The parasitic disease is caused by tapeworms
Echinococcosis is a severe chronic helminthiasis in which cysts form in the liver, lungs, and other human organs.
From the moment of infection to the manifestation of the disease lasts from 2-4 months to 5-15 years.
The overall frequency of echinococcosis ranges from 1 to 220 cases per 100,000 population.
In March 2023, a case of liver echinococcosis in an adult was registered in the Lviv region.
The patient was admitted to the surgical department with complaints of pressure and pain in the right hypochondrium.
During the ultrasound diagnosis, a mass of up to 5 cm was diagnosed in the right part of the liver. A picture of an echinococcal cyst of the liver.
After the surgery, the contents of the cyst were sent to the parasitological laboratory of the Lviv Regional Center for Disease Control and Prevention of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine. After a laboratory study of the contents of the cyst, the diagnosis: "Echinococcal liver cyst" was confirmed. As a result of the epidemiological investigation, it was established that there is a dog in the household, which could be a source of infection.
What is echinococcosis?
Echinococcosis is a parasitic disease caused by tapeworms (Echinococcus). The parasite is transmitted to humans from infected animals, most often carriers of echinococcus are dogs, and infection is a consequence of non-compliance with the rules of personal hygiene.
From the moment of infection to the appearance of symptoms, the only sign can be urticaria. At this time, pathological cavities with liquid inside begin to form in the internal organs. When such cysts reach large sizes, they begin to cause discomfort.
Any person can get echinococcosis, there is no immunity against this disease. People who are in close contact with pets, primarily dogs, have a greater risk of getting sick. A sick person does not pose a danger to the people around him.
How can you get infected?
The source of infestation is carnivorous animals (domestic dogs, wolves, martens, etc.), in the intestines of which a mature helminth is parasitized. Dogs, in turn, become infected by eating the internal organs of cattle and pigs with echinococcal blisters. Often, dogs become infected with echinococcus when they eat the corpses of dead animals, and subsequently release echinococcus eggs into the environment with their feces.
Human infection occurs during the consumption of vegetables, berries, water contaminated with secretions of predators containing helminth eggs, as well as in close contact with dogs. When caring for a dog, contact with a person contaminates his hands and can bring the pathogen into his mouth.
Manifestations of echinococcosis?
When the cyst is localized in the liver, the first signs can be heaviness and pain in the right hypochondrium, an increase in the size of the abdomen, jaundice, when it is localized in the lungs, there is pain in the chest, cough often with bloody sputum, fever.
The only radical method of treating echinococcosis is surgery, during which a parasitic cyst is removed from the liver or lungs, and the affected tissues are subsequently restored.
Drug therapy for echinococcosis before surgery is ineffective due to the presence of a dense capsule around the cyst, through which drugs do not reach the parasite.
Patients with echinococcosis are subject to dispensary supervision after surgery for 8-10 years, with examination 3 times in the first year, in the future - 1-2 times a year. Patients with inoperable forms are examined in a hospital or on an outpatient basis according to clinical indicators, and are kept in the dispensary register for life.
How to diagnose?
A doctor's consultation, an ultrasound scan, and a blood test for the detection of IgG to echinococcus by ELISA. This can be done at the Lviv Regional Center for Disease Control and Prevention of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine at the address Krupyarska, 27, Lviv.
Phone for appointments and consultations: 098-99-47-055; 099-639-79-58
How to prevent human infection with echinococci? Worth:
- regular deworming of animals
- when cysts and other tumor-like formations are detected in the liver, lungs or meat of slaughtered animals (sheep, pig, cow), destroy these organs
- to prohibit the keeping of dogs (except guard dogs) on the territory of livestock farms, slaughterhouses, in places where fodder is stored
- observe the rules of personal hygiene
- before consumption, vegetables, fruits and berries should be thoroughly washed and scalded with boiling water