Causes, treatment and main symptoms of worms in a child of 3 years

Helminthic invasion in pediatric practice is very common. This is not surprising, because the child, knowing the world around him, pulls everything in his mouth, including dirty hands, thereby swallowing helminth eggs. The most common representatives of helminths in children are pinworms of the nematode class (cause enterobiosis) or roundworms (ascariasis). A fertilized female helminth leaves out of the anus (tends to where there is a lot of oxygen necessary for egg maturation), lays eggs in the anus, and after 6 hours the eggs get the ability to penetrate the intestines. Being in the environment (on household items, toys, underwear and underwear) helminth eggs can survive for a day.

In more detail, the treatment, signs and symptoms of worms in children 3 years old according to Komarovsky and not only can be found in the article.

Causes

The causes leading to helminth infections in children are many. It is necessary to highlight the most common causes, which include:

1. Failure to comply with the rules for the processing and preparation of vegetables, fruits and meat products (eating dirty vegetables and fruits, not fully cooked meat containing helminth larvae).
2. Drinking water from ponds containing helminth larvae (children can accidentally swallow such water during bathing).
3. The penetration of helminth larvae with the bite of blood-sucking insects (there are such cases, but rarely enough).
4. The presence of domestic animals in the family and close contact of the child with them (the child picks up cats or dogs, and then takes unwashed hands in his mouth).
5. When there is no hygiene vaccination in the family (washing hands after playing outside, especially in the sand; after visiting public places, including toilets).
6. Lack of hygienic care for the child (regular bathing, changing both bed and underwear and the mandatory ironing, as well as cutting of nails).
7. Bad habits (young children like to bite their nails and taste everything).
8. Intrauterine infection from the mother (the penetration of helminths through the fetoplacental barrier from blood currents).
9. Children's groups (therefore, if the child has been absent from the garden for more than one month, a prerequisite for his return to the team is to study feces for the presence of helminth eggs).
10. Decreased immunity of the child.
11. The presence of helminthiases in one of the family members (if hygienic rules for using individual items - a towel, soap and other means) are not followed.

Symptoms of the presence of worms in children 3 years old

Quite often it happens that worms are already wound up in the child's body, but they do not show any signs. This is the main purpose of the worm - to exist in the human body unnoticed for as long as possible. The symptoms of the presence of worms in children of 3 years are clearly expressed only when there are a lot of them in the body. A large number of them is formed when they either lived quietly in the body for a rather long period of time, or if the child has very low immunity and suffers from diseases that contribute to the development of parasites in the body. There are also such cases when quite rare types of worms are wound up in the body, which can cause strong reactions in the body.

Signs

There are several common first signs of worms in children, by which you can try to understand whether there are parasites in the baby's body:

• his appetite increased significantly compared to what it was before, and also, in addition to this, the total body weight began to increase;
• increased salivation;
• the intestines began to be in a depressed state, this is expressed in flatulence, malfunctions in the stool, nausea, pain in the stomach or hypochondrium, intestinal cramps are also possible;
• the child began to complain of frequent headaches and dizziness, became tired faster;
• there were allergy symptoms that had never happened before, and existing allergies previously began to manifest in the most severe forms;
• the child became easily irritated, his sleep became poor, the level of attention decreased, small memory lapses also indicate that intoxication occurs in the body;
• the hair became very brittle and began to fall out profusely, the nails lost their strength and began to exfoliate, this suggests that the body had vitamin deficiency and iron deficiency;
• inflammatory processes in the nasopharyngeal region are not uncommon, it can be sinusitis or sinusitis, inflammatory processes in the genitals, especially for girls, as their anus and vagina are very close to each other.

If the worms are in the body for a rather long time, then in the future there will be signs and symptoms of worms in children of 3 years, such as a lag in development, growth and weight will be less than expected, malfunctions of the gastrointestinal tract are observed. Anemia, allergies and other diseases can be observed, and disorders of the nervous system can also be observed. Most often, worms begin to remind of themselves in a period of time from 2 to 4 weeks after the child enters the body. Symptoms will depend on what kind of parasite is wound up, in what quantities and also on the overall health of the child.

Diagnostics

In most situations, worms are diagnosed during the annual preventive examination of feces for worm eggs. But this is not a very reliable method: in the presence of symptoms and a negative analysis, it should be borne in mind that not all varieties of helminths can be determined in this way. Those species that lay eggs can also avoid detection with this type of diagnosis, since the reproduction cycle may not correspond to the period of analysis. There are also cases if one or several same-sex individuals are in the body that cannot reproduce, but can cause harm throughout the entire life cycle.

For negative stool tests, a secondary examination is recommended after 2-3 weeks. The list of preventive studies includes analysis for the presence of eggs of worms and scraping for enterobiosis. The presence of helminths can also be suspected by the results of blood tests: a high level of eosinophils in combination with reduced hemoglobin in most situations indicates the presence of parasites in the body.

Additional methods

There are other methods for identifying worm symptoms in children 3 years old. To clarify the diagnosis, sputum, bile, urine tests, a stool coprogram can be used. To clarify the diagnosis of suspected echinococcus, peritoneal organs are examined by sound and / or radiological method. The disease is diagnosed by analysis of the covered intestinal tract and duodenal sounding. Immunological studies can help to clarify the type of parasite and the harm it causes to the body. After an accurate diagnosis, a method of treating worms in a child and the best methods of dealing with them are selected.

Drug treatment

In the treatment of pills with the symptoms of worms in children, complexity is welcomed, which includes three areas of drug therapy:

1. Etiotropic (anthelmintic drugs).
2. Pathogenetic (antihistamines, glucocorticoids).
3. Symptomatic (elimination of symptoms of intoxication with glucose-saline solutions, restoration of normal intestinal biocenosis).

