Parasitic diseases of the urino-genital organs - Causes, symptoms and treatment. MF.

Parasitic diseases of the genito-urinary organs are lesions of the genito-urinary organs by helminths that live in the human body. Most susceptible to such kidney diseases, which pass through most of all parasitic lesions of the urogenital system. Most often, the causative agents of these processes are echinococci, schistosomes and filarias. Very rarely the genitourinary organs can be affected by other helminths.

Causes of parasitic diseases of the genitourinary organs

As already mentioned, the causes of such diseases are the filaria, schistosomes and echinococci, which affect one or the other genito-urinary organs. For the treatment and prevention of this group of diseases it is necessary to know the possible ways of penetration of parasites into the body and, in particular, into the genito-urinary organs.

The most common infection by parasites is fecal-oral, during which helminths enter the human body with food or water. Most often, this happens when you use unwashed vegetables and fruits, as well as using unproven sources of water. As a rule, worms are parasitic in the human intestine, but there are some helminths, one of the stages of life which occurs in the parenchymal organs. For example, echinococcus forms a cyst in the kidney, inside which it grows.

Other helminths, such as filarias, parasitize directly in the organs of the genitourinary system. In particular, they affect the lymph nodes and blood vessels. The transmission of such pathogens is carried out by the same mosquitoes that are carriers of malaria, so the disease is more common in hot countries, although periodic cases of the disease are recorded in our country.

Symptoms of parasitic diseases of the urino-genital organs

Echinococcal cyst of the kidney at the initial stages of its development does not manifest itself as a bright clinical symptomatology. With an increase in the size of the latter, urine retention, impaired renal function, and pain in the lumbar region may be observed. The latter arise due to compression of the cyst of the nervous and vascular structures.

Symptoms of filariasis are characterized by the presence of a common clinical symptomatology. Patients complain of weakness, fatigue, insomnia, fever and fever. With complete blockage of some lymphatic vessels, swelling of the scrotum and lower limbs may occur. With varicose veins, varicose veins of the lower extremities are also noted. When the parasites are infected with genital organs, inflammation of the latter can occur. Most often, the epididymis suffers from this disease, as a result of which epididymitis develops.

Elephant in filariasis

For schistosomiasis is also characterized by the presence of general symptoms. Against the background of the latter there are local symptoms of the lesion of the urogenital organs, which are characterized by pains in the lower abdomen and a violation of urination. Also, because of the vascular system of the bladder, hematuria develops, which can fluctuate from a small red sediment in the urine to whole blood clots, which may even threaten the development of anemia.

In the presence of any of the above symptoms, the patient needs immediate advice from the infectious disease specialist, as well as the urologist, who by joint efforts can exclude or confirm the diagnosis of parasitic infection.

Diagnosis of parasitic diseases of the genitourinary organs

An obligatory stage in the diagnosis of any parasitic disease of the genitourinary system is the sowing of blood and urine for helminths. Since many parasites of the genitourinary system are only a temporary place of residence, it is also necessary to sow the feces on the worms, where you can identify both the parasites themselves and their eggs.

It is also necessary to perform ultrasound examination of the genitourinary system, which in some cases is extremely effective. For example, with echinococcal cyst of the kidney it is possible to reveal a dense hyperechoic formation in the parenchyma of this organ. For the final confirmation of the diagnosis, at times, perform a biopsy of education under the supervision of the same ultrasound.

Echinococcus on ultrasound

For visualization of the parasitic cyst, the kidneys can also use computed tomography, which provides clear data not only about the location, but also the size of the lesion. The latest information is extremely important for determining further tactics regarding treatment.

Among the specific diagnostic methods, it is necessary to identify lymphadenography, which is performed with filillariosis. The results of the study can determine the blockage of lymph nodes or vessels, usually at the level of the genito-urinary organs.

Other general clinical studies produce virtually no result in the diagnosis of parasitic diseases, so they are used only for indications or for differential diagnosis.

