Here Are 14 Health Signs That You May Have A Parasitic Infection

If you think that parasites are only for horror stories and bad B movies, think again. Not only could you be living with a parasite, but it’s really not as uncommon as people would like to believe. The Centers for Disease and Prevention (CDC) says that ‘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 while we don’t mean to alarm you, the parasite that causes the Chagas disease is not the only one that can infect humans.

Parasites are organisms that live on or in a host organism, and they get their sustenance from the host that they happen to be infecting. There are three main types of parasites that usually infect humans, these are protozoa, helminths, and ectoparasites, mostly made up of tapeworms, thorny-headed worms, roundworms, ticks, fleas, mites and lice. While some live within the body or within the digestive tract, others burrow deep within the skin, infecting the host with diseases and even causing death at times.

Unfortunately, parasites are often left undiagnosed, making millions sick without understanding the true cause behind their sickness. This can be both irritating and debilitating, however it’s not necessarily deadly. However, if left untreated, there are times when it can become fatal.

This is why it’s important to recognize and understand the symptoms that come with having a parasite before it becomes incurable.

Here are 14 health signs that you might have a parasite.

 1. Abdominal Pain

The most common health sign of having a parasite is abdominal pain. However, the issue with this is that abdominal pain is a common symptom of many different health conditions, such as food allergies, lactose intolerance, constipation, stomach virus, irritable bowel syndrome and tons more. When it comes to parasites, the pain is usually due to the parasites invading the bile ducts and bowel walls, causing swelling and inflammation. More often than not, when a patient complains about abdominal pain, doctors rarely think it’s due to a parasite, leading to a misdiagnosis at first. It may take a few tests to eventually figure out what you are dealing with, which will eventually lead to the right treatment to get you back to better health.