A child's body is quite easily affected by parasites, since children have a lower immunity. In addition, the child's body cannot produce a special digestive enzyme that can destroy the worm larvae; one acquires this ability with age.
It is impossible to notice the eggs of worms visually, their size is microscopic, but they are present almost everywhere. The danger of infection arises during the period when the child begins to understand the world by feeling various objects. In addition, the baby seeks not only to touch objects, but sometimes also to taste them. Sandpits in yards, which are often used by street animals as a toilet, pose a great danger. If we take into account the weak natural defense of the baby's body against helminthic invasions, then it is not difficult to understand how great the chances are for parasites to affect the intestines of the child. Here are the main ways in which worms enter the child's body:
- through unwashed hands;
- after contact with animals;
- through poorly processed meat and fish;
- insects are also often a source of helminth infestation, as they carry worm eggs on their legs;
- unwashed vegetables and fruits;
- through dirty water accidentally ingested 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 all the efforts of the parents. The fact is that helminths periodically crawl through the child's anus, laying eggs in close proximity to it, which causes severe itching in the baby. The child scratches, and the small eggs of the worms, in turn, end up under his nails, from where they easily enter the mouth, then move along the gastrointestinal tract, ending up in the intestines again. After two weeks, the larvae grow into adults, which are also capable of laying eggs.
Worm infestation in children, symptoms
There are about 300 types of parasites that can infect the human body, but pinworms and roundworms are more often diagnosed in children. Both types of worms affect the small intestine, the symptoms of damage to both types of parasites are quite similar:
- Loss of appetite, pale skin on the face, dark circles under the eyes.
- Troubled sleep; sometimes the child may grind his teeth in his sleep.
- Headache, dizziness, lethargy and weakness occur.
- Sometimes worms are present in the child's stool and can be seen with the naked eye.
- The baby experiences itching in the area of the genitals and anus.
- There is a disturbance in the digestive system, constipation can be replaced by diarrhea, abdominal pain and nausea are observed.
- The general indicators of the blood count can change, namely a decrease in hemoglobin and an increase in the level of eosinophils and ESR.
- The vital activity of worms causes a general poisoning of the body, which manifests itself in the appearance of allergic reactions, urticaria and atopic dermatitis.
- Increased body temperature for no good reason.
- Constant itching can cause 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 against worms
It is true that folk remedies are most suitable for the treatment of helminth infestations in children, the symptoms disappear quite quickly. However, before using them, you should definitely consult a doctor, since the child's body is very vulnerable not only to the action of parasites, but also to the inept use of medicines, even folk ones. Here are the most popular folk anthelmintics:
- Garlic enema. Garlic is an antiseptic given to people by nature, it is also applicable against worms. A glass of cow's milk is mixed with a head of minced garlic, the mixture is boiled, cooled and filtered through a double layer of cheesecloth. At night, the child is given an enema from the obtained milk, a third of the obtained medicine is taken for him, and the child is treated in this way for at least a week.
- Chamomile decoction. Another natural antiseptic that is used to treat a wide variety of ailments. To prepare the decoction, take a tablespoon of dry chamomile herb and pour boiling water over it, let it cool and give the child to drink throughout the day instead of water or tea. The duration of treatment is 5 days.
- Light with onions. Chop a small onion, add milk and boil the resulting mixture, then cool and filter. The resulting product is given to the baby three days in a row, 100 ml each.
Simple folk recipes that will help cure a child from worms, watch the video:
Causes of helminthiasis
Almost 400 types 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 penetration of flukes (cat fluke or liver fluke) are often found.
The disease develops when eggs or larvae of parasites enter the stomach. In the period of development from egg to sexually mature individual, the tapeworm can change several hosts. You can also get 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 them raw and do 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 various ways. They can produce toxins, provoke the development of inflammatory processes, allergic reactions, anemia, metabolic disorders, have a traumatic effect on organs and tissues.
You should contact the clinic to identify or rule out helminthiasis if you have the following symptoms in an adult:
- rise in temperature. It can rise sharply to 38 ° C and decrease briefly after taking anti-inflammatory and antipyretic drugs. Sometimes the temperature stays high for 2-3 months.
- Dull or cutting pain in the stomach, frequent bowel movements (diarrhea or constipation), nausea.
