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What are the causes of pinworms in children?
Undercooked meat, games in sandboxes, hands in the mouth, dog or cat affected by these parasites and not treated … Children collect eggs and they can ingest or inhale by bringing their fingers to their mouths, pinworms, under their fingernails. Ways to catch a oxyurose are numerous.
What is pinworm infection
Pinworms are small white grubs, measuring no more than 1,2 cm. They hatch in the intestine and become adults in 3 weeks. Each female lays about 10 eggs before dying, hence the importance of treating her child as quickly as possible when you notice it.
The pinworms then settle in the small intestine, then, once fertilized, travel through the colon and rectum to attach themselves to the folds of the skin of the anus where they lay eggs.
Symptoms of pinworms in children
When infested, your child is irritable, nervous, restless, tired. He has trouble falling asleep or has nightmares at night. He may also have night terrors.
Children with pinworms sometimes have colic attacks, difficulty passing urine, urinary leaks, intestinal transit disorders and nausea.
In little girls. It is common for pinworm disease, the disease of pinworms, to affect the vulva and vagina, causing an vulvo-vaginiteor even cystitis (urinary tract infection).
Eggs, pinworms, trigger a strong itch. And by dint of scratching, the child can provoke lesions that become infected (prurigo). The disturbance caused by the pruritus often cuts their appetite, or, on the contrary, makes them temporarily bulimic.
Le anal pruritus manifests as itchy waves lasting three or four days, often at night. By scratching his backside, the child retrieves the eggs from under his fingernails, brings his fingers to his mouth … and the cycle begins again. It lasts between 15 and 20 days.
How to see if a child has pinworms?
You may see the worms squirming on the surface of the stool, even pulling the folds of the anus apart. In case of doubt or to verify that the first treatment worked or did not work, have a “scotch-test” or ” Graham test “. It consists, at a distance from a saddle, to stick a piece of adhesive on the anal region, then to examine it under a microscope.
Pinworms: complications
Eggs can get stuck in the digestive tract and cause either bowel obstruction, or appendicitis.
Pinworms in children: what are the treatments?
The treatment is based on the immediate single dose a pest control in tablets or suspension, (Fluvermal type), renewed three weeks later.
The same drug is immediately given to all people in direct contact with it, at a dosage adapted to each person’s weight. This treatment is repeated within 15 to 20 days, or even a third time, after a month in children.
How to prevent re-infestation by intestinal worms?
To avoid réinfestation, change your underwear, pajamas and sheets frequently. Iron them with a hot iron. On the day of the treatment, vacuum the room, wash all the sheets, open the curtains and blinds wide because pinworms don’t like light.
Have the child wear a closed nightwear to prevent it from scratching at night. Be aware that eggs are heat resistant and can survive outside the body (so on toys, pacifiers, clothes, in bedding, etc.) three weeks at room temperature. So clean them regularly. They can also be carried by flies and wind. On the other hand, they fear water.
Pinworm infection: hygiene rules to follow
To reduce the risk of catching pinworm infection, make sure your child washes their hands regularly, especially when coming back from the park or after playing with dirt or sand, before going to the table, and afterwards. going to the toilet or on his pot. It is an essential gesture, as well as the nail brushing (cut flush).
If he goes to the pool, remind him not to drink the cup.