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Pinworm disease - a common disease in all ages, but the most common target is children. The area where the pinworm develops is usually in the anus and the favorite food of this worm is the blood of the host. There are many effective ways to prevent pinworm infection. However, in order to do this, it is necessary to understand the causes of the disease and the factors involved.
1. Pinworm infection and its causes
The worldwide prevalence of pinworm infections can be calculated as around 5%. However, this rate has decreased markedly in recent years due to the effective application of disease prevention programs. The prevalence of worm infestations varied among individuals, but no sex differences were observed. And especially children are considered to be infected quite commonly.
Pinworms are distributed worldwide and humans are the main host of this worm. So in the human body there can be several or up to several hundred. Adult pinworms usually reside in the cecum and adjacent intestinal tracts, or adhere loosely to the mucosa. The adult female worms will make their way through the anus to the skin around the anus and lay eggs in this location in large numbers. Worm eggs are contagious after a few hours and can be spread to other people or can be transmitted to the mouth through food.
The process of developing from worm eggs when entering the body to becoming an adult female worm capable of laying eggs usually takes about 3 to 4 days. In addition, pinworm eggs have the ability to live in the body for about 2 to 3 weeks and the life time can be from 30 to 45 days.
Pinworm disease caused by infection with the pinworm Enterobius vermicularis. Pinworms are milky white and have a slightly bulging head with a slit shell. The mouth of the pinworm contains 3 lips and the length of the pinworm ranges from 2 to 5 mm. Adult female pinworms will let eggs and eggs hatch into larvae with favorable temperature conditions at 30 degrees Celsius and 70% humidity. Pinworms especially only lay eggs at night and secrete substances that cause itching, so infected cases often have severe symptoms of anal itching at night.
Cần xác định chẩn đoán trước khi tiến hành điều trị giun kim
2. Symptoms of pinworm disease
Many people with pinworm disease often do not recognize the symptoms of the disease. However, it is possible to go through a few signs below to have a basis for identifying the status of pinworm infection.
Patients experience itching around the anus, especially at night. And this is also considered a common and specific symptom of pinworm disease. Children infected with pinworms often cry at night, which is also caused by anal itching. And when observing at the edge of the child's anus, the female pinworm can be seen in this position. People with pinworm disease when having a bowel movement can observe pinworm larvae in the stool. Pinworm usually lives in the anal area but it can also enter the vagina and cause vaginal itching, plus it can be can cause menstrual irregularities. Pinworms can also get into the appendix and cause a superinfection leading to appendicitis. If you have pinworm disease for a long time, it can cause anemia, because human blood is the main food of the pinworm.
3. Diagnosis of pinworm infection
To determine the status of worm infection, the doctor will first take a medical history with symptoms through the patient's description such as anal itching or itching of the vulva. However, some children do not show these signs. In addition, parents also need to monitor the quality of their children's sleep. If your baby cries a lot at night and is uncomfortable in the anus, it could be a sign of a pinworm infection.
In addition, the doctor will also do a physical exam for scratches or red streaks around the anus. These observations are also the basis for conducting treatment.
To properly diagnose pinworm infection can be based on finding worm eggs on the skin around the anal area. The current method will use a soft cellulose pad and place it in the skin around the anus. Then, take the bandage out and examine it under the microscope. Performing this examination three times in a row three mornings before bathing or defecating can help diagnose about 90% of pinworm infections
Alternatively, perianal tests can be used for check or check the stool for adult eggs.
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4. Treatment regimen for pinworm infection in children
Principles of treatment of pinworm infection must have a close combination of treatment with prevention and at the same time avoid reinfection from occurring. For groups of people with high levels of pinworm infection, there is a need for mass treatment. Therefore, symptomatic patients should be treated for pinworms, and members of the patient's family should also receive this treatment at the same time. However, washing hands thoroughly with soap and water after using the toilet and before eating is important to minimize worm infections. Moreover, it is advisable to trim and make sure the nails are always clean so as not to create a good environment for the infection of pinworms. At the same time, it is necessary to regularly change bed sheets as well as clean applications with high potential for pinworm infection.
Specific pinworm treatment regimens include drug treatment and should be repeated after 2 and 4 weeks. Treatments for pinworms in children, such as albendazole, albendazole, and pyrantel pamoate, can be selected. The drug is taken with meals or any time. However, with the drugs Albendazole and mebendazole should not be used for pregnant women.
Albendazole, although not indicated for the treatment of pinworms in the US, is still available in this country. Albendazole can achieve cure rates of pinworm infections up to 100% with a single dose of 400mg. However, when using this medicine, it is possible to develop abdominal pain and diarrhea, but these symptoms are quite rare.
Mebendazole can be used in a single dose for high efficiency and is especially effective when it comes to chewing. Drugs used can occur side effects in the gastrointestinal tract, but rarely occur.
Pyrantel pamoate is highly effective in treating pinworm infections, and the cure rate is over 95%. The drug pyrantel pamoate is used at a dose of 10mg/kg. Less common side effects include signs of vomiting or nausea, diarrhea, headache, dizziness, or drowsiness,...
5. Measures to prevent pinworm infection
Pinworm infection in children needs to be detected quickly and treated promptly. At the same time, when identifying a worm infection in a child, parents should wash the child's anus in the evening before going to bed and early in the morning. In addition, parents should not allow children to wear pants with holes or without pants or let children play on dirty ground. Parents also guide and support children in keeping hands clean, cutting nails, and especially needing to wash hands before eating and after using the toilet.
All daily living items including beds, mats, pillowcases... must be regularly washed and sun-dried to limit a good environment for pinworms to develop.
In addition, parents need to improve good living habits to limit the development of pinworms.
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