Worms In Children: Causes, Types, Symptoms And Treatment

2023 Author: Riley Dean | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-11-27 09:15

Worms are different types of worms that parasitize the human body. Infection with them often occurs when eating untreated food, swimming in closed reservoirs, drinking poor-quality water and non-compliance with hygiene rules. Young children are at a particular risk of contracting helminths. When parasites enter the body and the first symptoms of their presence appear, a diagnosis is required. After confirming helminthiasis, the doctor prescribes a special medicine for worms for the child.

Content

1. The reasons why children become infected with helminths
2. Varieties of worms that live in the child's body
3. Symptoms of the presence of parasites in the child's body
4. Required analyzes
5. How to remove worms at home
6. Drug treatment
7. Folk remedies
8. Preventive actions
9. Output

The reasons why children become infected with helminths

Contact with animals can provoke the entry of parasites into the child's body. Also, the penetration of larvae through the bites of blood-sucking insects is not excluded. A common route of infection is the use of poorly processed vegetables with fruits, as well as insufficiently fried meat and fish.

Children can become infected with helminths from each other, as well as after contact with sick adults. The risk is greatest in kindergartens.

The placental route of infection is also not excluded. Parasites can enter the child's body at the stage of its intrauterine development. The mother herself is the source of the helminths. Worms are able to penetrate the mother's blood, breaking the fetoplacental barrier.

One of the reasons for helminthiasis can also be a change in climatic conditions by a child. During it, his immune defense is noticeably reduced. As a result, the body becomes especially susceptible to the penetration of parasites. The cause of helminthiasis is also a low hygienic culture. Failure to comply with its basic rules (washing hands) increases the risk of parasite infection.

Varieties of worms that live in the child's body

There are over 200 types of parasites in children. The most common ones include:

• round helminths, including pinworms, nematodes, ascaris, whipworms, intestinal eel;
• flatworms, of which the hepatic fluke is a representative;
• tapeworms (tapeworm and tapeworm);
• spiny-headed helminths, which include the comb;
• annelids.

Pinworms, as well as roundworms and whipworms are more often found in children. The first type of nematodes parasitizes at the bottom of the small intestine. Their size varies from 1.1 to 12 mm in females. It is this type of helminths that, when laying eggs, provokes anal itching in an infected child. Vlasoglav also lives in the intestine, but at the same time it adheres tightly to its walls. Its main food is blood. The length of an adult whipworm can reach 5 cm.

Ascaris live not only in the intestines. They can migrate throughout the body through the baby's circulatory system, entering the liver, lungs, heart, and mouth. The body length of an adult roundworm can reach 30 cm.

Symptoms of the presence of parasites in the child's body

Most helminths live in the intestines. This applies to pinworms and roundworms. With the penetration of worms and the deposition of larvae by them in the intestines, the following general symptoms of helminthic invasion in children appear:

• frequent diarrhea or prolonged constipation;
• violation of the regularity of the stool;
• flatulence;
• frequent nausea and vomiting;
• joint and muscle pain;
• causeless itching of the skin;
• sharp weight loss;
• moodiness and irritability;
• insomnia against the background of anal itching;
• constant fatigue and apathy;
• frequent colds.

A characteristic sign of the presence of pinworms in the child's body is frequent anal itching, which is especially troubling him at night. With ascariasis, diarrhea often occurs. At the same time, small white worms are visible in the child's feces, even with the naked eye. Additionally, the baby is worried about fever along with a dry cough.

The presence of a whipworm manifests itself in similar symptoms, but the parasite provokes not only inflammation in the intestines, which is expressed in the form of abdominal pain and dizziness in the child. Also, mass infection of the body with a whipworm leads to anemia.

Required analyzes

One of the diagnostic methods for detecting helminths in a child's body is a histological coprogram. It consists in examining a sample of his feces. This microscopic examination makes it possible to establish not only the presence of worms in the intestine, but also to determine their type.

There are rules on how to collect feces for eggs of worms from a child. It is recommended that you ask him to visit the toilet in the morning. It is necessary that he defecate in a specially prepared clean pot. From it for analysis it is required to take a small fragment of the child's feces and put it in a special container for analysis. A histological coprogram is also indicated in all cases if the child needs to be tested for the pool.

To identify pinworm eggs, you need to scrape for enterobiasis.

Also, the child needs to undergo an enzyme immunoassay. With this analysis, it is possible to identify the presence of helminths in the body by specific antigens and antibodies.

