Children's bodies are easily affected by parasites, as children have lower immunity. In addition, a child's body cannot produce a special digestive enzyme that can destroy worm larvae; a person acquires this ability with age.
It is impossible to visually observe worm eggs; their size is microscopic, but they are present almost everywhere. The risk of infection arises during the period when the child begins to understand the world by feeling different objects. In addition, the baby tries not only to touch the objects, but sometimes also to taste them. Sand boxes in yards, which are often used by street animals as a toilet, pose a great danger. If we take into account the weak natural protection of the baby's body against helminthic infections, then it is not difficult to understand how high the chances are that parasites affect the intestines of the child. Here are the main ways worms enter a child's body:
- through unwashed hands;
- after contact with animals;
- through poorly cooked meat and fish;
- insects are also often a source of helminthic infection, as they carry worm eggs on their legs;
- unwashed vegetables and fruits;
- through contaminated 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 all the efforts of the parents. The fact is that helminths periodically crawl through the child's anus, laying eggs in its vicinity, which causes severe itching in the baby. The child itches and the small worm eggs, in turn, end up under his fingernails, from where they easily enter the mouth and then travel down 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 infection in children, symptoms
There are about 300 types of parasites that can infect the human body, however, worms and roundworms are diagnosed more often in children. Both types of worms affect the small intestines; 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 may grind his teeth in his sleep.
- Headache, dizziness, lethargy and weakness appear.
- Sometimes worms are present in a child's feces and can be seen with the naked eye.
- The baby experiences itching in the genital area and anus.
- There is a disorder in the digestive system, constipation can be replaced by diarrhea, abdominal pain and nausea are observed.
- The general indicators of the blood count may change, namely a decrease in hemoglobin and an increase in the level of eosinophils and ESR.
- The vital activity of worms becomes the cause of general poisoning of the body, manifested in the appearance of allergic reactions, urticaria and atopic dermatitis.
- Increase in body temperature without any good reason.
- Constant itching can cause inflammation in 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 a lack of vitamins and a decrease in the levelof hemoglobin in the blood.
Folk remedies against worms
Undoubtedly, folk remedies are the most suitable for the treatment of helminthic infections in children; symptoms subside fairly quickly. However, before using them, you should definitely consult a doctor, because the child's body is very vulnerable not only to the action of parasites, but also to the improper use of medicines, even popular ones. Here are the most popular folk anthelmintic drugs:
- Garlic enema. Garlic is an antiseptic given to humans 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, then cooled and filtered through a double layer of cheesecloth. At night, the child is given an enema from the milk taken, to take a third of the medicine taken, and the child is treated in this way for at least a week.
- Chamomile decoction. Another natural antiseptic used to treat a variety of ailments. To prepare the decoction, take a tablespoon of dry chamomile grass and pour boiling water, leave it until it cools and give the child to drink throughout the day instead of water or tea. Duration of treatment is 5 days.
- Onion medicine. Chop a small onion, add milk and boil the resulting mass, then cool and filter. The resulting product is given to the baby for three consecutive days, 100 ml.
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 widespread in our country. As a rule, these are roundworms and tapeworms. Diseases caused by the penetration of fungi (of cats or liver) are often detected.
The disease develops when the eggs or larvae of parasites enter the stomach. During the period of development from egg to sexually mature individual, tapeworms 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
Different types of worms can parasitize the digestive tract, respiratory organs, lymph nodes, bones 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, metabolic disorders and have a traumatic effect on organs and tissues.
You should contact the clinic to identify or exclude helminthiasis if you have the following symptoms in an adult:
- Increase in temperature. It can rise significantly to 38°C and decrease for a short time 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), vomiting.
- Itching in the anal area, worse in the evening.
- Frequent colds or respiratory diseases - when infected with helminths, immunity decreases.
- Loss or increase of appetite, sudden loss of body weight.
- Bronchospasm, cough, shortness of breath, other respiratory disorders, pale skin and mucous membranes.
- Itchy rash.
- Insomnia, frequent headaches, anxiety, nervousness, depression.
- Joint and muscle pain.
