Symptoms of Worms in Children's Body, Causes of Parasites in Children, Treatment

Helminthiasis is a very common parasitic disease in children. If worms appear in any of the organs or systems of the child's body, then its negative impact will not only affect its functioning, but also affect the work of the immune and nervous systems. Symptoms like cough, lack of appetite, indigestion, allergic reactions may be accompanied by other unrelated symptoms. If you suspect a worm invasion, it is important to immediately contact a specialist, and not self-medicate.

Why is helminthiasis dangerous?

Most of the worms of the species most commonly found in children are parasites in the intestines. In it they live and eat, as a result of which they reproduce and release toxins. Parasitic worms also mechanically affect the intestinal wall. The consequences of the active life of worms in the child's body can be:

• Avitaminosis and weight loss. This problem arises due to lack of nutrients and vitamins. As a result, children begin to lag behind in development. The pathological process can begin in other organs.
• Inflammation in the intestines, colitis, dysbacteriosis, bleeding. All these unpleasant and serious complications are caused by the mechanical damage caused by worms to children in the body.
• The development of the inflammatory process in the appendix, liver, gallbladder. These are organs adjacent to the intestines where parasites can move.
• Intestinal obstruction. This can be partial or complete, and sometimes there is a risk of rupture of the intestinal wall.
• body poisoning. When worms live and die inside a person's body, they release an aggressive poison.
• Allergy. Parasite waste products are considered strong allergens.
• Violations in liver function. For this reason, the child must follow a diet for many years and additionally consume enzymes.
• psychosis. Worms tend to have a negative impact on the patient's nervous system.

Types of worms that affect the child's body

There are many types of parasites that can appear in a child's body. They vary in size, both small and large, and also manifest themselves in different ways and have a different incubation period, which ranges from 1-1, 5 months. In order to prescribe an effective remedy that will help cure helminthiasis, you need to correctly determine its type. The most common types in children are:

1. Tape. These types of worms include cestodes, pygmy tapeworms, tapeworms and echinococci.
2. Ringed. Among them is Annelida.
3. Round. Their representatives are trichinella, pinworms, whipworms, nematodes, roundworms.
4. Head of thorns. They are represented by scrapers.
5. Flat. Among them are trematodes and worms.

Causes and methods of infection

It is possible to become infected with worms not only in an exotic country or by trying unusual dishes on the menu. Playing in the sandbox and unwashed hands are the easiest ways for worms to enter a child's body. Toddlers tend to touch and learn everything, without thinking about the purity of the subject being studied. After that, they can safely lick their fingers without washing them first. Worms stay alive for a very long time (from weeks to months), remaining on the surface of various objects.

Apart from dirty hands, the main sources of infection include:

• toys and dirty surfaces;
• clothes;
• shoe;
• fence at the entrance;
• door handle;
• raw water;
• dirty vegetables and fruits;
• soil, earth, sand;
• contact with a sick child;
• undercooked meat;
• thermally processed fish or other seafood.

Symptoms of parasites in children

Usually in children under 1 year of age, any manifestation of the presence of parasites in the body is observed in isolated cases. The first symptoms signaling helminthic infection are noted at an older age (about 2-3 years) in children attending kindergarten or other developing organizations.

Helminthiase in children is represented by a very large variety, and each individual type has its own specific characteristics. However, there are a number of symptoms that characterize all types of worms:

• irritability and moodiness for no apparent reason;
• restless sleep;
• allergy;
• itching in the anus;
• increased secretion of saliva;
• disturbed digestion, accompanied by diarrhea, constipation, nausea and bloating;
• lack of appetite;
• weight loss with good nutrition;
• pale skin.

In adult children, these symptoms may include:

• headache;
• discomfort in the stomach;
• dizzy;
• increased fatigue;
• poor concentration.

Enterobiasis (pinworms)

Diseases when parasites such as pinworms enter a child's body are called enterobiasis. This type of worm is one of the most common in young children of preschool age - from 2 to 5 years. They differ in medium size, which is 5-13 mm, and minimal harm compared to other types of parasites.

