Helminths or worms are the general name for parasitic worms that live in the human body. Most of them live in the intestinal tract, however some extend beyond that. Children are especially vulnerable to worm infections. Due to insufficiently strong immunity, which is not able to kill parasites, and a long latency period of infection, worms can cause serious harm to a child. This is mainly due to severe intoxication, allergic reactions and, in some cases, organ damage.
In this material we will look at the main causes of helminth infection, their types and methods of treating them. This applies to both conventional and traditional medicine.
Causes of infection
First of all, it is worth noting that protecting a child from worm infection seems to be 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. We will discuss geohelminthiases and other types of worms in more detail below.
Worms developin soil and water, after which they enter the human body and lay eggs there. Then, together with the excrement, they return to the soil or water and the cycle repeats. When you eat dirty fruits and vegetables, there is a very real possibility of contracting geohelminthic infections. Infection is also possible through dirty hands or through the skin of the feet.
Infection throughcontact with animals- not a myth. When contacting, playing and carrying out joint activities with an already infected animal, there is a non-illusory possibility of becoming infected with worms. Their eggs are deposited on the skin or clothing, where they continue to mature and may sooner or later enter the body.
Biohelminth infection occurs due toconsume minimally processed meat and fish products. Particularly dangerous are undercooked kebab, unsalted lard, sushi, unprocessed milk and insufficiently seasoned fish. In addition to worms, there is also the possibility of contracting an intestinal infection when consuming these products.
Infectionthrough insect bites- happens quite rarely, since in most cases the insects lay their larvae under the skin of the victim. However, some types of worms are spread by insects.
With a strong immune system, infection with worms is much less likely. Also, over time, a person simply develops resistance to worms in his area. They do not have time to hatch or simply die shortly after hatching. However, when you move to a new area or when your immune system is weakened, your protection against worms weakens.
Types of worms
There are approximately 300 species of worms, but 70 species are common. These types can be divided into three broad categories:
- Nematodes or roundworms.Most often, children become infected with this type of worm. This species includes pinworms, whipworms, trichinella and roundworms.
- Tapeworms or tapeworms.Infection with this species occurs through poorly processed meat. This species includes tapeworms, tapeworms, and echinococci.
- Flukes or fluke parasites.Most often, worms of this species cause opisthorchiasis, fascioliasis, schistosomiasis and paragonimiasis.
In the vast majority of cases, worms parasitize in the intestines, however, their eggs, together with the bloodstream, can spread throughout the body. As a result, worms can begin to multiply in the liver, gallbladder, muscle tissue, lungs, and even the brain.
Symptoms
Considering that worms are parasitic organisms, infection from them does not appear immediately. After all, the parasite's goal is to avoid the host's attention for as long as possible. This is why symptoms appear in the case of multiple infections or after a long latency period.
Typically, the first symptoms appear only 2-4 weeks after the worm eggs enter the body. All symptoms are usually caused by intoxication by waste products of helminthiasis. In some cases, especially when the child's immunity is reduced, helminthiasis infection may appear earlier.
Betweenmain signs of worms in childrencan be distinguished:
- Increased appetite without weight gain;
- Increased salivation;
- Painful feeling in the stomach, nausea and unstable stools;
- Dizziness and headache;
- The appearance of allergic reactions;
- Sleep disturbances, worsening of sleep and increased irritability;
- Increased hair loss and nail breakage;
- Frequent inflammatory processes of the nasopharynx and genitourinary tract.
With prolonged infection, developmental delays, dysfunction of internal organs and neurological abnormalities are observed.
It is important to note that a strange smell from a child's mouth, abdominal pain, frequent hiccups and grinding of teeth at night in no 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 analysisdue to the presence of parasite nests. However, this is not the most reliable method. The fact is that in some cases in the carrier's body there may be multiple individuals of the same sex who are unable to reproduce. Additionally, some species lay eggs very rarely, which makes it difficult to establish a clear diagnosis. This is why stool tests for worms are carried out three times at intervals of several days, since it is necessary to catch the exact moment of reproduction of the parasite.
Parasitic infection may also be indicated by a high level of eosinophils in combination with a low hemoglobin level withgeneral blood test.Curettage for enterobiasis 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 and the level of damage caused to the body has been determined, treatment can begin.
Methods of treating worms in children
The main method of treating helminths, of course, is medications. However, in some cases, the use of traditional medicine is also permitted. It is important to remember that in most cases folk remedies are not effective enough to cope with moderate infections, let alone serious infections. They should be used as aids. Of course, traditional medicine also has a series of limitations. These and other means will be discussed in more detail below.
