Symptoms of the presence of worms in the child's body, the causes of the appearance of parasites in children, treatment

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

Why is helminthiasis dangerous?

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

• Avitaminosis and weight loss. These problems occur due to lack of nutrients and vitamins. As a result, children begin to lag behind in their development. Pathological processes can begin in other organs.
• Intestinal inflammation, colitis, dysbacteriosis, bleeding. All these unpleasant and serious complications are caused by mechanical damage caused by worms in the children's body.
• The development of inflammatory processes in the appendix, liver, gall bladder. These are organs adjacent to the intestines in which parasites can move.
• Intestinal obstruction. It can be partial or complete, and sometimes there is a risk of tearing the intestinal wall.
• intoxication of the body. When worms live and die inside a person, they release aggressive toxins.
• Alergy. The waste products of parasites are considered strong allergens.
• Liver dysfunction. For this reason, the child must follow a diet for many years and additionally take enzymes.
• Psychosis. Helminths 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 differ in size, both small and large, and also manifest in different ways and have a different incubation period, which varies from 1 to 1. 5 months. In order to prescribe effective drugs that will help treat helminthiasis, you need to correctly determine their type. The most common types in children are:

1. Tape. This type of worms includes cestodes, tapeworms, tapeworms and echinococcus.
2. Ringed. Among them are ring-shaped.
3. Round. Their representatives are trichinella, pinworms, whipworms, nematodes, roundworms.
4. Spiny head. They are represented by scrapers.
5. Apartment. Among them are trematodes and flukes.

Causes and methods of infection

It is possible to get infected with helminthiasis not only in an exotic country or by trying an unusual dish from the menu. Playing in the sandbox and unwashed hands are the easiest way for worms to enter the child's body. Young children tend to touch and study everything without thinking about the cleanliness of the studied object. After that, they can safely lick their fingers without washing them first. Worms remain viable for a very long time (from weeks to months), remaining on the surface of various objects.

In addition to dirty hands, the main sources of infection include:

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

Symptoms of the presence of parasites in children

Usually, in children under 1 year of age, any manifestations of the presence of parasites in the body are observed in individual cases. The first symptoms that signal an infection with helminths are registered already at an older age (about 2-3 years) in children attending kindergarten or other developing organizations.

Helminthiasis in children is represented by a huge variety, and each individual type has its own specific characteristics. However, there are a number of symptoms that are characteristic of each type of worm:

• irritability and moodiness for no apparent reason;
• troubled sleep;
• alergy;
• itching in the anus;
• increased secretion of saliva;
• indigestion accompanied by diarrhea, constipation, nausea and bloating;
• Lack of appetite;
• weight loss with good nutrition;
• pallor of the skin.

In older children, these symptoms may include:

• headache;
• stomach discomfort;
• vertigo;
• increased fatigue;
• poor concentration.

Enterobiosis (sedges)

A disease in which parasites such as pinworms enter the child's body is called enterobiosis. This type of helminths is one of the most common in young children of preschool age - from 2 to 5 years. They are distinguished by average sizes, which are 5-13 mm, and minimal harm compared to other types of parasites.

Their presence causes the following symptoms to appear:

1. Severe itching in the anus. Its intensity can reach such a force that the child will not sleep well, it scratches the anus, causing irritation and inflammation.
2. Urinary incontinence during nocturnal sleep. It is observed in girls. This happens if the sharps from the anus get into the urethra. As a result, the baby begins to develop urethritis, vaginitis or cystitis.

Pinworms are easy to remove 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 undergo the necessary tests. If pinworms are found in a child, the parents also need treatment. All clothes, towels and other rags should be washed and ironed, and the room thoroughly washed, as the eggs of these worms are found on all surfaces in the infected person's home.

Ascariasis (roundworms)

In second place in terms of frequency in children are roundworms with large sizes up to 40 cm, living in the small intestine - roundworms. In addition to the general symptoms of helminthiasis, in the case of roundworms, an infected person in the initial stage develops a causeless cough in the absence of inflammatory processes 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 fall back into the stomach.

Other characteristic features include:

• headache and dizziness;
• alergy;
• enlarged lymph nodes;
• elevated temperature;
• intestinal disorders.

At the same time, there is no itching in the buttocks with roundworms. Not only the intestines, but any other organ or system of the body can become a habitat.

Trichuriasis (whiskered head)

These parasites in children are worms with a very thin body, the length of which reaches 5 cm. The female whipworm can lay up to 2 thousand eggs at a time. Usually, such helminths occur more often in adolescence, and in young children they appear much less often.

A distinctive feature of trichuriasis is the almost complete absence of signs of helminthic invasion. Possible symptoms include:

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

Signs of other parasites

Among other types of worms that can appear in children, the following can be distinguished:

• Hymenolepiasis or tapeworm of small rats. He has no specific symptoms. Its presence is recognized by nausea, loss of appetite, heartburn, diarrhea and constipation, headache, abdominal pain, increased salivation, dizziness, fatigue, skin rashes, allergic rhinitis and bronchospasm.
• Opisthorchiasis or feline anthrax. These worms in a child cause low-grade fever, skin rashes, swollen lymph nodes, pain in the joints and right hypochondrium, pancreatitis, gastritis and other signs of digestive tract malfunction, constant catarrhal syndrome, etc.

