Worms in children: symptoms, treatment, prevention

Invasion of worms is a common problem in countries all over the world. Almost every third of the inhabitants of the planet are carriers of worms, and worms are more common among children. If only one country’s statistics are considered, more than 2 million worm cases have been registered. But in reality, these numbers are much higher because people often don't seek help from a doctor, but try to get rid of the worms themselves.

Some patients don't know their condition at all, because the disease has almost no symptoms. If we compare the annual sales of anti-worm drugs with the population of the country, there are approximately 22 million patients, of whom nearly 80% are young children.

So far, more than 300 kinds of worms are known in medicine. Symptoms of worms that affect the body depend on the type of parasite and the number of invading larvae, and do not always vividly illustrate the nature of the disease. To suspect if you are infected with a worm, you need to understand the signs and manifestations of the worm, which may indicate that the parasite has entered your child's body.

Types of worms

All known worms are generally divided into three main categories, which are:

• Nematode (roundworm). . . the type of parasite most commonly diagnosed in children. The group is represented by the following types:
  • roundworms,
  • Pinworms,
  • Trichinella,
  • Whipworm.
• Cestodes (Lingella Parasite), Is represented by the following types:
  • Wide tape
  • Echinococcus (pork tapeworm),
  • Dwarf (rat) tapeworm,
  • Bovine tapeworm (taenia).
• Flukes (sucking parasites), The main representatives of this class:
  • Liver fluke,
  • Siberian (cat) fluke.

According to another classification, worms are divided into intestinal parasites and extraintestinal parasites. The first group only parasitizes in the intestinal cavity, and the second group prefers other organs of the human body, such as liver, heart, lungs, muscles, and brain. Extraintestinal worms have the ability to penetrate the bloodstream, gnaw through the intestinal wall and blood vessels, and follow the bloodstream to reach their favorite habitat.

Factors that cause nematode infection in children

• Lack of the habit of washing hands frequently after going to the toilet, after walking, and before eating. Even cookies and candies should not be given to them without asking them to wash their hands first.
• Rare to change underwear. Especially in summer, make sure that your children change clean sheets at least twice a day. The important thing is to teach him to go to the bathroom after going to bed in the morning and before going to bed at night.
• I am used to putting everything in my mouth, sucking fingers, licking toys, pencils and felt-tip pens.
• Presence of pets in the house walking on the street. Even if the dog is brought out on a leash and strictly monitored so that it does not put anything in its mouth, the worm's eggs will attach to its fur.
• Vegetables and fruits are not washed well before serving.
• The standard of living is low, the house is not clean, there are flies, bugs and cockroaches.

Causes and mechanism of roundworm infection in children

Among all the types of worms that can parasitize the human body, nematodes dominate. Basically, children with obvious symptoms are pinworms and roundworms, and whipworms are rarely diagnosed. No more than 3% of cases infected with other species. This is because flukes and tapeworms are more common in tropical climates, and infections mainly occur when visiting countries located in tropical or subtropical regions.

In addition, because banded parasites can withstand fairly high temperatures, they are mainly infected by lovers of undercooked or raw meat and fish dishes. Of course, if you don’t follow the hygiene and personal hygiene rules, you can easily get worms.

The mechanism of roundworm and pinworm infection is much simpler, but it is also more common. Ignore regular hand washing and carelessly handle raw vegetables, herbs and berries. And direct contact with stray animals or worm carriers.

Pinworm species also increased and re-invaded. This means that reinfection often occurs, and this is done in this way:

• Pinworms cause severe itching in the anus,
• Child, comb your itchy skin,
• When pinworm eggs fall on the patient’s fingers and underwear,
• In addition, when touching doorknobs, faucets and other surfaces, patients will leave pinworm eggs on them.
• The egg can penetrate freely into the carrier's body and then into the patient's body.

The most dangerous places for roundworm and pinworm infection are:

• kindergarten,
• Playground,
• Children's entertainment center.

