Parasites can live and breed in your intestines for years and you cannot be aware of it.  Tapeworms, pinworms, and roundworms are the most common parasites in the United States.

Your intestines are a breeding ground for parasites.

They live and make their homes nestled within impacted waste as well as in the linings of colon walls.  There are many different symptoms of intestinal parasites.  These include:

• Food Allergies
• Anemia (low red blood count)
• Bloating/abdominal swelling
• Bloody stools
• Bouts of diarrhea and inconsistent bowel habits
• Flu-like symptoms
• Coughing and wheezing
• Fever
• Foul-smelling stools
• Gas and cramping
• Itching around the anus, especially at night.
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Weight loss with a ravenous appetite

These symptoms are very common and can relate to most viruses and conditions.  However, some of the different types of parasites may cause different symptoms.  For example, roundworms have their own set of symptoms.

Roundworms can produce 200,000 eggs daily.  The most frequent symptom from roundworms is upper abdominal pain.  The other possible symptoms are asthma, eye pain, insomnia and rashes due to the secretions from the worms.  If you have an extreme number of roundworms in your intestinal tract, it can cause blockages, hemorrhages, abscesses in the liver and a pancreatitis.  This is of course at the extreme end.

With pinworms, one in five children can be infected.  The symptoms of pinworms include itching and irritation around the anus and vagina, insomnia, irritability and digestive problems.

Another parasite is whipworms, which can infect several hundred million people worldwide.  The symptoms of whipworms are bloody stools, pain in the lower abdomen, weight loss, nausea and anemia.  If this condition progresses, the whipworms can increase and penetrate into the intestines and cause more bacterial infections.

Finally another symptom of parasites is allergies.  Many individuals can have allergic reactions caused by the various worms.  With an allergic reaction, you can have severe food allergies or sensitivities, skin rashes and blisters.

If your doctor suspects an intestinal parasite, one of the first questions he will ask is whether you have been overseas or out of the country.  International travel, especially to underdeveloped countries, is a major cause of intestinal parasites.  If you have not been overseas, the next step would be for doctor to take a stool sample and have it analyzed.  Additionally, there are other testing methods, which would allow the doctor to determine if there are worms, such as a physical examination and sometimes x-rays.

After you have a diagnosis, there are many treatments, ranging from increasing your immune system functioning to vitamins to antibiotics, depending on the severity of your symptoms.  In general, these parasites are usually treatable.