Worms in children

Worms or filariasis are parasites that feed on the host's body and release toxins that affect organs and internal systems. The most common group are pinworms and roundworms, they are often found in the body of young children, exposed to the outside environment in the most unsanitary ways. Worms interfere with the absorption of nutrients, minerals and vitamins because they borrow them to use for life and poisoning from the products they excrete will harm the liver, digestive tract and in difficult cases. difficult if not timely intervention - muscles, lungs, eyes, brain.

Ways of infection with worms:

• contact with soil and water, which contain eggs of parasites (sand pits and puddles are no exception);
• use unprocessed products appropriately - plant foods, meat, fish that may contain worm eggs;
• hygiene neglect;
• transmission of worms from mother to child during childbirth;
• frequent contact with animals, especially street animals, or those that go outdoors;
• visit a room with insects;
• contact with children who have been infected;
• low immunity;
• moving to another country, involves physical stress and does not fully adapt.

Based on the causes of the disease, it is not difficult to develop a system of minimal prevention - teach children to wash their hands often, only feed them properly prepared foods, and ensure hygiene control in the home. However, no one cancels contact with street animals and licks swings, as a result of which the intestinal tract is damaged by parasites. Not all helminths manifest themselves immediately - they can stay in the body in a "sleeping" mode for many years, so regular screening, especially for children, is extremely important.

Classification of parasites

Different types of worms do not affect the body in the same way, and have their own characteristics both in terms of development cycle and appearance and lesions. There are three most common groups of worms - roundworms, cestodoses, flukes.

The first group is primary worms. They live in soil and water, so it is easy to get them in sandpits and in general on walks. This group includes the most common pinworms and roundworms, and also includes hookworms, trichinella, and rishta. Depending on which parasite is causing the infection, roundworms, roundworms, roundworms, etc. are isolated.

Cestodoses are tapeworms that can live both in the intestines (the most common variant is tapeworms) and organs (as a rule, larvae of tapeworms, echinococci, alveococci live there). Corresponding to which of these worms in children, people distinguish gnathostomiasis, gnathostomiasis, respiratory stone disease, etc.

And the last group of 3 common groups is fluke disease caused by flukes. These are several types of flatworms - schistosomes, liver/cat flukes, leukochloridium. They cause fascioliasis (transmitted from fish of the cyprinid family) and fascioliasis (affected liver and biliary system, plant or waterborne transmission).

Symptom

There are many symptoms, individual manifestations depend on which worm eggs have entered the body. Next, we'll talk about the symptoms common to all parasitic infections, and then about intestinal worms, ascariasis, and 5 other types of infections.

General symptoms:

• increased irritability, disturbed sleep, decreased persistence and attention, frequent irritability and anger;
• increased appetite associated with active weight loss;
• digestive system symptoms - diarrhea, constipation, nausea, right lower quadrant pain;
• dizziness and headache;
• food allergies;
• discharge from the nose;
• diseases and infections of the reproductive system;
• brittle nails/hair;

Enterobiasis is a helminthic disease in which pinworms infect the body. Larvae emerge from eggs within 4-6 hours, in 2-4 weeks they become adults - gray or white roundworms 5-10 mm long. They settle in the cecum and appendix, and lay eggs outside the anus - at night, female pinworms go out into the air for this purpose. This reproductive mechanism leads to intense itching at night - hence restless sleep, tossing, turning, screaming.

Additional special symptoms:

• nocturia;
• grinding teeth;

Ascariasis is a helminthic disease in which the body is colonized by roundworms. These worms are already more substantial - the average length of an adult is 25-30 cm. Larvae and eggs enter the body if fresh fruits and vegetables have not been adequately disinfected. The developmental stage takes place in the intestines, then they enter the lymph and blood vessels, and with the flow of blood and lymph, they are deposited throughout the body - in the liver, heart, lungs. They then enter the oral cavity and are swallowed again. From this point, adult roundworms begin to develop. This process takes about 3 months.

How to suspect the presence of worms in children:

• enlarged liver, spleen, and lymph nodes;
• temperature rises, sometimes up to 38 degrees;
• discomfort and weakness appear;
• respiratory pathologies develop - pneumonia, bronchitis and bronchial asthma;
• reduce pressure;
• symptoms from the gastrointestinal tract appear - constipation, diarrhea, nausea and vomiting, pain in the form of spasms;
• fear of light;
• nightmares at night;
• dry cough - sputum is orange and bloody.

Raising roundworms is more difficult than pinworms because the female lays almost 250, 000 eggs per day. In any case, you should not rely on folk remedies or buy the first available remedy in a pharmacy - be sure to contact a specialist.

These are not all types of worms in children that are introduced into the body. In total, there are more than 300 types of helminths in the world, 70 types in our country alone. In addition to the two listed, 5 more are gaining popularity:

• Trichocephalosis - characterized by both physical and mental retardation, but generally almost no symptoms;
• opisthorchiasis - increased temperature, increased nodes of the lymphatic system, rash on the skin;
• decreased sweating - the main consequence is rhinitis;
• Toxocariasis - has many symptoms to distinguish it from other helminth diseases: keratitis, choking cough, eye inflammation, cholecystitis, facial swelling;
• wide tapeworm - characterized by anemia, intestinal disorders, pain in the abdomen.

