Giardia In The Liver In Adults - Symptoms And Treatment

2024 Author: Josephine Shorter | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 21:43

Giardia in the liver in adults

Giardia in the liver is a protozoal invasion, which is provoked by the simplest microorganisms. The disease is characterized by disorders of the digestive function. In the forefront are abdominal pains, stool disturbances, flatulence. In parallel, the development of an allergic, neurotic and hepatolienal syndrome is possible.

Once in the human gastrointestinal tract, these unicellular organisms start a cycle of active reproduction. In adults, lamblia invasion is more reminiscent of the symptoms of liver and biliary tract pathology. However, signs of giardiasis will not always be present. It was found that out of 40% of sick people, clinical manifestations of invasion are observed only in 20%.

Giardiasis is widespread. Statistics indicate that in developed countries the number of adults with giardiasis is from 3 to 5%, and in developing countries from 10 to 15%. Most parasitologists are sure that the real number of patients is much higher, which is associated with the high likelihood of an asymptomatic course of invasion in adulthood.

Content:

• Symptoms of lamblia in the liver in adults
• Causes of lamblia in the liver in adults
• Diagnosis of lamblia in the liver in adults
• Treatment of lamblia in the liver in adults

Symptoms of lamblia in the liver in adults

The symptoms of Giardia in the liver in adults primarily depend on how long ago the infection occurred. Sometimes after Giardia enters the digestive tract, a person simply remains a carrier of parasites, but there will be no clinical signs of the disease. Provided that a massive invasion has occurred, the symptoms will be as follows:

• Hepatolienal syndrome. It is a pathological condition characterized by an enlargement of the liver (hepatomegaly) and spleen (splenomegaly) in size.
• Biliary dyskinesia, development of cholecystitis.
• Dyspeptic disorders, change from constipation to diarrhea, frothy stools. If at the beginning of the disease the stool is liquid, then later it becomes fatty. Patients with lamblia are often diagnosed with enteritis, enterocolitis, duodenitis.
• Rumbling in the abdomen, bloating, the appearance of severe pain in the intestines, in the right hypochondrium, in the navel. For massive giardiasis, belching and heartburn are characteristic.
• Allergic reactions. This is a very indicative symptom, especially if the person has not previously suffered from allergies. The manifestations of the allergic syndrome can be very diverse, ranging from skin itching and minor rashes to atopic dermatitis, bronchial asthma, and allergic bronchitis.
• The characteristic signs of giardiasis in adults, on the part of the skin, are dryness, pallor, yellowness and peeling of the dermis. Cracks in the corners of the mouth are often observed - these are the so-called seizures. Such symptoms are caused by impaired absorption of nutrients and deterioration of the immune system.
• The vital activity of lamblia is always accompanied by the release of toxins. They, in turn, negatively affect the nervous system. Therefore, the patient is more prone to depression, apathy and neuroses. Irritability increases, the person gets tired faster, becomes more restless.
• Patients often complain of anxious dreams, nocturnal awakenings, sometimes insomnia develops, which significantly worsens the patient's quality of life.

Acute giardiasis lasts for a week, after which a person either heals on his own, or the disease becomes chronic.

For chronic giardiasis in adults, the following symptoms are characteristic:

• Gradual weight loss;
• A gradually developing psychopathological disorder with a deterioration in mental and physical performance, with lethargy and irritability;
• Periodic exacerbations of intestinal disorders (diarrhea, flatulence, etc.).

The longer and more massive the invasion, the stronger the intoxication syndrome will be.

The main manifestations of body intoxication against the background of giardiasis are as follows:

• Increased adenoids;
• Enlargement of peripheral lymph nodes;
• Subfebrile body temperature, which lasts for a long time;
• Persistent course of infectious diseases (cheilitis, conjunctivitis, blepharitis);
• Suppression of the immune system.

Nevertheless, despite the abundance of signs of lamblia in the liver in adults, the disease often remains undiagnosed for a long time. This is due to the fact that the listed symptoms are not specific and can be observed in other diseases.

Causes of lamblia in the liver in adults

The source of distribution of lamblia is an invasive person. It is he who releases mature cysts of the parasite into the external environment. They leave the patient's body along with feces.

Giardia carriers can be dogs, cats, rabbits and other animals. Various insects can carry the larvae of lamblia on their paws: cockroaches, flies, ants, etc. The mechanism of infection is fecal-oral. Giardia cysts can enter the human body by water, food and contact-household routes.

Therefore, the following reasons for parasitic invasion can be distinguished:

• Violation of the rules of personal hygiene. Dirty hands are especially dangerous in this regard.
• Eating seeded fruits, herbs, vegetables, salads, berries, etc.

• Drinking unboiled water. Although all tap water supplied to living quarters goes through several stages of treatment, it may contain lamblia cysts. They can get there through damaged pipes, or in violation of filtration technologies. Naturally, the risks of infection increase significantly when drinking water from natural sources.
• Poor sanitary living conditions. In this case, we are talking about the abundance of insects in the living room, since they are the spread of infection.
• Exploitation of common items without proper pre-treatment.
• Any contact with soil is a potential hazard.

