Giardiasis: Symptoms and Treatment

To date, parasitic and helminthic infestations are widespread in many countries. And not the last place among diseases caused by parasites, is giardiasis. Symptoms of this disease are very nonspecific and typical for many intestinal diseases, including infectious nature. Determine the infection of Giardia only on the complaints of the patient and clinical manifestations, without laboratory studies, is impossible. And sometimes the formulation of an accurate diagnosis depends on the experience and discretion of the doctor, who suspected lambliasis in a timely manner.

The causative agents of this disease are the simplest class of flagella. Giardia is found in the human body in two forms - vegetative and in the form of cysts. In the external environment, parasite cysts are excreted with the patient's feces and can last up to 3 weeks. Sufficiently long, up to 3 months, lamblia is retained in tap water, and to the concentration of chlorine commonly used for water purification, they are stable. Infection is characterized by a fecal-oral route of transmission, that is, from a sick person, with non-compliance with hygiene standards. But the most significant sources of infection are water and products contaminated with cysts of parasites.

Clinical manifestations
From the human stomach, the cysts enter the 12-colon, where they form vegetative forms. Lamblias stick to the villi of the epithelium of the small intestine, where there is parietal digestion, and begin to compete with the human body for nutrients. If you get into the biliary tract, parasites lead to the formation of cholangitis and dyskinesia of the gallbladder, as well as to liver diseases.

How is Giardiasis manifested? Symptoms of the disease, as a rule, include various disorders in the functioning of the digestive organs. Patients complain of pain in the navel and in the right upper quadrant, eructation, heartburn, bloating, nausea and vomiting. Signs of Giardiasis - this is an unstable chair, alternating diarrhea and constipation, the presence of undigested food in the feces. But, unfortunately, not only impaired digestive function is characterized by lambliasis. Symptoms of the disease can be general. The nervous system suffers most often. Patients complain of fatigue, weakness, dizziness, sleep disturbance. Often develop hypotonic crises, which are characterized by fainting. One of the manifestations of the presence of parasites in the body can be vegetative-vascular dystonia.

Acute giardiasis, whose symptoms include allergic reactions, such as urticaria and dermatitis, are more often found in children. Meanwhile, in both adults and children, chronic lambliasis is often diagnosed. Symptoms of the disease in this case may include various skin lesions, as well as changes in its color. Characterized by dry and peeling skin, pale skin , cheilitis, cracks in the corners of the lips, as well as dryness and hair loss. These symptoms are usually associated with changes in the intestinal microflora, impaired absorption, enzymatic insufficiency, developing with chronic giardiasis.

Diagnosis and treatment
Laboratory tests are carried out to determine the presence of parasites in the body. However, the diagnosis of Giardiasis presents certain difficulties. Usually the faeces of the patient are examined. But not always, even in the presence of parasites, they are found in the material under study. Recommend to take the test several times, at least three. More accurate is the study of duodenal contents, for this, sounding is carried out. Recently, serological methods have been used for diagnosis. Antibodies to lamblia in the patient's blood are found 2-4 weeks after infection.

At the first stage of the treatment, sorbents, vitamins, enzyme and cholagogue preparations are prescribed to restore the disturbed functions of the body. After one or two courses of antiparasitic therapy. Use makmiror, furazolidon, trihopol and other drugs, depending on the age and condition of the patient. Much attention is paid to diet, often add to the treatment of decoctions of birch buds, bearberry, propolis tincture. The laboratory examination should be performed by all members of the family or preschool group, where the lamblia carrier was identified.