- Inflammation, enlarged lymph nodes.
- Edema.
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.
Diagnosing
Infection with certain types of helminths gives a characteristic clinical picture. When a patient first contacts a doctor, he can guess the diagnosis. Eggs and other traces of life activity of roundworms, pinworms and other roundworms that parasitize the intestines are detected during examination of the stool. 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 you to accurately detect 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 be observed several times at intervals of 3-4 days.
- General clinical blood test. It does not show the presence of larvae, eggs, adults, but it gives a lot of information about the intensity of the inflammatory process, the number of leukocytes, etc.
- Biochemical analysis. It provides detailed information about protein metabolism, identifies abnormal loss or increased protein synthesis, and allows one to rule out or suspect 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 analysis with glomerular filtration. They give the doctor information about the condition of the kidneys and the possibility of their damage by parasites.
Studies of bile, saliva, and duodenal contents may also be prescribed.
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. To diagnose helminths in the lungs, X-rays are taken, and in the stomach and intestines - endoscopy.
A comprehensive examination makes it possible to quickly and accurately determine the causes of the disease and determine the appropriate treatment. Do not refuse the examination. The more accurately the doctor determines the cause of poor 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 an initial 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 dose 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 serious chronic diseases, hospitalization may be required. Doctors will not only rid the human body of parasites, but also perform detoxification therapy and vitamin therapy.
Surgical treatment is necessary for helminth damage to organs and tissues. A large number of roundworms sometimes leads to blockage of the intestines and bile ducts. Their accumulation is surgically removed. 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 infections 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, fatigue without cause, decreased immunity, the disease can lead to serious complications.
If the parasites enter 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, intestinal cancer, gastrointestinal bleeding, fluid accumulation in the abdominal cavity (ascites) and peritoneum. They also often provoke the development of chronic kidney diseases, meningoencephalitis and loss of vision. Some cestodes (tapeworms) grow more than 1 meter in length, and the small roundworms can form dense balls. This disrupts the normal functioning of the body, leading to severe intoxication and severe allergic reactions. Without immediate 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 appearance and damage caused. There are three most common groups of worms: nematodes, cestodes, and trematodes.
The first group is the protocavity worms. They live on land and water, so they can easily become infected in the litter box and during a walk in general. It is this group that includes the most common pinworms and roundworms, and also includes pinworms, trichinella and guinea worms. Depending on which parasite caused the infection, ascariasis, enterobiasis, trichuriasis, etc. are distinguished.
Cestodes are tapeworms that can live both in the intestines (the most common variant is tapeworms) and in organs (usually the larvae of tapeworms, echinococci and alveococci live there). According to which of these types of worms are found in children, echinococcosis, taenia, hymenolepiasis, etc. are distinguished.
And the last of the three known groups is trematodes caused by trematodes. These are several types of flatworms - schistosome, cat/liver fluke, leucochlorid. They provoke opisthorchiasis (transmitted by fish of the carp family) and fascioliasis (suffers 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. Next we will talk about general symptoms for all parasitic infections and then about enterobiasis, ascariasis and 5 other types of infections.
- increased irritability, restless sleep, decreased 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 allergy;
- nasal discharge;
- diseases and infections of the reproductive system;
- brittle nails/hair;
Enterobiasis is a helminthiasis in which the body is infected by worms. Larvae hatch within 4-6 hours; in 2-4 weeks they become adults - grayish or white roundworms 5-10 mm long. They settle in the cecum and appendix and lay eggs outside the anus - at night, the female worms emerge into the air for this purpose. This reproduction mechanism leads to severe itching at night - hence restless sleep, tossing and turning and screaming.
Additional special symptoms:
- urination at night;
- grinding of 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 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 they are distributed throughout the body - in the liver, heart, lungs. They then enter the oral cavity and are swallowed again. From this moment, adult roundworms begin to develop. This lasts about 3 months.
How to suspect the presence of worms in children:
- the liver, spleen, lymph nodes enlarge;
- the temperature rises, sometimes up to 38 degrees;
- pity and weakness appear;
- respiratory pathologies develop - pneumonia, bronchitis and bronchial asthma;
- pressure drop;
- 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.