Their presence causes the following symptoms:

1. Severe itching in the anus. Its intensity can reach such a force that the child will not sleep well, scratching the anus, causing irritation and inflammation.
2. Urinary incontinence at night. Seen in girls. This occurs when pinworms from the anus enter the urethra. As a result, the baby begins to develop urethritis, vaginitis or cystitis.

Pinworms are easy to get rid of and are not as dangerous as other types of worms. It is important in time, when the first signs appear, to consult a doctor and pass the necessary tests. If pinworms are found in the child, then the parents also need treatment. All clothing, towels, and other washcloths should be washed and ironed, and the room thoroughly cleaned, as the eggs of these worms are found on all surfaces in an infected person's home.

Ascariasis (roundworm)

The second most common in children are large roundworms up to 40 cm in size, which live in the small intestine - roundworms. In addition to the general symptoms of helminthiasis, in the case of ascaris, an infected person in the early stages develops an unreasonable cough in the absence of an inflammatory process in the respiratory tract. Its appearance is due to the fact that the larvae of this type of parasite enter the lungs and upper respiratory tract, and through coughing they re-enter the stomach.

Other characteristic features include:

• headache and dizziness;
• allergy;
• enlarged lymph nodes;
• high temperature;
• intestinal disorders.

At the same time, there is no itching in the ass with roundworms. Not only the intestines, but also other organs or body systems can be a habitat.

Trichuriasis (mustache)

Parasites in these children are worms with very thin bodies that reach 5 cm in length. The female whipworm can lay up to 2 thousand eggs at a time. As a rule, such worms are more common in adolescence, and in young children they appear less frequently.

A distinctive feature of trichuriasis is the almost complete absence of signs of helminthic invasion. Symptoms that may occur include:

• disturbances in the work of the nervous system (irritability, headaches);
• problems with the digestive system, accompanied by diarrhea, nausea or vomiting;
• increase in body temperature.

Other signs of parasites

Among the types of intestinal worms that can occur in children, the following can be distinguished:

• Hymenolepiasis or dwarf mouse tapeworm. He has no specific symptoms. Its presence can be recognized by nausea, loss of appetite, heartburn, diarrhea and constipation, headache, pain in the stomach, increased salivation, dizziness, fatigue, skin rash, allergic rhinitis, and bronchospasm.
• Opisthorchiasis or Siberian cat coincidence. These worms in children cause subfebrile temperature, rash on the skin, swollen lymph nodes, pain in the joints and right hypochondrium, pancreatitis, gastritis and other signs of damage to the digestive tract, permanent catarrhal syndrome and much more.

• Toxocariasis. Transmitted through animals. The main symptoms are allergic cough with choking and skin rash, which is characterized by severe itching.
• Wide band. The source of infection is not fried or unboiled fish. Symptoms include abdominal pain, allergic reactions, B12 deficiency anemia, and other common signs of intestinal disorders.

How to check if your child has intestinal worms?

In most cases, it is difficult for parents to associate certain symptoms with helminthiasis or understand why a child suddenly vomits or other symptoms for no apparent reason. With the slightest suspicion of the appearance of worms, one should go to a specialist and carry out tests, which make it easier to check the assumption of a worm invasion. This will not take much time and effort, but the reasons for the baby's illness will be very clear and it will be possible to carry out timely treatment.

Self diagnosis

Self-diagnosis is the careful monitoring of changes in the behavior, development, habits, routines and normal state of the child - both physical and emotional-psychological.

That includes:

• periodic inspection of feces for the presence of worms;
• monitor the frequency of visiting the toilet;
• check the skin for rashes, redness, or irritation;
• Check the amount of food consumed.

