Children's bodies are relatively easily attacked by parasites because children have lower immunity. In addition, a child's body cannot produce a special digestive enzyme that can destroy worm larvae; People acquire this ability as they get older.
It is impossible to detect worm eggs visually; their size is microscopic, but they are present almost everywhere. The risk of infection arises at the time when the child begins to understand the world by touching various objects. In addition, the baby strives not only to touch objects, but sometimes also to taste them. Sandboxes in courtyards, which are often used as toilets by street animals, pose a great danger. If we take into account the weak natural defense of the baby's body against helminthic infestations, it is not difficult to see how high the likelihood is that parasites will attack the child's intestines. Here are the main ways worms enter a child's body:
- by unwashed hands;
- after contact with animals;
- from poorly cooked meat and fish;
- Insects are also often a source of helminth infestation as they carry worm eggs on their legs;
- unwashed vegetables and fruits;
- from dirty water accidentally swallowed while swimming in an open body of water.
An important factor is the ability of worms to be a source of re-infection of the child, despite the best efforts of the parents. The fact is that helminths regularly crawl through the child's anus and lay eggs in its immediate vicinity, causing severe itching in the baby. The child itches and small worm eggs in turn end up under his nails, from where they easily enter the mouth and then travel down the gastrointestinal tract to end up back in the intestines. After two weeks, the larvae develop into adults that are also capable of laying eggs.
Worm infestation in children, symptoms
There are about 300 species of parasites that can infect the human body. However, pinworms and roundworms are more commonly diagnosed in children. Both types of worms attack the small intestine; The symptoms of damage to both types of parasites are quite similar:
- Loss of appetite, pale facial skin, dark circles under the eyes.
- Restless sleep; sometimes the child grinds his teeth while sleeping.
- Headaches, dizziness, lethargy and weakness occur.
- Sometimes worms are present in a child's feces and can be seen with the naked eye.
- The baby feels itching in the genital area and anus.
- There is a disorder of the digestive system, constipation can be replaced by diarrhea, abdominal pain and nausea are observed.
- General blood count indicators may change, namely a decrease in hemoglobin and an increase in the level of eosinophils and ESR.
- The vital activity of worms leads to general intoxication of the body, which is manifested in the appearance of allergic reactions, urticaria and atopic dermatitis.
- Increased body temperature for no good reason.
- Constant itching can lead to inflammation of the genital mucosa.
- Worms not only poison the child's body with the products of their vital activity, but also actively consume vitamins and minerals, nutrients that the child's body needs so much, which often leads to vitamin deficiency and a decrease in the level of hemoglobin in the blood.
Folk remedies for worms
Admittedly, folk remedies are best for treating helminthic infestations in children; the symptoms subside quite quickly. However, before using them, you must definitely consult a doctor, since the child's body is very susceptible not only to the effects of parasites, but also to the improper use of medications, including folk ones. Here are the most popular folk anthelmintics:
- Garlic enema. Garlic is a naturally occurring antiseptic and can also be used against worms. A glass of cow's milk is mixed with a chopped clove of garlic, the mixture is boiled, then cooled and filtered through a double layer of gauze. At night, the child is given an enema from the received milk, a third of the medicine received is taken for this and the child is treated in this way for at least a week.
- Chamomile decoction. Another natural antiseptic used to treat a variety of diseases. To prepare the decoction, take a tablespoon of dry chamomile herb, pour boiling water over it, let it cool and give the child something to drink throughout the day instead of water or tea. The duration of treatment is 5 days.
- Onion remediesChop a small onion, add milk and cook the resulting mixture, then cool and filter. The resulting product is given to the baby in the amount of 100 ml for three days in a row.
Simple folk recipes that will help cure a child from worms, watch the video:
Causes of helminthiasis
Almost 400 species of helminths can parasitize the human body; 70 of them are the most common in our country. As a rule, these are roundworms and tapeworms. Diseases caused by the invasion of flukes (cat or liver worms) are often detected.
The disease occurs when eggs or larvae of parasites enter the stomach. During development from egg to sexually mature individual, tapeworms can change multiple hosts. You can also become infected by eating meat (beef, pork, game), unfiltered water, dirty vegetables and fruits.
Helminths parasitize the organisms of mammals, fish, molluscs and amphibians. To avoid infection, you should avoid eating it raw and not buy smoked or salted fish of unknown origin.
Symptoms of worms
Various types of worms can parasitize the digestive tract, respiratory organs, lymph nodes, bone and muscle tissue. Their vital activity affects the host's body in different ways. They can produce toxins, provoke the development of inflammatory processes, allergic reactions, anemia and metabolic disorders, and have a traumatic effect on organs and tissues.
