Ascariasis is an infection of the small intestine. Ascariasis Lumbricoides is a parasitic roundworm that causes a disease called Ascariasis. Roundworms are a kind of parasitic worms that commonly cause infections. The disease occurs commonly in areas not having proper sanitation and can spread from one person to another. The disease spreads through unsafe water, contaminated soil containing eggs of roundworms, uncooked food and human feces. When eggs of the roundworm are ingested accidentally, the infection is caused. Children between 3-8 years of age are more prone to infection as while playing they are more in contact with soil.
After the infection, the roundworms begin reproducing inside the small intestine, hatch, mature, leave the lungs and travel to the throat. The infected person may swallow the roundworms or cough them up in the throat. On swallowing the worms travel to the intestine back, mate and lay more eggs, thus continuing the cycle. Some eggs pass off through feces, while others hatch and go back to the lungs.
In more than 85% of the cases, no symptoms are seen especially if the worms are small in number. If the infestation is heavy and number of roundworms is higher, then problems in the intestines or lungs can occur.
When infection grows in lungs, noticeable symptoms like gagging, shortness of breath, coughing, wheezing, fever, aspiration pneumonia sometimes, discomfort in the chest and blood in the mucus. When roundworms infest intestines symptoms like weight loss, nausea, discomfort or pain in abdomen, vomiting, visible worms in feces, diarrhea, impaired growth in children, appetite loss, irregular stools and blockage in intestines are experienced by the patient. Complications like duct blockages and intestinal blockages occur in severe cases.
What are the symptoms of ascariasis?
Diagnosis of Ascariasis is done by the doctor with stool sample examination, CT scans, X rays, MRI scans, ultrasounds and endoscopy, depending upon the infection.
Ascariasis treatment is done by administering antiparasitic drugs and medications like Vermox, Stromectol and Albenza. In advanced cases to control larger infestation, surgery may be recommended if roundworms cause blockage in intestines.
The best way to prevent Ascariasis is avoid unsafe water, food, maintaining a clean environment, laundering clothing that is exposed to unclean conditions and unhygienic surfaces.
