How to Treat Trichinosis
Trichinosis is a disease caused by worm larvae that invade your body. The worm is ingested when uncooked meat (usually pork) contains trichinella spiralis. Intestinal juices distribute the larvae throughout the body and these are the cause of the sickness. The female worms continue to reproduce unless eliminated from the body. Read on to learn how to treat Trichinosis.
- Difficulty:
- Challenging
Instructions
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Visit your doctor immediately if you have eaten under-cooked pork or begin to feel symptoms resembling those of trichinosis. He will do a complete blood test, complete serology studies and possibly a muscle biopsy. A test will be administered as well that measures the level of creatonise phosphokinease, which is found in the skeletal muscles, brain and heart.
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Take medication if prescribed by your doctor. If the disease is still in the intestinal stage, when the larvae are still contained in the intestines, mebendazole or albendazole can be used to flush the parasites from your body. This must be done in the early stages, before the larvae begin to affect other areas of the body or the medications will not work.
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Take medication for fever, muscle or joint pain and parasitic infestation if you have a mild case of trichinosis. Bed rest is recommended and the disease will usually run its course with no further complications. Eventually the calcification of larvae cysts will kill the parasites residing in the muscle tissue.
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Alert your doctor if you are experiencing problems with motor coordination, breathing or heart problems. These are signs of advanced trichinosis and the complications must be treated. If the disease progresses too far it may be life-threatening and life-support attention is necessary. Often steroids are used to control inflammation of the muscles.
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Continue taking antiparasitic and pain medication until parasites are eliminated from the system and weakness and muscle pain terminate. Return for clinical examinations as often as your doctor recommends to ensure your body is free of the trichinosis invasion, and take repeat doses as required. If you have suffered from complications make sure that follow-up care is provided.
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