Although often asymptomatic, parasitic infections can lead to disruptions in mood, behavior and sleep – particularly in children with worms.
Parasite infections can be a cause of mental illness through biological and socio-environmental paths. The inflammation caused by parasite infections affects the brain and CNS via the blood brain barrier, activation of the vagus nerve and immune cells.
Behavior-altering parasites are parasites with two or more hosts, capable of causing changes in the behavior of one of their hosts to enhance their transmission, sometimes directly affecting the hosts' decision-making and behavior control mechanisms.
Among people with parasitic infection, 58.2% had a mental illness compared to 41.8% of uninfected people with mental illnesses and the risk of an individual developing a mental illness was found to increase 4-fold when presenting with a parasitic infection.
Although often asymptomatic, parasitic infections can lead to disruptions in mood, behavior and sleep – particularly in children with worms.
Unexplained constipation, diarrhea, gas, bloating, or nausea can be a sign of parasitic infection.
Toxoplasmosis was also associated with ADHD (OR 2.50), OCD (OR 1.86), antisocial personality disorder (OR 1.63), learning disabilities (OR 1.59) and anxiety disorder (OR 1.48).
The best-known example of a parasite that affects emotional behavior and that is relevant to human health is Toxoplasma gondii. T. gondii lives in the feline intestinal tract, where it lays its eggs, which are dispersed into the environment upon excretion.
Why? Most people do not know they are infected or at risk, or don't have access to appropriate care. And often, health care providers are unfamiliar with these parasitic infections, and may not diagnose or treat them appropriately.
Emotional parasites are people who prey on our feelings, emotions and thoughts. They aren't necessary bad people. They are simply people who live immersed in their own complexes and never seem to do anything for themselves.
These can present with diverse clinical manifestations, including seizures, focal deficits, mass effect, and intracranial hypertension, and can also cause complications such as vasculitis, stroke, hydrocephalus, and others.
Chronic parasite infection can alter the commensal flora of the gut, resulting in reduced airway inflammation/allergy and inflammatory bowel disease.
Delusional parasitosis is a psychiatric condition where people have the mistaken belief that they are parasitized by bugs, worms, or other creatures.
gondii exposure in individuals with a psychiatric illness. For example, increased exposure rates have been identified in [4-6]: Bipolar disorder – people with T. gondii exposure have a 2 to 4 times greater prevalence of bipolar disorder.
The stress response to other chronic stressors also affects the immune function, therefore making individuals more susceptible to infection. Parasites may interact additively or synergistically with other stressors, fuelling the cycle.
Common global water-related diseases caused by parasites include Guinea worm, schistosomiasis, amebiasis, cryptosporidiosis (Crypto), and giardiasis. People become infected with these diseases when they swallow or have contact with water that has been contaminated by certain parasites.
So, what are a few warning signs of a parasitic infection? Digestive issues such as constipation or diarrhea are some of the most common. A few other issues patients may experience include fatigue, intense bloating/gas after meals, and sugar cravings.
The central nervous system uses neuroactive substances as internal signals between neurons, brain networks and between the brain and other organs. Parasites can hijack these pathways to alter behavior by producing overriding signals or, as Del Giudice points out, corrupting existing ones.
These three infections are usually treated with antihelminthic drugs, such as albendazole, mebendazole, praziquantel, and pyrantel pamoate. But in echinococcosis and coenurosis, cysts must often be removed surgically.
The signs of a parasite are often caused by the toxins that it releases into the human bloodstream. Here are the most common symptoms: Unexplained constipation, diarrhea, gas, bloating, nausea or other symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome.
Fatigue, exhaustion, and brain fog are also common symptoms of parasites.
Parasites could be using glucose (or other things present in the host blood after eating) as a food source: When hosts eat, parasites eat.
Your provider looks for antibodies or antigens in your blood sample that indicate the presence of specific parasites. Antibodies are proteins your body makes to fight infections. Antigens are foreign substances in your body that cause your immune system to react in order to get them out of your body.