Helminths or worms are the general name for parasitic worms that live in the human body. Most of them live in the intestinal tract, but some of them extend beyond it. Children are particularly vulnerable to hookworm infections. Due to an insufficiently strong immunity, which is not able to kill the parasites, and a long latent period of infection, worms can cause serious harm to the child. This is mainly due to severe intoxication, allergic reactions and in some cases organ damage.
In this material, we will consider the main causes of helminth infection, their types, as well as methods of their treatment. This is true for both conventional and conventional medicine.
Causes of infection
First of all, it is worth noting that protecting a child from worm infection seems an almost impossible task. This applies to geohelminthiasis and is due to their method of infection. However, there are other types of worms with different infection mechanisms. Below we will take a closer look at geohelminthiasis and other types of worms.
The worms are developingin soil and water, after which they enter the human body and lay their eggs there. Then, along with the excrement, they are returned to the ground or water and the cycle repeats. When you eat dirty fruits and vegetables, there is a very real chance that you will contract geohelminth infections. Infection is also possible through dirty hands or through the skin of the feet.
Infection throughcontact with animals- it's not a myth. In contact, play and joint activities with an already infected animal, there is a real chance of getting infected with worms. Their eggs fall on the skin or clothing, where they continue to mature and sooner or later can enter the body.
Infection with biohelminthiasis occurs due toconsumption of insufficiently processed meat and fish products.Undercooked kebabs, poorly salted bacon, sushi, unprocessed milk and undercooked fish are particularly dangerous. In addition to worms, there is also a chance of contracting an intestinal infection when consuming these products.
Infectionthrough insect bites- happens quite rarely, since in most cases insects place their larvae under the victim's skin. However, some types of worms are spread by insects.
With a strong immune system, worm infection is much less. Also, over time one simply develops a resistance to worms in one's area. They do not have time to hatch or simply die shortly after hatching. However, when you move to a new place or when the immune system is weakened, the protection against worms weakens.
Types of worms
There are about 300 species of worms, but 70 species are common. These types can be divided into three broad categories:
- Nematodes or roundworms.Most often, children are infected with this type of worms. This species includes pinworms, whipworms, trichinella and roundworms.
- Tapeworms or cestodes.Infection with this species occurs through poorly processed meat. This species includes tapeworms, tapeworms and echinococci.
- Trematodes or flukes.Most often, worms of this species cause opisthorchosis, fascioliasis, schistosomiasis and paragonimiasis.
In the majority of cases, the worms parasitize in the intestines, but their eggs, along with the blood, can spread throughout the body. As a result, the worms can begin to multiply in the liver, gall bladder, muscle tissue, lungs and even the brain.
Symptoms
Considering that worms are parasitic organisms, infection with them does not appear immediately. After all, the parasite's goal is to avoid the host's attention as long as possible. This is why symptoms appear either with multiple infections or after a long latent period.
Usually, the first symptoms appear only 2-4 weeks after the eggs of the worms enter the body. All symptoms are usually caused by intoxication with waste products of helminthiasis. In some cases, namely when the child's immunity is reduced, helminthiasis infection may appear earlier.
BetweenThe main signs of worms in childrencan be distinguished:
- Increased appetite without weight gain;
- Increased salivation;
- Painful feeling in the stomach, nausea and loose stools;
- Dizziness and headache;
- The occurrence of allergic reactions;
- Sleep disturbances, sleep deterioration and increased irritability;
- Increased hair loss and splitting nails;
- Frequent inflammatory processes of the nasopharynx and genitourinary tract.
With prolonged infection, developmental delay, dysfunction of internal organs and neurological abnormalities are observed.
It is important to note that a strange smell from the child's mouth, pain in the abdomen, frequent hiccups and grinding of teeth at night do not in any way indicate a worm infection. These symptoms are just a myth.
Diagnostic features
Given the variety of symptoms of infection with this parasite, making an accurate diagnosis is not the easiest task. First of all, you have to dostool analysisfor the presence of parasitic nests. However, this is not the most reliable method. The thing is that in some cases there can be several individuals of the same sex in the body of the carrier who are not capable of reproduction. In addition, some species lay eggs extremely rarely, which makes it difficult to establish a clear diagnosis. That is why the examination of feces for worms is done three times at intervals of several days, since it is necessary to catch the exact moment of reproduction of the parasite.
Infection with the parasite can also be indicated by a high level of eosinophils in combination with a low hemoglobin cgeneral blood test.Scraping for enterobiosis and examination of the abdominal cavity with ultrasound or X-ray are also used for diagnosis. To clarify the diagnosis, doctors can resort to biological analysis of urine and feces, as well as immunological studies.
Once the exact type of parasite is established, as well as the extent of damage to the body, treatment can begin.
Methods of treating worms in children
The main method of treating helminths is, of course, medication. In some cases, however, the use of traditional medicine is permitted. It is important to remember that in most cases folk remedies are not strong enough to deal with a moderate, let alone a severe infection. They should be used as aids. Naturally, traditional medicine also has a number of limitations. These and other means will be discussed in more detail below.
