Before you determine how to get rid of giardia at home, you need to know exactly what giardiasis is and how it manifests itself. This is a fairly common parasitic disease, which is accompanied by impaired bowel function. Diagnosing giardiasis is not always possible immediately. Many believe that the child simply poisoned himself with something, since he lacks appetite and there is diarrhea. It is important to timely diagnose the disease and conduct treatment.
What is lamblia?
It is very important to know not only how to get rid of giardia at home, but also what exactly are these parasites and how they affect the children's body. Giardia has two forms of development - trophozoite and cyst. Trophozoite is an active type of parasite that has a pear-shaped shape. Their body consists of 4 pairs of flagella and a suction cup for attachment to the intestine.
This parasite does not have an oral cavity, so it eats only dissolved beneficial substances that enter the stomach. The presence of a large number of lamblia and their waste products can provoke a violation of the absorption process. Attaching to the walls of the intestine, parasites significantly impair the absorption of carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, and also reduce the activity of enzymes. As a result of this, the metabolism worsens significantly, signs of dysbiosis, pain in the intestine, and nausea are found.
Depending on the particular manifestation of the disease, the symptoms may vary somewhat. The only favorable place for the life of Giardia is the small intestine.
Giardia multiplication occurs by dividing the individual, and this is possible only under the required conditions. With a deterioration in the nutrition of the child, an increased content of bile and starvation, cysting of the parasite begins. The form of this type of pathogen performs a protective function and serves to further the spread of infection. The formation of cysts occurs in the colon, and then they exit along with feces. To infect the body requires only 10 cysts.
Giardiasis in infants
Often diagnosed cases of giardiasis in infants. The first signs appear at the stage of breastfeeding. The main symptoms are:
- refusal to consume food;
- tearfulness;
- temperature rise;
- dysbiosis;
- severe diarrhea;
- slowdown of physical development;
- allergy.
The penetration of giardia into the body of the baby occurs only because of insufficient good care for the baby. If all these signs appear, you should immediately contact a pediatrician or infectious disease specialist. Self-treatment of giardia at home is strictly prohibited.
Giardiasis in children older than a year
Signs of the disease in children older than one year begin to appear approximately 1-2 weeks after infection. During this period, Giardia has time to adapt in the body. Initially, the child begins to refuse food, and then dramatically loses weight, up to complete exhaustion. In the form of the course, giardiasis can be acute and chronic. Be sure to treat both of these forms of the disease.
The main symptoms of acute giardiasis are:
- frequent bowel movements with liquid and fetid stool;
- stomach ache;
- fever;
- allergy;
- weakness.
Without the required treatment, the symptoms of the disease begin to fade away and the disease goes into a chronic stage. The main symptoms are:
- gastroduodenitis;
- digestion disorder;
- bloating;
- abdominal pain;
- repeated diarrhea.
There are also a number of many other characteristic symptoms in a child older than a year. Among them, it is necessary to highlight such as:
- prolonged diarrhea;
- temperature rise;
- fever;
- sharp pains in the navel;
- the appearance of an itchy rash;
- nausea.
In a child, feces have a very sharp, unpleasant odor and adhere to the walls of the toilet bowl, since the body does not digest fats. In addition, chills alternate with fever. Against the background of all these signs, a sharp decrease in weight occurs, which leads to exhaustion.
Giardiasis in adolescents
When infected with lamblia in adolescence, the disease manifests itself in the form of vegetative disorders in the body:
- pressure drops;
- rhinitis;
- dizziness;
- motion sickness in transport.
In severe diseases of the intestinal form, when many parasites have entered the body, intestinal crises sometimes occur, which is accompanied by cramping abdominal pain. Often, adolescents can be mistakenly diagnosed, as these symptoms resemble gastroduodenitis and appendicitis. Often, the symptoms of giardiasis are confused with biliary dyskinesia.
With giardiasis, cough and rashes on the skin are quite often observed. Such manifestations are associated with the presence of an allergy to toxins that secrete parasites. This is a kind of protection of the human body from parasitic infections.
In some cases, adolescents experience shortness of breath, which many parents take for signs of asthma or the common cold and begin to treat them unsuccessfully. To remove giardia at home, treatment should be comprehensive. It is very important to conduct timely diagnosis, especially if there are characteristic signs of the disease.
Infection methods
The number of lamblia largely depends on the degree of infection and the food consumed by the child. The longer the baby is infected, the more parasites it releases into the environment. The main source of infection is an infected person. The method of infection is fecal-oral. There are 3 main ways of transmitting the disease:
- food;
- water;
- contact household.
