Opisthorchiasis is a parasitic disease caused by Siberian and cat flukes. Its source is fish, usually river fish, if it has not been subjected to prolonged heat treatment. This worm primarily affects the liver, but can also settle in the gallbladder, bile ducts and other organs. The disease was first discovered in 1884 in cats during the research of S. Rivolta.
In Russia, opisthorchiasis is more widespread than in European countries; there are areas where it is widespread.
Why is opisthorchiasis dangerous?
The causative agent of the disease, the cat fluke, parasitizes the gallbladder and bile ducts and devours the mucous membrane of organs. The normal digestive process gradually deteriorates. Dysbacteriosis occurs, an allergic reaction of unknown origin appears, the internal organs closest to the gallbladder become inflamed, and stones form.
If the pathology appears during pregnancy, the parasite has a depressing effect on the development of the fetus, physical and mental development. One of the most terrible consequences is cancer of the liver, gall bladder, and pancreas.
In addition to the gastrointestinal tract, the patient’s heart and blood vessels, metabolism, and nervous system suffer. As a result, vegetative-vascular dystonia, insomnia, nervousness may occur, tremors of the limbs appear, appetite decreases, and the menstrual cycle changes.
Complications
If you engage in ineffective self-medication or do not start it at all, the patient will face consequences, such as:
- peritonitis;
- jaundice;
- liver failure;
- hepatitis B;
- acute pancreatitis;
- cirrhosis of the liver;
- cancer;
- dysfunction of the pancreas.
In addition, a sick person will have serious problems with appetite and will constantly feel tired.
The first symptoms of opisthorchiasis
The first signs appear when the protective function of the immune system decreases. In the early stages, the patient experiences the appearance of general weakness and sweating increases. The acute form of opisthorchiasis manifests itself as follows:
- the appearance of insomnia and nervousness;
- pain in the right hypochondrium;
- pain in the back and abdomen;
- presence of asthmatic bronchitis;
- feeling of body aches and fever;
- the appearance of allergic rashes on the skin;
- the presence of flatulence, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, general discomfort;
- a sharp decrease in appetite, too liquid stool consistency.
When examining the body, the doctor may detect an enlarged liver and an increased number of eosinophils in a general blood test.
Symptoms of opisthorchiasis in adults are somewhat different from the first signs of children. In little fidgets, the disease is expressed in the manifestation of persistent allergosis, intoxication of the whole body and an immunosuppressive state. The temperature may also rise and last up to 2-3 weeks.
Symptoms in women are most pronounced during the menstrual cycle. If a woman has a parasite in her liver, her periods become very painful and her cycle becomes unstable.
Prevention
Proper heat treatment can save you from parasites
The main preventive measure is proper thermal and culinary processing of fish.
- It must be thoroughly cooked, fried, salted, and stewed.
- After working with fish, thoroughly wash the knife and cutting board.
- Fish is bought only in official trading stores.
- When buying fish at the market, it is recommended to require a quality certificate.
How quickly does pathology manifest itself?
When parasites enter the human body, the protective functions of the immune system begin to decline. After this, the first signs may appear within 20 days. A person experiences general weakness, malaise, rapid heartbeat, increased body temperature, and severe sweating.
After about 30 days, the disease enters the chronic stage and its symptoms become similar to chronic cholecystitis, gastroduodenitis, pancreatitis, and hepatitis. I am worried about attacks of pain in the right hypochondrium, similar to biliary colic. Nervousness, sleep disturbances, chronic fatigue, frequent allergic skin rashes, trembling hands and eyelids appear.
The period of the acute stage of the disease ranges from several days to 3 months, sometimes longer. Symptoms are accompanied by signs of pulmonary diseases, the liver is enlarged, erosions and ulcers of the mucous membranes and tissues of the stomach and duodenum may be revealed during the study.
Folk remedies
Opisthorchiasis is often treated with folk remedies. Moreover, even doctors recommend them. The advantages of home remedies are their availability and low price. The disadvantages include a possible allergic reaction, inaccuracy of dosages and longer treatment.
Treatment of opisthorchiasis with folk remedies is described in more detail in a separate article, which contains 17 recipes against fluke.
