Symptoms that signal the appearance of worms in children. Do not delay treatment!

Worms most often appear in children of preschool and primary school age. Where do worms come from? The main cause of helminthic invasion in children is improper hygiene. Young children do not always wash their hands, they like to put their fingers in their mouths, bite their nails and eat unwashed fruits and vegetables. The development of helminthic invasion occurs if a person has weakened immunity. The immune system in children is still being formed, it is not able to cope with a large number of foreign agents. Signs of worms in children are reminiscent of symptoms of poisoning or diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.

Why are worms dangerous for a child's body? They damage internal organs, absorb nutrients, and cause inflammation. Toxins secreted by helminths negatively affect the baby's nervous system. You can remove worms with the help of traditional and traditional medicine.

Types of helminthiasis in children

Helminths occur in children quite often, especially in preschool age. The risk of infection is always at a high level. A child can get an infection in kindergarten, on the playground, in contact with animals. Also, children often neglect to wash their hands after using the toilet, before eating.

What are worms? Worms are a huge group of parasitic worms. They can live in the intestines, liver, respiratory tract, some can affect the heart and brain. The main types of worms in children:

1. Roundworms - the most numerous class of human parasites, including pinworms, roundworms, hookworms, Trichinella.
2. Tapeworms - the class includes beef and pork tapeworms, echinococcus.
3. Trematodes are digenetic flukes, including schistosomes, opisthorchiasis, flukes (liver and feline).

In addition, parasitic diseases are caused by protozoa (protists) - single-celled organisms; in the human intestine parasitize Giardia or amoeba.

Diseases caused by parasites in children have different degrees of danger, but have similar symptoms. The vast majority of roundworms parasitize in the gastrointestinal tract, are located in the contents of the duodenum, in the feces. The source of food for worms is digested food (most often carbohydrates), sometimes blood. Helminthiasis in children has symptoms similar to eating disorders or gastrointestinal disease.

The most common types of helminthiasis in children

Children are much more prone to worm infestation than adults. The most common helminthiasis in children:

1. Enterobiasis (pinworm infection).
2. Ascariasis.
3. Giardiasis (invasion of giardiasis).

Pinworms live only in the gut. Migrating larvae of roundworms enter the respiratory tract, liver and heart. Giardiasis very often causes diseases of the liver and gallbladder, although they are not able to survive inside these organs. Are these diseases contagious?

Enterobiosis is transmitted from person to person by handling, contact with household items that the patient uses.

Ascariasis and giardiasis, under certain conditions, can be transmitted from a baby to other family members.

Enterobiasis

The main cause of pinworm infection is dirty hands. Also, parasite eggs can enter the baby's body when they eat poorly washed fruit. Signs of worm infection appear 3-4 weeks after the date of infection. A characteristic sign of enterobiasis is itching in the anal area, which occurs during sleep. Unpleasant sensations are caused by the movement of female worms, which crawl out to lay eggs. With a strong invasion, you can see worms in a child’s feces with the naked eye.

When the baby scratches the anus and then the hands enter the mouth (which is common in young children), re-infection occurs. Therefore, during the treatment of helminthiasis, children should be monitored in order to regularly wash their hands and eat only well-processed food.

Ascariasis

Infection with roundworms occurs through unwashed products, insufficiently heat-treated meat, contact with animals. Parasites enter the baby's body in the form of eggs and larvae. Eggs develop in the intestines, larvae begin to migrate through blood and lymphatic channels. They reach the liver, the right ventricle of the heart, the lungs. These organs are regularly and abundantly supplied with oxygen, which is so necessary that the larvae grow into adults. From the lungs, the larvae will enter the bronchi, trachea, cough and be swallowed with saliva in the stomach. The cycle of movement continues until the larva grows.

In worms in children, in addition to the typical symptoms, an intense cough may occur. Helminthiasis in children is detected by coprogram and specific blood tests.

Giardiasis

Giardiasis in a child occurs when more than 10 cysts enter the body. Cysts are immobile, resistant to environmental conditions, a form of existence of lamblia from which, under favorable conditions, individuals capable of reproduction develop. Mobile protists can live only in conditions created only in the human small intestine.

Stages of development of Giardia invasion in humans:

1. Cysts from the oral cavity enter the stomach and then the duodenum. The protective capsule is destroyed, two Giardias are released.
2. Giardia eat simple carbohydrates, multiplied by the longitudinal division of the cell in half.
3. Some of the parasites pass into the large intestine, where they can only exist in the form of cysts.
4. During the act of defecation, the cysts come out, entering the external environment.

Giardia cysts can be found in water, vegetables, fruits, meat, home surfaces. They are very durable, difficult to destroy with conventional detergents. The risk of human-to-human transmission is low.

Typical symptoms of helminthiasis in children

The first signs of worms appear 2-4 weeks after infection. Worm infestation in children can occur in acute or latent form. If the parasite population is small, then the baby may not feel any discomfort.

The main symptoms of worms in children:

1. Abdominal pain of different localization and intensity, which is manifested by attacks.
2. Stool disorders, diarrhea and constipation.
3. Nausea, vomiting.
4. Decreased or, conversely, brutal appetite.
5. Intestinal dysbacteriosis.
6. Loss of energy, dizziness.
7. Sleep disorders.
8. Dermatitis.
9. Pale skin, blue circles under the eyes.
10. Girls can develop urinary incontinence.

Dermatitis (rash, redness, itchy skin) is the result of an allergic reaction to toxins released by helminths. Harmful substances also affect the condition of the nervous system. Children look tired, they become irritable, capricious.

Acute infection is accompanied by symptoms of helminths in children - fever, vomiting, diarrhea.