Growing roundworms is more difficult than tapeworms, as the female lays almost 250, 000 eggs every day. In no case should you rely on traditional methods or buy the first drug you come across in the pharmacy - be sure to contact a specialist.
Babies may only experience symptoms after a few weeks of life if they have received worm eggs and larvae from their mother, for example during birth. As a rule, the symptoms are manifested in the form of lack of weight gain, excessive shedding, redness, paleness, blue eyes, constipation. The child is constantly restless, screams, sleeps and eats badly. The screaming can be unbearable and the child will turn blue in the process.
Worms are often the cause of the development of pulmonary pathologies and are diagnosed using ultrasound or x-rays. Parasites, in particular the Echinococcus tapeworm, can damage not only the respiratory system, but also move further into the brain and heart. In the areas where helminths develop in the lungs, sores 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 depend mainly on which helminth has entered the body, but the child's anxiety and the presence of the above general symptoms should alert the parents. If signs of worms appear, make an appointment with a pediatrician or gastroenterologist to be tested in a timely manner.
Diagnosing
The diagnosis of worms in children is carried out in different ways - depending on the worms with which the child is infected, the habitat, the location of the eggs and the toxins found in the body will change.
To make a diagnosis, the following can be prescribed:
- blood test - shows the levels of anemia, hemoglobin and eosinophils;
- analysis for parasites - in 99% of cases it helps to detect helminthiasis, and in most cases it helps to determine the exact type (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;
- spotting - especially effective in case of worm infection, as their eggs are found just outside the anus;
- stool analysis for dysbacteriosis;
- if there is a suspicion of infection of internal organs, and not only of the gastrointestinal tract - CT, X-ray, ultrasound.
Diagnostics allows you to accurately identify the type of parasite and prescribe specific treatment. The doctor prescribes medications, diet, additional support procedures and gives recommendations for care and hygiene.
In some cases, parents pay extra attention to helminthiasis and are constantly worried about the infection of their child. This leads to regular "preventive" courses of serious anthelmintic drugs, which do not bring any benefit to the baby's body. If your child is not losing weight, feels good, eats well, has a healthy complexion and does not have itching in the anal area, he is likely 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 for 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 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 by surgery.
The preparatory phase 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 medicines.
Treatment of helminthiasis in children in the main stage is the direct intake 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 cope with larvae and eggs (prescribed 2 weeks after the first).
The cleanse is designed to cleanse the body of the remains of dead parasites; at this stage, sorbents, enemas and choleretic drugs are used. You can help your child by adding raw carrots, dairy products, wholemeal bread, fruits, vegetables, fish oil, nuts, especially walnuts and peanuts to the diet.
In addition, to restore the body in case of serious damage, complexes of vitamins, iron, minerals and a special diet can be used, which will increase hemoglobin, restore liver function and strengthen the body as a whole. The doctor describes the treatment plan in detail, avoiding side effects. Control tests are required. Self-medication and deviation from the plan are not allowed.
Consequences of untreated parasitic infections
Helminthiasis presents a serious risk; without treatment, it can result in death or significant health problems. An infected child poses a risk to the whole family and the environment, as it spreads the disease.
Complications of worms in children:
- inflammatory exacerbation of the appendix;
- epileptic seizures;
- visual impairment of some types;
- allergic reactions with abundant runny nose;
- developmental lag behind peers;
- sexually transmitted infections, the most common among girls is vulvovaginitis;
- various types of pulmonary manifestations, including bronchial asthma;
- in severe cases - brain and heart damage.
Preventing
To ensure that the treatment of worms in children is not required at all, it is necessary to actively engage in prevention, which consists of daily precautions and hygiene procedures and taking medications.
How to protect your child from parasitic infection:
- Maintain hygiene - regularly wash your child's hands and wash them;
- regular care of 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 - finger sucking, pens, nail biting;
- 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, carry out sufficient heat treatment of meat and fish.
Some types of helminthiasis are difficult to cure, 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.