• Toxocarosis. It is transmitted through animals. The main symptoms are an allergic cough with suffocation and skin rashes that are characterized by severe itching.
• Wide ribbon. The source of infection is not fried or uncooked fish. Symptoms include abdominal pain, allergic reaction, B12 deficiency anemia, and other common signs of bowel upset.

How to check if your child has worms?

In most cases, it is difficult for parents to associate specific symptoms with helminthiasis or to understand why the child suddenly has vomiting or other symptoms for no apparent reason. At the slightest suspicion of the appearance of worms, you should go to specialists and take tests that facilitate the verification of the assumption of helminthic invasion. It will not take much time and effort, but the cause of the baby's illness will be exactly clear, and it will be possible to carry out treatment in time.

Self-diagnosis

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

Includes:

• periodic examination of feces for the presence of worms;
• monitoring the frequency of visits to the toilet;
• examining the skin for rashes, redness, or irritation;
• checking the amount of food consumed.

Testing

Medical diagnosis is necessary to confirm the diagnosis if worms are detected visually or only if helminth infestation is suspected. To find out the cause of the symptoms, you need to pass a series of tests, which include:

1. Fecal analysis. In it you can find eggs or parts of already matured worms. The effectiveness of the method is maximal in the period when there are already mature individuals in the intestine, i. e. approximately 3 weeks to one month after infection. In the morning, fecal material should be taken and sent to the laboratory.
2. A smear or scraping from the anus. To do this, use a dry cotton swab dipped in glycerin or tape. The analysis allows you to identify the larvae of the worms that have been deposited on the skin areas in the anus.
3. General blood analysis. In patients with helminthiasis, there may be an increased number of immune cells, a high erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and a decreased hemoglobin level in the blood.
4. ELISA blood test. It 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 a child that may be done in an outpatient setting include:

• analysis for the presence of IgG antibodies;
• ultrasound procedure;
• Roentgen.

Features of drug treatment

The appointment of drugs to combat parasites in a child should be carried out by a doctor after passing all the necessary tests and establishing an accurate diagnosis and type of worms. Among the most common drugs against helminth infestation should be noted:

1. An anthelmintic drug acting on nematodes. Admission is allowed for 6 months. Effective against all types of roundworms, but useless against flatworms.
2. An anthelmintic drug of the benzimidazole group. It has been appointed for 2-3 years. The dosage is determined at the rate of 10 mg per kilogram of body weight.
3. Antiprotozoal and antimicrobial drug from the group of nitroimidazoles. Suitable for any age according to which the daily dose is determined.
4. An anthelmintic drug of the benzimidazole group. For children from 2 years old against roundworms.

What folk remedies can help?

In addition to drugs, worms can be treated with folk remedies.

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

• Garlic. It successfully destroys roundworms, tapeworms, pinworms and copes with many other types of parasites. Suitable for children from 5 years of age and with a healthy stomach. It should be given 1 clove before meals once a day. It can be taken with water or milk. Garlic is also an excellent antiviral agent.
• Pumpkin seeds. They should be consumed on an empty stomach and raw. Children usually like this treatment. Otherwise, they can be crushed and mixed with honey if the child is not allergic to honey.
• Wormwood. Allowed for children from 12 years. To simplify the reception, it should be mixed with a piece of bread and salt.
• Fresh carrot juice. Enough half a cup on an empty stomach once a day for 7-10 days. You can also eat raw carrots.
• Beet juice. It is given on an empty stomach. It is recommended to alternate it with carrots so as not to provoke a stool disorder.
• Walnuts. A few pieces a day will be enough for a child.
• Pineapple. Fresh, not canned, fruit is a tasty and effective remedy.
• citrus fruits. To their "company" you can add berries and fruits with a sour taste.

Prevention

Regardless of the type of worms, prevention comes down to observing the basic rules of personal hygiene:

1. Washed food. All vegetables, fruits and berries should be washed well before eating. As an additional measure, the products can be poured with boiling water.
2. Clean hands. You should wash them before eating, after walking, visiting the hospital and staying in public places, after going to the toilet and playing with animals, even pets.
3. Deworming of pets. It should be done at least twice a year.
4. Boiled or filtered drinking water. It is forbidden to drink water from open reservoirs. Swimming in them should also be avoided to prevent splashing water from entering the mouth. Exceptions are salt lakes and seas.
5. Regular prevention using folk remedies.
6. Caring for old and new toys. Soft toys should be washed periodically, plastic and plastic ones should be washed with boiled water. The new ones, before giving to a child, must be poured with boiling water.
7. No insects! Flies, mosquitoes, cockroaches carry helminth eggs on their paws. It is important to prevent them from entering the house. To do this, you can use fumigators, sticky tapes and special crayons.
8. Exclusion from the child's diet of fish and meat dishes that require low roasting of animal products.
9. Stool analysis once a year. This procedure will help detect worms at an early stage.