or fish is not served by heat treatment is now popular. This increases the chances of infection. In this case, you need to make sure that the products are of high quality and they have been subjected to proper freezing. At a sufficiently low temperature, the parasites die.

Young children are often infected and are often given special anti-parasite pills. It is enough to take them 2 times a year. Folk remedies are also popular: garlic juice or the use of pumpkin seeds.

Skin rash with worms: photo of a rash with helminths

Parasitosis is often accompanied by rash, itching and other non-specific symptoms. Skin rashes can be reactions of the body to the presence of:

• trichinella;
• strongyloids;
• hookworm;
• lamblia;
• toxocar etc.

The nature of the rash

Profuse long-lasting rash with parasites often has an allergic nature. It is provoked by colonizing worms of the alimentary canal, which secrete their own waste products, which die and decompose inside a person. As a result, the intestine ceases to perform its functions, becomes inflamed, and begins to pass particles of undigested food.

This causes a surge of eosinophils, which cannot but affect the condition of the skin. In response to exposure to parasites, the human body also produces large amounts of immunoglobulin E, which increases allergies.

The strongest allergens are those emitted by the human roundworm. They have a special irritating effect.

With helminthic infestations, a person becomes more sensitive to allergens and non-helminthic nature. He is more difficult to tolerate bronchial asthma and hay fever. Various dermatitis with an allergic component may intensify. Allergic reactions during infection with worms are resistant, that is, insensitive to traditional therapy. Antihistamines are powerless with such an allergy.

Today, most doctors believe that about half of the intractable diseases that are characterized by a pronounced allergic component with or without skin rashes are the consequences of helminthiasis, transferred in childhood or existing today.

Parasitic worms, in addition to allergization, cause an irreparable blow to the human immune system. Mucosal lesions can result from a deficiency of T-lymphocytes.

Eruptions

Rashes on the skin with worms in the photo may look different, most often they appear as:

A rash with helminths can be provoked by parasitic worms of extreme length, which disrupt intestinal motility, provoke its obstruction and, as a result, frequent constipation. Problems with the functioning of the digestive organs immediately affect the condition of the skin, causing it to flabbiness, dullness, spotting and various forms of rashes.

Rashes on the skin with various helminthiases

When rashes appear, regardless of their type and form, the help of a specialist is required, who, after diagnosis, will establish the cause of the problem skin and prescribe an adequate treatment. Only a doctor is able to distinguish acne in a teenager that occurs during hormonal changes in the body from a rash with worms. Self-medication can aggravate the situation. “Effective” cosmetic preparations do not bring the desired result.

Only complete elimination of helminths can restore the epidermis to its former state.

• With ascariasis, one of the symptoms is a small-spotted rash on the mucous membrane and skin.
• Itchy nodules with parasites and their eggs form rashes in case of paragonimiasis (pathogen pulmonary fluke). They most often affect the anterior surface of the neck and chest, where traces of scratching remain. Helminthiasis itself is characterized by a serious prognosis or even bad if the worms have affected the brain. Infection occurs with poor-quality cooking of crabs and shrimp.
• With giardiasis on the skin appear: acne, subcutaneous nodules and blisters. A feature of parasitosis is pallor of the skin.
• Enterobiasis is characterized by widespread polymorphic rash with redness and swelling.
• With dirofilariasis, worms are under the skin in any part of the body, which can be seen even without a magnifying glass with a microscope.

Rashes in children

Children are the most common parasite carriers. At home, parents do their best to protect them from various worms, but in kindergarten and school conditions it can be difficult to avoid infection. Therefore, adults need to regularly examine children’s feces, be attentive to the condition of their skin. The appearance of any even a slight rash should be a reason to visit a doctor. Regular examination of feces for eggs of worms will help to avoid helminthiases.

The association between parasitic infection and dermatosis is taken into account in treatment. In children under 2 years of age, suffering simultaneously from dermatoses and worms, after complex anthelmintic therapy, the skin cleared up in 100% of patients. Among older patients (2-12 years old), this figure was much lower, and in the group of adults and adolescents over 12 years old, improvements were noticeable, but there was no talk of a complete cure of dermatoses.

Treatment

For skin rashes that do not resolve within 2 weeks, an additional examination will be required. Medications are selected after finding out the species of the parasite. Modern diagnostics makes it possible to detect any type of helminth using:

• immunofluorescence reaction;
• complete blood count;
• fecal examinations.

MRI, CT, muscle biopsy, fibrogastroscopy, bile examinations assist in the diagnosis and treatment of severe cases.

A rash with worms (pictured) is an indirect sign of helminthiasis, but even when it appears, antihelminthic therapy is required, at least for preventive purposes.

The main anthelmintic drugs include:

• Pirantel;
• Nemozol;
• Vermox;
• Decaris.

The doctor often prescribes multi-drug rather than monotherapy. Taking Decaris weakens parasitic worms. Nemozol or Vermox, taken after 3 days, will help to finally deal with the problem. Pirantel also belongs to effective medicines.

Conclusion

Those who talk about the excessive toxicity of anthelmintic drugs greatly exaggerate this shortcoming. Without treatment, the scale of harm from parasites will be much greater. If you follow the age dosage, then a composition such as Vermox is not harmful at all.