You should contact the clinic to detect or exclude helminthiasis if the following symptoms appear in an adult:
- Temperature rise. After taking anti-inflammatory and antipyretic medications, it can rise sharply to 38°C and drop briefly. Sometimes the temperature remains high for 2-3 months.
- Dull or sharp pain in the stomach, frequent bowel movements (diarrhea or constipation), nausea.
- Itching in the anal area, which worsens in the evening.
- Frequent colds or respiratory diseases - when infected with helminths, immunity weakens.
- Loss or increase in appetite, sudden weight loss.
- Bronchospasm, cough, shortness of breath, other breathing disorders, paleness of the skin and mucous membranes.
- Itchy rash.
- Insomnia, frequent headaches, anxiety, irritability, depression.
- Pain in joints and muscles.
- Inflammation, enlarged lymph nodes.
- Edema.
Without adequate treatment, helminths can provoke the development of chronic pancreatitis, hepatitis and cholecystocholangitis, cause irreversible tissue changes and even lead to death.
diagnosis
An infection with certain types of helminths leads to a characteristic clinical picture. When a patient visits a doctor for the first time, he or she may guess the diagnosis. When examining stools, eggs and other traces of the vital activity of roundworms, pinworms and other roundworms that parasitize the intestines are detected. Sometimes worms are visible on ultrasound. However, some small parasites are very difficult to identify. The diagnosis is made based on a combination of symptoms and results of instrumental and laboratory tests.
If helminthiasis is suspected in adults and children, the following must be taken:
- Stool analysis. Allows you to accurately detect the presence of common parasites in the body. However, some of them only lay eggs at certain stages of their life cycle, so it is recommended to carry out the examination several times with an interval of 3-4 days.
- General clinical blood test. Does not indicate the presence of larvae, eggs or adults, but provides a lot of information about the intensity of the inflammatory process, the number of leukocytes, etc.
- Biochemical analysis. Provides detailed information on protein metabolism, identifies abnormal loss or increased protein synthesis, and allows exclusion or suspicion of infection with certain helminths.
- Analysis for liver function indicators (bilirubin, pancreatic alpha-amylase, alkaline phosphatase, AST, ALT). Diagnosis of the liver and pancreas suggests infection with helminths.
- Urinalysis, blood test with glomerular filtration. They provide the doctor with information about the condition of the kidneys and the possibility of damage by parasites.
Examinations of bile, sputum and duodenal contents may also be prescribed.
In order to clarify the location of parasites and estimate the extent of damage, ultrasound diagnostics can be prescribed. If the presence of helminths in the brain or eyes is suspected, computed tomography is performed. To diagnose helminths in the lungs, x-rays are performed, and in the stomach and intestines, endoscopy is performed.
A comprehensive examination makes it possible to quickly and accurately determine the causes of the disease and prescribe adequate treatment. Don't refuse the exam. The more precisely the doctor determines the cause of the poor health, the faster he can help.
Which doctors should I contact?
If you suspect a helminthic infection, you should contact a therapist who will conduct an initial examination and prescribe laboratory and instrumental tests. After the examination, the therapist will prescribe treatment or refer you to a specialist.
Treatment
If diagnosed in a timely manner, helminthiasis can be easily eliminated with anthelmintics. The doctor determines the dosage depending on the patient's age, weight, degree of parasite damage, type and location. To get rid of most worms, it is enough to take the drug one to three times. In addition to anthelmintics, vitamin and mineral complexes are often prescribed to strengthen the immune system.
In case of severe poisoning, allergic reactions, infections against the background of serious chronic diseases, hospitalization may be required. Doctors will not only rid the human body of parasites, but also carry out detoxification therapy and vitamin therapy.
If helminthic damage to organs and tissues occurs, surgical treatment is required. A large number of roundworms sometimes leads to blockage of the intestines and bile ducts. Their accumulation is surgically removed. The doctor makes the decision about the need for surgical treatment after a comprehensive examination. The complexity and duration of the operation depend on the location of the parasites, their size and quantity.
Complications
Heartworm infections caused by common types of parasites can be treated with medications prescribed by your doctor. However, if you do not pay attention to alarming symptoms, deterioration in health, weakness, causeless fatigue and reduced immunity, the disease can lead to serious complications.
If parasites get into the lungs and the patient with coughing symptoms does not seek medical attention, shortness of breath, chest pain, difficulty breathing, pneumonia or even bronchial asthma can occur.