It is an unavoidable fact that every child tries to taste almost everything in the first few years of life. This is the natural process of cognition of the surrounding world. And if you touch the surface of an object in a crowded place, your baby will definitely put his hand in his mouth, which will cause worms to enter the body.

In addition, the incompletely formed children's immune system and the weak protective barrier of the immature digestive tract can also cause infection. The only way to reduce the risk of infection is to constantly force your baby to wash their hands, because this can only become a habit in four-year-olds, and even this is not a habit that everyone can develop.

To a large extent, the vague manifestations of symptoms and complex diagnostic methods have contributed to the increase in childhood morbidity. The clinical manifestations of the disease may be unclear, short-term or non-existent at all. Noting that the child has mild discomfort, few parents will suspect that it is a worm, and immediately consult a doctor. Most people will decide that they have enough knowledge to diagnose and prescribe medications independently, which will eventually lead to widespread parasite spread and infection of others.

Even analyzing the worm eggs and scraping ascariasis in the feces cannot always give the true situation of the disease. In feces, worm eggs may be unevenly distributed. In order to capture them, it is necessary to follow the rules of material analysis, which is not known to everyone. Gua Sha may also show negative results because females do not lay eggs every day. In order to obtain a reliable picture, Gu Sha must be regularly scraped at least 3 times.

Common symptoms and signs of all worms

The invasion of worms into the body is not always accompanied by external symptoms. In most cases, a person will not notice the presence of internal parasites until a certain point in time. Certain types of worms can survive in the human body for many years without any negative impact on his health, and can activate their life activities only under favorable conditions. this might be:

• The body is weakened by other diseases,
• Due to the negative impact of the environment, the activity of the immune system decreases,
• Malnutrition.

Not long ago, there was a scientific theory about the influence of worms on the occurrence of many medical diseases. However, this did not find proper support, but it was also not refuted.

But today it has been reliably determined that everyone is a carrier of a certain number of bacteria, viruses, and fungi (including worms). Parasites do not always act in harmony with their owners. They continue to release toxic wastes to the human body, gradually leading to the deterioration of the disease and the development of various diseases.

Indicators of suspected active worm activity are the following symptoms:

• Increased appetite, accompanied by significant weight loss or loss of appetite and persistent nausea.
• Recurrent abdominal pain, stool formation disorder, manifested as constipation or diarrhea, nausea, ending with vomiting, headache and dizziness, these are continuous or intermittent.
• The body's hypersensitivity reactions to various substances and products.
• Deterioration of teeth and nails, increased hair loss caused by iron deficiency anemia and chronic vitamin B deficiency₁₂. . .
• Low resistance to respiratory diseases (children's adenoids) and inflammatory processes in the genitourinary system.
• Irritability and tearing, insomnia and restless sleep interruptions, nightmares and unprovoked anger, distraction and constant anxiety-all these indicate that a large amount of toxic substances produced by the worm has entered the bloodstream.
• Persistent anemia (low hemoglobin) and high eosinophil count in clinical blood tests should remind parents and force them to check their children for worms. One of the most dangerous negative manifestations of the disease is stunting.
• Increased allergic reactions to preventive vaccination.

Specific symptoms of pinworms

Pinworms, small but reproducing extremely fast and tenacious worms, can cause the development of enterobiasis in children. This is an unpleasant disease, the main symptom of which is intense, unbearable itching in the anus, which worsens at night.

When a child is sick, pinworm eggs will quickly spread to surrounding objects, contaminating toys, clothes, utensils, and everything the baby touches. Pinworms feel good outside the human body and can withstand the effects of many disinfectants. Only through boiling and ultraviolet radiation can the pinworm eggs be destroyed.

Enterobiasis infection occurs only through the mouth, when a child puts a dirty hand in his mouth or licks an infected surface. Through the esophagus, pinworms quickly penetrate the intestines and settle there, growing into adult sexually mature individuals within two weeks.