The foodborne infection method is characterized in that cysts are transmitted along with food. Helminths live on them from 6 hours to 2 days. Sources of infection can serve:
- poorly washed or unwashed fruits, vegetables and berries;
- undercooked or undercooked meat;
- foods infected with cockroaches or flies.
Often, infection occurs when you consume raw water. In a humid environment, Giardia live 2-3 months. Infection occurs:
- through unboiled drinking water;
- fruits and vegetables washed with tap water;
- when swimming in an open reservoir.
With the contact-household method, the transmission of parasites occurs from one child to another in kindergartens and schools. Most cysts are found in sandboxes or in fertilized manure soil. The causes of infection are:
- unsanitary living conditions;
- use of infected items;
- infection of the baby during childbirth;
- games with cats and dogs in the yard.
In addition, the presence of bad habits, in particular, such as the sucking of fingers by a child, may be the causes of infection. It is worth noting that Giardia do not live in saltwater.
Main symptoms
A doctor can determine how to treat giardia at home, since self-medication can only do harm. That is why, if signs of the disease occur, you should immediately visit a pediatrician. The clinical picture of giardiasis is similar to the manifestations of other pathological processes. Parents need to know the signs of infection with giardia so that you can seek help in a timely manner. Among the main manifestations are:
- belching, bitterness in the mouth, heartburn;
- loose stools with an unpleasant odor;
- nausea
- bloating;
- pain in the navel and under the ribs;
- poor appetite;
- allergies
- headache, dizziness;
- fatigue.
If the child has a very large number of lamblia, then this provokes an acute form of the disease. It occurs mainly in children under 3 years old. This is explained by the fact that the child does not have sufficiently developed immunity. Diagnosing giardiasis is often quite difficult. The child begins to be treated for other diseases.
The prolonged course of the disease leads to severe intoxication of the body, weight loss, impaired immunity. The child forms dark circles under the eyes due to the lack of normal absorption of vitamins, which come with food.
Diagnostics
To determine how to get rid of giardia at home, you need to visit a doctor who will conduct a comprehensive diagnosis and select treatment methods. If giardiasis is not detected in time, then dangerous consequences may occur. In addition, the treatment of giardia in a child with folk remedies and methods of traditional medicine in the early stages gives a much better result and goes much faster. There are several research methods that will allow you to diagnose an infection of the body. Among the main diagnostic methods are:
- palpation;
- coprogram;
- sounding;
- biopsy
- enzyme immunoassay.
Initially, the doctor palpates and then analyzes the pain in the intestine, liver, gall bladder. To determine how to deal with giardia at home, you need to conduct a coprogram. This is a study of feces that will detect lamblia cysts. However, it is worth remembering that it can show a false result, since in some cases parasites with feces are not excreted. Repeated research is recommended.
Probing is used to study the biliary tract. A similar technique allows you to detect not only cysts, but also active forms of parasites. It is also possible that a false result will be obtained. Sounding is carried out only when the child is older than 10 years. A biopsy examines the mucous membrane of the small intestine.
Antibodies to Giardia are formed in the body about 2 weeks after infection. To detect parasites, ELISA of blood is prescribed. This method makes it possible to determine even the approximate period of infection. Blood from a vein is given strictly on an empty stomach. It is recommended to conduct such a study simultaneously with the coprogram.
There are more modern immunological methods for determining giardiasis antigens in feces and antibodies in the small intestine, saliva, and blood serum. They give a good result, but are still very rarely used. Basically, specialists resort to a simpler method of examining feces.
To clarify the diagnosis, it is recommended to conduct a comprehensive examination. It may include ultrasound diagnostics of the abdominal cavity, allergy tests, analysis of feces for dysbiosis. This approach is justified. It is worth noting that intestinal symptoms can cause not only lamblia. Diagnosis of the disease can give incorrect results if the patient takes antibiotics. After the study, drugs are selected that will be effective and safe.
Treatment features
Lamblia have a very serious effect on the body. At home, lamblia can be withdrawn only under the condition of complex therapy. The treatment of giardiasis has a number of characteristic features. Symptoms of the disease can be acute or chronic, so the treatment regimen will be slightly different. The incubation period lasts for 1-2 weeks. The whole complex of therapy consists of several stages.
The preparatory phase includes following a diet with a restriction of carbohydrate intake, taking antihistamines, choleretic drugs. It is aimed at creating conditions that worsen the process of reproduction of the pathogen. This time takes approximately 1-2 weeks.