Parasites found in the organs of the digestive system can cause liver cirrhosis, liver abscess, hepatitis, colon cancer, gastrointestinal bleeding, fluid accumulation in the abdominal cavity (ascites), and peritonitis. They also often provoke the development of chronic kidney disease, meningoencephalitis and loss of vision. Some cestodes (tapeworms) grow to more than 1 meter long and small roundworms can form dense balls. This disrupts the normal functioning of the body and leads to severe poisoning and severe allergic reactions. Without urgent medical attention, death is possible.
Classification of parasites
Different types of worms affect the body differently and have their own characteristics both in the development cycle and in the appearance and damage caused. There are three most common groups of worms: nematodes, cestodes and trematodes.
The first group are the protocavitary worms. They live in soil and water and can therefore easily become infected in the sandbox and on a walk in general. This group includes the most common pinworms and roundworms, as well as hookworms, trichinella and guinea worms. Depending on which parasite caused the infection, a distinction is made between ascariasis, enterobiasis, trichuriasis, etc.
Zestodoses are tapeworms that can live both in the intestine (the most common variant is tapeworms) and in organs (the larvae of tapeworms, echinococci and alveococci usually live there). Depending on which of these types of worms are found in children, echinococcosis, taeniasis, hymenolepiasis, etc. are distinguished.
And the last of the three popular groups is trematoses, which are caused by trematodes. These are different types of flatworms: schistosome, cat/liver fluke, leucochloridium. They provoke opisthorchiasis (transmitted by fish of the carp family) and fascioliasis (suffering from the liver and biliary system, infection through plants or water).
Symptoms
There are many symptoms, and individual manifestations depend on which worm eggs have entered the body. Next we will talk about the general symptoms of all parasitic infections and then about enterobiasis, ascariasis and five other types of infections.
- increased irritability, restless sleep, reduced stamina and attention, frequent hysteria and anger;
- increased appetite associated with active weight loss;
- Symptoms of the digestive system – diarrhea, constipation, nausea, pain in the right hypochondrium;
- dizziness and headaches;
- food allergies;
- nasal discharge;
- diseases and infections of the reproductive system;
- brittle nails/hair;
Enterobiasis is a helminthiasis in which the body becomes infected with pinworms. The larvae hatch from the eggs within 4-6 hours and after 2-4 weeks become adult worms - gray or white roundworms 5-10 mm long. They settle in the appendix and appendix and lay their eggs outside the anus - at night, female pinworms come into the air for this purpose. This reproductive mechanism causes severe itching at night - hence restless sleep, tossing and turning and screaming.
Other special symptoms:
- nighttime urination;
- grinding teeth;
Ascariasis is a helminthiasis in which the body is colonized by roundworms. These worms are already larger - the average length of an adult is 25-30 cm. The larvae and eggs enter the body with inadequately disinfected fresh fruits and vegetables. The development phase takes place in the intestine, after which they enter the lymph and blood vessels and are distributed throughout the body with the blood and lymph flow - in the liver, heart, lungs. They then enter the oral cavity and are swallowed again. From this moment on, adult roundworms begin to develop. This takes about 3 months.
How to suspect the presence of worms in children:
- Liver, spleen and lymph nodes enlarge;
- the temperature rises, sometimes up to 38 degrees;
- malaise and weakness appear;
- respiratory diseases develop - pneumonia, bronchitis and bronchial asthma;
- pressure reductions;
- Gastrointestinal symptoms appear – constipation, diarrhea, nausea and vomiting, pain in the form of contractions;
- fear of light;
- nightmares at night;
- dry cough – sputum with an orange tint and bloody spots.
Roundworms are more difficult to breed than pinworms because the female lays nearly 250, 000 eggs per day. Under no circumstances should you rely on conventional methods or buy the first remedy you see at the pharmacy - be sure to contact a specialist.
In infants, symptoms can appear after just a few weeks of life if, for example, they received eggs and larvae of worms from their mother during birth. Typically, symptoms include lack of weight gain, excessive salivation, rash, paleness, blue under the eyes, and constipation. The child is constantly worried, screams, sleeps and eats poorly. The crying can be unbearable and the baby turns blue.
Worms are often the cause of the development of lung diseases and are diagnosed using ultrasound or X-rays. Parasites, particularly the Echinococcus tapeworm, can not only damage the respiratory tract but also penetrate further into the brain and heart. In areas where helminths develop in the lungs, scars and adhesions appear and the shape of the lungs begins to change. Such changes provoke a variety of diseases - asthma, fibrosis, bronchitis, pleurisy, emphysema, etc. When a tapeworm penetrates the lungs, echinococcosis occurs, in which the parasite develops in the form of a cyst.
