Worms in children: symptoms, treatment, prevention

Infection with helminth infestations is a problem that is quite common in all countries of the world. Almost every third inhabitant of the planet is a carrier of worms, and worms in children are even more common. If we take into account the statistics of only one country, more than two million cases of worms have been registered. But in fact these figures are much higher, as people often do not seek help from doctors, but try to get rid of worms themselves.

And some patients simply do not know about their condition, as the disease is almost asymptomatic. If we draw a parallel between the annual sale of anthelmintic drugs and the population of the country, then there are approximately 22 million patients, of whom almost 80% are young children.

To date, medicine is known for more than three hundred species of worms. Affecting the body, worms, whose symptoms depend on the type of parasite and the number of infested larvae, do not always give a vivid picture showing the nature of the disease. To suspect a helminth infection, you need to know the signs of worms and their manifestations, which may indicate the introduction of parasites into the child's body.

Types of worms

All known worms are usually classified into three main groups, these are:

• Nematodes (roundworms). . . The class of parasites that are most commonly diagnosed in children. The group is represented by such species as:
  • roundworms
  • pinworms,
  • Trichinella
  • whip worms.
• Cestodes (flat band parasites), are represented by such species as:
  • wide band
  • echinococcus (swine tapeworm),
  • dwarf (rat) tapeworm,
  • beef tapeworm (tapeworm).
• Trematodes (sucking parasites), the main representatives of this class:
  • hepatic methyl,
  • Siberian (feline) methyl.

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

Factors contributing to the infection of children with nematodes

• Lack of the habit of constantly washing your hands after using the toilet, after a walk, before eating. Even cookies and cakes should not be given to a child without asking him to wash his hands first.
• Rare change of underwear. Especially in summer it is necessary for the child to change clean linen at least twice a day. It is important to teach him to make a morning toilet after sleep and at night before bed.
• The habit of taking everything in your mouth, sucking your fingers, licking toys, pencils and felt-tip pens.
• The presence of pets in the house that go for a walk on the street. Even if the dog is brought on a leash and closely monitored so that it does not take anything in its mouth, the worm's eggs can attach to its coat.
• Poorly washed vegetables and fruits before serving.
• Low standard of living, lack of cleanliness in the house, the presence of flies, bedbugs and cockroaches.

Causes and mechanism of infection of children with worms

Of all the types of worms that can inhabit the human body, nematodes predominate. In general, worms in children whose symptoms are well distinguishable are pinworms and roundworms, whipworms are much less commonly diagnosed. Cases of infection with other species account for no more than 3%. This is because flukes and tapeworms are more common in tropical climates, and infection occurs mainly when visiting countries located in the tropics or subtropics.

In addition, because tapeworms are able to withstand quite high temperatures, they are infected mainly by lovers of uncooked or raw meat and fish dishes. And, of course, it is easy to catch worms if you do not follow sanitary norms and rules of personal hygiene.

The mechanism of infestation with roundworms and pinworms is much simpler, but also more common. Neglect of regular hand washing, careless handling of raw vegetables, herbs and berries. As well as direct contact with stray animals or worm carriers.

The species of pinworms also has increased reinvasion. This means that re-infection often occurs, which is done as follows:

• pinworms cause severe itching of the anus,
• child, combing itchy skin,
• while squirrel eggs fall on the patient's fingers and underwear,
• in addition, by touching door handles, taps and other surfaces, the patient leaves eggs on spikes on them,
• the eggs freely penetrate the body of the people living with the carrier and again into the patient himself.

The most dangerous places for infestation with roundworms and pinworms are:

• kindergartens,
• children's playgrounds,
• entertainment centers for children.

There is no way out of the fact that every child in the first years of life tries to taste almost everything. This is a natural process of getting to know the world around you. And by touching surfaces in crowded places, the baby will certainly pull his hands into his mouth, which will cause the worms to enter the body.

In addition, an incompletely developed child's immune system and weak protective barriers to the immature digestive tract contribute to infection. The only way to reduce the risk of infection is to constantly force your baby to wash his hands, as this can become a habit only for a child under the age of four, and even then not for everyone.

To a large extent, the increased morbidity in children is facilitated by blurred symptoms and complex diagnostic methods. The clinical picture of the disease may be unclear, short-lived or absent. Noticing slight discomfort in the child, few parents will suspect worms and will consult a doctor immediately. Most will decide that they know enough to diagnose on their own and prescribe treatment that ultimately leads to the spread of parasites and infecting others.

Even the analysis of the feces for worm eggs and scraping for enterobiosis does not always give a real picture of the disease. Helminth eggs can be unevenly distributed in the faeces, and in order to catch them, it is necessary to follow the rules for taking material for analysis, which not everyone knows. Scraping can also show a negative result, as females do not lay eggs every day, and in order to get a reliable picture, scraping should be done at least three times at regular intervals.

