What is enterobiosis? Symptoms and treatment of pathology will be considered in this article.
Enterobiosis is a fairly widespread parasitic disease in the world , which belongs to the helminthiasis category. Its causative agent is worms, which are known as pinworms. In our article, we will consider this disease in detail, and also find out what may be the symptoms of enterobiasis and what are the treatment methods.
Pinworms as a causative agent of helminthiasis
The causative agent of this helminthiasis is a small and round-shaped worm, which has a whitish color. The body length of the female worm is up to one centimeter, and the male, as a rule, is half as much. In females, the end of the body is pointed behind, which explains the choice of name for the parasite. This helminth is fixed to the intestinal wall with a vesicle around its mouth opening. These worms feed not only on blood, but also on intestinal contents. The most favorable conditions for their growth and development is the environment in the cecum, in its appendix - the appendix. A person who is infected usually does not have any pain due to a parasite located in the digestive tract.
Symptoms of enterobiasis in children and photos will be presented below.
The ailment, as already noted, is one of the most common parasitic diseases in the world. You can get sick at any age, due to the fact that susceptibility to invasion does not change in any way over the years. Nevertheless, at-risk children are mostly young children who are not yet familiar or have not learned the basic rules of their hygiene. It is important to note that the source of the disease can only be a person infected with pinworms.
Symptoms of enterobiosis in adults are of interest to many.
Helminth and its development cycle
At the time when the infected person goes to bed, and his anal sphincter completely relaxes, the female helminth crawls out through the corresponding hole, laying eggs on the skin in the canal area. Such a female is capable of laying five to seventeen thousand eggs at a time, and then dies. Since the patient feels itching during this process, he begins to comb the affected area. Because of this, the laid eggs can get under the nails or on the skin, which, against the background of an insufficient level of hygiene, causes the next infection and the spread of the parasite through certain household items.
Symptoms and treatment of enterobiasis in adults is a subject for frequent discussion.
It is important to pay attention to the fact that the fertilized female is not able to lay eggs directly in the intestine, since in this oxygen-free area their reproductive organs are in poor condition. The average lifespan of adults is not more than five weeks. They parasitize, as a rule, on the intestinal wall. The function of males is only to fertilize the females, after which the male dies.
Pinworm eggs are carried, as a rule, by domestic insects or simply with dust particles. For the development of the larva, a temperature of about 34 ° C is required along with a high level of humidity, which should be up to 90%. Egg ripening time is only five hours. Larvae are released from eggs in the human digestive system under the influence of certain enzymes.
Within the human small intestine, they turn into sexually mature individuals in two weeks, then after this they mate. The males who have fulfilled their mission go outside, and the female moves to the lower sections of the intestine, attaching there to the wall and continuing to live and eat until the eggs that grow in size, that inside it, begin to put pressure on the esophagus. After separation from the intestinal wall, the female descends lower, and then leaves to lay eggs, thereby repeating the next development cycle of a new generation of helminths.
Pinworms are characterized by a fairly high level of stability in environmental conditions. Against the backdrop of favorable conditions, eggs can maintain their invasiveness outside the human body for up to three weeks. Dry environment along with solar ultraviolet is harmful for eggs of this parasite.
What are the causes of enterobiosis symptoms in adults?
How can I get infected?
The main source of infection with enterobiasis are dirty hands and objects contaminated with parasites. As a result of a low level of hygiene, pinworm eggs can enter the body of the next host through the mouth, and then parasitize and multiply in the intestine. Not surprisingly, children most often suffer from enterobiasis, especially those who attend day care centers. Outbreaks of a disease such as enterobiosis in kindergarten, unfortunately, are not uncommon.
Symptoms of Enterobiosis
The main sign of the occurrence of enterobiosis in adults, as well as in children, is severe itching in the prilanal area, which is felt in the evening immediately before bedtime and at night. In the event that the parents noticed that their child is intensively combing this area in a dream, it is necessary to take immediate measures aimed at dehelmenting the body of the child.
As a rule, from infection to the first symptom of enterobiasis takes three to six weeks. Against the background of a mild form of helminthiasis, itching is noted for three days in patients, which disappears on its own for a while. Further, it manifests itself again after three weeks due to repeated self-infection. In the event that there are too many pinworms, the itching will be unbearable and will haunt the patient constantly. It is worth noting that the total number of parasites in the body of an infected person can reach tens, and in cases of reinfestation, thousands of individuals. The main symptoms of enterobiosis include the following:
- The appearance of itching in the anus is mainly in the evenings and at night.
- The development of flatulence.
- Pain in the abdomen, which, however, does not always happen.
- The appearance of rumbling in the stomach.
- Frequent tenesmus.
- Rapid stool of a mushy consistency.
- The presence of blood in the stool, which is relatively rare.
It should also be noted that the symptoms of enterobiasis are most pronounced in the acute phase during the first seven days. In the chronic phase, the main sign of the appearance of helminthiasis is pruritus in the prilanal area.
Consider the symptoms of enterobiosis in children.
Manifestations of the disease in children
In children, in turn, against the background of enterobiosis, the following neurological signs may appear:
- Frequent mood swings.
- The appearance of tearfulness and nervousness.
