The treatment of worms in a child is a common problem that most parents had to face. Helminths penetrate into the organisms of babies without much difficulty, because children themselves create suitable conditions for this: knowing the world around them and trying to taste everything that is within reach, they automatically fall into the risk group for worms. Treatment of helminthiasis in a child is a complex and lengthy process that requires strict observance of medical recommendations.
Is the disease dangerous
If helminthiasis is detected at an early stage, the disease can be cured without complications and health consequences. Therefore, parents should know everything about the signs of infection with worms in order to see a doctor as soon as possible and begin to fight parasites.
As a rule, hospitalization is not required in the treatment of worms in children. At home, parents can give the child medications prescribed by a doctor, perform preventive procedures. However, you should not engage in antiparasitic therapy on your own. In addition, it is impossible to detect the presence of worm larvae in the children's body with the naked eye. To identify helminthic invasion, laboratory tests of feces, blood are performed, scrapings for enterobiosis are performed. Most often, worms affect the intestines of a child, but sometimes they can choose other organs for their habitat. For example, roundworms and pinworms are small worms that lay their larvae near the anus, so the constant itching in a child in the anus should immediately alert parents. Coughing, the development of allergies, asthma attacks and persistent fever can cause toxocaras - their cats are mainly carriers.
Causes of helminth infections
Parasites can appear in children not only at an early age. In addition, there are many ways to infect a child's body. It is worth noting that not adult worms are transmitted to a person, but their eggs. There are a lot of varieties of parasites that a child can catch, today they are spread:
- Upon contact of a healthy person with a patient. The most vulnerable category is the contingent of kindergartens. Parents learn about the need to treat worms in a child at 2 years old, as a rule, by chance, according to the results of planned preventive studies conducted in a preschool institution.
- In contact with pets. By the way, this is not the rarest cause of helminthic infestation in babies, adolescents, and even adults. Parasitic worms can get into the room with dirt on the shoes or paws of animals. Helminths enter the soil along with the excrement of dogs, cats, and cattle.
- Due to non-compliance with personal hygiene rules.
- When eating unwashed vegetables and fruits. Parasite larvae are often present on food.
- Due to the bite of blood-sucking insects.
- When eating meat or fish that have undergone insufficient heat treatment.
Varieties of worms
The insidiousness of parasites lies in their ability to secretively enter the body and not to declare their presence over a long period of any symptoms. Treatment in children with worms, the signs of which may appear 3-6 weeks after infection, should be immediate. Without timely medical assistance, helminthiasis is able to become chronic.
Features of the course of helminthic invasion largely depend on the type of parasites. Ribbon, round and sucking worms can enter the body of children. Most often, children are diagnosed with infection with roundworms, pinworms, trematodes, lamblia, echinococcus.
Symptoms of helminthiases
Externally, a child infected with parasite larvae can be absolutely healthy. This diagnosis cannot be determined without laboratory tests at a routine examination or from a photo. Treatment of worms in children most often begins when the parasites are already actively propagating. A consequence of the progression of helminthiasis is a noticeable weakening of the immune system. For no apparent reason, the child more and more often begins to get sick, catch a cold, allergic reactions occur.
Often, parents do not even know about the problem until they turn to specialists. Doctors know that worms that infect children's organisms secrete harmful substances that negatively affect the digestive system, the well-being of babies, and interfere with their normal development and growth. That is why, in the presence of a number of specific symptoms, first of all, doctors do not exclude the possibility of treating worms in children. The signs of helminthiasis include the following:
- disorders in the gastrointestinal tract;
- flatulence;
- pain on palpation in the lower abdomen;
- epigastric pain;
- fast fatiguability;
- allergic reactions with a wide range of irritants;
- frequent colds;
- chronic cough, chest pain, persistent sore throat;
- aches in joints and bones;
- muscle pain;
- itching in the anus;
- rapid weight loss.