Common symptoms and signs of all helminths

The penetration of helminth infestations into the body is not always accompanied by external symptoms. And in most cases, until a certain point a person does not notice the presence of parasites in the body. Some types of worms can live inside a person for years without having a negative effect on his well-being and activate their vital activity only under favorable conditions. This can be:

• weight loss from other diseases,
• reduction of the activity of the immune system due to the negative effects of the environment,
• poor nutrition.

Not so long ago there was a scientific theory about the effect of worms on the appearance of many internal diseases. Which, however, did not find adequate support, but was not refuted.

But today it is well established that everyone is a carrier of a certain amount of bacteria, viruses, fungi, including helminths. And parasites are not always good neighbors to the owner. The constant separation of their waste products, which are toxic to humans, gradually leads to deterioration and the development of various diseases.

Indicators of suspected worm activity are symptoms such as:

• Increased appetite with significant weight loss or loss of appetite and persistent bouts of nausea.
• Recurrent abdominal pain, impaired stool production, manifested by constipation or diarrhea, bouts of nausea, ending with vomiting, headache and dizziness, which are constant or intermittent.
• Hypersensitivity of the body to various substances and products.
• Deterioration of teeth and nails, increased hair loss due to iron deficiency anemia and chronic vitamin B deficiency₁₂. . .
• Low resistance to respiratory diseases (adenoids in children) and inflammatory processes of the genitourinary system.
• Increased irritability and tearfulness, insomnia and restless sleep, nightmares and unfounded outbursts of anger, distraction and constant anxiety - all this indicates the entry into the blood of large amounts of toxic substances produced by worms.
• Persistent anemia (low hemoglobin) and high eosinophils in a clinical blood test should alert parents and force them to check the child for worms. One of the most dangerous negative manifestations of the disease is developmental delay.
• Increased allergic reaction to prophylactic vaccinations.

Specific symptoms of pinworms

Small, but very fast-growing and persistent worms - pinworms, provoke the development of enterobiosis in children. This is an unpleasant disease, the main symptom of which is a strong, unbearable itching in the anus, which intensifies at night.

When a child becomes ill, pinworm eggs quickly spread to surrounding objects, falling on toys, clothes, utensils and anything the baby touches. Pinworms feel great outside the human body and are able to withstand the effects of many disinfectants. Guaranteed to destroy the eggs of pinworms only by cooking and irradiation with ultraviolet rays.

Infection with enterobiosis occurs only through the mouth, when the child grabs dirty hands in his mouth or licks infected surfaces. Through the esophagus, pinworms quickly penetrate the intestines and settle there, developing into sexually mature adults in two weeks.

Severe itching, characteristic of enterobiosis, occurs due to irritation caused by eggs of pinworms. Its strengthening at night is explained by the fact that in sleep the anal sphincters relax a little and are not an insurmountable obstacle for an adult female who lays eggs, crawling exclusively on the surface. In one climb, a squirrel can leave up to 5, 000 eggs on the skin of the anus.

Irritating to the skin, pinworms force the skin to comb, penetrating at this time under the nails, on the skin of the hands, on clothes and bedding. In addition to severe itching when infected with pinworms, the symptoms in children are as follows:

• Disturbed, restless sleep, frequent insomnia, nightmares.
• Stopping growth and gaining weight or even losing weight.
• Increased fatigue, nervousness, agitation.
• Decreased attention and poor learning of new things, which leads to learning delays.
• Girls may develop enuresis with urethral irritation. This leads to involuntary urination at night.
• In addition, pinworms are able to penetrate the internal genitals, colonize the vaginal cavity (vulvovaginitis), and even reach the uterus and fallopian tubes, carrying with them an infection and causing inflammation.
• The accumulation of a large colony of pinworms in the caecal cavity can provoke appendicitis.
• An unconfirmed symptom is gnashing of teeth at night.
• The reproduction of pinworms contributes to the development of diseases such as:
  • intestinal dysbiosis,
  • enterocolitis,
  • abdominal pain of unclear etiology,
  • diarrhea,
  • constipation.
• Due to constant intoxication, the intestinal walls stop absorbing nutrients, vitamins and other substances normally, which ultimately affects the reduction of the functioning of the immune system. For this reason, children with pinworms get sick not only often but also severely.

Specific symptoms of roundworm (ascariasis)

According to statistics from recent studies, the picture of worm infestation is quite alarming. The results show that more than 80% of preschool children have been infected with different types of worms at least once.

Unfortunately, many parents do not perceive worms as a serious disease and treat it extremely lightly. But the identified parasites not only deprive the body of essential nutrients, but are also able to infect many internal organs.

Representatives of such parasites are roundworms that cause ascariasis, the symptoms of which are much more severe than those of pinworms. Despite the fact that roundworms belong to the same class of worms, roundworms can penetrate and cause serious damage not only to the intestines but also to other organs, for example:

• of the liver,
• in the pancreas,
• of the heart,
• in the tissues of the brain,
• in the gallbladder,
• in the lungs.

Roundworms enter the body only from the soil, but the provoking factors remain the same as for pinworms, these are:

• non-compliance with hygiene rules,
• careless processing of vegetables, fruits and herbs,
• non-compliance with the safety rules when working on a personal plot,
• unhygienic living conditions.