Symptoms largely depend on which helminth has entered the body. However, the child's fear and the presence of the above general symptoms should alert parents. If signs of worms appear, make an appointment with a pediatrician or gastroenterologist in a timely manner to get tested.
diagnosis
The diagnosis of worms in children is carried out in different ways - depending on which worms the child is infected with, the habitat, the location of the eggs and the toxins present in the body differ.
To make a diagnosis, the following may be prescribed:
- Blood test – shows anemia, hemoglobin and eosinophil levels;
- Analysis for parasites – in 99% of cases it helps to detect helminthiasis, and in most cases it helps to accurately determine the type (biomaterial for research purposes – blood from a vein);
- Examination of the stool - there should be no eggs in the stool, even if there is an infection. To ensure the presence of worms, this diagnosis should be carried out three times, which takes time;
- Swab – particularly effective for pinworm infection as their eggs are located just outside the anus;
- Stool analysis for dysbiosis;
- if there is a suspicion of infection of internal organs and not only the gastrointestinal tract - CT, X-ray, ultrasound.
Diagnostics allows you to accurately identify the type of parasite and prescribe specific treatment. The doctor prescribes medication, diet, additional supportive measures and gives recommendations on care and hygiene.
In some cases, parents pay increased attention to helminthiasis and are constantly afraid of infecting their child. This leads to regular "preventive" courses of serious anthelmintics that do not bring any benefit to the baby's body. If your child does not lose weight, feels good, eats well, has a healthy complexion and does not have anal itching, he is probably healthy. If you want to make sure of this, it is better to get tested than to take an unnecessary course.
Treatment
The course of therapy against worms in children includes several stages - preparation, therapy and cleaning. Throughout treatment, it is necessary to carry out general preventive measures and pay careful attention to hygiene to avoid reinfection or infection of a family member. Some types of worms, such as tapeworms and echinococci, can only be removed surgically.
At the preparatory stage, various sorbents are taken that absorb toxins and cleanse the body. They are followed by antihistamines, they relieve general itching and prevent the development of allergic reactions to medications.
Treatment of helminthiasis in children in the main stage consists in direct intake of anthelmintics in the form of tablets, suppositories or suspensions. Medicines are selected depending on the type of helminth, individual indications and contraindications. Some anthelmintics work in 2 doses:
- the first course kills already developed individuals;
- The second course helps to cope with larvae and eggs (prescribed 2 weeks after the first).
Cleansing is intended to rid the body of the remains of dead parasites; at this stage, sorbents, enemas and choleretic drugs are used. You can help your baby by adding raw carrots, dairy products, coarse bread, fruits, vegetables, fish oil, nuts, especially walnuts and peanuts, to the diet.
In addition, to restore the body in case of severe damage, vitamin complexes, iron, minerals and a special diet can be used, which increase hemoglobin, restore liver function and strengthen the body as a whole. The doctor describes the treatment plan in detail and avoids side effects. Control tests are required. Self-medication and deviations from the plan are not permitted.
Consequences of an untreated parasite infestation
Helminthiasis poses a serious threat; Without treatment, it can cause death or significant health problems. An infected child poses a danger to the entire family and the environment by spreading the disease.
Complications of worms in children:
- inflammatory exacerbation of appendicitis;
- epileptic seizures;
- visual impairment of various kinds;
- allergic reactions with profuse nasal discharge;
- developmental lag compared to peers;
- sexually transmitted infections, most common in girls is vulvovaginitis;
- various types of pulmonary manifestations, including bronchial asthma;
- in difficult cases - damage to the brain and heart.
prevention
To ensure that treatment of worms in children is not necessary at all, active prevention is necessary, which consists of both daily precautions and hygiene measures, as well as taking medications.
How to protect your baby from a parasite infection:
- Pay attention to hygiene - wash your child's hands and bathe him regularly;
- Care for toys regularly – wash and clean (after diagnosis, all toys must be disinfected);
- Trim your nails as often as possible and clean them every day.
- Iron clothes after washing;
- get rid of bad habits – finger sucking, pen sucking, nail biting;
- Only give boiled water to drink and explain the reasons why.
- Avoid swimming in natural waters.
- Use repellents (insects often carry worm eggs) and destroy any insects that enter the home.
- Check pets regularly for parasites.
- Wash fruit and vegetables thoroughly and heat meat and fish sufficiently.
Some types of helminthiasis are difficult to cure, so we recommend preventive measures to avoid infection. When contacting the clinic, parents will receive comprehensive advice on proper prevention to avoid future problems.