Without appropriate treatment for worms in a child, the risk of developing serious complications that threaten not only health but also the baby’s life is increased. The effects of helminthiases include hepatitis, pyoderma. In severe cases, parasites can cause a decrease in visual acuity and the development of strabismus. Certain types of worms are capable of affecting the lungs, heart, and brain, leading to complications such as intestinal obstruction, enuresis, meningoencephalitis, and epileptic seizures. Therefore, this is the main reason why the treatment of worms in a child is important to start as early as possible, without delay and urgency. If you have one or more of these symptoms, you must urgently consult a doctor who will give directions for the delivery of laboratory tests. Based on the research results, a further algorithm of actions is determined.
Diagnostics
Parents should not independently begin treatment of worms in children at home, even if they do not have the slightest doubt about the presence of parasites in the body. Indeed, sometimes the presence of helminths in the excrement of a sick child can be discerned with the naked eye. But before starting therapy, it is extremely important to determine the type of worms in order to find effective medicines.
To determine the type of parasites, urine and blood tests are also performed. If fecal tests for worm eggs and scrapings for enterobiosis give a positive result, take a blood sampling from a vein for a more informative diagnosis. The presence of parasites in the child's body may be indicated by an increased number of eosinophils and a low level of hemoglobin. Biochemical and clinical blood tests can be repeated to confirm the results.
In order to determine the presence or absence of toxins in urine, bile, sputum, a doctor can prescribe a coprogram, various immunological tests. These studies will allow to assess the degree of damage by worms, to clarify the clinical picture. With echinococcosis and opisthorchiasis, radiography and ultrasound, duodenal sounding are always prescribed.
Only after carrying out all the necessary diagnostic procedures and expert opinions do they begin to treat worms in children. According to parents, the examination takes only a few days.
How to cure helminthiasis
Drug therapy may be necessary for all family members in case of identification of roundworms or pinworms in children. The treatment of worms in the predominant number of cases is carried out for everyone who is in the close circle of communication of the baby. This measure is more preventive in nature and is necessary in order to exclude the likelihood of re-infection. For each family member, the doctor will determine the appropriate drug, course duration, dosage.
Therapy begins with detoxification of the body. To remove toxic parasitic waste products, glucose solutions are used to fill the deficiency of vitamins C and group B. Enterosorbents and enzyme preparations are also included in the comprehensive therapeutic program. In parallel with detoxification drugs, diuretics and anti-allergic drugs are prescribed. If helminthiasis has led to complications such as hepatitis or myocarditis, steroid medications are used to relieve inflammation.
Antiparasitic agents
To select drugs for the treatment of worms in children, the doctor primarily focuses on the fight against a specific type of worm. Anthelmintic drugs are available in suspension and tablet forms, so they can be used to treat babies of different ages. However, it should be borne in mind that the drugs in this group are highly toxic, can cause adverse reactions. Use of antiparasitic drugs for small patients is possible only with the permission of a doctor. The specialist will calculate the individual dosage, taking into account the age, weight, and other characteristics of the child. To date, the list of effective drugs for the treatment of worms in children of primary and preschool age is huge, so we will briefly dwell on the most popular means.
Pirantel
Assign in the form of tablets (for children over 5 years of age) or suspension, not only with enterobiasis, ascariasis, but also with necatorosis or hookworm. The drug is taken once, and after 2-3 weeks - again. "Pyrantel" is allowed to use for the treatment of infants from six months of age. The medicine has side effects (abdominal pain, loss of appetite, nausea, drowsiness, fatigue, skin rash). If a child has a history of kidney disease, you can not take the drug.
Mebendazole
The medication helps with ascariasis, trichinosis, strongyloidosis, enterobiosis, hookworm. It is more common in pharmacy chains called Vermox. The dosage and regimen are determined by the doctor, depending on the age of the patient and the type of helminthic invasion. Mebendazole can be given to children over two years of age. Like any other antiparasitic drug, this one has a number of contraindications and side effects.
