Worms are worms that lead a parasitic lifestyle in the body of their host - a person. Age doesn't matter. Both adults and children are equally susceptible to infections. The classification of helminthiases is very broad, especially in countries with warm climates.
There are 3 classes of parasitic worms:
- round (nematodes) - pinworms, roundworms;
- tape (cestodes) - pork tapeworm, bovine tapeworm, echinococcus;
- flatworms, flukes (flukes).
The most common worms in children are pinworms, which cause enterobiasis. These helminths are small in size, on average up to 1 cm, white-gray in color with a curved body. The place of localization of these parasites is the large intestine, but they can also penetrate the lower parts of the small intestine. Pinworms reproduce on the skin near the anus. At night, female pinworms come out to lay eggs in the folds of the skin, often penetrating the labia of girls, which ends with infectious diseases of the genitals. In total, these helminths live for about 1-1. 5 months. The process of self-infection in a child can lead to the fact that the malaise will continue for many years. Parasites can be detected with the naked eye in feces.
Roundworms are another type of worm that is more common in children. Of a characteristic species, reaching a length of 15 cm, these nematodes settle in the lumen of the loops of the small intestine, moving towards the moving food lump. Roundworms enter the stool very rarely. Females periodically release eggs, which can be found in stool analysis. But if they were not found during the study, this does not mean that the child is not infected. The life cycle of a nematode can last several years.
The reasons
The curiosity of the child is realized by his fingers, the child, learning about the world, actively touches everything that passes under his arm and immediately pulls into his mouth, seeking strength and taste. Thus, pinworm eggs safely enter the digestive tract of their future little host.
A child becomes infected with worm eggs from the surface of unwashed fruits when he drinks contaminated water. Most often, infection occurs when communicating with animals, or when playing in the ground, in the sandbox, where dogs and cats love to solve their physiological problems. After a walk, children often do not wash their hands, and all the dirt, along with parasitic eggs, gets into their mouths.
Symptoms
If a child has been infected with a large number of parasitic worm eggs, a sharp deterioration may occur within a few days. In milder cases, the first symptoms of invasion appear after several weeks or even months. Much depends on the immunity of the child. It could very well cope with parasites and curb their development. But gradually the defenses are reduced and helminths infect the body, causing serious problems.
The first signs are symptoms of poisoning (intoxication). The vital activity of worms is accompanied by the release of a large number of animal toxins that can poison the child's body. In the intestine, parasitic worms use nutrients, as a result of which the child gradually becomes deficient in proteins, carbohydrates, fats and vitamins.
The child has:
- emaciation,
- pale skin,
- weakness, frequent dizziness,
- increased body temperature, headache,
- bad dream,
- cry,
- depressed mood.
Intestinal disorders occur: constipation, loose stools, rumbling and abdominal pain, bouts of nausea and vomiting, painful sensations in different parts of the abdomen and bloating. The disease can be accompanied by allergic conditions: itching, rash, cough, inflammation of the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract. Weakening of immunity leads to the addition of infectious diseases.
Diagnosis and treatment
Diagnosis of helminthiasis in the stool is rather difficult. This is due to the fact that roundworm eggs or pinworms do not appear in the stool every day, and the technique of smear microscopy from the analysis requires great care. To increase the reliability of the stool analysis for worm eggs, it is advisable to take at least 3 consecutive days.
If there is an increased risk of worm infection (contact with animals, the child playing on the ground or in open sandboxes, the child's habit of taking things in his mouth, biting his nails or licking his fingers, etc. ), it is advisable to undergoa thorough examination, which includes, in addition to the triple stool analysis, special blood tests for the detection of antibodies against helminths.
In the presence of allergic manifestations of unknown origin, increased number of eosinophils in the blood test, persistent intestinal dysbiosis, it is advisable to donate blood for the determination of class E immunoglobulins (Ig E and G) to nematodes and other helminths. You can check for worms in pets.
By evaluating the totality of indirect signs and anamnesis, the doctor can recommend anthelmintic therapy without direct evidence of the presence of worms in the child, excluding other pathologies that cause similar clinical manifestations of all family members in order to avoid formationof a focus of infection between them with helminth eggs. In this situation, moreover, it is necessary to strengthen hygiene measures, in particular for boiling and ironing bed linen and personal on both sides.