Pinworm disease is characterized by severe itching, which is caused by irritation caused by pinworm eggs. The reason it strengthens at night is that the anal sphincter relaxes a little in the dream, which does not represent an insurmountable obstacle for adult women who lay eggs and only climb to the surface. In one flight, pinworms can leave up to 5, 000 eggs on the skin of the anus.

Pinworms irritate the skin and force the skin to be groomed. At this time, it will invade under the nails, hand skin, clothing and bedding. In addition to severe itching, after pinworm infection, the symptoms of children are as follows:

• Upset, restless sleep, frequent insomnia, nightmares.
• Stop growth and gain weight, or even lose weight.
• Increase fatigue, tension, and excessive excitement.
• Poor attention span and poor ability to absorb new things lead to lag in learning.
• Girls may experience enuresis due to urinary tract irritation. This can cause involuntary urination at night.
• In addition, pinworms can invade the internal genitals, colonize the vagina (vulvovaginitis), and even reach the uterus and fallopian tubes, causing infection and inflammation.
• A large number of pinworms accumulating in the caecal cavity can cause appendicitis.
• An unproven symptom is teeth grinding at night.
• The reproduction of pinworms contributes to the development of diseases, such as:
  • Intestinal flora imbalance,
  • Enterocolitis,
  • Unexplained pain in the abdomen,
  • diarrhea,
  • constipate.
• Due to the continued poisoning, the intestinal wall stops the normal absorption of nutrients, vitamins and other substances, which ultimately affects the decline of the immune system. Therefore, children with pinworm disease not only often get sick, but they are also seriously ill.

Specific symptoms of roundworm (roundworm disease)

According to recent survey statistics, the worm infection situation is very worrying. The results show that more than 80% of preschool children have been infected with various types of worms at least once.

Unfortunately, many parents do not consider worms to be a serious disease, and are extremely reckless about it. But the settled parasites not only deprive the human body of essential nutrients, but can also infect many internal organs.

The representative of this parasite is roundworms, the symptoms of roundworms are much more serious than pinworms. Although roundworms and pinworms belong to the same class of worms, roundworms can not only invade the intestines, but also cause serious damage to other organs, such as:

• On the liver,
• In the pancreas,
• In mind,
• In the brain tissue,
• In the gallbladder,
• In the lungs.

Roundworms only enter the human body from the soil, but the predisposing factors are the same as those of pinworms. They are:

• Not complying with hygiene rules,
• Careless processing of vegetables, berries and herbs,
• Not following safety rules when working on personal plots,
• Unsanitary living conditions.

After the roundworm enters the body, after a long time (3 months) of adaptation, it matures into a mobile larva, gnaws through the wall and blood vessels of the small intestine, and then begins to migrate to the body's favorite organ.

The characteristics of this period are:

• The body temperature rises to 37. 5°С at night;
• Frequent weakness and discomfort;
• Dry cough, sometimes accompanied by poor separation of scarlet bloodshot sputum;
• Obstructive bronchitis, bronchial asthma, pneumonia or pleurisy may occur;
• Swollen lymph nodes;
• Enlarged pancreas and liver.

The main symptom of primary ascariasis is a rash like urticaria, distributed on the hands and feet.

The further development of the disease, in which roundworms return to the intestine, is characterized by the following diseases:

• Diarrhea or constipation
• Cramping abdominal pain,
• Frequent attacks of nausea, sometimes leading to vomiting,
• Flatulence,
• Anal irritation,
• Significant weight loss.

At this stage, in the context of general poisoning, stomatitis and purulent lesions of the skin and mucous membranes often occur. Long-term poisoning of processed roundworm products can cause nervous system and mental disorders. These are:

• Insomnia,
• Nightmare,
• Seizures,
• Low blood pressure.

