In the process of growing up, children have to face a wide range of infectious diseases, viruses and other dangers threatening children's health and normal development. Among the most common lesions is worm infestation - that is, infection with worms. Symptoms of the disease can not always be identified in time.
Symptoms of lesions in children are usually more pronounced than in adults. In addition, often children of preschool and primary school age diagnosed with lambliasis, which should not be confused with helminthic invasion, because lamblia are not worms, but protozoa. However, many of the symptoms in these two pathologies are identical, and only the specialist can correctly diagnose the condition of the child.
The first symptoms of helminthiosis in children
Many parents are interested in the question: how to understand that the child has worms, and what kind of worms triggered these or other symptoms? Children do not always timely and correctly react to changes in their body - but there are several basic rules that will help you to know if your baby has infected with worms.
In particular, you should be alerted to symptoms such as:
- sharp and unmotivated changes in appetite( its complete absence or, conversely, sudden exacerbation);
- bad stool, the appearance of constipation;
- complaints of severe pain in the navel;
- signs of enlarged lymph nodes;
- insomnia, uneven, anxious sleep, accompanied by gnashing of teeth;
- pallor of the skin, dark circles under the eyes;
- possible occurrence of allergic reactions on the skin;
- symptoms such as frequent headaches, dizziness;
- attacks of nausea;
- itching in the anal passage, a sensation of stirring in the large intestine;
- capricious, frequent changes in the mood of the child.
If the children have several of the listed signs, this is already the reason to go to the polyclinic to the parasitologist, and conduct the necessary tests for the presence of worms in the body. All the painful symptoms associated with the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract in children, one way or another, can indicate the infection with worms.
Some of the symptoms of worm infestation in children can be found on specialized medical sites where photos of children infected with helminthic invasion are posted, as well as other illustrative materials that will help you identify signs of the presence of worms in the children's intestines. In addition, the pages of these resources, you can find detailed information on the definition of symptoms, treatment and prevention of worms in children - but apply the information is recommended only after consulting a specialist.
Symptoms of helminthic invasion in a child
Among the first signs that indicate the infection of worms in children - changes in diet. A child is asked to eat too often, or completely loses interest in food. Both are painful signs that testify to the presence of parasites that absorb nutrients and weaken the immunity of children.
It is worth paying special attention to the skin condition in children, because skin manifestations are one of the most characteristic symptoms of worms. If a child has an incomprehensible allergic symptoms that are difficult to treat, this is most likely a sign of infection with worms, since the products of their vital activity provoke the development of a variety of skin reactions, primarily atopic dermatitis.
If you talk about the symptoms of lesions with pinworms or ascarids, you can often find individuals in the feces of a child. Naturally, in this case it is necessary immediately to begin treatment in order to quickly and effectively cleanse the gastrointestinal tract from parasites, and prevent their further reproduction. It should be remembered that with particularly acute forms of helminthiosis, there may be a variety of complications and general intoxication, since the products of the vital activity of the worms are extremely toxic, and can have a disastrous effect on the growth and development of children. Therefore, the symptoms of the presence of worms can in no case be ignored.
Symptoms of worms in children are easy to detect, although with some forms of invasion the process of development and reproduction of parasites is only determined in the late stages.
So, or otherwise, having discovered disturbing changes in the state of the child's health, it is necessary to find the cause of the symptoms, and not to engage in independent treatment. Help in this can only a specialist, to whose services - modern methods of diagnosis and treatment of existing symptoms. It is the parasitologist who determines the course of treatment, depending on the type of helminth infection that has occurred.
Symptoms and treatment of worms in children
It is difficult to remove worms from a child's organism, especially if the child is small and it is difficult to identify the characteristic symptoms of infection.
Many parents prefer to use medicines for prevention, which are given to children, regardless of whether they have worms.
It should be remembered that it is not recommended for small children to give strong anthelmintic drugs, because most of them are toxic, and can lead to extreme exhaustion of the body.
Regarding the prevention of worms, it is quite traditional and includes a set of measures for the observance of personal hygiene in children, the organization of a healthy diet and diet, as well as regular examinations from a specialist. It is worth remembering that children who are actively in contact with domestic animals are more likely to be susceptible to helminthiases, the symptoms of which can manifest themselves at rather late stages. At risk are also children who attend kindergarten and spend a lot of time with their peers in the open air.
Do not abuse the folk remedies against worms, as some of them only help to eliminate symptoms, while others have too aggressive effects, and are undesirable for children under 10-12 years of age. Of all the folk remedies used against worms, children with complete tranquility can only recommend watermelon seeds - they have a mild antihistamine effect, and are pleasant to the taste.
As for the most safe medicines for children, most specialists in parasitologists recommend the use of Pirantel as the most gentle means that helps to cleanse the intestine from worms without critical disturbances in the state of the microflora. In this case, the treatment of worms in children is quite an individual process, depending both on the type of parasites that the patient is infected with, and on the spectrum of symptoms, the course of the pathology, the age of the patient, and some other factors. The dosage of drugs depends on the intensity and nature of the symptoms of infection with worms in children, and the use of restorative therapy after withdrawal of symptoms.
Recently, the considerable trust of parents is enjoyed by the advice of Dr. Komarovsky, who gained popularity thanks to a medical television show, and expanded the project to the level of a large-scale professional lecture hall. Dr. Komarovsky's school offers a significant amount of educational material, presented in audio and video format, which reveals the issues of determining the symptoms of helminthiasis in children, its treatment and prevention. One can argue about how effective the treatment of worms is, based on medical advice received through television or the Internet - but it is definitely worth using them as an additional source of information in the presence of anxiety symptoms.