Birch tar
Treatment with tar takes 20 days, but it helps get rid of parasites.
Tar is taken diluted with water in the morning. On the first day of treatment, one drop of tar is diluted in a teaspoon of water and drunk. With each subsequent day, the amount of tar is increased by one drop until day 10.
Upon reaching the middle of the treatment course, the amount of tar is reduced to the original one drop per day.
Aspen bark
Treatment with a decoction of aspen bark has a fairly quick effect and copes with even severe cases of infection.
To prepare the decoction, pour 250 grams of bark with boiling water and simmer for half an hour over medium heat. Strain the mixture and let it cool.
Take a tablespoon three times a day. The course of treatment lasts three weeks.
Pine buds
To prepare the tincture, you need to mix 70% alcohol and pine buds one to one. The mixture is infused in a dark place for 10-12 days. Take 2 tablespoons before breakfast.
Treatment takes 2 weeks. In this way, opisthorchiasis can be cured only by adults.
Stages of acute opisthorchiasis
When it comes to acute opisthorchiasis, it is divided into 4 classes.
- Typhoid-like course - there are symptoms of pancreatitis, jaundice and hepatitis, an enlarged liver, gastritis, eosinophils in the blood up to 90%.
- Hepatocholangetic type - pancreatitis, aching abdominal pain, the liver is affected, the function of the pancreas is impaired.
- Gastroenterological – the presence of enterocolitis, stomach ulcers, erosive gastritis, stool disorders are observed.
- Damage to the respiratory tract - the presence of asthmatic-type bronchitis, pleurisy and pneumonia.
How is the disease diagnosed?
The first thing you need to do if you find signs of opisthorchiasis is not to self-medicate, but to seek the advice of a gastroenterologist. The doctor will conduct a visual examination, collect anamnesis and refer for tests and duodenal intubation. This is a method of examining a patient, which is carried out for diseases of the biliary tract and gallbladder to collect bile for laboratory testing.
Other types of diagnostics:
- general blood analysis;
- examination of internal organs using ultrasound;
- stool analysis for worm eggs;
- polymerase chain reaction (PCR).
After the diagnosis, the doctor examines the results of all tests and studies and gives the patient an accurate diagnosis. After an accurate diagnosis is made, the patient is prescribed treatment. It is carried out under strict supervision.
Treatment of opisthorchiasis
Treatment of the pathology should be carried out regardless of the stage and type of opisthorchiasis. The sooner treatment is started, the less likely it is that the parasite will cause severe damage to your body.
In order to start treatment, it is necessary to have the latest results of a general blood and urine test, a biochemical blood test, FGDS, ultrasound of the abdominal organs, and for patients over 40 years old, also an ECG.
The use of medications relieves inflammation. If there are allergic reactions or intoxication, then this problem is eliminated through the use of antihistamines. Choleretic drugs are prescribed, which are taken at the time prescribed by the doctor, and antibiotics are prescribed. The drugs are most often taken for up to 14 days. A special diet is established for the patient, which he must follow.
After the course of treatment, a control duodenal intubation will be done, you will receive a full medical report and doctor’s recommendations, which you must adhere to throughout your life.
After antiparasitic therapy, a rehabilitation period begins. It can last for 3-4 months, its main tasks are:
- restoration of normal functioning of the digestive system;
- complete disposal of dead helminths that remain in the body;
- elimination of the consequences of helminth activity in the human body.
Diet
The use of special diets for opisthorchiasis is due to the possible development of concomitant diseases of the hepatobiliary system. Diet can improve the effect of medications and create an environment less suitable for trematodes.
Principles of menu construction:
- simple carbohydrates and starch are removed from the diet;
- fried and heavily baked foods that can cause mechanical damage to the intestines are excluded;
- dishes are boiled, baked (without crust) or stewed;
- the daily diet is divided into 4-5 meals of equal volume;
- the amount of water increases to 400 ml/10 kg of weight;
- salt is limited to 10 g per day.
The diet is allowed to include crackers, daily bread, cereal porridge and cereal casseroles, and vegetables (which do not contain oxytocin).