Tests for helminths in children

How to recognize earthworms in a child? Worm infestations in children are difficult to determine by the clinical picture. The symptoms of different helminthiasis are similar to each other. Detection of worms is carried out with the help of time-tested and new methods of laboratory diagnostics.

1. Histological analysis of feces allows you to check for the presence of helminth eggs in the feces.
2. Microscopic examination of scraping from the anus (helps identify enterobiase).
3. Analysis of duodenal contents. Worms or protozoa can be found in the duodenal contents.
4. General blood test with leukocyte formula. Indirect signs of the presence of worms are increased levels of eosinophils and anemia.
5. Serological tests for helminth antigen antibodies.
6. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis.

PCR is the most reliable and sensitive method for diagnosing helminthic invasions. Blood, feces, sawdust are suitable for analysis. The study determines the presence of foreign DNA in the biological sample. The efficiency of the histological coprogram is less than the efficiency of PCR and ELISA.

Principles of treatment of helminthic invasions

How to get rid of worms in children? The method of treatment depends on the type and degree of helminthic invasion. Usually helminthiasis is treated conservatively (without surgery), but surgery to remove echinococcal cysts is also performed.

Treatment of worms in children consists of several stages:

1. Preparing the body for treatment.
2. Actually therapy, taking anthelmintics.
3. Recovery of the organism after illness and taking medication. It is necessary to normalize the work of the nervous system, increase immunity, get rid of intestinal dysbacteriosis.

The treatment period usually lasts about three months. Before starting the therapy, it is necessary to precisely determine whether the child has worms. Treatment is prescribed and supervised by a doctor.

Treatment of helminthiasis in children with drugs

An integrated approach will help in the complete cure of any type of helminthiasis, without harm to the body. You can treat worms in a child with certain medications:

1. Anthelmintic drugs. These include antiparasitic drugs that differ in spectrum and principle of action. It is named depending on the type of invasion. It will be more appropriate for the baby to take the medicine in the form of a suspension.
2. Sorbents. They bind toxins, accelerate the elimination of worms from the body. Only strictly defined doses of sorbents can be taken, otherwise serious digestive disorders can occur.
3. Antiallergic agents. Helps alleviate the symptoms of allergy to helminth waste products.
4. Hepatoprotectors. Assign during the recovery period. Helps normalize liver function.
5. enzyme preparations. Restore normal digestion.

In the treatment of enterobiosis, the patient is also prescribed an enema. If the baby is prone to constipation, the doctor will prescribe laxatives for the baby. It is important to provide regular bowel movements in order to eliminate parasites and toxins from the body. It is impossible to take any medicine uncontrolled, because there is a possibility of side effects.

Traditional worm medicine

Traditional medicine is not desirable for the treatment of helminthiasis in children. They do not kill worms and do not help remove them from the body. Folk remedies can be used only in combination with drug treatment.

How to remove worms in a child by folk methods? There are some of the most common recipes:

1. Pumpkin seeds. It contains components that interfere with the normal functioning of worms, remove toxins. The peeled seeds (100 g) are crushed and poured over with olive oil (100 ml). The tincture is given to the child before meals (three hours) for three days. The treatment is repeated after 2 days. Pumpkin seeds can be cooked in milk (15 seeds in 1 cup). The medicine is given to the baby to drink before lunch.

2. Garlic mix. A few cloves of garlic (2-3) must be rubbed on a fine grater, mixed with a small amount of water until smooth. For a small child, garlic porridge is mixed with a teaspoon of milk or orange juice to drink at bedtime.
3. Onions in oil. Chop 100 grams of onion, pour one teaspoon of salt, pour 50 ml of sunflower or olive oil. The mixture is given to the baby five days in a row before bedtime.

Beetroot and carrot juice, echinacea tincture will help raise the child's immunity. Restores the nervous system - chamomile tea. Chamomile is also used for enemas in enterobiasis.

Folk remedies are contraindicated in children with peptic ulcer, gastritis, pancreatitis, prone to allergies. And, of course, before you start testing the "grandmother's recipes" on the child, first consult a pediatrician and parasitologist, otherwise the outcome of such therapy may be the most unpredictable.

Dietary supplements and homeopathy for earthworms

The Internet is full of advertising of biologically active additives (BAA) and homeopathic medicines, which, according to the manufacturers, will completely remove worms. Reviews of the funds are extremely positive.

Why can't dietary supplements be used to treat worms in a child? Biologically active dietary supplements help normalize metabolism, increase the body's resistance, improve the work of internal organs, but do not remove parasites. They can be used only in combination with traditional medicines.

Homeopathic preparations consist of a complex of natural extracts. They also do not have a harmful effect on worms. But they can increase immunity, restore metabolism. In many countries today, prescribing homeopathic remedies is banned due to their ineffectiveness.

Prevention of helminthiasis in children

Prevention of helminthiasis in children includes simple measures:

1. Hygiene. Parents should ensure that the child regularly washes his hands, bathes or takes a shower, does not bite his nails, does not take toys in his mouth.
2. Sufficient heat treatment of meat and fish.
3. Regular scraping for enterobiosis (this procedure is performed in kindergarten).
4. Healthy sleep, respect for daily routine.
5. Balanced diet.
6. Taking vitamins.

Drug prophylaxis is performed if cases of infection have been reported in kindergarten or school, if a family member or pet has contracted the infection.

The symptoms of helminths in children are easily confused with the manifestations of food poisoning, diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. Your doctor will tell you how to find out if your child has worms. Children can be treated for worms after an accurate diagnosis is made under the strict supervision of a specialist. Caring parents need to understand that the health of young children is completely in their hands.