- Itching in the anal region, worse in the evening.
- Frequent colds or respiratory diseases - when infected with helminths, immunity decreases.
- Loss or increase in appetite, sudden loss of body weight.
- Bronchospasms, cough, shortness of breath, other respiratory disorders, pallor of the skin and mucous membranes.
- Itchy rash.
- Insomnia, frequent headaches, anxiety, irritability, depression.
- Joint and muscle pain.
- Inflammation, enlarged lymph nodes.
- swelling
In the absence of adequate treatment, helminths can provoke the development of chronic pancreatitis, hepatitis, cholecystocholangitis, cause irreversible tissue changes and even lead to death.
Diagnosis
Infection with certain types of helminths gives a characteristic clinical picture. When a patient contacts a doctor for the first time, he can guess the diagnosis. Eggs and other traces of the vital activity of roundworms, pinworms and other roundworms that parasitize the intestines are found when examining the feces. Sometimes worms are visible on ultrasound. But some small parasites are very difficult to identify. The diagnosis is made on the basis of a combination of symptoms and results of instrumental and laboratory tests.
If helminthiasis is suspected in adults and children, the following measures should be taken:
- Stool analysis. It allows to accurately determine the presence of common parasites in the body. However, some of them lay eggs only at certain stages of their life cycle, so it is recommended to examine them several times at intervals of 3-4 days.
- General clinical blood test. It does not show the presence of larvae, eggs, adults, but gives a lot of information about the intensity of the inflammatory process, the number of leukocytes, etc.
- Biochemical analysis. It provides detailed information on protein metabolism, identifies abnormal loss or increased protein synthesis, and allows to rule out or suspect infection with certain helminths.
- Analysis of liver function indicators (bilirubin, pancreatic alpha-amylase, alkaline phosphatase, AST, ALT). Diagnosis of liver and pancreas suggests helminth infection.
- Urinalysis, blood test with glomerular filtration. They give the doctor information about the condition of the kidneys and the possibility that they may be damaged by parasites.
Studies of bile, sputum, and duodenal contents may also be ordered.
In order to clarify the localization of parasites and to assess the degree of damage, ultrasound diagnostics can be prescribed. If the presence of helminths in the brain or eyes is suspected, computed tomography is performed. X-rays are used to diagnose helminths in the lungs, and endoscopy is used in the stomach and intestines.
A complete examination allows to quickly and accurately determine the causes of the disease and prescribe adequate treatment. Do not refuse the review. The more precisely the doctor determines the cause of ill health, the faster he can help.
Which doctors should I contact?
If you suspect a helminth infection, you should contact a therapist who will conduct a primary examination and prescribe laboratory and instrumental tests. After the examination, the therapist will prescribe treatment or refer you to a specialist doctor.
Treatment
With timely diagnosis, helminthiasis can be easily eliminated with anthelmintic drugs. The doctor determines the dosage depending on the patient's age, weight, degree of parasite damage, their type and location. To get rid of most worms, it is enough to take the medicine 1-3 times. Along with anthelmintic drugs, vitamin and mineral complexes are often prescribed to strengthen the immune system.
In case of severe intoxication, allergic reactions, infection against the background of severe chronic diseases, hospitalization in a hospital may be required. Doctors will not only rid the human body of parasites, but also conduct detoxification therapy and vitamin therapy.
In case of organ and tissue damage by helminths, surgical treatment is required. A large number of roundworms sometimes leads to blockage of the intestines and bile ducts. Their accumulation is removed operatively. The decision on the need for surgical treatment is made by the doctor after a comprehensive examination. The complexity and duration of the operation depends on the location of the parasites, their size and quantity.
Complications
Heartworm disease, caused by common types of parasites, can be treated with medications prescribed by your doctor. But if you do not pay attention to alarming symptoms, deterioration of health, weakness, unexplained fatigue, reduced immunity, the disease can lead to serious complications.
If the parasites get into the lungs and the patient does not consult a doctor with complaints of cough, shortness of breath, chest pain, difficulty breathing, pneumonia or even bronchial asthma may develop.
