What is it - enterobiosis? Symptoms and treatment of pathology will be considered in this article.
Enterobiosis is a fairly widespread parasitic disease in the world, which belongs to the helminthic category. Its causative agent is worms, which are known as pinworms. In our article, we will consider this disease in detail, and also find out what the symptoms of enterobiasis can be and what are the methods of treatment.
Pinworms as the causative agent of helminthiasis
The causative agent of this helminthiasis is a small and round worm with a whitish color. The body length of the female worm is up to one centimeter, and the male, as a rule, is half that. In females, the end of the body is pointed at the back, which explains the choice of the name for the parasite. This helminth is fixed to the intestinal wall with the help of vesicles around its mouth opening. These worms feed not only on blood, but also on the contents of the intestine. The most favorable conditions for their growth and development is the environment in the caecum, in its process -appendix. A person who is infected usually does not experience any pain due to the parasite in the digestive tract.
Symptoms of enterobiasis in children and photos will be presented below.
The disease, as already noted, is one of the most common parasitic diseases in the world. You can get sick at any age, due to the fact that susceptibility to invasion does not change over the years. However, at risk are mostly younger children who are not yet familiar with or have not learned the basic rules of their hygiene. It is important to note that only a person infected with pinworms can be the source of the disease.
Symptoms of enterobiasis in adults are of interest to many.
Helminth and its cycle of development
At the time when the infected person goes to bed, and his anal sphincter is completely relaxed, the female helminth crawls out through the corresponding hole, laying eggs on the skin in the anal area. Such a female is capable of laying from five to seventeen thousand eggs at a time, after which she dies. Since the patient feels itching during this process, he begins to comb the affected area. Because of this, laid eggs can get under the nails or on the skin, which, against the background of an insufficient level of hygiene, causes another infection and the spread of the parasite through certain household items.
Symptoms and treatment of enterobiasis in adults is a subject of frequent discussion.
Important to pay attentionattention to the fact that a fertilized female is not able to lay eggs directly in the intestines, since in this anoxic region their reproductive organs are in poor condition. The average duration of the existence of adults is no more than five weeks. They usually parasitize on the intestinal wall. The function of males is only to fertilize females, after which the male dies.
Eggs of pinworms are carried, as a rule, by domestic insects or simply with particles of dust. Larval development requires a temperature of around 34°C along with a high level of humidity, which should be up to 90%. Egg maturation time is only five hours. The larvae are released from eggs in the human digestive system by the action of certain enzymes.
Within the human small intestine, they turn into sexually mature individuals in two weeks, after which they mate. Having fulfilled their mission, the males go outside, and the female moves to the lower sections of the intestine, attaching to the wall there and continuing to live and eat until the growing eggs inside her begin to put pressure on the esophagus. After breaking away from the intestinal wall, the female descends, and then comes out to lay eggs, thereby repeating the next cycle of development of a new generation of helminths.
Pinworms have a fairly high level of stability in the environment. Against the background of favorable conditions, eggs can retain their invasiveness beyond the humanbody up to three weeks. A dry environment, along with solar ultraviolet, is detrimental to the eggs of this parasite.
What causes symptoms of enterobiasis in adults?
How can you get infected?
The main source of infection with enterobiasis are dirty hands and objects contaminated with parasites. As a result of poor hygiene, pinworm eggs can enter the body of the next host through the mouth, and then parasitize and multiply in the intestines. It is not surprising that children most often suffer from enterobiasis, especially those who attend preschool institutions. Outbreaks of a disease such as enterobiosis in kindergarten, unfortunately, are not uncommon.
Symptoms of enterobiasis
The main sign of the appearance of enterobiasis in adults, as well as in children, is severe itching in the anal area, which is felt in the evening immediately before bedtime and at night. In the event that parents notice that their child is intensively combing this area in a dream, then it is necessary to take immediate measures aimed at deworming the child's body.
As a rule, from infection to the first symptom of enterobiasis takes from three to six weeks. Against the background of a mild form of helminthiasis, within three days, patients have itching, which disappears on its own for a while. Then it reappears three weeks later due to repeated self-infection. In the event that there are too many pinworms, the itching will be unbearable and will haunt the patient constantly. CostsIt should be noted that the total number of parasites in the body of an infected person can reach tens, and in cases of reinvasion, even thousands of individuals. The main symptoms of enterobiasis include the following:
- Appearance of itching around the anus, mainly in the evenings and at night.
- Development of flatulence.
- Pain in the abdomen, which, however, does not always happen.
- Appearance of rumbling in the stomach.
- Frequent tenesmus.
- A shortened stool with a mushy consistency.
- The presence of blood in the stool, which is relatively rare.
You should also pay attention to the fact that the symptoms of enterobiasis are most pronounced in the acute phase during the first seven days. In the chronic phase, the main sign of the appearance of helminthiasis is itching in the anal area.
Consider the symptoms of enterobiasis in children.
Manifestations of illness in children
In children, in turn, against the background of enterobiasis, the following neurological signs may appear:
- Frequent mood swings.
- The appearance of tearfulness and nervousness.
- Decreased appetite along with increased fatigue.
