Medicine for worms in children

Helminths are parasites from three groups (nematodes, cestodes and trematodes), numbering about 240 species. They have a different size and shape, life cycles and localization, but they always use the victim’s body for nutrition and life. Helminths are able to parasitize in several systems and organs of the human body: it can be the liver, lungs, intestines, brain, eyes. According to medical statistics, parasitic diseases cover about a quarter of the world’s population.

Preschoolers and younger students are most often affected by pinworms and roundworms – worms from the nematode genus. These parasites become the causative agents of ascariasis and enterobiasis. The consequences of helminthic invasion are serious pathologies, the most severe of which are considered to be oncological diseases.

For a developing child’s organism, helminthiasis is a severe test. The supply of tissues with nutrients, vitamins and minerals is disrupted, the waste products of worms cause allergies and toxic damage. The organs of the gastrointestinal tract, nervous and respiratory systems suffer. For the treatment of children, only safe and effective anthelmintic drugs are used.

Test for the presence of parasites in a child and an adult

To verify the presence or absence of worms, you need to answer the test questions. If there is no confidence in the accuracy of the answer, it is considered negative. Positive responses are summarized:

• The tested person works, studies in a large team (the child attends a kindergarten);

• There are periodic pains in the abdomen of varying intensity;

• An increase in lymph nodes is diagnosed;

• The baby has severe sleep disorders (cries, cannot fall asleep for a long time, often wakes up at night);

• Skin rashes are observed;

• There are disorders of the gastrointestinal tract (diarrhea, diarrhea, bloating);

• Allergy manifestations are diagnosed: asthmatic attacks, allergic cough or runny nose, neurodermatitis;

• There is itching in the anus (more often at night or in the evening);

• There is a constant feeling of fatigue that does not go away after rest or sleep;

• There is bitterness in the mouth, nausea, not dependent on food intake;

• There are muscle pains out of connection with the load;

• The test subject often consumes uncooked meat, rare steaks, dried fish, sushi, home-cured brisket;

• A change in appetite is diagnosed: a decrease or increase that does not affect weight;

• The diet contains a lot of vegetables and fruits that are not washed well enough and not scalded with boiling water.

Test results:

• 7 or more positive answers – laboratory tests are required (a blood test for the presence of giardiasis, a three-time stool test for worm eggs, a three-time anal scraping for enterobiasis);

• 15 or more positive answers – almost certainly there is one or more types of helminthiasis.

To clarify the diagnosis and referral for examination, a consultation with a parasitologist or infectious disease specialist is required.

What is the best medicine for worms for children?

Each type of helminthiasis is best treated with a specific drug that is most active in relation to a particular variety of parasite. Before the doctor selects the right drug, you should clarify the culprit of the invasion. This is very important, since even the safest antihelminthic drug has a toxic effect on the body.

Rules for the use of drugs for worms in children:

• For safe use, precise dosage compliance is required;

• The doctor calculates the frequency of taking the medicine and the dose, there may be discrepancies with the instructions for the drug;

• In the case of massive helminthiasis, course treatment is used, several drugs are used that complement each other or are taken intermittently;

• When prescribing drugs for worms in children, contraindications must be taken into account: pathologies of the blood, digestive and nervous systems, oncological processes in the body.

Medicines for the prevention of worms in children

There are 2 points of view of parasitologists on the prevention of helminthiasis in children:

• First, every six months, preventive intake of anthelmintic drugs by children visiting the children’s group should be carried out. The reasons for this are the ease of transmission of eggs and worm larvae, unstable hygiene skills in children, inaccurate diagnosis;

• The second – anti-helminths are very toxic for the child’s body, you should not use them without clarifying the diagnosis.

The child’s absence of abdominal pain, nausea and diarrhea, itching in the anal region, bright skin color, good appetite are signs that allow you to be confident in the absence of helminthiasis. And the symptoms of ascariasis or enterobiasis can be a reason for an in-depth examination, even with a negative test result for worm eggs.

How to remove worms in children?

If at least one person in the family suffers from helminthiasis, it is necessary to examine and treat all its members. How are children treated for worms? The doctor prescribes a therapeutic dose of an anthelmintic drug depending on the weight, age, degree and duration of the invasion.

List of deworming drugs, ranked by toxicity, starting with the safest:

Manifestations of allergies are reduced by modern antihistamines: Zirtek, Erius, Loratadin, Tsetrin, Zodak, Claricens. They are used in children from 1-2 years old in the form of drops or syrup, they relieve allergies for a long time, have a minimum of side effects and no sedative effect.