Test

A medical diagnosis is required to confirm the diagnosis if worms are detected visually, or only if worm invasion is suspected. To find out the cause of your symptoms, you will need to perform a series of tests, which include:

1. Stool analysis. Inside, you can find eggs or parts of cooked worms. The effectiveness of this method is maximum during the period when there are already adults in the intestine, i. e. about 3 weeks to a month after infection. Fecal material should be collected in the morning and sent to the laboratory.
2. A stain or scratch from the anus. To do this, use a dry cotton swab dipped in glycerin, or adhesive tape. The analysis allows you to identify the larvae of worms deposited in the skin area in the anus.
3. General blood analysis. Patients with helminthiasis in the blood may have an increased number of immune cells, a high erythrocyte sedimentation rate and a decrease in hemoglobin levels.
4. ELISA blood test. Allows you to detect parasites at an early stage with the help of staining enzymes that attract worms, viruses and other foreign bodies.

Additional tests for parasites in children that may be performed in an outpatient setting include:

• analysis of the presence of IgG antibodies;
• ultrasound procedures;
• X-ray.

Drug treatment features

The appointment of drugs to combat parasites in a child should be handled by a doctor after passing all the necessary tests and establishing an accurate diagnosis and type of worms. Among the most common drugs against helminthic invasion, it is worth noting:

1. Anthelmintic drugs acting on nematodes. Admission is allowed from 6 months. Effective against all types of roundworms, but useless in the case of flat parasites.
2. Anthelmintic drug from the benzimidazole group. Appointed from 2-3 years. The dose is determined at the rate of 10 mg per kilogram of body weight.
3. Antiprotozoal and antimicrobial drugs from the nitroimidazole group. Suitable for all ages according to which the daily dose is prescribed.
4. Antihelmintic drug from the benzimidazole group. For children from 2 years against roundworms.

What folk remedies can help?

In addition to drugs, intestinal worms can be treated with traditional medicine.

The most popular products that can provide effective treatment for intestinal worms in children are:

• Garlic. Successfully destroys roundworms, tapeworms, pinworms and overcomes many other varieties of parasites. Suitable for children from 5 years of age and with a healthy stomach. Should be given 1 clove before meals once a day. Can be taken with water or milk. Garlic is also an excellent antiviral agent.
• Pumpkin seeds. They should be eaten on an empty stomach and raw. Usually children like this treatment. Otherwise, they can be crushed and mixed with honey if the child is not allergic to honey.
• Sagebrush. Allowed for children from 12 years. To facilitate the reception, it is best to mix it with a piece of bread and salt.
• Fresh carrot juice. Just half a cup on an empty stomach once a day for 7-10 days. You can also take a bite of raw carrots.
• beet juice. It is given on an empty stomach. It is recommended to replace it with carrots, so as not to provoke a violation of the stool.
• walnut. A few pieces a day will be enough for a child.
• A pineapple. Fresh, not canned fruit is a delicious and effective remedy.
• orange. For their "company", you can add berries and fruits with a sour taste.

Prevention

Regardless of the type of worms, prevention should be carried out by adhering to the basic rules of personal hygiene:

1. Washed food. All vegetables, fruits and berries should be thoroughly washed before eating. As an additional measure, the product can be doused with boiling water.
2. Clean hands. You need to wash them before eating, after walking, visiting hospitals and staying in public places, after using the toilet and playing with animals, even pets.
3. Deworming for pets. It should be done at least 2 times a year.
4. Boiled or filtered water for drinking. It is forbidden to drink water from open reservoirs. Swimming in it should also be avoided to prevent splashing water from entering the mouth. Salt lakes and seas are exceptions.
5. Regular prevention with the help of folk remedies.
6. Caring for old and new toys. Soft toys should be washed periodically, plastics and plastics should be washed with boiled water. The new one, before giving it to the child, should be doused with boiling water without fail.
7. No insects! Flies, mosquitoes, cockroaches carry worm eggs in their paws. It is important to prevent them from entering the house. To do this, you can use a fumigator, masking tape and special crayons.
8. The exceptions to the children's diet are fish and meat dishes that require low-baked animal products.
9. Stool analysis once a year. This procedure will help detect worms at an early stage.