Newborns can develop symptoms after several weeks of age if they receive eggs and larvae from their mother, for example, during birth. As a rule, symptoms manifest themselves in the form of a lack of weight gain, excessive salivation, rash, pallor, under-eye blue, and constipation. Children often worry, scream, sleep and eat poorly. The screaming can be unbearable and the child will turn blue in the process.

Worms are often the cause of the development of lung pathologies and are diagnosed using ultrasound or X-ray. Parasites, especially the tapeworm echinococcus, can not only damage the respiratory system, but also travel further to the brain and heart. In areas where helminths develop in the lungs, scars, adhesions, and shapes of the lungs begin to change. Such changes cause a variety of diseases - asthma, fibrosis, bronchitis, pleurisy, emphysema, etc. v. When tapeworms enter the lungs, tapeworms are formed, wherein the parasites develop in the form of cysts.

Symptoms will depend largely on which worm has entered the body, but the child's anxiety and the presence of these general symptoms should alert parents. If you have signs of worms, make an appointment with your pediatrician or gastroenterologist for a prompt examination.

Diagnose

The diagnosis of worm disease in children is made in different ways - depending on the type of worm the child is infected with, the environment it lives in, the location of the eggs and the toxins found in the body.

For the diagnosis can be indicated:

• blood test - shows the level of anemia, hemoglobin and eosinophils;
• parasitological analysis - in 99% of cases it helps to detect helminthiasis, and in most cases - to determine the exact type (biological material for study - blood from a vein);
• stool examination - there may be no eggs in the stool, there may even be an infection, to be sure of the presence of worms this diagnosis should be made 3 times, which takes time;
• smear - especially effective for pinworm infections, since their eggs are found just outside the anus;
• stool analysis for biological disorders;
• if there is suspicion of infection of internal organs, and not only the gastrointestinal tract - CT, X-ray, ultrasound.

Diagnosis allows you to accurately determine the type of parasite and prescribe specific treatment. The doctor prescribes medication, diet, additional supportive procedures, makes recommendations on care and hygiene.

In some cases, parents are increasingly concerned about helminthiasis and are constantly concerned about their child's infection. This leads to frequent "preventive" courses of serious deworming drugs, which do not benefit the baby's body. If the child does not lose weight, feels good, eats well, has a healthy complexion, and does not have anal itching, then most likely the child is healthy. If you want to be convinced of this, you'd better go for a test than take an unnecessary course.

The treatment

The process of treating worms in children consists of several stages - preparation, treatment and cleaning. During the entire course of treatment, it is necessary to carry out restorative prophylaxis and observe careful hygiene to avoid reinfection or infection of one of the family members. Some types of worms, such as tapeworms or echinococcus, can only be removed surgically.

The preparatory phase includes the introduction of sorbents that absorb toxins and cleanse the body. Next are antihistamines, they relieve general itching and prevent the development of allergic reactions to the drug.

Treatment of helminthiasis in children at the main stage is direct oral administration of dewormers in the form of tablets, suppositories or suspension. The drug is selected depending on the type of helminth, individual indications and contraindications. Some dewormers work in 2 steps:

• the first course kills the developed instance;
• The second course helps to deal with larvae and eggs (indicated 2 weeks after the first course).

Purification is designed to eliminate the body of the remaining dead parasites, at this stage absorbents, enema, diuretics are used. You can help your baby by adding raw carrots, dairy products, raw bread, fruits, vegetables, oily fish, nuts, especially walnuts and peanuts to the diet.

In addition, it is possible to use a complex of vitamins, iron, minerals, a special diet to restore the body in case of serious damage, which will increase hemoglobin, restore liver function and nourish the body. The doctor describes in detail the treatment plan, avoiding the occurrence of side effects. Tests of controls are required. Do not arbitrarily take drugs and deviate from the plan.

Consequences of untreated parasitic infections

Ringworm disease is fraught with serious risks; Without treatment, things can end in death or serious health problems. An infected child is a danger to the entire family and the environment, as it is where the disease spreads.

Complications of worms in children:

• exacerbation of appendicitis;
• epilepsy;
• visual impairment of some kind;
• allergic reaction with a runny nose;
• lagging behind other enterprises in the same industry in terms of development;
• genital infections, most commonly in girls - vulvovaginitis;
• various types of pulmonary manifestations, up to bronchial asthma;
• in difficult cases - damage to the brain and heart.

Preventive

In order for the treatment of filariasis in children to be unnecessary, it is necessary to actively participate in prevention, including daily preventive measures, hygiene and medication.

How to protect your baby from parasitic infections:

• hygiene compliance - frequently wash the child's hands, bathe the child;
• regularly take care of toys - wash, clean (after diagnosis, all toys must be disinfected);
• cut nails as often as possible, clean every day;
• ironing after washing;
• give up bad habits - thumb sucking, pen, nail biting;
• only give boiled water to drink and clearly explain the reason;
• avoid swimming in natural reservoirs;
• use repellents (insects often carry eggs of worms), destroy all insects entering the house;
• regularly check pets for parasites;
• Wash vegetables and fruits thoroughly, process them with enough heat for meat and fish.

Some types of helminthiasis are difficult to cure, so we recommend prophylactic treatment to avoid infection. When contacting the clinic, parents will be fully advised on how to properly prevent disease to avoid future problems.