- Bad and restless sleep.
- Presence of headaches.
Symptoms of enterobiasis in children should not be ignored.
Pathology can develop in a newborn. Symptoms of enterobiasis in infants are not easy to recognize. These include:
- apparently active weight loss;
- there is increased salivation;
- in the hips canlocalized rash that does not resolve with topical treatment;
- facial skin becomes pale, sometimes there are bruises under the eyes;
- baby behaves restlessly if he presses lightly on the abdomen.
What are the complications?
Scratching can often cause abrasions, which is why a secondary bacterial complication is likely to develop. Dermatitis or eczema can also complicate the course of the disease. As a result of a particularly severe and prolonged course of enterobiasis, the following complications are likely:
- Irritation in the peritoneum.
- Development of pyoderma and paraproctitis.
- Appearance of sphincteritis.
- Development of enterobiosis endometritis (in case of female parasite entering the woman's genital tract).
In addition, there are cases of granulomas around pinworms, which are deeply immersed in the thickness of the intestinal mucosa. In addition, there are cases of peritonitis due to perforation of the muscle layer and the release of helminths into the abdominal region.
Irritation of the intestinal wall by parasites can lead to a reflex disturbance of peristalsis, and in addition, to a malfunction of the secretory glands. The development of such symptoms of enterobiasis (pictured) as gastroduodenitis and enteritis can serve as a consequence of the harmful influence of pinworms. Among other things, it is noted that pinworms significantly change the intestinal microbiocenosis, which is why most infected patients develop dysbacteriosis.
In female patients inas complications of enterobiasis, inflammatory pathologies of the urinary system can also form. Also inflammation of the reproductive system is not ruled out. Enterobiasis, in turn, contributes to the transmission of some other parasitic diseases - giardiasis and hymenolepiasis.
Parasites in the course of their life activity can release a huge number of toxic metabolic products, which turns out to be the cause of poisoning of the entire human body. Because of this, enterobiasis in children is especially difficult. During pregnancy, enterobiasis can be one of the causes of the most difficult toxicosis. Among other things, pinworms can reduce the general immunity of a person, so people infected with helminths are more susceptible to infectious diseases.
Studies have found that pinworms may have an immunosuppressive effect on children's bodies due to suppression of immune development after vaccinations.
Symptoms and treatment of enterobiasis in children are interrelated.
Analysis
Tests for enterobiasis are fundamentally different from research on worm eggs. The delivery of feces for enterobiasis is practically meaningless. Only the fact is known that after the completion of the fertilization cycle, males can leave with the fecal mass. And single eggs of parasites can be found only by chance, since pinworms lay them outside the rectum. Therefore, to detect pinworms, a smear is made with a scraping around the anus. Symptoms and treatment of enterobiasis in children should be known to all parents.
How to get tested?
For the purpose of diagnostics, a scraping is performed from the perianal fold, for which a special sterile adhesive tape is used. The analysis, as a rule, is taken three times: daily or every other day. The most informative are scrapings that were taken in the morning before defecation and hygiene procedures. During a laboratory blood test, moderate leukocytosis is recorded along with eosinophilia.
Treatment
Anthelminthic drugs are prescribed to the patient as medications. The most effective of them in the treatment of enterobiasis are the following drugs:
- "Mebendazole", which should be taken in 10 milligrams once.
- "Karbendasim". 10 milligrams taken per day in three divided doses.
- Combanthrin is taken at the rate of 10 milligrams per kilogram of the patient's weight. The drug is drunk once after breakfast.
- "Piperazine" take 3 grams per day, the course is five days.
- "Albendazole". 400 milligrams taken once.
In order to prevent the appearance of night itching, which interferes with normal sleep, pinworms are removed from the intestines through a cleansing enema. To do this, 0.5 teaspoon of baking soda is diluted in 200 milliliters of warm water, which must first be boiled. As an external agent, it is recommended to apply anesthetic ointment around the anus.
Prevention rules
As part of the treatment, and besides,Prevention of enterobiasis is important to follow a number of rules. First of all, the patient must be sure to thoroughly wash their hands after each visit to the toilet. This should be done with hot water and soap. It is best for both men and women to cut their fingernails as short as possible. As for underwear, an infected person needs to change it at least twice a day. Bed linen should be changed daily. In the evenings and in the morning, the anal area should be thoroughly washed with soap.
Washed linen must be carefully ironed with a hot iron in order to ensure the destruction of parasite eggs. Pinworm eggs can be transmitted through linen, and also through the toilet and other furnishings in the bathroom. In the room in which the patient is located, it is advisable to carry out wet cleaning daily, adding disinfectants to the water.
Everyone needs to know about the symptoms, treatment and prevention of enterobiasis in children.
It takes at least two weeks to observe such a strict hygiene regime after the first symptoms are detected and therapy is started. The patient should use special cotton swabs that are administered rectally. Such a measure will make it possible to exclude the dispersion of pinworm eggs. Among other things, it is important to note that if only one person has a pathology in a family, everyone must undergo therapy.
We reviewed the main symptoms and treatment of enterobiasis in adults and children.