Etiotropic therapy

Etiotropic treatment of helminth infections is prescribed to all patients, taking into account the severity of the disease. The correct choice of anthelmintic agents is important, taking into account the spectrum of action of the drug, especially for polyinvasion (when infection occurs by several pathogens at once).

Vermox

In recent years, the number of effective deworming agents has decreased, due to increased drug resistance of pathogens and improper self-medication. Widely, including in children's practice, the drug "Vermox" (mebendazole) is used. The advantages of the drug to eliminate the symptoms of worms in children 2-3 years old and eliminate the disease in general:

1. High therapeutic activity against the pathogen.
2. A fairly wide range of anthelmintic activity (enterobiosis, trichocephalosis, ascariasis, teniosis and many other pathogens).
3. Low toxicity of the drug.
4. The mechanism of action, which is manifested in the elimination of the ability of helminths to absorb glucose, as the main source of energy and nutrition.
5. High activity against helminth eggs (ovicidal activity).
   

The disadvantages of the drug:

• treatment of children from the age of 2 years (by decision of a specialist and the availability of indications, it is possible to use in children less than 2 years old);
• allergic reactions (here you need to differentiate roofing felts is a reaction to the drug itself and its components, roofing felts to toxic substances released after the death of a huge number of helminths).

Important: if the pathogen is excreted from the feces in the child, then each of the family members should be treated (including animals, if any).

How to treat worms in children with this tool?

The dosage regimen of mebendazole for children with enterobiasis: children 2-5 years old - 5 mg / kg once a day. Children older than 5 years - 100 mg once a day.

With ascariasis: children 2-5 years old - 5 mg / kg once a day. Children over 5 years old - 10 mg / kg once a day (divided into two doses).

"Pirantel"

The drug "Pirantel" is popular among children's doctors to eliminate the disease and worm symptoms in a 3-year-old child. It blocks the nervous system of helminths and helps to remove them from the body. The benefits of this drug:

• convenient release form for children (in the form of a suspension);
• pleasant taste (taste of fruit, which does not cause negative emotions in the child);
• affordable price category of the drug.

"Pyrantel" to eliminate the disease and symptoms of worms in a child of 3 years in suspension can be used in children from 6 months of age.

For the treatment of enterobiasis: calculation for children 10 mg / kg once a day. Ascaridosis treatment: 5 mg / kg once a day.

Alternative schemes for the etiotropic treatment of helminthiases may include such means: Albendazole (children over 2 years old), Levamisole, Ivermectin (children from 5 years old). Symptomatic therapy includes the restoration of normal intestinal microflora, for this they use such drugs: "Bifikol", "Bifidumbacterin", "Linex", "Acipol" and others. A month after the end of the course of treatment, it is necessary to determine whether it was effective or not. For this, a laboratory study of the stool sample is carried out. If helminth eggs are found in feces, this is an indication for a second course of treatment. But if nothing was found in the feces, then they once again take samples with an interval of 2 days and again evaluate the result. If it is negative, then the treatment is stopped. Children should undergo preventive deworming 2 times a year.

Alternative treatment

Often, medicines are used to treat a child from worms, which are based solely on plant components, it can be a variety of oils, juices, infusions and decoctions. They may vary in taste, so if the remedy is quite bitter, it is better not to give it to a very small child, it is especially not recommended to treat children under 6 years old with them. If the medicine has a bitter taste, this may indicate that if you take too much, it may lead to a danger to life or health, due to the fact that among their components are alkaloids that have dangerous toxic properties.

1. Garlic treatment. Garlic belongs to the onion family, and it is quite in demand in folk therapy. Garlic removes pathogenic elements from the body, including helminths. Children need to take it for treatment in such forms as a decoction, infusion, or as an enema. It is better to cook garlic broth in milk based on the proportions of three cloves per glass. Previously, the milk must be heated so that it is hot, pour garlic and continue cooking for 20 minutes. Next, the resulting broth needs to be cooled, and then filtered. When used, this alternative drug does not give an obvious garlic flavor, so it can be given even to the smallest children. In order for the medicine to work, you need to take it no less than one glass a day, with a course of at least 5 days. Also, this garlic broth can be used as an enema before bedtime. Garlic is especially effective in pinworms. You can cook and garlic infusion. To do this, take two cloves of garlic, chop well and pour a glass of boiling water. After 30 minutes, the infusion is completely ready for use. In order to make the taste softer, you can add a little lemon juice and honey to the infusion. Take only in a warm form, as a cold infusion loses its healing properties. It will be correct to add a little garlic to all meals taken in food, whether it is soup or salad. Finely chopped garlic can be added to applesauce or honey, so that children do not even feel it. The most effective from worms is considered garlic in its raw form. In general, the optimal amount of garlic cloves eaten is 6, naturally, if the age of the child allows it. This is considered the best method of fighting tapeworm. You can use garlic for external use. Garlic should be well chopped and rubbed into the heels, which must first be moistened in vegetable oil.
2. Treatment with vegetable oils. Such products can be used both individually and in combination with other procedures and tools. One of the most ancient, popular and effective folk methods of treatment against worms is to lubricate a cotton pad in vegetable oil, rub it in the anus and go to bed. The course of such therapy should last no less than a month. An effective remedy will be vegetable oil mixed with petroleum jelly. The resulting mixture needs to lubricate the anus outside, this is done so that the helminths could not lay eggs. The course lasts at least two months.

Parents need to pay attention to the prevention of worms in children 2-3 years old. This primarily includes proper nutrition and hygiene.