Treatment of worms in children

Worms or worms are a general term for parasites that live in the human body. Most of them live in the intestine, but some extend outside the intestine. Children are particularly susceptible to worm infections. Parasites can cause serious harm to children because their immunity is not strong enough to kill them and because the infection has a long incubation period. This is primarily due to severe poisoning, allergic reactions and, in some cases, organ damage.In this material, we will learn about the main causes, types, and treatments of worm infections. This applies to traditional and traditional medicine.

Cause of infection

First, it's worth noting that protecting children from worm infections can seem like an almost impossible task. This applies to soil worms and is due to its method of infection. However, there are other types of worms with different infection mechanisms. We discuss earthworms and other types of worms in more detail below.Worm developmentin soil and water, they then enter the human body and lay eggs there. They then return to the ground or water with their excrement, and the cycle repeats. When you eat unclean fruits and vegetables, you are more likely to be infected with soil worms. Dirty skin on hands or feet can also lead to infection.infection throughcontact with animals-Not a myth. The possibility of contracting worms when in contact with, playing with, and engaging in joint activities with already infected animals is not illusory. Their eggs land on skin or clothing, where they continue to mature and sooner or later enter the human body.Biological helminthiasis infections occur due toConsume unprocessed meat and fish products.Particularly dangerous are undercooked kebabs, poorly marinated lard, sushi, raw milk and inadequately marinated fish. In addition to worms, there is also the potential for intestinal infections when consuming these products.Infectby insect bites- This happens rarely, since in most cases the insect lays its larvae under the victim's skin. However, some types of worms are spread by insects.With a strong immune system, you are much less likely to contract worms. Additionally, over time, a person becomes resistant to the worms in his area. They don't have time to hatch, or they die shortly after hatching. However, protection against worms weakens when moving to a new area or when the immune system weakens.

Type of worm

There are about 300 species of worms, but 70 are common. These types can be divided into three broad categories:

• Nematodes or roundworms.Most often, children are infected with this type of worm. This species includes pinworms, whipworms, trichinella spiralis and roundworms.
• Tapeworm or tapeworm.Infection with this species occurs through poorly processed meat. This species includes tapeworms, tapeworms, and echinococci.
• Flukes or fluke parasites.Most commonly, this worm causes opisthiniasis, fascioliasis, schistosomiasis, and paragonimiasis.

In the vast majority of cases, worms live in the intestines, however, their eggs can travel throughout the body in the bloodstream. As a result, worms begin to multiply in the liver, gallbladder, muscle tissue, lungs and even the brain.

symptom

Considering that worms are parasites, their infection 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 either in the case of multiple infections or after a long incubation period.Typically, the first symptoms appear only 2-4 weeks after the eggs enter the body. All symptoms are usually caused by poisoning with helminthiasis waste. In some cases, when a child's immunity is weakened, helminthiasis infections may appear earlier.amongMain symptoms of parasites in childrenCan distinguish:

• Increased appetite but no weight gain;
• Increased salivation;
• Stomach pain, nausea, unsteady stools;
• dizziness and headache;
• the occurrence of allergic reactions;
• Sleep disturbance, worsening sleep quality, and increased irritability;
• increased hair loss and nail splitting;
• Frequent inflammatory processes in the nasopharynx and urogenital tract.

As infection progresses, developmental delays, internal organ dysfunction, and neurological abnormalities occur.

It is important to note that a strange odor in your child's mouth, abdominal pain, frequent hiccups, and nighttime teeth grinding are by no means indicative of a worm infection. These symptoms are just a myth.

Diagnostic function

Given the variety of symptoms of infection with this parasite, making an accurate diagnosis is not the easiest task. First, you need to dostool analysisPresence of parasite nests. However, this is not the most reliable method. The problem is that in some cases, a carrier may have multiple individuals of the same sex that cannot reproduce. Additionally, some species lay very few eggs, making it difficult to make a definite diagnosis. This is why fecal examinations are performed three times every few days, as it is necessary to capture the exact moment when the parasite is multiplying.High levels of eosinophils and low hemoglobin may also indicate a parasitic infection.General blood tests.For diagnosis, scraping out pinworms and examining the abdominal cavity with ultrasound or X-rays are also used. To confirm the diagnosis, doctors may turn to biological analysis of urine and stool and immunological studies.Once you've determined the exact type of parasite and the amount of damage it's causing to your body, treatment can begin.

