Worm infections in children

This is an automatically translated article.

The article is professionally consulted by Master, Doctor Huynh Bao Toan - Pediatrician - Neonatologist - Department of Pediatrics - Neonatology - Vinmec Nha Trang International General Hospital. Uncle has 13 years of experience in the field of Pediatrics and has many years working at Children's Hospital 1, Ho Chi Minh City. Doctor has strengths in the treatment of diseases in the field of endocrinology, pediatric kidney, pediatric - neonatal.
Intestinal worm infection is a common condition in children today. Consequences of worm infection are anorexia, growth retardation, malnutrition, anemia, and even death from complications of worm infection. Worm colic in children is a typical sign that helps to recognize and effectively treat this condition.

1. How do worms enter the child's body?

Worms are a type of parasite, living mainly in the intestinal tract. Pinworms are easily transmitted from person to person by accidentally putting material in the mouth. Hookworms, roundworms and tapeworms can enter the human body through contact with soil contaminated with the feces of livestock or humans. In addition, humans can become infected with worms if they eat food contaminated with tapeworm eggs or larvae such as raw pork, beef,...

2. Common worms in children

Roundworm : Parasites in the small intestine. Female worms lay eggs, eggs are excreted with feces, polluting soil and water. Worm eggs continue through food, water, ... into the human mouth, enter the intestines, hatch and develop into adult worms. Complications of roundworm are intestinal obstruction, liver abscess, worms in the biliary tract. Pinworms: Live in the small intestine, then live in the large intestine, female worms lay eggs at the edge of the anus, causing anal itching. The route of transmission of pinworm eggs from the anus to the mouth is through hands and clothing. Pinworm eggs enter the intestines to develop into adult worms. Hookworm: Parasites in the duodenum, the worm's mouth attaches to the intestinal mucosa to suck blood. The female worm lays eggs. Then, the eggs follow the feces out and hatch into larvae. The route of hookworm infection is that humans put worm larvae into the body through eating raw vegetables, putting dirty hands to their mouths,... Hairworms: Parasites in the large intestine. The route of infection is by ingesting worm eggs in food and water. Hairworm eggs enter the intestines to develop into adult worms.

3. Symptoms of worm infection in children

Worm infection causes abdominal pain in the umbilical region in children, the abdomen is bloated, thin and weak, children can vomit worms, diarrhea worms. Worm stomach pain often recurs many times. Children infected with worms often have difficulty sleeping, sometimes bed-wetting, or fussy due to anal itching at night. Children with digestive disorders, sometimes solid or liquid stools, can see pinworms in the anus or in the stool. Anorexia baby. Children are uncomfortable, change in daily activities. Girls may experience redness and itching around the vaginal area. There are vitamin and mineral deficiencies. There may be blood in the stools, anemia or wheezing, dry cough. A stool examination for worm eggs will show worm eggs. In some cases of multiple roundworms, ultrasound can detect roundworms.

4. How to cure stomach worms in children

To reverse the symptoms of stomach worms in children, parents need to prevent and treat worm infections for children effectively. Useful tips for you are:
Deworming your child if the stool test has many worm eggs or when the child shows signs of worms, vomiting worms, anal itching. Deworming should be done with drugs that work with many types of worms, with little toxicity and few side effects. When using deworming drugs, it is not necessary to force children to fast. Should periodically deworm children over 2 years old, deworm every 6 months or 1 year. Currently, children over 1 year old can be dewormed periodically. There are even drugs that can be used for babies over 6 months old. You should consult your doctor for more specific instructions. To prevent worm infection, family members need to wash their hands with soap before eating and after defecating, urinating, eating cooked food, drinking boiling water, and not walking barefoot to avoid hookworm larvae. crawl through the skin, do not let children crawl on the ground, do not let children bite their nails. If the child has complications caused by worms such as worms in the bile duct, liver abscess, biliary tract infection, intestinal obstruction due to worms... or infected with other worms such as strongyloidiasis, filariasis, roundworms in dogs and cats.. ., you should take the child to medical facilities for examination and treatment. At the same time, it is necessary to keep the living environment clean, use clean water, treat worms for domestic animals.
For children to be healthy and develop well, it is necessary to have a nutritious diet in terms of quantity and quality balance. If children are not provided with adequate and balanced nutrients, it will lead to diseases of excess or lack of nutrients, which adversely affect the comprehensive development of children in terms of physical, mental and motor skills.
Children who do not eat properly are at risk of micro-mineral deficiency causing anorexia, growth retardation, malabsorption,... If they notice the above signs, parents should supplement their children with products. The supplement contains lysine, essential micro-minerals and vitamins such as zinc, chromium, selenium, and B vitamins to help fully meet the nutritional needs of children. At the same time, these essential vitamins also support digestion, enhance nutrient absorption, help improve anorexia, and help children eat well.
Parents can learn more:
Signs of zinc deficiency in children
Micronutrient deficiency and failure to gain weight in children
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