It is estimated that 10% to 20% of the adult population of the United States suffers from trichinosis at some time. In many people with the disease exhibits no symptoms and is discovered only at autopsy. In others it causes diarrhea and other gastrointestinal symptoms as the worms multiply in the digestive tract. When the larvae circulate through the bloodstream, the patient experiences edema, irregular fever, profuse sweating, muscle soreness and pain, and prostration. There may be involvement of the central nervous system, heart, and lungs; death occurs in about 5% of clinical cases. Once the larvae have embedded themselves in the muscle tissue, the cysts usually become calcified; however, the infestation usually causes no further symptoms except fatigue and vague muscular pains. There is no specific treatment.
I have also read that at least 7% of autopsies in my part of the world discover trichinosis, so I think its a prevalent issue that is ignored. The majority of people afflicted only have mild symptoms and if your immune system is healthy then perhaps a small load could help stimulate a cleansing immune responce, sadly many people are not so resilient and as they reach elder years they are less able to contain the infection and I believe that a good number of elderly people suffer from the debilitating symptoms of trichinosis, and are just written off as having nerve issues of age induced senility. Its just a hunch, I could be mistaken and those 10 to 20 percent of us who have contracted it are entirely unharmed by it and the symptoms of initial infection are so mild they are mistaken for food poisoning or some cold, its worth debating, although in the end there is nothing you can do about it , besides attempting to avoid highly contaminated meats and keeping yourself healthy.
Topic: Helminthic worm therapy (Read 15211 times)