Medicines
Drug treatment for helminth infection is aimed at destroying the worms and reducing the level of toxins released by them. When treating 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. Furthermore, the wrong medication can cause more harm than the parasites themselves. That is why it is important to make an accurate diagnosis and determine what type of parasites the child is infected with.
To remove toxins, vitamin complexes containing vitamins B and C, glucose solutions and saline infusions are used. In some cases, antihistamines and diuretics are also used. And if the heart and liver are damaged, hormone therapy may be needed. To enhance the effects, enzymatic preparations that improve digestion are often used, as well as enterosorbents that remove waste products of parasites from the body.
Will folk remedies help?
In general, doctors do not recommend using folk remedies to treat worms. This is mainly due to the fact that the strength of folk remedies is often not enough to completely destroy parasites. However, despite the fact that folk remedies cannot become an alternative to traditional means, 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 oilsthey are an effective method of combating almost all types of helminths. The most effective are apricot, cedar and sea buckthorn oils; however, a safer option for children would be flaxseed or hemp oil. The oil should be consumed pure, one teaspoon three times a day before meals. If your child refuses to eat it, add it to porridge or dip bread in butter. The course of oil treatment lasts a week, after which you should take a break for two weeks.
Another effective treatment for helminths ispumpkin seeds. This is mainly due to the presence of cucurbitin, a rare amino acid that kills worms. Pumpkin seeds can be eaten raw or made into milk. In their raw form they are consumed in 120 grams for children aged three to seven years, 200 for children aged seven to eleven and 300 grams for children under thirteen. Seed milk can be prepared by passing 200 grams of seeds through a meat grinder, pouring two glasses of boiling water over them and leaving the drink to infuse for a quarter of an hour in a bain-marie. After that, we filter the broth and feed it to the child during the day, before meals.
GarlicIt is also a common remedy for helminthiasis. It is often used to prevent parasitic infection and also as an adjuvant in enterobiasis and ascariasis. It is used like this: finely chop two cloves of garlic and pour over a glass of milk. The resulting drink is consumed twice a day, a quarter of a glass, for four days.
Drugs are often used for therapeutic purposesenemaswith herbal decoctions. This is done to eliminate parasites from the intestinal lumen. For these purposes, decoctions of wormwood, chamomile and other herbs are suitable. You can also use a milk-garlic enema, the recipe for which was given above. When using an enema, it is important that its temperature is not lower than room temperature and its volume does not exceed 100 milliliters. It is also important to increase the amount of liquids consumed in the form of mineral water or fruit juices.
Barrier methodMost often used for helminthiasis caused by pinworms. Its essence is to block the lumen of the large intestine using 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 baby's anal passage is blocked with tampons for a month. It is important to note that this method is not effective in extraintestinal forms of helminthiasis or in cases of severe enterobiasis.
Before using any of the above methods, you should always consult and obtain approval from your pediatrician.
In addition to means aimed directly at pest control, auxiliary means can also be used. Any recipes that help improve digestion and remove toxins from the body will work. Substances with a high content of vitamins B and C are also useful. Before use, you should consult your doctor.
Prevention of helminthiasis in children
As we have already discovered, the vast majority of cases of worm infection occur through the oral area. Therefore, the prevention of parasite infection mainly includesmaintenance of personal hygiene standards. In addition, you should wash fruits and vegetables thoroughly before eating them, and also make sure that fish, meat and dairy products have undergone sufficient heat treatment. If you have pets it is advisable to carry out preventive anthelmintic therapy. And finally, you should keep your house clean.
In addition, it is believed that to prevent helminthiasis one should regularly take anthelmintic drugs. This opinion is very controversial in the medical field. Some doctors believe that the prophylactic use of such drugs does not guarantee reinfection and puts additional stress on the body. This group of doctors claims that basic hygiene is sufficient to reduce the risk of infection. The second group of doctors believes that it is simply impossible to do without the prophylactic use of such drugs, given the negligence of children regarding hygiene rules. The issue of prevention is even more acute if the child is constantly in contact with animals that frequent the streets.
One way or another, only you can decide whether it is worth using anti-worm drugs for preventive purposes. However, it is worth thinking about whether:
- You are planning a trip to southern countries;
- The child attends nursery school;
- There are animals in the house that visit the street;
- Children play in the sandbox or have frequent contact with the ground;
- Children spend a lot of time in nature.