Therapy with medications involves taking antihistamines, enterosorbents, which help to remove toxins and eliminate an allergic reaction. This stage of treatment takes approximately 5-10 days.
The final stage is aimed at stimulating and increasing the protective mechanisms of immunity, stabilizing the intestinal microflora and normalizing metabolism. At this stage, diet is also shown. It is aimed at normalizing the intestinal microflora. In addition, probiotics are used. This stage takes 2-3 weeks.
Drug therapy
Giardiasis is considered a rather complex disease, which is why many parents are interested in how to cure giardia at home using medications and traditional medicine. Effectively cope with this disease helps drugs such as:
- "Furazolidone";
- Metronidazole
- Macmirror
- Albendazole
- "Tinidazole".
It is worth noting that the dosage of medications depends on the age of the child, weight and type of disease. Self-medication is strictly prohibited, as this can harm a small patient.
Very dangerous for the baby's condition are lamblia. At home, Giardia is treated with the drug "Metronidazole". This medicine is toxic to anaerobic forms of parasites and has a destructive effect on them. The drug is absorbed into the blood within 3 hours. It has a high degree of penetration into the tissues and body fluids and is excreted approximately 9 hours after ingestion. It is worth noting that the medicine causes a number of side effects, so you need to take it very carefully.
The drug "Nemozol" is considered one of the most effective, and it is often prescribed for children. The main difference between this drug is a minimum of side effects. The course of taking the medicine is 5 days. According to medical data, this time is enough to cure the child.
The drug "Macmirror" a wide spectrum of action. It not only negatively affects giardia, but also has pronounced antifungal and antimicrobial qualities. In the body, this medicine does not stay, therefore it is allowed for use by children. It is excreted with urine.
The drug "Tiberal" contains ornidazole. It acts on giardia, leads to a violation of their genetic program and the death of parasites. Therefore, the medication is considered quite effective in giardiasis. It is taken once at a dosage prescribed by a doctor.
The drug "Dekaris" helps to cope with giardia. It has a paralyzing effect on parasites and leads to their rapid death. It should be taken once after eating food.
The drug "Vermox" refers to anthelmintic drugs, but also eliminates pathogens. It contains components that interfere with the absorption of glucose by parasites, which leads to their death. Knowing how to poison giardia at home, you can achieve a positive result. Self-treatment can lead to various kinds of complications.
After starting treatment, after about 2-3 days, parents can see an improvement in the appearance of the baby. If after 5-6 days the well-being of the child begins to deteriorate, then do not worry, as this is quite normal. This is due to the fact that, under the influence of drugs, the final death of parasites in the intestines of the baby begins. Toxic substances are absorbed into the blood of a child, which worsens his well-being. To facilitate the treatment process, the doctor may prescribe antihistamines that help cope with allergies and toxins. Widely also used for the treatment of giardia folk methods. Therapy must be comprehensive, otherwise it can drag on for a long time.
Folk techniques
Many are interested in how to cure giardia at home with the help of folk remedies and techniques. Therapy primarily involves proper nutrition and the use of means to strengthen immunity and improve well-being. In addition to normalizing nutrition, it is necessary to apply alternative methods for the treatment of giardia in a child that will help more effectively cope with parasites.
A mixture of flax seeds and cloves is recommended. With this tool, we derive lamblia at home very quickly and efficiently. The components in a ratio of 10 to 1 are grinded in a coffee grinder until a homogeneous mixture is obtained, which can then be added to products or taken in pure form for 1 month.
No less effective means is garlic with milk. This folk method from giardia is very simple and safe, and also helps to quickly remove parasites from the body. To do this, chop the garlic, add it to 1 cup of warm milk and let it brew for 10 minutes. Give the child to drink milk, and then he should lie down for at least 1 hour, so it is better to take the medicine at night. This is a very good alternative method for treating giardia in adults, since garlic helps to quickly expel parasites from the body.
A cucumber drink has a good effect. To prepare it, you need to cut fresh cucumbers into pieces, pour boiling water and leave for 2 hours. After this, the liquid should be filtered and given a drink to the child during the day.
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The child must have his own towel. Pets must undergo a special anthelmintic treatment. Drinking water must be boiled before use. Vegetables, herbs and fruits must first be washed under running water, and then doused with boiling water and dried with a clean cloth.
To reduce the likelihood of developing giardiasis, you need to follow preventive measures and regularly undergo preventive examinations by your doctor.