The diagnosis of the presence of intestinal worms, also called intestinal parasites, must be made by the doctor according to the symptoms presented by the person and by laboratory tests capable of identifying the presence of cysts, eggs or larvae of these parasites, being the most frequent of Giardia lamblia , Entamoeba histolytica , Ascaris lumbricoides , Taenia sp . and Ancylostoma duodenale , popularly known as yellowing.
It is important that the result of the laboratory diagnosis is confirmed by the presence of the symptoms, because in the case of the person presenting symptoms, but the result is negative, it is important to repeat the test at least 2 more times so that the result can be released as negative. Most of the time, the negative result is only given when 3 negative exams are checked on different days, because it can suffer interference from some factors.
How worms are diagnosed
The main test performed for the diagnosis of intestinal parasitosis is the parasitological examination of feces, since eggs or cysts of these parasites can be found in the feces, since they are intestinal parasites.
To do the exam, one or more stool samples should be collected at home, preferably in the morning and with an interval of 2 or 3 days between collections. In these cases or when feces cannot be taken straight to the laboratory, you should place them in the refrigerator for up to 12 hours or ask the laboratory for collection jars with a special liquid inside, which serves to preserve the feces for longer.
For the collection to take place, the recommendation is that the person evacuate on a clean paper or container and use the spatula that comes in the exam kit to collect a small portion of the feces, which must be placed in the appropriate container and taken to the laboratory to be processed and analyzed.
It is important to remember that the consumption of red or undercooked meats should be avoided the day before the exam and that it is not allowed to take medications that affect the functioning of the intestine in the 7 days prior to the collection of feces, such as laxatives, antibiotics, anti- inflammatory, antiparasitic and diarrhea remedies.
In some cases the diagnosis is difficult due to the low parasitic load and, therefore, it is necessary that more collections and exams are made for the diagnosis to be made correctly, especially if there are signs and symptoms indicative of intestinal infection by worms.
Check out some tips for collecting the stool for the exam in the video below:
Main parasites identified
The main parasites responsible for intestinal infections are protozoa and helminths, whose cysts and eggs can be easily identified in stool tests, especially when it is an acute infection or a high parasitic load. Among the main parasites are:
- Protozoa responsible for amebiasis and giardiasis, which are Entamoeba histolytica and Giardia lamblia , whose infection occurs through the ingestion of cysts of this parasite present in contaminated water and food. Know the symptoms and treatment of giardiasis; Helminths responsible for teniasis, ascariasis and hookworm, also called yellowing, which are Taenia sp ., Popularly known as solitary, Ascaris lumbricoides and Ancylostoma duodenale .
Usually these worms cause symptoms such as abdominal pain, bloating, itchy anus, diarrhea interspersed with constipation, tiredness and muscle weakness. In addition, in some cases it is also possible to see worms in feces or on toilet paper, this being more frequent in the case of infection with Enterobius vermicularis , popularly called oxyurus.
Learn to recognize the symptoms of worms.
How treatment should be
The treatment for worms should be done according to the doctor's guidance and aims to eliminate the adult worm, most of the time the use of Metronidazole, Albendazole and Mebendazole is recommended according to the worm responsible for the infection.
These medications, however, do not fight the worms' eggs, being necessary to be hygienic to avoid recurrence of the problem, such as washing your hands frequently, not sharing towels and underwear with other people and not putting your fingers in your mouth. Understand what the treatment for worms should be like.