From protein foods, you can eat all types of meat, but with the fat removed. seafood and lean sea fish.
Sour cream, cheese and cream are allowed to a limited extent. Kefir, fermented baked milk and cottage cheese are included in the menu based on total calorie content.
For opisthorchiasis, it is possible to include spicy herbs and sauces in the diet, for example:
- cinnamon;
- vanilla;
- unsmoked paprika;
- dill;
- parsley;
- vegetable and sour cream mild sauces and gravies.
Sample menu for a day
Breakfast: rice porridge on water with added butter, low-fat cottage cheese with berry sauce, weak tea with honey;
Second breakfast: buckwheat porridge with water, boiled chicken fillet, non-concentrated dried fruit compote;
Lunch: cereal soup with vegetable broth, baked or boiled fish, fresh vegetables, fruit juice or compote;
Afternoon snack: jelly or baked apple;
Dinner: mashed potatoes, lean beef stew, weak tea.
The list of prohibited products is much longer. Some of them negatively affect the production of bile, others impair the functioning of the digestive system and pancreas.
The following are completely excluded from the diet:
- sweet and flaky pastries, fresh bread, fried dough products and legumes;
- white cabbage, green and onions, garlic, radishes, radishes, sorrel, spinach, asparagus and pickled vegetables;
- all types of nuts;
- meat by-products, canned food, sausages, sausages, smoked meats, pickles and fatty fish;
- Sour cream in large quantities, heavy cream, cheeses;
- Mushroom, meat or bean based soups;
- Strong coffee, tea and concentrated compotes;
- Chicory drinks, cocoa, instant hot chocolate;
- Juices, sodas and sparkling mineral waters;
- Alcoholic drinks and cocktails;
- Sauces with vinegar, horseradish and mustard, ketchup and mayonnaise;
- Sweets such as chocolate, creams, halva and condensed milk.
All of the listed products can be included in the diet only after complete recovery and rehabilitation therapy.
Treatment of opisthorchiasis in Krasnoyarsk
Diagnosis and treatment of parasites can be done at the Medunion private medical clinic. During the pandemic, we provide all medical services in accordance with the mask regime. A distance is maintained between patients and clinic staff, and all work surfaces are sanitized every hour. Our patients can use masks and hand sanitizers.
The cost of diagnosis and treatment will depend on the procedures performed. To find out more information, make an appointment with a gastroenterologist who will conduct an examination, prescribe tests and treatment. To sign up, call or fill out the online form. Indicate the procedure you need and leave your details - our specialist will call you back and discuss a convenient time for the procedure.
In addition, the clinic operates a comprehensive diagnostic program “Gold Standard”. It includes all types of tests, including tests for parasites.
Basic drugs for the preparatory period
Therefore, only an infectious disease specialist can decide how to treat opisthorchiasis. The fact is that a complex scheme is implemented for the treatment of this helminthiasis.
It involves a preparatory, chemotherapy and recovery stage.
Each of them needs certain medications that will completely free the patient’s body from helminths, and also stabilize the functioning of its internal organs.
The preparatory period is of great importance. The effectiveness of treatment and the patient’s complete recovery largely depend on it.
If there are symptoms of this helminthiasis, it is necessary to use tablets for opisthorchiasis.
But first you need to go through a complex, lengthy stage of comprehensive diagnostics to identify the type of parasite and exclude diseases with a similar clinical picture.
The symptoms of this helminthic infestation are not always clear. They may indicate many other pathologies.
In addition, the choice of the right drug depends on the degree of neglect of helminthiasis, the characteristics of its course, the main clinical manifestations, the presence of complications, and concomitant diseases.
If opisthorchiasis has already been identified and treatment has been prescribed, drugs are selected not only to destroy parasites, but also to restore normal functioning of internal organs.
Usually prescribed:
- antispasmodics;
- antibacterial substances;
- hepatoprotectors;
- antiallergic medications;
- sorbents;
- enzymes;
- probiotics;
- painkillers;
- immunostimulants;
- detoxification drugs;
- cardiac glycosides.
The duration of this important stage largely depends on the patient’s condition and the tolerability of the medications prescribed to him.