The invasiveness of the adult population will be the higher, the stronger the pollution of the environment, the worse the condition of the water supply and sewerage system, the higher the overcrowding of the collectives, the lower the level of sanitary and educational work in a particular settlement. These factors explain the high proportion of sick adults in the developing world.

It is worth noting that the risk of infection in adulthood is not as high as in childhood. The fact is that the digestive system of an adult is more perfect and has a more aggressive environment for parasites. Therefore, if several lamblia cysts enter the gastrointestinal tract, infection may not occur.

The likelihood of infection increases with the following predisposing factors:

• Congenital malformations and malformations of the biliary tract.
• Diseases of the digestive system, accompanied by low acidity and deterioration of enzymatic activity.
• Surgical interventions on the stomach and duodenum.
• Adherence to low protein diets.
• Errors in nutrition leading to dystrophy.

The maximum surge in the incidence of giardiasis is recorded in spring and summer.

Diagnosis of lamblia in the liver in adults

Diagnosis of lamblia in the liver in adults is rather difficult, which is explained by the variety of symptoms, as well as the nonspecificity of the clinical picture. Very often, patients with giardiasis are observed by gastroenterologists, allergists, neurologists, dermatologists and other narrow specialists, receiving treatment that is ineffective. Therapy does not help, since it is aimed at eliminating any syndrome of giardiasis, and not at treating the underlying disease.

During the examination of a patient with suspected giardiasis, the doctor must pay attention to signs such as:

• Pale skin;
• Plaque on the tongue (most often it is white or yellow);
• Enlargement of the liver in size;
• Bloating and rumbling in the intestines;
• Pain in the right hypochondrium and near the navel, which intensifies during palpation.

For the final confirmation of the diagnosis, a laboratory study of feces for lamblia cysts, or a study of the duodenal contents will be required. The main method of laboratory diagnosis is microscopic examination of fresh feces or smears.

To obtain and further study the duodenal contents, duodenal intubation is performed. When carrying out diagnostics, it should be borne in mind that cysts and trophozoites of lamblia come out with feces not constantly, but cyclically. Therefore, in order to obtain the most reliable result, the study of feces must be carried out several times (from 3 to 5 studies throughout the month).

You can confirm the diagnosis using ELISA, using PCR diagnostics. However, these methods are not leading in terms of diagnosis.

Indirect methods for suspecting giardiasis in adults are:

• Ultrasound of the liver, gallbladder, cholecystography.
• Performing a hemogram. An increased number of eosinophils and monocytes in the blood will indicate giardiasis.
• Performing a biochemical blood test. Indirect signs of invasion are B-lymphocyte deficiency, decreased albumin concentration, and high levels of alkaline phosphatase.
• According to the results of the analysis of feces for microflora, signs of dysbiosis will be traced.

Thus, making the correct diagnosis, although difficult, is possible.

Treatment of lamblia in the liver in adults

Treatment of lamblia in the liver in adults should be carried out by a parasitologist. Self-administration of drugs is unacceptable. Therapy involves the implementation of three stages: preparatory, basic and restorative.

The preparatory stage of treatment of lamblia in the liver. First, it is necessary to create such conditions in the body under which lamblia will stop actively multiplying. For this purpose, the patient is transferred to a dietary diet with the use of bran, cereals, fruits and vegetables. At the same time, they limit carbohydrate food as much as possible, and first of all, sugar.

Patients should periodically spend fasting days. In parallel, antihistamines and choleretic drugs are prescribed. To normalize the digestive function, the patient is prescribed enzyme preparations: Festal, Creon, Pancreatin, etc.

The main stage in the treatment of lamblia in the liver. The main stage in getting rid of a person from parasitic invasion is reduced to taking antiprotozoal drugs. The most commonly used drugs are: Metronidazole (Trichopol), Tinidazole, Nimorazole, Ornidazole (Tiberal), Furazolidone, Albendazole (Nemozole). As a rule, the doctor prescribes 2 courses of treatment.

All of these drugs are well-tolerated and have high anti-lumbar activity.

The recovery phase of the treatment of lamblia in the liver. The last stage of treatment is aimed at restoring the human body. To do this, he is prescribed enterosorbents, vitamin complexes, immunostimulants. It is possible to use herbal medicine. The need for taking a particular drug is determined by the doctor.

As for the prognosis, with the correct implementation of the treatment regimen, its effectiveness reaches 95%. Although in the future, re-infection is not excluded, since the body does not produce immunity. In this regard, you need to follow the basic rules for the prevention of giardiasis: do not drink raw water, especially from open sources, keep your hands and premises clean.

Learn more: Broad Spectrum Parasite Medicines

Author of the article: Danilova Tatyana Vyacheslavovna | Infectionist

Education: in 2008 received a diploma in General Medicine (General Medicine) at the Pirogov Russian Research Medical University. Immediately passed an internship and received a diploma of a therapist