Parasitic diseases for children are very dangerous. Worms, once in the intestine, begin to multiply, disrupting the work of many organs and poisoning the body with toxins. As a result, the child’s digestion is impaired, immunity is reduced. He is often sick, losing weight, feeling unwell. Helminthiasis is very contagious, especially small children are susceptible to these diseases. And in order to save the child from worms, special medicines are needed. There are many similar drugs, but most often used for children anthelmintic drugs with a wide spectrum of action. In most cases, the doctor prescribes them, focusing on the symptoms. Indeed, even the tests performed do not provide 100% information on the presence and types of parasites.
Symptoms of parasitic diseases
Every child can become infected with worms, even if parents monitor his hygiene. Particularly susceptible to infection are children attending kindergarten, often communicating with animals, resting in the summer at the cottage or in the village. Dirty hands, poorly washed vegetables - all this can become a source of infection. Moreover, it is impossible to determine exactly when it happened, since the first symptoms of infection can appear in a few days or even weeks. The child may become lethargic or, conversely, too irritated, he eats poorly and loses weight. He has headaches, nausea, and an upset bowel. In children infected with worms, immunity is reduced, so they often suffer from colds.
Features of the treatment of helminthiases
After the parents go to the doctor about the ailment of the child, he is prescribed an examination. It is best determined by the presence of worms by coprogram or scraping from the anus. But even this analysis does not give a 100% guarantee of the reliability of the result. In the presence of symptoms, anthelmintic drugs are prescribed for children with a wide spectrum of action, even if the analysis is negative. These funds are aimed at the destruction of many types of parasites and act even with mixed helminthic invasions.
Treatment with such medicines should be prescribed only by a doctor. In many cases, complex therapy is required; dosage and duration of treatment are often needed. Many of these remedies have contraindications and serious side effects. Therefore, it is not recommended for parents to give anthelmintic drugs to children with every suspected infection. Prevention is possible, but only by some, less toxic means.
The composition of the complex treatment of helminthiasis includes not only anthelmintic drugs. Usually, doctors first prescribe enterosorbents, in some cases, intestinal antimicrobials, for example, Enterol. Then a course of one anthelmintic drug for children is given. After this, sorbents are necessarily prescribed again for the removal of toxins and waste products of parasites, antihistamines to prevent an allergic reaction, as well as prebiotics to restore intestinal microflora. In addition, the treatment will not be effective without observing the rules of hygiene and special nutrition. This will help prevent re-infection and create adverse conditions for the parasites.
Varieties of anthelmintic drugs for children
All such products are available in tablets, suspensions, or rectal suppositories. But, the last form of release has a drawback - these drugs are effective only for enterobiosis, since they act in the lower part of the rectum. Therefore, tablets and suspension are most often used. Drugs in the form of tablets can be given to children who can already swallow it. After all, it is undesirable to break or crush them. Therefore, children who have difficulty swallowing a tablet should better buy a suspension for treatment. In this form, almost all anthelmintic preparations for children are produced. The suspension is easy to dose, it has a pleasant taste and is liked by all children. In addition, drugs are better tolerated in this form.
Such drugs also differ in the active substance. The most common and effective drugs are those based on mebendazole, albendazole, levamisole, pyrantel or piperazine.
Albendazole-based preparations
This is the basis of the most effective antihelminthic drugs for children with a wide spectrum of action. Albendazole, in addition to the most common helminthiases, helps with toxocariasis, necatorosis, trichhelesis, echinococcosis and mixed helminthic invasions. But for the reason it is more toxic, therefore it can only be used for children after 2 years.
Albendazole is part of the popular preparations Nemozol, Aldazol, Sanoxal, Gelmodol, etc. They are prescribed for pinworms, roundworms, giardia, tapeworms or helminthiases of an unclear etiology. The action of albendazole is aimed at disrupting biochemical processes in cells of parasites.In mild cases, 1 tablet of the drug is prescribed.But in case of serious parasitic infections, albendazole-based drugs are prescribed 1 tablet twice a day for a month.
Mebenzdazole
This is the main active ingredient of some popular anthelmintic drugs for children with a wide spectrum of action. Many mothers know drugs like Vermox or Vormin. They are often prescribed by pediatricians for the treatment and prevention of helminthiases. Mebendazole is also part of such products as Termox, Mebex, and Vermakar. These agents have a wide spectrum of action, but are very well tolerated by small patients. These drugs have been used since 2 years, since they almost do not cause side effects. But they are used most often with mixed helminthic invasions or with an unclear diagnosis.
Levamisole
Based on this active substance, Levamisole and Dekaris medicines are available. Their convenience is that you need to take them only once. But they are more toxic than other similar drugs, so do not use these anthelmintic drugs for children under 3 years old. Moreover, they are mainly effective in enterobiasis and ascariasis. Levamisole has a paralyzing effect on parasites, contributing to their natural excretion from the intestines with feces. A doctor should prescribe drugs based on this substance, since the dosage is calculated in accordance with the age of the child.
Pirantel
This is the most common antihelminthic drug for children. Its advantages include low cost, as well as good portability. "Pyrantel" is a low-toxic drug, but is effective only for the most common parasitic diseases: enterobiosis, ascariasis and hookworm. Apply "Pirantel" to children from 6 months. This tool is also available under other names. Pyrantela pamoate is part of such drugs:
- Helminthox;
- "Combantrine";
- "Nemocide."
All these drugs act fatally on adult parasites, paralyzing their muscle system and contributing to their rapid removal from the intestines. But they also destroy the eggs and larvae of the worms. Take "Pirantel" once, in the amount of 1-3 tablets.
"Piperazine"
The safest and cheapest anthelmintic drug for children is Piperazin. It has been used for many years, but its drawback is that it acts only on pinworms and roundworms. In addition, Piperazine paralyzes adult worms without affecting their eggs and larvae, therefore, treatment with it lasts for several days. After 2 weeks, the treatment is repeated. But the drug is absolutely harmless to the child's body, it is only important to correctly calculate the dosage, which depends on the age of the baby.
Anthelmintic drugs for children up to a year
Infants are shown taking such drugs only from 6 months of age. Until 2-3 years, not all drugs can be taken. Therefore, if helminth infestation is detected in a baby, treatment should be prescribed by a doctor. Most often, piperazine and pyrantel are used at this age. These are the safest remedies effective in pinworms and roundworms. The dosage and duration of treatment are determined by the doctor based on the age of the child and the severity of the infection.
Rules for the use of such funds
When treating children for helminth infections, you should not rely on the advice of friends or pharmacists. The medicine should be prescribed by a doctor. Especially cautious should be the use of broad-acting anthelmintic drugs. On children, such drugs sometimes have side effects:
- nausea, vomiting;
- upset stool;
- flatulence, intestinal colic;
- dizziness, headaches;
- increase in body temperature;
- urticaria, dermatitis;
- sleep disturbance;
- toxic liver damage.
Most often, such funds are given to the child once. They destroy adult helminths, some also act on larvae and eggs. After that, after a day, the child needs to be given 2-3 times an enterosorbent to cleanse the intestines of toxins. On the recommendation of a doctor, you can also give a laxative or make an enema so that the dead parasites are more easily eliminated from the body. After this, usually after 2 weeks, a second course is carried out, since self-infection of the parasite eggs is possible. To prevent this from happening, at this time it is advisable to carefully observe the rules of hygiene, daily change the child's underwear.