Treatment for worms in children

The main method of treating parasites is, of course, medication. However, in some cases, the use of traditional medicines is also allowed. It is important to remember that in most cases folk remedies are not enough to deal with moderate infections, let alone severe ones. They should be used as an aid. Of course, traditional medicine also has many limitations. These and other means are discussed in more detail below.

drug

Medical treatments for helminth infections aim to eliminate the worms and reduce the levels of toxins they release. The use of broad-spectrum medications is highly undesirable when treating worms, especially in children. In fact, they are so potent that even at the correct dosage, using them can cause serious problems. Additionally, the wrong medication could cause more harm than the parasite itself. That's why it's important to make an accurate diagnosis and determine which parasite your child is infected with.To remove toxins, infusions of vitamin complexes containing vitamins B and C, glucose solutions and water-salt solutions can be used. In some cases, antihistamines and diuretics are also used. If the heart and liver are damaged, hormone therapy may be needed. To enhance the effect, enzyme preparations that improve digestion are often used, as well as intestinal adsorbents that remove parasite waste from the body.

Do folk remedies help?

In general, doctors do not recommend using folk remedies to treat worms. This is mainly because folk remedies are often not powerful enough to completely eliminate the parasite. However, although folk remedies cannot be a substitute for traditional means, this does not mean that they should not be used. On the contrary, they will be an excellent complement to medical treatment. The most effective and safe folk remedies are as follows.vegetable oilAn effective way to combat almost all types of worms. The most effective are apricot oil, cedarwood oil, and sea buckthorn oil; however, safer options for children are flax oil or hemp oil. The oil should be consumed in pure form, 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 essential oil therapy is one week, followed by a two-week break.Another effective way to treat worms ispumpkin seeds. This is mainly due to the presence of cucurbitacin, a rare amino acid that kills worms. Pumpkin seeds can be eaten raw or made into milk. The amount of raw food is 120 g for children aged 3 to 7 years, 200 g for children aged 7 to 11 years and 300 g for children under 13 years. Seed milk is prepared by placing 200 g of seeds in a meat grinder, pouring two glasses of boiling water and soaking in a water bath for a quarter of an hour. Next, we strain the broth and feed it to the child throughout the day before meals.garlicIt is also a common drug used to treat helminthiasis. It is often used to prevent parasitic infections and can also be used as an adjuvant for pinworms and ascariasis. Here’s how to use it: Chop two cloves of garlic and pour a glass of milk over them. The resulting drink was consumed in quarter-cup servings twice a day for four days. Medications are often used for therapeutic purposesenemaWith herbal decoction. This is done to remove parasites from the intestinal lumen. Decoctions of mugwort, chamomile, and other herbs are suitable for these purposes. You can also use milk garlic enema, the recipe of which is given above. When using an enema, it is important that its temperature does not drop below room temperature and that its volume does not exceed 100 ml. It is also important to increase your fluid consumption in the form of mineral water or juice.barrier methodMost commonly used to treat helminthiasis caused by pinworms. Its essence is to plug the lumen of the large intestine with a special tampon soaked in vegetable oil or petroleum jelly. This is done to prevent adult worms from migrating to the anal surface and continuing to reproduce. The child's anus was blocked by a tampon for a month. Of note, this approach is not effective against extraintestinal helminthiasis or severe enterobiasis.

You should consult and get approval from your pediatrician before using any of the above methods.

In addition to direct means of combating parasites, auxiliary means can also be used. Any recipe that helps improve digestion and remove toxins from the body will do. Substances rich in vitamins B and C are also beneficial. Consult a doctor before use.

Prevent helminthiasis in children

As we have discovered, the vast majority of cases of worm infection occur through the oral area. Therefore, prevention of parasitic infections mainly includesMaintain personal hygiene rules. In addition, vegetables and fruits should be washed thoroughly before consumption, and fish, meat and dairy products should be adequately heat-treated. If you have pets, you should get preventive deworming treatment. Finally, you should keep your house clean.In addition, there is also a view that to prevent helminth disease, one should take anthelmintics regularly. This view is quite controversial in the medical community. Some doctors believe that preventive use of such drugs does not guarantee reinfection and puts additional stress on the body. This group of doctors believes that basic hygiene habits are enough to reduce the chance of infection. A second group of doctors believes that it is simply impossible not to use such drugs prophylactically, given that children ignore hygiene rules. The prevention problem is even more serious if the child is regularly exposed to street animals.In any case, only you can decide whether prevention with antihelminthics is worth it. However, it is worth considering if:

• Are you planning a trip to southern countries?
• Children go to kindergarten;
• An animal comes to the street from home;
• Children play in the sandpit or have frequent contact with the ground;
• The children spent a lot of time in nature.