An additional method for detecting parasites in the liver, brain, kidneys is computed tomography. Also, to establish the presence of helminths in the lungs, an X-ray examination is performed.

How to remove worms at home

Self-therapy of helminthic invasions is prohibited. During treatment, toxic drugs are used that, if misused, can lead to life-threatening complications. Only an experienced parasitologist should treat worms in children.

Therapy for diseases of children caused by the vital activity of helminths is carried out according to a special plan. It includes:

1. The preparatory stage with the child taking sorbents to cleanse the intestines from toxins.
2. Prescribing a course of special antihelminthic drugs.
3. Taking medications that restore the liver and intestinal microflora.

Anthelmintic drugs are selected strictly individually for an individual child. His weight and age are taken into account. The duration of the course of treatment depends on the type of parasite in the child's body and its life cycle. Also, on the recommendation of a doctor, the patient can be prescribed folk remedies as an addition to the main therapy.

Given the high likelihood of a new helminthic invasion, the child may need a second course of antihelminthic treatment.

Drug treatment

If worms appear in the feces of a child, then he is shown taking special drugs. At the first stage, enterosorbents are prescribed to prepare for the main therapy. These include Enterosgel.

During the main treatment, the child is shown taking the following anthelmintic drugs:

• "Levamisole", which can be used by children from one year old;
• "Albendazole" prescribed for babies from 2 years old;
• "Pirantel" suspension for a child;
• Mebendazole, also recommended from 2 years of age.

Piperazine can be taken by children under one year old. The drug "Levamisole" in the course of anthelmintic therapy is recommended to be combined with the drug "Vermox" to improve the effect of it. For the treatment of ascariasis and trichocephalosis, the drug "Dekaris" can be prescribed. This drug should only be taken by children over 3 years of age.

Treatment also includes prescribing anti-allergy medications (Cetrin). At the end of the main therapy, the child takes hepatoprotectors that normalize the liver. Also shown are probiotics that improve the intestinal microflora.

Folk remedies

Along with medicines, the child can take folk remedies. These include:

1. Pumpkin seeds. You need to take 320 g of seeds, peel them and mix with honey. Give your child a mixture in the morning. After using it, do not feed the baby for 4 hours. Carry out treatment for 14 days.
2. A decoction based on tansy. Three large tablespoons of a dry mixture of plant leaves are poured into a glass of boiling water. The mixture is left for an hour, after which it is filtered. It must be taken four times a day, one large spoonful.
3. Infusion of birch buds. Pour a small spoonful of raw materials with a glass of water and place in a steam bath. Keep on it for 30 minutes. To be treated with infusion for 7 days, taking it 1/2 cup twice a day.

To get rid of worms, it is also recommended to give your child freshly squeezed carrot and onion juice. It is necessary to feed the baby with garlic more often. Thyme with millennial also has an anthelmintic effect. Parasites don't like acidic environments. To speed up their removal from the child's body, it is recommended to give children juices based on sour fruits and berries (citrus, pineapple, pomegranate, cranberry), vegetables (radish, cabbage).

Preventive actions

To prevent the penetration of helminths into the child's body, the following recommendations must be observed:

1. Give children only boiled water. Avoid drinking liquids from open bodies of water.
2. Teach adolescents to wash their hands before every meal and after every contact with animals.
3. Rinse fresh vegetables, fruits and berries thoroughly before giving them to your child.
4. Feed children only those meat and fish that have undergone sufficient heat treatment.
5. Avoid bathing your child in unfamiliar bodies of water and be sure to teach him to take a shower after walking outside.
6. Regularly conduct anthelmintic treatment of all pets with which the inhabitants of the house come in contact.

It is important to conduct routine examinations of adolescents in specialized medical institutions for the presence of parasites in their bodies. Doctors do not recommend giving pills for the prevention of worms to children on their own. Such drugs, due to their toxicity, can seriously harm the child's body.

Output

Young children are especially susceptible to helminths. They are in a special risk group. Common causes of helminthiasis are non-compliance with hygiene rules, the use of substandard and unprocessed food. You can find out if a child has worms at home by the characteristic symptoms. The most pronounced of these are anal itching, deterioration of well-being, weight loss and prolonged stool disturbances. Worm infestations require treatment exclusively under the supervision of a physician. Self-administration of anthelmintic drugs is dangerous with serious complications for the child's body due to their high toxicity. For the prevention of helminthic invasions, no special vaccines are provided. The child is required to adhere to the rules of hygiene,avoid eating unprocessed food and have parasitologist examinations on a regular basis.