Nemozol
A medicine is available in the form of syrup or tablets for worms. Nemozol acts on numerous types of parasites, but appoint it as "heavy artillery" - if other, weaker means did not bring a positive result. Use "Nemozol" for skin lesions with helminths from the age of two, but strictly as prescribed by a specialist. This drug from worms is difficult to tolerate by adults and children. Most often, after a course of treatment for worms, children develop hepatitis, episodes of stomatitis occur one after another, and short-term visual impairment is possible.
Levamisole
Demonstrates good results in the treatment of ascariasis, necatorosis and hookworm, to a lesser extent - enterobiosis. It is a potent anthelmintic drug with a wide spectrum of action, which also exhibits immunomodulating activity. The trade name under which Levamisole is most popular is Dekaris. In recent years, the drug has increasingly been prescribed to strengthen immunity. Suitable for the treatment of children from three years. Side effects (nausea, vomiting, stool disorders, rash, headache, drowsiness) are not ruled out.
Alternative medicine
You can get rid of parasites with the help of folk remedies. To the treatment of worms in children in non-traditional ways, many are pessimistic. Indeed, the relatively low efficiency of natural compounds against the background of the powerful action of the drug anthelmintic arsenal is an indisputable drawback. At the same time, none of the alternative treatment options for worms in children has as many contraindications and side effects as any of the pharmacy drugs. Despite the harmlessness of natural medicines, you should consult your doctor before giving them to your child. Next, we present several recipes for the control of parasites, time-tested:
- Infusion of walnuts. Only the kernels of green fruits are used. Chop the nuts and pour a glass of boiling water. The resulting mixture, reminiscent of sour cream in consistency, slightly salted and allowed to infuse for 30-40 minutes. Before use, filter and drink for 2-3 doses during the day.
- Wormwood infusion. For 250 ml of boiling water take 2 tbsp. l dry plant materials. The medicine must be infused for about an hour. Drink infusion before meals for 2 tbsp. l
- Decoction of tansy. Dry grass in the amount of three tablespoons is poured with two glasses of boiling water and sent to the fire. As soon as the product boils, it is necessary to remove it from the stove, strain and allow to cool. Decoction give the child 2 tbsp. l on an empty stomach.
- Pomegranate peel decoction. The peel of one large pomegranate is crushed and boiled well in a glass of water. Cooled medicine should be drunk in three divided doses at 30-minute intervals. After 2-3 hours, it is necessary to give the baby a laxative.
- Pumpkin seeds with garlic. These two ingredients need to be crushed, poured into a container, pour vodka. It takes a week to prepare the tincture. The children are given a few drops, stirring with water.
Prevention
To prevent helminthiasis, it is first of all important to develop hygiene skills in the child. The baby must be taught as soon as possible to wash his hands after walking, talking with pets and visiting the toilet. “Clean hands always!” - A simple but at the same time effective prevention rule.
If a pet lives in the house with which the child is in close contact, it is necessary to conduct its timely deworming. Almost all animals are carriers of parasite larvae. For the preparation of a preventive anthelmintic program and the selection of a drug, it is better to consult a veterinarian.
In addition, parents should always remember these points:
- Before giving your child fruits or vegetables, you must sprinkle them with boiling water.
- Meat and fish should be well-fried, cooked or stewed for at least an hour.
- The anal area and genitals of the child should always be kept clean.
- Underwear and bedding of the baby should be changed regularly. It is desirable to wash things at high temperatures, and after washing, be sure to iron with a hot iron.
- Children’s nails should always be cut short.
On the recommendation of a doctor, in order to prevent and treat worms in children, pharmacy or folk remedies can be used. If infection with parasites did occur, it is important to consult a doctor in a timely manner. It is impossible to ignore the symptoms of helminthiasis under any circumstances, since the disease can become chronic and provoke the development of complications.