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The Effects of Tapeworms on Homeostasis

According to the BioPortal Website glossary, homeostasis is the process by which the body's internal systems maintain balance in spite of external conditions and stimuli. This refers to the constant work your body does to keep you healthy despite the environment that you are subject to. However, sometimes parasites and other organisms both good and bad invade your body. When the bad organisms make a penetration, it is natural that your body tries to fight it off. But sometimes these parasites have a pernicious, even fatal effect on homeostasis. A tapeworm is an organism that can cause dramatic effects on homeostasis.

  1. Intestinal Infection

    • Intestinal infection is one tapeworm effect of the body's natural ability to stabilize itself. Tapeworms penetrate the body in a number of ways, primarily entering with food. The worm's eggs make their way with your food to the intestines where they mature and set up shop in your intestinal tract. A majority of the time people with intestinal tapeworm infections are oblivious to the infection because there are rarely any outward signs or symptoms. Stomach pain, nausea, weakness and loss of appetite are the most obvious effects. It is commonly thought that weight loss is associated with tapeworm infection, but that is not always the case. People with intestinal infections due to tapeworm normally do not realize anything is wrong until the tapeworm is passed in their stool and they see it moving.

    Impairment

    • Tapeworms can actually live for a period of up to 20 years inside of the intestine and, if left untreated, they will continue to reproduce. Adult tapeworms can travel out of the intestines and to other parts of your body. Typically when the organisms travel outside the intestines, they make their way to other organs, particularly the brain and areas of the central nervous system where they form cysts. These cysts interfere with brain and central nervous system functions and cause seizures, headaches and even blindness or paralysis on very rare occasions.

    Rupture

    • Tapeworms can make it to other organs of the body as well. Here, without treatment, the worms will continue to grow. An adult tapeworm can actually grow up to 12 feet long. As the tapeworm grows, it causes blood vessels in the organs to become constricted. When the blood vessels become so constricted they can no longer function properly, homeostasis cannot be maintained and the blood vessels may rupture. These ruptures anywhere in the body can cause a number of problems, resulting even in death in the most severe cases.

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