Parasites found in the organs of the digestive system can cause cirrhosis, liver abscess, hepatitis, bowel cancer, gastrointestinal bleeding, accumulation of fluid in the abdominal cavity (ascites) and peritonitis. They also often provoke the development of chronic kidney diseases, meningoencephalitis and vision loss. Some cestodes (tapeworms) grow more than 1 meter long, and the small roundworms can form tight balls. This disrupts the normal functioning of the body, leading to severe intoxication and severe allergic reactions. Without emergency medical attention, death is possible.
Classification of parasites
Different types of worms affect the body in different ways and have their own characteristics both in the development cycle and in appearance and the damage caused. There are three most common groups of worms: nematodes, cestodes, and trematodes.
The first group is the protocavitary worms. They live in soil and water, so they can easily become infected in the sandbox and during a walk in general. It is this group that includes the most common pinworms and roundworms, and also includes hookworms, trichinella and guinea worms. Depending on which parasite caused the infection, ascariasis, enterobiosis, trichuriasis, etc. are distinguished.
Cestodes are tapeworms that can live both in the intestine (the most common variant is tapeworms) and in the organs (that's where the larvae of tapeworms, echinococci and alveococci usually live). Depending on which of these types of worms are found in children, echinococcosis, teniosis, hymenolepiasis, etc. are distinguished.
And the last of the three popular groups is trematosis caused by trematodes. These are several types of flatworms - schistosoma, cat/liver fluke, leucochlorid. They provoke opisthorchosis (transmitted by fish of the carp family) and fascioliasis (suffer the liver and biliary system, infection through plants or water).
Symptoms
There are many symptoms, and individual manifestations depend on which helminth eggs have entered the body. Then we will talk about the common symptoms for all parasitic infections, and then about enterobiasis, ascariasis and 5 more types of infections.
- increased irritability, restless sleep, reduced persistence and attention, frequent tantrums and anger;
- increased appetite associated with active weight loss;
- symptoms from the digestive system - diarrhea, constipation, nausea, pain in the right hypochondrium;
- dizziness and headache;
- food allergies;
- discharge from the nose;
- diseases and infections of the reproductive system;
- brittle nails/hair;
Enterobiasis is a helminthiasis in which the body is infected with pinworms. The larvae hatch from the eggs within 4-6 hours, after 2-4 weeks they become adults - grayish or white roundworms 5-10 mm long. They settle in the caecum and appendix and lay eggs outside the anus - at night the female pinworms come out into the air for this purpose. This reproduction mechanism results in severe itching at night – hence restless sleep, tossing and screaming.
Additional special symptoms:
- bedwetting;
- teeth grinding;
Ascariasis is a helminthiasis in which the body is colonized by roundworms. These worms are now larger - the average length of an adult is 25-30 cm. Larvae and eggs enter the body with insufficiently disinfected fresh fruits and vegetables. The period of development takes place in the intestines, after which they pass into the lymphatic and blood vessels and with the flow of blood and lymph are spread throughout the body - in the liver, heart, lungs. They then enter the oral cavity and are re-swallowed. From this moment, adult roundworms begin to develop. This takes approximately 3 months.
How to suspect the presence of worms in children:
- the liver, spleen, lymph nodes increase;
- the temperature rises, sometimes up to 38 degrees;
- malaise and weakness appear;
- respiratory pathologies develop - pneumonia, bronchitis and bronchial asthma;
- pressure drops;
- 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 blood spots.
It is more difficult to breed roundworms than pinworms, because the female lays almost 250 thousand eggs every day. In no case should you rely on traditional methods or buy the first drug you come across at the pharmacy - be sure to contact a specialist.
Babies may experience symptoms after only a few weeks of life if they received worm eggs and larvae from their mother, for example during birth. As a rule, symptoms are manifested in the form of lack of weight gain, excessive salivation, rash, pallor, blue under the eyes, constipation. The child is constantly worried, screams, sleeps and eats poorly. The screaming can be unbearable and the baby will turn blue in the process.
Worms are often the cause of the development of lung pathologies and are diagnosed with ultrasound or X-rays. Parasites, in particular Echinococcus tapeworm, can damage not only the respiratory system, but also move further to the brain and heart. In the places where helminths develop in the lungs, scars and adhesions appear, and the shape of the lungs begins to change. Such changes provoke a wide range of diseases - asthma, fibrosis, bronchitis, pleurisy, emphysema, etc. When a tapeworm enters the lungs, echinococcosis is formed, when the parasite develops in the form of a cyst.