Treatment of parasitic diseases of urogenital organs

Treatment of echinococcosis of the kidney is usually operative. It consists in resection of part of the organ together with a cyst. True, such an operation has its disadvantages, since excision of the parenchyma threatens profuse bleeding, which can result in a sharp drop in blood pressure and a violation of cerebral circulation.

To date, another method has been developed for the treatment of kidney echinococcosis. It is called echinococcotomy and consists of removing the contents of the cyst with a thin needle that is inserted into the body under the supervision of an ultrasound.

If the kidney has many cysts or one multi-chamber, then an operation is performed to remove this organ together with the cysts. Despite the fact that such an operation is quite traumatic, it gives better results than partial resection of the kidney with a multi-chamber cyst.

Treatment of filariasis, schistosomiasis and other parasitic diseases of the genitourinary system, which are common, is performed conservatively. For this, preparations of the diethylcarbamazine type are used, which belong to the group of anthelmintic agents. They can be purchased only as prescribed by the doctor, since they have a lot of side effects and contraindications.

In some cases, for example, when obturating vessels with filarias, special methods of treatment are used. They consist in revascularization of blood or lymph vessels by special endovascular probes, which are used in vascular and cardiac surgery.

Treatment with folk remedies

In helminthic invasion, folk medicine recommends using decoctions of wormwood and other herbs that have antihelminthic effects. Their use can be effective only at the initial stage of the disease, when parasites undergo a cycle of reproduction in the human intestine.

When using these decoctions in later stages, when helminths are localized directly in the genito-urinary organs, the use of a variety of decoctions and infusions is useless. It can only contribute to the aggravation of the process due to late application to a specialist.

Features of Nutrition and Lifestyle

In principle, patients do not need any special diet for the treatment of parasitic lesions of the genito-urinary organs. To some extent, it must be adhered to before infection with these diseases. In particular, do not eat raw meat and fish, wash fruits and vegetables before meals, boil water from a shared water pipe.

Rehabilitation after illness

Since all anthelmintic drugs are sufficiently powerful antibacterial agents, after their use it is necessary to undergo a course of restoring normal intestinal microflora. It is carried out with drugs from the group of probiotics, which can be purchased at any pharmacy even without a doctor's prescription.

If the patient does not want to take such drugs or does not have the financial capacity, the patient can be recommended to eat sour-milk products that also contain benign bacteria.

Complication of parasitic diseases of the urino-genital organs

The most serious complication in echocardiogram is chronic renal failure, which develops due to progressive growth of the cyst and lesions of the renal parenchyma. It is possible to prevent this complication only by performing a timely patient operation.

In addition, with the same disease, hypertension of renal genesis can also develop. Bad in relation to the prognosis is the fact that hypertension often does not disappear after surgery.

The most dangerous complication in filariasis is a blockage of lymphatic and venous vessels. In the first case, elephantism or elephantism develops. The disease is manifested by swelling of the lower limbs, due to stagnation of lymph. Legs, with time, increase several times, which gave the name of pathology - elephantiasis.

When varicose veins develop varicose extension of the latter. It is accompanied by a thickening of the subcutaneous veins of the lower extremities and external genital organs. In this case, trophic ulcers can develop which have a very poor tendency to healing.

Prevention of parasitic diseases of the genitourinary system

First of all, it is necessary to adhere to sanitary and hygienic standards. It is very important to heat food before use. Especially when it comes to raw meat and fish, which very often become sources of helminth infection. Any vegetables and fruits must be washed under running water before use. Any dairy products, especially of home origin, should be checked before use. If they do not pass official sanitary control, then it is better to use them only after heat treatment. On store dairy products, it is necessary to check the expiration date.

In the prevention of filariasis, it is very important to fight the vectors of this disease - various kinds of mosquitoes. In countries with hot climates, special programs have been developed to exterminate such pests. All those who plan to visit such countries should remember the means of individual protection against insects, as well as vaccination, which is carried out by such people for epidemiological reasons.

Rev.doctor urologist Astashin Е.Е.