As a complication of ascariasis, this serious and dangerous pathology can develop into:

• intestinal obstruction,
• Acute appendicitis,
• Obstructive jaundice
• peritonitis.

Specific signs of damage to other types of worms

1. Vlasoglav (trichosis)-Characterized by mild symptoms. The indicators of infection are diarrhea with bloodshot eyes, long-term constipation, frequent vomiting, and usually lead to dehydration and anemia. Children with this type of disease usually have a significant lag in growth and intellectual development.

2. Toxoplasmosis-In most cases, babies under 4 years of age often come into contact with infected dogs or cats. Allergic reactions are manifested by itchy skin, fever and chills, allergic cough (up to suffocation), facial swelling, lung lumps, swollen lymph nodes, and eye diseases.

3. Dwarf tapeworm-Causes hymen dermatosis, which is characterized by a latent course without any symptoms. As the worm colony develops, children will experience dyspepsia, pain syndrome, increased saliva secretion, and frequent headaches. Gradually, all of these turned into diseases, such as:

   • measles,
   • Vasomotor or allergic rhinitis,
   • Bronchial spasm.

4. Siberian (cat) fluke-Posterior testicular disease, characteristic symptoms: fever, swollen lymph nodes, rash, pain in the right flanks and joints. Complications: dystrophic myocarditis, hepatitis, pneumonia, pancreatitis, severe gastritis.

5. Wide ribbon-Biloba filariasis, a disease caused by tapeworm infection, tapeworm eggs or larvae may survive in raw or undercooked meat. It is characterized by bowel disease, pain syndrome and B₁₂-Lack of anemia.

Deworming methods for children

Today's pharmaceutical industry supplies various types of anti-worm drugs to pharmacies. These can be targeted drugs or broad-spectrum drugs. Unfortunately, most of them have a long list of negative effects on the body. Therefore, if a worm is found in a child, only a parasitologist can prescribe a treatment plan after a thorough examination and all necessary tests.

Moreover, for the treatment of most diseases caused by worms, it is not only necessary to use anti-worm drugs to treat children’s worms, but also to make an appointment for a course of antihistamines, vitamin therapy and probiotics.

Antihistamines are needed to normalize the immune response. Vitamins and probiotics can restore the loss of essential acids and normalize the intestinal flora.

Among the least toxic drugs, a drug containing hexahydropyrazine was isolated. Therefore, when the question is how to get rid of worms in young children, it is recommended more often. The drug is not exclusively produced in the form of tablets, but in the form of suspensions or syrups.

Many parents prefer traditional medicine. In fact, pumpkin seeds and garlic enemas have repellent effects and are often used to treat ascariasis. But their use does not guarantee a complete cure. Therefore, to rule out recurrence, it is best to take the medicine prescribed by the doctor and use any folk deworming medicine to confirm the result, otherwise the question of how to remove the worms will be repeated.

Measures to prevent worm infection

The inevitability of worms invading children's bodies cannot be regarded as an axiom. There are many rules for preventing worms. Following these rules, you can easily protect your baby from this infection:

• Rinse raw vegetables, berries, herbs, and fruits thoroughly under running water, then pour boiling water on them.
• Long-term heat treatment of fish and meat dishes.
• Do not let flies, cockroaches, bed bugs and mosquitoes appear in the apartment or house.
• All pets should take anthelmintics regularly for prevention.
• Ask children to wash their hands after every contact with animals.
• Only allow children to play and use processed toys and objects.
• From the first step, teach your children to wash their hands with soap and water after going to the toilet, after a walk, after outdoor games, and before each meal.
• Do not put toys or other objects in your mouth or lick your fingers.
• Monitor the condition of your child's nails.
• At night, put on tight-fitting pajamas to prevent the spread of pinworms.
• It is recommended that children’s underwear should not only be boiled, but also ironed on both sides.
• Teach the baby to change underwear sooner or later. It is recommended that the child has a separate shelf in the closet, which is only used to store his things.