Everyone can infect themselves with parasites, but especially the children suffer from them, and in the summer time the risk is especially great. Worms are of different types, but they all have a negative impact on health. Parents need to know what worms are in children - the symptoms and treatment of such a disease as helminthiasis, we will consider further.
Types of worms in humans
On our planet there are 12000 worms (they are also called helminths). They live in soil, food and animals, while in the human body can live about 200 varieties. Parasites should always have a host and often choose their babies for their habitat. When a child learns the world, then he tastes everything that comes to hand, so he is constantly at risk.
The most common types of worms in children are nematodes or roundworms. These include:
- Ascaris - cause ascariasis. Helminths are large and can reach a length of 40 cm. They parasitize the gastrointestinal tract and the small intestine.
- Pinworms - cause enterobiosis. Worms are small (less than 1 cm in length) and whitish-yellow in color. Such helminths live in children in the cecum or small intestine. Their life cycle is up to 4 weeks.
- Cestodoza are ribbon flat worms that parasitize in the intestine and various organs. Helminthes cause diseases such as shadows, echinococcosis, hymenolepiasis, tenierhinchiasis and diphyllobothriasis.
- Trematodoses are flat worms or trematodes. These include cat's fluke, leucochloridium paradoxical, schistosome. Parasites provoke such diseases as fascioliasis and opisthorchiasis.
Ways of infection with worms
According to official medical statistics, worms in children under 2 years old and in preschool children attending educational institutions are found in 80% of cases. These official figures are registered with those children who underwent a laboratory examination. Helminths use all sorts of ways to get into the human body. The most common routes of infection are:
- dirty hands or communication with infected animals;
- poorly washed fruit or vegetables;
- raw water;
- poorly processed fish or meat.
How to understand that the child has worms?
In order to answer the question about what worms are in children (the symptoms and treatment are determined by the species of helminths), it is necessary to know the manner in which the infection has occurred and to which internal organ the parasites have fallen. Very often they do not show themselves in any way, and the disease proceeds in a latent form, so the doctor can not always determine their presence. Helminths live in the human body for years and even decades, they adapt to the most unfavorable conditions.
Common signs of worms in children can be as follows:
- nausea in the morning;
- anal itching;
- headache;
- bruxism - is the creaking of teeth in a dream;
- copious salivation at night;
- dizziness;
- polyps in the nose;
- inflammation of the genitals;
- periodic pain around the navel;
- sheep stool, diarrhea, or constipation;
- decreased appetite;
- pallor of the skin.
If you find more than five of these symptoms in your child, then it is worthwhile to suggest a helminthic invasion. Each person can be a carrier of different helminths, which parasitize in the body and lead to intoxication and serious illnesses. When the parasites are activated, the signs may change. When you suspect worms in children, symptoms can manifest themselves in external signs:
- "Pimples" (rashes) on the hips or forearms;
- bruises and circles under the eyes;
- early caries;
- lack of body weight;
- brittle nails and hair;
- growth impairment;
- allergic reactions.
Worms in children can affect the nervous system:
- kids become irritable;
- reduced concentration of attention;
- loss of assiduity;
- disturbed sleep.
What do worms look like in a child?
Very often young parents are interested in the question of how to detect worms in the feces of a child. In fact, notice in children's feces can only be large worms. Parasites leave the body with clots, in which there are only a few individuals. If you see foreign impurities, it is better to consult a specialist and take tests to exclude the presence of parasites.
Analyzes for worms in children
When parents suspect worms in children, the symptoms and treatment depend on the stage of the disease. In order to determine the diagnosis, you need to take your child to a gastroenterologist or pediatrician. The doctor conducts a primary examination and appoints a survey, which includes:
- enzyme immunoassay - helps to recognize the variety of the worm and its presence, for this the child takes blood from the veins on an empty stomach;
- a blood test for helminths in a child - the main indicators are: the number of eosinophils , the presence of anemia and color index;
- scraping, smear on enterobiosis - taken from the anus;
- general analysis of feces for eggs and dysbiosis - is carried out in 3 stages, because some types of worms do not lay eggs regularly;
- computed tomography, radiography or ultrasound examination - are conducted to detect the presence of worms in the human body.
The child worms - what to do?
After the diagnosis is confirmed, the doctor prescribes the treatment of worms in children, the drugs should be strictly coordinated with the doctor), tells about the folk methods and products that are worth using for a quick recovery. Parents should know that they can not give medicines to their children alone, because this can lead to irreversible consequences and thereby worsen a child's condition.
If you do not know how to get rid of worms in children, then consult a specialist who will tell you several stages of therapy. They include:
- preparation of the body - in this case, write out sorbents (Smecta, Enterignin) and antihistamines (Diazolin, Suprastin);
- anthelmintic therapy - traditional preparations from parasites, which can be in the form of tablets, suppositories or suspensions;
- purification of the body - enemas, choleretic preparations or sorbents.
Treatment of worms in children is carried out at home, if there are no complications in the form of infectious lesions. During the whole time the child must follow a special diet. After the first course of therapy, the child re-exams and tests. If they again show the presence of parasites in the body, then the drugs are prescribed again.
Tablets from worms for children
Currently, there are several drugs that help get rid of helminths. They are available in tablets and are designed for toddlers. The most effective preparations for worms for children:
- Kombantrin or Helmintox;
- Wormil or Albendazole;
- Vermox or Mebendazole.
Suspension from worms for children
If your child is still small and can not drink tablets, specially designed suspensions will work for him. The most effective drugs are:
- Piperazine is a medicine for worms for children, which has an effect on both larvae and eggs;
- Pirantel - the drug is taken with a course with a break of 2 weeks.
Folk remedies for worms in children
With the help of traditional medicine, you can not completely get rid of parasites, but you can raise immunity and speed up treatment. Remedy for worms for children should be taken carefully and only with the permission of the doctor. The most popular products are:
- garlic;
- pumpkin seeds;
- carrot juice;
- vegetable oil;
- infusions of celandine and wormwood or tansy.
Prevention of worm infants in children
All parents should know that tablets from worms for children for prevention can be given to create a special microflora, in which helminths simply can not exist.
In order not to become infected with parasites, it is necessary:
- Observe the rules of personal hygiene.
- Wash hands with soap after the toilet and walk.
- Fight the flies.
- Watch for the cleanliness of pacifiers and toys.
- To iron clothes and linen.
- Carefully handle food.
Depending on the age of the baby, there is a difference in the prophylaxis of worms in children , the drugs start to be given only after 6 months. It can be:
- Nemocide;
- Mebex;
- Combantrin.