Medicines
Medicinal treatment of helminth infection is aimed at destroying the worms and reducing the level of toxins released by them. In the treatment of worms, especially in children, it is highly undesirable to use broad-spectrum drugs. The fact is that they have a very strong effect and their use, even with the correct dosage, can lead to serious problems. Also, the wrong medicine can cause more harm than the parasites themselves. That is why it is important to make an accurate diagnosis and find out what kind of parasites the child is infected with.
To remove toxins, vitamin complexes containing vitamins B and C, glucose solutions and infusions of a water-salt solution are used. In some cases, antihistamines and diuretics are also used. And if the heart and liver are damaged, hormone therapy may be necessary. To improve the effects, enzyme preparations are often used, which improve digestion, as well as enterosorbents, which remove waste products of parasites from the body.
Will public funds help?
In general, doctors do not recommend using folk remedies to treat worms. This is primarily due to the fact that the power of folk remedies is often not sufficient to completely destroy parasites. But despite the fact that folk remedies cannot become an alternative to traditional remedies, this does not mean that they should not be used. On the contrary, they will be an excellent addition to drug treatment. Among the most effective and safe folk remedies are the following.
Vegetable oilsare an effective method of combating almost all types of helminths. Apricot, cedar, and sea buckthorn oils are most effective, but a safer option for children is linseed or hemp oil. The oil should be consumed in its pure form, one teaspoon three times a day before meals. If your child refuses to eat it, add it to porridge or soak bread in butter. The course of treatment with oil is one week, after which you need to take a break for two weeks.
Another effective remedy for the treatment of helminths ispumpkin seeds. This is mainly due to the presence of cucurbitin in them, a rare amino acid that kills worms. Pumpkin seeds can be eaten either raw or made into milk. In raw form, 120 grams are consumed for children from 3 to 7 years old, 200 grams for children from 7 to 11 years old and 300 grams for children under 13 years old. Milk from seeds can be prepared by passing 200 grams of seeds through a meat grinder, pouring two cups of boiling water and insisting the drink for a quarter of an hour in a water bath. Then we filter the broth and feed the child with it throughout the day before meals.
GarlicIt is also a common remedy for helminthiasis. It is often used to prevent infection by parasites and also as an aid in enterobiosis and ascariasis. It is used as follows: two cloves of garlic are finely chopped and poured with a glass of milk. The resulting drink is consumed twice a day, a quarter cup, for four days.
Medicines are often used for treatment purposesenemaswith herbal decoctions. This is done to wash the parasites out of the intestinal lumen. Decoctions of wormwood, chamomile and other herbs are suitable for these purposes. You can also use a milk-garlic enema, the recipe for which is given above. When using the enema, it is important that its temperature is not lower than room temperature, and that its volume does not exceed 100 milliliters. It is also important to increase the amount of fluids that are consumed in the form of mineral water or fruit juices.
Barrier methodIt is most often used for helminthiasis caused by sedges. Its essence is to block the lumen of the large intestine with the help of special tampons moistened with vegetable oil or petroleum jelly. This is done so that adult worms do not migrate to the surface of the anus and continue to reproduce. The child's anal passage is blocked with tampons for one month. It is important to note that this method is not effective in extraintestinal forms of helminthiasis or in cases of severe enterobiosis.
Before using any of the above methods, you should always consult and get the approval of your pediatrician.
In addition to the means aimed directly at the fight against parasites, auxiliary means can be used. Any recipes that help improve digestion and remove toxins from the body will do the trick. Substances with a high content of vitamin B and C are also useful. You should consult your doctor before use.
Prevention of helminthiasis in children
As we have already understood, the majority of cases of worm infection occur through the oral cavity. Therefore, the prevention of parasite infection includes first of allcompliance with the rules of personal hygiene. In addition, you should wash vegetables and fruits well before eating, as well as make sure that fish, meat and dairy products have undergone sufficient heat treatment. If you have pets, preventive anthelmintic therapy should be carried out. Finally, you need to keep your house clean.
In addition, there is an opinion that to prevent helminthiasis, you should regularly take anthelmintic drugs. This opinion is very controversial in the field of medicine. Some doctors believe that the prophylactic intake of such drugs does not guarantee re-infection and further burdens the body. This group of doctors claims that basic hygiene is enough to reduce the chance of infection. The second group of doctors believe that it is simply impossible to do without prophylactic use of such drugs, given the neglect of hygiene rules by children. The issue of prevention is even more acute if the child is in constant contact with animals that visit the street.
One way or another, only you can decide whether it is worth using anti-worm drugs for preventive purposes. However, it is worth considering if:
- Are you planning a trip to southern countries;
- The child attends kindergarten;
- At home there are animals that visit the street;
- Children play in the sandbox or have frequent contact with the ground;
- Children spend a lot of time in nature.