The causes of lamblia in children
It is believed that every fifth child is affected by giardiasis. Answering the question, where do lamblias come from and how they are transmitted, it should be noted such carriers of the disease as dogs, cats, guinea pigs and even infected people. The main carrier are cats. Wild animals practically do not participate in the spread of this disease. The mechanism of infection is fecal-oral, and the ways of spreading are food, water, contact-household.
When the parasite enters the children's body, it passes through the stomach and enters the duodenum. There, from each cyst, 2 vegetative forms are formed, which are attached to the intestinal epithelium. It happens that one square centimeter in the intestine is found up to one million lamblia. A significant number of cysts of lamblia in children are excreted with feces.
Symptoms of lamblia in children
Consider how to determine lamblia in a child. Digging into the intestinal epithelium, Giardia disrupt the digestion process in children, reduce the absorption of nutrients into the body and cause morphological changes in the cells. In the place of their stay in the intestine arises inflammation, there are degenerative changes. Due to this, the metabolism, immunity begins to suffer. Children begin to grow stout or lose weight, often get sick.
The signs of lamblia in children differ, depending on the acute or chronic form of the course of the disease. In acute form, there is nausea, a violation of the stool (diarrhea with a foamy, watery, and later fatty stool), a rise in body temperature by 0.5-1 degrees. There may be flatulence and bloating, his soreness. Sometimes a pinkish small-toothed rash appears on the skin. Most often, the disease is not recognized at this stage, as there is no appropriate examination. Through time, the symptoms disappear, until self-healing.
In a chronic form, the disease can go on in the absence of treatment after 1-3 months after exacerbation. The clinical picture is absent, but endogenous intoxication, avitaminosis and, as a result, damage to most organs and systems with the corresponding symptoms.
What is dangerous lamblia in children?
These parasites are dangerous because they disrupt the functioning of the entire body of the child. They can cause allergies, toxic reactions, provoke the occurrence of dermatitis, eczema , and asthma attacks. They deprive the child of a significant proportion of nutrients that come with food. A consequence of this may be a lag in growth and development. In addition, lamblia change the composition of blood, affect the heart, reduce the resistance of the body to diseases.
How to find lamblia in a child?
Lamblias in the blood of a child are detected due to eosinophilia, monocytosis and sometimes leukopenia. Giardia in the feces of a child can be detected in the analysis of feces for dysbiosis, when there is a decrease in the number of lacto- and bifidobacteria, with a simultaneous increase in the number of pathogenic microorganisms. In addition, feces must be detected by cysts by means of a triple, daily analysis.
To treat this disease it is important to comply with all prescriptions of the doctor. Treatment is usually divided into preparatory (for restoration of digestion, reduction of intoxication and disturbances in the work of the liver) and medical stages. Diet for lamblia in children is the key to cure.