The symptoms will largely depend on which helminth has entered the body, but the child's anxiety and the presence of the above general symptoms should alert parents. If signs of worms appear, make an appointment with a pediatrician or gastroenterologist to be examined in a timely manner.
Diagnosis
Diagnosis of worms in children is carried out in different ways - depending on what worms the child is infected with, the habitat, location of the eggs and toxins found in the body will differ.
To establish a diagnosis, the following may be prescribed:
- blood test - shows anemia, hemoglobin and eosinophil levels;
- analysis for parasites - in 99% of cases helps to detect helminthiasis and in most cases helps to accurately determine the species (biomaterial for research - blood from a vein);
- stool examination - there may be no eggs in the stool, even if there is an infection, to ensure the presence of worms, this diagnosis must be carried out 3 times, which takes time;
- smear - especially effective in case of pinworm infection, since their eggs are located just outside the anus;
- stool analysis for dysbacteriosis;
- if there is a suspicion of an infection of the internal organs, and not only of the gastrointestinal tract - CT, X-rays, ultrasound.
Diagnostics allows you to accurately identify the type of parasite and prescribe specific treatment. The doctor prescribes medicines, diet, additional supporting procedures, gives recommendations for care and hygiene.
In some cases, parents pay increased attention to helminthiasis and are constantly worried about infecting their child. This leads to regular "preventative" courses of serious anthelmintic drugs, which do no good for the baby's body. If your child is not losing weight, feels well, eats well, has a healthy complexion and no itching in the anal area, he is probably healthy. If you want to make sure of this, it is better to test yourself than to take an unnecessary course.
Treatment
The course of treatment of worms in children includes several stages - preparation, therapy and cleaning. During the entire treatment, it is necessary to carry out general preventive measures and carefully observe hygiene in order to avoid re-infection or infection of one of the family members. Some types of worms, such as tapeworms and echinococci, can only be removed surgically.
The preparatory stage includes taking various sorbents that absorb toxins and cleanse the body. They are followed by antihistamines, they relieve general itching and prevent the development of allergic reactions to drugs.
Treatment of helminthiasis in children at the main stage is direct administration of anthelmintic drugs 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 deal with larvae and eggs (prescribed 2 weeks after the first).
Cleaning is designed 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, wholemeal bread, fruits, vegetables, fish oil, nuts, especially walnuts and peanuts to the diet.
In addition, vitamin complexes, iron, minerals and a special diet can be used to restore the body in case of serious damage, which will increase hemoglobin, restore liver function and strengthen the body as a whole. The doctor details the treatment plan, avoiding side effects. Control tests are required. Self-medication and deviation from the plan is not allowed.
Consequences of untreated parasitic infestations
Helminthiasis is a serious danger, without treatment it can lead to death or serious health problems. An infected child poses a danger to the entire family and the environment as it spreads the disease.
Complications of worms in children:
- inflammatory exacerbation of appendicitis;
- epileptic seizures;
- visual impairment of several types;
- allergic reactions with abundant nasal discharge;
- lagging behind peers;
- sexually transmitted infections, the most common in girls being vulvovaginitis;
- various types of pulmonary manifestations, including bronchial asthma;
- in difficult cases - brain and heart damage.
Prevention
To ensure that treatment for worms in children is not required at all, it is necessary to actively engage in prevention, which consists of both daily precautions and hygiene procedures, as well as taking medication.
How to protect your baby from parasite infection:
- Maintain hygiene - regularly wash the child's hands and bathe him;
- regularly takes care of the toys - washing and cleaning (after diagnosis, all toys must be disinfected);
- cut your nails as often as possible, clean them every day;
- iron clothes after washing;
- get rid of bad habits - sucking fingers, pens, biting nails;
- give only boiled water to drink and explain the reasons;
- avoid swimming in natural bodies of water;
- use repellents (insects often carry worm eggs), destroy all insects that enter the house;
- regularly check pets for parasites;
- Wash fruits and vegetables well, perform sufficient heat treatment of meat and fish.
Some types of helminthiasis are difficult to treat, so we recommend preventive measures to avoid infection. When contacting the clinic, parents will receive full advice on how to properly carry out prevention to avoid problems in the future.