14 Health Signs That You May Have A Parasite

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Healthline

It may sound like something out of a bad horror movie, but getting a parasite isn’t all that uncommon. In fact, according to the Centers for Disease and Prevention (CDC), ‘there are over 300,000 people living in the United States who are infected with the parasite that causes Chagas disease. More than 300 infected babies are born every year in the United States.’ And that’s not the only parasite that can infect humans.

The CDC also notes that parasites happen to be organisms that live on or in a host organism, getting its food from the host it’s infecting. Moreover, the three main classes of parasites that can affect humans are protozoa, helminths, and ectoparasites. These make up the otherwise known parasitic worms, such as tapeworms, roundworms, thorny-headed worms, and ticks, fleas, lice and mites that work to burrow deep in the skin and cause disease and in worse cases, death.

Many times, parasites tend to go undiagnosed, which can make millions of people sick without truly understanding what is causing them harm. For some, the symptoms are just annoying and bothersome, but not necessarily life-threatening. While others can truly put your life in danger. That’s why it’s important to understand and recognize the signs and symptoms of parasites before it’s too late.

Here are 14 signs you might have a parasite.

1. Abdominal Pain

One of the most common signs of a parasite infection is abdominal pain. The problem with this is that this type of symptom is common in a variety of different health conditions and diseases. Many times, parasites invade the bowel walls and bile ducts, causing inflammation and other changes within those areas. Because parasites are not the first thing that doctors consider when someone complains about abdominal pain, it often gets misdiagnosed as something else completely. Depending on your other symptoms, it may take a few tests to figure out that you have a parasite in your system. Depending on what type you are dealing with, your doctor will check the amount of damage it may have caused so that they can prescribe the proper treatment for you to get you back on your way to health.