Once in the body, roundworms adapt for a long time (3 months), mature into motile larvae, gnaw through the walls of small intestines and blood vessels, and only then begin their migration to favorite organs of the human body.

This period is marked by such manifestations as:

• increase in body temperature in the evening to 37, 5 ° C;
• frequent weakness and malaise;
• dry cough, sometimes accompanied by poorly secreted sputum streaked with scarlet blood;
• possible development of obstructive bronchitis, bronchial asthma, pneumonia or pleurisy;
• swollen lymph nodes;
• enlargement of the pancreas and liver.

And the main symptom of primary ascariasis is a skin rash like urticaria, localized on the hands and feet.

The further development of the disease, in which roundworms return to the intestines, is characterized by such disorders as:

• diarrhea or constipation
• abdominal cramps,
• frequent bouts of nausea, sometimes leading to vomiting,
• flatulence,
• irritation of the anus,
• significant weight loss.

At this stage, against the background of general intoxication, stomatitis and purulent lesions of the skin and mucous membranes often occur. Long-term poisoning with products for the treatment of roundworms leads to disorders of the nervous system and mental disorders, and these are:

• insomnia
• nightmares
• epileptic seizures,
• hypotension.

As a complication of ascariasis develop such severe and dangerous pathologies as:

• intestinal obstruction,
• acute appendicitis,
• obstructive jaundice
• peritonitis.

Specific signs of damage by other types of worms

1. Vlasoglav (trichocephaly)- is characterized by mild symptoms. Indicators of infection are diarrhea mixed with streaks of blood, prolonged constipation, frequent vomiting, often leading to dehydration and anemia. Children with such lesions usually lag significantly behind in growth and mental development.

2. Toxocariasis- In most cases, babies up to 4 years old come home with frequent contact with infected dogs or cats. Allergic reactions manifest themselves as itchy skin, fever and chills, allergic cough (suffocation), swelling of the face, lung masses, swollen lymph nodes and eye diseases.

3. Dwarf (rat) tapeworm- causes hymenolepiasis, which is characterized by a latent course without any symptoms. With the development of helminth colonies, the child develops dyspeptic disorders, pain syndrome, increased salivation and frequent headaches. And gradually all this turns into diseases such as:

   • hives,
   • vasomotor or allergic rhinitis,
   • bronchospasm.

4. Siberian (feline) methyl- opisthorchiasis, characteristic symptoms: fever, swollen lymph nodes, skin rash, pain in the right hypochondrium and joints. Complications: dystrophic myocarditis, hepatitis, pneumonia, pancreatitis, severe gastritis.

5. Wide ribbon- diphyllobotriasis, a disease caused by an infection with tapeworm whose eggs or larvae may remain alive in raw meat or undercooked meat. It is characterized by intestinal disorders, pain syndrome and B₁₂- deficiency anemia.

Methods for removing worms in children

Today, the pharmaceutical industry supplies pharmacies with various anthelmintics of various kinds. These can be targeted or broad-spectrum drugs. Unfortunately, most of them have a long list of negative side effects on the body. Therefore, if worms are found in a child, only a parasitologist should prescribe treatment, after a thorough examination and all necessary tests.

In addition, the treatment of most diseases caused by worms requires not only treatment of worms in children with anthelmintic drugs, but also the appointment of a course of antihistamines, vitamin therapy and probiotics.

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

Hexahydropyrazine is isolated from the drugs with the least toxic effect. This is why it is more often recommended when the question is how to get rid of worms in young children. The drug is produced specifically not in tablets, but in the form of a suspension or syrup.

Many parents prefer traditional medicines. Indeed, pumpkin seeds and garlic enemas have an anthelmintic effect and are often used, for example, to treat ascariasis. But their use does not guarantee a complete cure. Therefore, to rule out recurrence, it is better to take a drug prescribed by a doctor, and fix the result with any folk anthelmintic drug, otherwise the question of how to remove the worms will be repeated constantly.

Preventive measures against worm infection

The inevitability of worms entering a child's body cannot be taken as an axiom. There are a number of rules to prevent worms, following which you can easily protect your baby from this infection:

• Rinse thoroughly raw vegetables, berries, herbs and fruits under running water and then pour boiling water over them.
• Submit fish and meat dishes to prolonged heat treatment.
• Do not allow flies, cockroaches, bedbugs and mosquitoes to appear in the apartment or house.
• All pets should be given anthelmintic prophylactics regularly.
• Have the child wash his hands after each contact with animals.
• Allow the child to play and use only processed toys and objects.
• From the first steps, teach the child to wash his hands with soap and water after the toilet, when returning from a walk, after outdoor games and before each meal.
• Never pull toys or other objects into your mouth or lick your fingers.
• Monitor the condition of the child's nails.
• At night, put your baby in tight night clothes to prevent the spread of pinworms.
• It is recommended not only to boil children's underwear, but also to iron it on both sides.
• Teach your baby to change his underwear in the morning and in the evening. It is recommended that the child has a separate shelf in the closet, where only his belongings will be stored.