Recently, Xiao Ming’s mother found that her child always sleeps and grinds his teeth. She likes to bite her fingers. She looked carefully and seemed to have some white spots on her face.
[It’s not a worm, is it? That would be awesome.]
Should I buy medicine to eat? What if I eat it wrong? Xiao Ming’s mother is very upset.
Indeed, many parents are very nervous when they find white spots on their children’s faces, picky about food and grinding their teeth. They always doubt whether there are parasites and hesitate whether they need to buy insecticide for their children.
Next, Dr. Clove will talk to you about [worms in his stomach].
[Worms in Belly] What’s the matter?
We usually refer to a kind of parasitic infection called [soil-borne nematode], and common roundworm and pinworm infections belong to this category.
These parasites are also called intestinal parasites because they are parasitic in the intestines. After human infection, eggs are wrapped in feces and discharged out of the body. If other people accidentally eat food contaminated with eggs, new infections will occur.
In our country, the common soil-borne nematodes mainly include Ascaris lumbricoides, Enterobius vermicularis, hookworm, whipworm, etc. Children are more infected with Ascaris lumbricoides and Enterobius vermicularis.
Some parents may think that now that the hygiene level has improved, these parasites should have been eliminated, right?
This is not the case. According to the statistics of 2010, the infection rate of homogenous nematodes in our country is 11.25%, of which the infection rate of children aged 5-10 years old has reached 16.33%. Moreover, the epidemic degree varies in different regions, which is closely related to the local living standard and sanitary environment.
Generally speaking, the infection rate in rural areas is far higher than that in cities. This is because there is a habit of working barefoot in the fields in rural areas, untreated human excrement will also be used as fertilizer, and some toilets have not been harmless modified, etc., which are conducive to the spread of eggs.
Why are children infected with parasites?
The high infection rate among children is due to the fact that these nematode infections are often easy to spread in families and kindergartens.
If adults are infected with intestinal parasites or other children in kindergartens are infected, special attention should be paid to whether children are infected.
In addition, exposure to contaminated feces is also the key to infection. The following are all high-risk factors for intestinal parasite infection:
- Children often go to the fields to play. Local use of human dung as fertilizer; Children defecate anywhere; Eat raw, unwashed vegetables.
How to find children infected with parasites?
If you want to find out in time that your child is infected with intestinal parasites, you need to know the symptoms after infection. Since the symptoms of different parasites are different after infection, we will say it separately.
1. Ascaris lumbricoides
Ascaris lumbricoides is the most common intestinal parasite. Adults parasitize the small intestine of human beings. In severe infection, there may even be thousands of worms in the body.
Common symptoms: intermittent stomachache, partial eclipse, emaciation, molars at night and other symptoms. However, facial leukoplakia and molars are not unique manifestations of roundworm infection, and the presence or absence of infection cannot be determined by symptoms alone.
If you think your child has such symptoms, parents need to observe the child’s feces to see if there are any worms excreted. Or use clean plastic utensils to carry suspicious feces to the hospital for testing. Sometimes, children with serious roundworm infection even spit out worms.
2. Enterobius vermicularis
Enterobius vermicularis infection often occurs in children aged 3-6 years old. Adults parasitize human cecum and colon, while females move to anus to lay eggs at night.
Common symptoms: children cry uneasily at night, night terrors, and often say anal itching.
If the child has such symptoms, parents can check the anus for worms after the child sleeps for 2-3 hours.
3. Hookworm
Hookworm is parasitic in human small intestine. The worm body adheres to the intestinal wall and will cause continuous intestinal bleeding.
Common symptoms: chronic upper abdominal discomfort and pain, vomiting, anorexia, anemia, pale complexion, limb fatigue, etc.
4. Trichiworms
Trichiworms are parasitic in the cecum.
Common symptoms: loss of appetite, constipation, hematochezia, abdominal pain, emaciation, etc.
What needs to be told to parents is that even if the child has these symptoms of suspected parasite infection, it is also recommended to go to the hospital for examination first, and then give the child insecticide after diagnosis.
Because there are different types of parasites that are prevalent in different places and parasitic infections are rare in big cities. If children suffer from abdominal pain, emaciation, anorexia and other symptoms, it may also be caused by other diseases. Parents may not be able to find the difference between these diseases and parasitic infections.
Therefore, before the diagnosis is made, please do not give the child insecticide without authorization.
How to treat parasitic infection?
If intestinal parasite infection is diagnosed, doctors often prescribe anthelmintic drugs. The most commonly used one is albendazole (Changchongqing).
This drug can destroy the parasite’s protection mechanism and dissolve the parasite. It can also inhibit enzymes in the worm body, making the parasite weak and dead, and has good effects on various nematode infections.
1. How many times do you eat?
Generally speaking, intestinal parasites can be eliminated by taking one insecticide.
However, it was mentioned earlier that pinworm infection can cause anal pruritus. Children often scratch with their hands, and eggs are likely to adhere to children’s hands. If children lick their fingers or do not wash their hands before meals, they are likely to swallow the worm again, causing repeated infection.
Therefore, pinworm treatment often requires multiple medications to eradicate it.
2. How to eat?
Insecticides should be taken on an empty stomach, and the effect is better before going to bed.
If the parasite infection is serious and there are many worms in the body, the worms can be seen discharged from the stool after taking the medicine. If the infection is mild, it is often not visible.
Are there any side effects?
It should be noted that pregnant women and children under 2 years old should not take insecticides.
In addition, there may be side effects such as headache, dizziness and gastrointestinal discomfort. However, most of the symptoms are mild and will be relieved after withdrawal of drugs. Therefore, parents need not worry too much.
How to prevent parasitic infection?
Developing good hygiene habits is the key to prevent intestinal parasite infection. Parents should correct their children’s habit of sucking fingers, and the whole family should do:
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Wash your hands before meals and after defecation.
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Vegetables and fruits should be eaten after cleaning.
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Cut your nails frequently.