Interesting Psychology Team
6 – Anxiety
Parasites can cause mental harm as well. They can negatively impact stability and happiness—which causes mood swings, irritability, and anxiety. Knowing you have a parasitic infection can make anxiety even worse, so it can be a vicious cycle.
7 – Teeth Grinding
Most people who grind their teeth at night are not even aware of it. Teeth grinding can have a lot of different causes, and that alone doesn’t necessarily mean you have a parasite.
In a case that you do, you’re tossing and turning all night due to the parasites’ increased activity, and the restlessness can lead to physical stress—which can result in teeth grinding. Left untreated, this could result in damage to your pearly whites.
8 – Anemia
Parasites rob a host of iron, which, in turn, can lead to anemia. Anemia results from low levels of hemoglobin—a protein in the blood that transports oxygen throughout the body.
Parasites steal iron from foods like meat and fish—leaving the body without the iron it needs to function properly.
9 – Skin Irritation
Parasites can cause the skin to become red and irritated. Inflammation and a rash may develop in an area where a parasite has set up shop. Not only does this irritate the skin, but some people could experience an allergic reaction to the parasite.
These skin irritations could be the result of the immune system’s attempt to fight the parasite or a result of the toxins and waste products being released locally on the skin. Parasitic infections and allergies also increase eosinophils in the blood. Eventually, this can stunt hair and nail growth.
Oftentimes, if this is the first symptom spotted, parasitic infections can be misdiagnosed as a bad food reaction.
10 – Muscle Pain
One of the less common symptoms of parasitic infections is muscle pain—which can happen when the parasites move into the muscles and soft tissues of the body.
In a parasitic infection known as trichinosis (which results from eating undercooked meat), the pain may even affect the joints. This could be accompanied by inflammation and muscle stiffness.
It’s difficult to know whether muscle pain is the result of a parasite—since muscle pain can have so many causes—but the presence of other symptoms can help to diagnose if it is a parasite.
The Take Home
The idea of hosting a parasite is beyond unappealing, but millions of people deal with them each year. How bad your parasitic infection is depends on things such as the type of parasite, your age, immune system, overall health, and how quickly it’s diagnosed.
Diagnosis can be challenging though because many of the symptoms associated with parasites can have so many other causes. Or you could even be asymptomatic! However, once a diagnosis is confirmed, parasitic infections generally respond well to treatment.