- Decreased appetite along with increased fatigue.
- Bad and restless sleep.
- The presence of headaches.
Symptoms of enterobiosis in children should not be ignored.
Pathology can also develop in a newborn. Symptoms of enterobiosis in infants are not easy to recognize. This may include:
- obviously active weight loss;
- increased salivation;
- in the area of the hips, a rash can be localized that is not eliminated by local treatment;
- the skin of the face becomes pale, sometimes bruises appear under the eyes;
- the baby behaves uneasily if he is slightly pressed on the abdomen.
What are the complications?
Combing can often cause abrasions, which is why a secondary bacterial complication is likely to develop. Dermatitis or eczema can also complicate the course of the disease. The following complications are likely to result from a particularly severe and prolonged course of enterobiosis:
- Irritation in the peritoneum.
- The development of pyoderma and paraproctitis.
- The appearance of sphincteritis.
- The development of enterobiotic endometritis (in the case of female parasite entering the genital tract of a woman).
In addition, there are cases of the appearance of granulomas around pinworms, which are deeply immersed in the thickness of the intestinal mucosa. In addition, there are cases of the development of peritonitis due to perforation of the muscle layer and the exit of helminths into the abdominal region.
Irritation of the intestinal wall with parasites can lead to reflex disturbance of peristalsis, and in addition, to a malfunction of the secretory glands. The harmful effects of pinworms may result in the development of symptoms of enterobiosis (pictured), such as gastroduodenitis and enteritis. Among other things, it is noted that pinworms significantly alter intestinal microbiocenosis, which is why dysbacteriosis occurs in most infected patients.
In female patients, inflammatory pathologies of the urinary system can also form as complications of enterobiosis. Also, inflammation of the reproductive system is not excluded. Enterobiosis, in turn, contributes to the transmission of some other parasitic diseases - giardiasis and hymenolepidosis.
Parasites in the process of their life can release a huge number of toxic metabolic products, which is the cause of poisoning of the entire human body. Because of this, enterobiasis in children is especially difficult. During pregnancy, enterobiosis can be one of the causes of complex toxicosis. Among other things, pinworms can reduce the overall immunity of a person, so people infected with helminths are more susceptible to infectious diseases.
Studies have found that pinworms can have an immunosuppressive effect on the child's body due to the suppression of the development of immunity after vaccination.
Symptoms and treatment of enterobiasis in children are interrelated.
Analysis
Tests for enterobiosis are fundamentally different from studies on eggs of worms. The delivery of feces for enterobiosis is practically meaningless. The only known fact is that after the completion of the fertilization cycle, males can leave with fecal mass. And single eggs of parasites can be detected only by chance, since pinworms lay them outside the rectum. Therefore, to detect pinworms, a smear is made with a scraping around the anus. Symptoms and treatment of enterobiasis in children should be known to all parents.
How to pass the analysis?
In order to carry out diagnostics, scraping from the perianal fold is carried out, for which a special sterile adhesive tape is used. The analysis, as a rule, is given three times: daily or every other day. The most informative are scrapings that were taken in the morning before bowel movements and hygiene procedures. In the process of laboratory blood tests, moderate leukocytosis along with eosinophilia is recorded.
Treatment
As medications, the patient is prescribed anthelmintic drugs. The most effective of them in the treatment of enterobiasis are the following drugs:
- Mebendazole, which should be taken 10 milligrams once.
- "Carbendacim." 10 milligrams per day in three divided doses.
- "Combantrine" is taken at the rate of 10 milligrams per kilogram of patient weight. The drug is drunk once after breakfast.
- Piperazine is taken at 3 grams per day, the course is five days.
- "Albendazole". 400 milligrams is taken once.
In order to prevent the appearance of nocturnal itching, which interferes with normal sleep, pinworms are removed from the intestine by means of a cleansing enema. To do this, 0.5 teaspoon of baking soda is diluted in 200 milliliters of warm water, which must first be boiled. As an external agent, it is recommended to apply anesthesin ointment in the area of the anus.
Prevention Rules
As part of the treatment, and in addition, the prevention of enterobiasis, it is important to follow a number of rules. First of all, the patient must always wash his hands thoroughly after each visit to the toilet. Do this with hot water and soap. The nails on the hands of both men and women are best cut as short as possible. As for underwear, then his infected person needs to be changed at least twice a day. Bed sheets should be changed daily. In the evenings and in the morning, the pre-canal area should be thoroughly washed with soap.
Laundry should be ironed thoroughly with a hot iron in order to guarantee the destruction of parasite eggs. Pinworm eggs can be transmitted through linen, and in addition, through the toilet and other items in the bathroom. In the room in which the patient is located, it is advisable to carry out wet cleaning daily, adding disinfectants to the water.
Everyone needs to know about the symptoms, treatment and prevention of enterobiosis in children.
To observe such a strict hygienic regimen is required at least two weeks after the discovery of the first symptoms and the start of therapy. The patient should use special cotton swabs that are administered rectally. Such a measure will make it possible to exclude the spread of pinworm eggs. Among other things, it is important to note that in the event that only one person has a pathology in the family, everyone should undergo therapy.
We examined the main symptoms and treatment of enterobiasis in adults and children.