For nearly 5 years, Ms. V (54 years old, Binh Dinh) has been continuously suffering from severe itching that lasts for many hours due to urticaria, affecting her work and daily life. Ms. V went to many places for examination but could not find the cause of the urticaria, the disease recurred continuously.
Visiting Tam Anh General Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City, test results showed that the patient was infected with roundworms of cats and dogs and strongyloides.
After 2 weeks of treatment with special antiparasitic drugs, the patient's body test showed no more strongyloidiasis or roundworms in dogs and cats. The patient's hives gradually decreased.
Another case is Mr. Q (28 years old, HCMC) who came to the clinic because of erythematous rash with blisters, scaly skin, itching most at night on the neck, chest, shoulders, armpits, arms, and private areas. The results diagnosed Mr. Q with scabies and skin fungus.
Every month, Tam Anh General Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City and Tam Anh General Clinic in District 7 record about 200 cases of parasitic infections of all kinds in both children and adults.
According to Dr. Dang Thi Ngoc Bich - Head of Dermatology - Skin Aesthetics Department, Tam Anh General Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City, there are 3 main types of parasites that cause diseases in humans, including: fungi, protozoans (amoeba, coccidia, malaria, etc.); worms (roundworms, pinworms, hookworms, liver flukes, tapeworms, pork tapeworms, etc.) and ectoparasites (ticks, lice, scabies, mites, etc.).
Explaining why people infected with parasites often have hives and itch a lot, Dr. Ngoc Bich said that the immune system recognizes parasites as foreign objects and will react to destroy and eliminate the parasites from the body.
This process releases large amounts of histamine, causing inflammation and swelling of capillaries under the skin, leading to redness, rashes, itching and discomfort. Waste from parasites accumulates in the skin, over time also causing swelling and skin damage.
However, parasites are just one of many causes of hives and itchy skin. Therefore, when experiencing itchy symptoms, patients should go to the doctor for testing, find the exact cause and have an appropriate treatment plan.
Vietnam is located in the tropics, especially in the South where the weather is hot and humid all year round, which is very favorable for the development and spread of fungal diseases.
To prevent parasitic infections, doctors recommend eating cooked food, drinking boiled water, and limiting the consumption of raw salads, rare food, blood pudding, and raw vegetables. People should wash their hands regularly with soap and clean water before and after eating; after contact with soil, sand, dirty water sources, animals; after using the toilet, etc.
Collect waste in the right place, regularly clean dog and cat cages and deworm periodically. In addition, each person should proactively deworm periodically at least twice a year.
