White worms in feces are parasites of small size and round shape. Their main habitat is the small intestine, as well as the upper part of the large intestine. They can also live in other organs and systems.
What do worms look like?
Thin white worms in feces - females - have a length of 8-13 mm. Their thickness is 0.5 mm. They have an oblong shape, a straight, pointed tail at the end. This form of the female's tail formed the basis of the name of the parasites. The male individual has much smaller dimensions - 2.5 mm in length, 0.2 mm in thickness. Unlike the female, their tail is curved.
Causes of white worms in feces
What are the white worms in feces called? They are called pinworms. These are the most common parasites. They are more common in children, but can also occur in adults. The presence of parasites in medicine has entrusted the name "enterobiasis".
What are the causes of worms? In the vast majority of cases, the disease provokes non-compliance with hygiene rules. As usual, the area where worms live is the intestines. There are cases of thempenetration into other systems.
How does infection happen?
Parasites are transmitted through dust containing their eggs, as well as objects touched by an infected person.
The female, entering the human body, mates, migrating to the large intestine, where she lays her eggs. A month later, the female is redirected to the rectum, and then exits the anus. Lays up to 15,000 eggs in the anal area, which mature after 6 hours. This process causes intense itching.
Accordingly, a person scratches the anus, which contributes to the further spread of parasites. They are easily spread by children who do not know how to follow the rules of hygiene. White worms in feces are visible to the naked eye.
Getting rid of pinworms is difficult, because in addition to their expulsion from the body, disinfection of all household items is required.
Complications
Pinworms can cause dermatitis, which complicates treatment. They can also cause indigestion. The stool becomes like a liquid slurry with elements of mucus and blood. Sometimes helminths provoke an exacerbation of appendicitis. The latter condition is usually caused by a secondary bacterial infection.
In the absence of proper treatment, enterobiasis begins to progress. It can cause insomnia, migraine, dizziness, asthenia. In women, parasites can enter the genitals. They can cause diseases such as endometritis and vulvovaginitis,irritate the peritoneum, causing severe pain in the abdomen.
Diagnosis
White worms in feces can be seen through a microscope in a laboratory test. The doctor prescribes a scraping of the rectum and skin around the anus. The analysis is performed in the morning, preferably three days in a row. This improves the efficiency of diagnostics, since helminths do not lay eggs daily. Before analysis, it is not recommended to treat the sphincter with ointment or cream.
It is possible to identify the defeat of worms through a blood test, since their presence causes a change in its formula (the level of eosinophils increases).
White worms in the feces of children and adults
Pinworms in children, the symptoms and treatment of which are described in this article, often appear when hygiene standards are not observed. Often, enterobiasis affects kids attending kindergarten. This is due to the close contact of children with each other, the use of common toys. Even after a course of treatment, the child may fall ill again.
Adults usually contract the disease from their children, or the carrier of the disease is dust inhaled by humans. It contains parasite eggs.
Symptomatics in adults and children is the same. In girls and women, inflammatory processes in the genital area are possible. If a girl has vaginal discharge, she should be shown to a specialist immediately.
Presence of pinworms in pregnant women
The defeat of pregnant women with pinworms is a fairly common occurrence. Butfuture mothers should not worry about this, since worms do not pose any threat to the condition of the fetus, but can only bring discomfort to the women themselves.
The main problem is that it is forbidden to take any medications while carrying a child, as they contain toxic substances that can harm the condition of the fetus. The same rule applies to mothers who breastfeed their babies.
How to get rid of pinworms during pregnancy
The main method of dealing with pinworms during childbearing is considered to be dietary adjustment and, of course, compliance with hygiene rules. Worms do not tolerate spicy foods, horseradish, mustard, beets, walnuts and pomegranate juice. It is recommended to include the above foods in your diet. In this case, you should carefully monitor the reaction of the body.
You can also resort to the use of folk remedies. Worms should be removed before the baby is born. Otherwise, there is a high probability of infecting the baby with them.
Prevention measures
To reduce the spread of the disease, more frequent testing for pinworms should be done. In particular, children should be tested. Diagnosis is carried out at least once a year, even in the absence of symptoms.
Teaching children about basic hygiene, giving up the bad habit of sucking their fingers, biting their nails are the main preventive measures.
When diagnosed with enterobiasis, you should use closed underwear and change the bed every day. To destroy the eggs of parasites underwearcan be washed at high temperature and ironed.
It is important to wash your anal area and genital area with soap and water in the morning and evening.
Children are advised to put a tampon with Vaseline into the anus before going to bed. It will prevent pinworms from crawling out and relieve itching.
Treatment
If all of the above preventive methods are observed, it is possible to eliminate pinworm infestation even without the use of drugs, since after a month the adult worms die. If there is no re-infection, then the person becomes he althy. However, for a quick cure, medication is recommended. A broad-spectrum deworming drug for humans – is "Veromox". It can be drunk by both children and adults. Also used are Medamin, Vormil, which can kill parasites before they have time to multiply. Before using drugs, you should consult with a specialist.
Before using these remedies, you should give up food products that help to fix the stomach for a day. Eating soup or dairy products the night before is recommended.
Drugs are taken in the morning strictly according to the doctor's prescription. If given in the evening, you can take a laxative.
Severe itching is eliminated by antihistamines "Loratadine", "Cetirizine".
To eliminate helminths, an enema with soda in a proportion of 1-2 tsp will help. for 1 glass of water. Fora child takes 2-3 glasses, and for an adult - 4-5.
Treatment of pinworms can provoke the appearance of toxicosis, which is caused by the death of worms. To prevent this phenomenon, it is recommended to take enterosorbents. But they should not be drunk earlier than a day after taking the main medication, because they reduce the degree of its effectiveness.
Many are interested in which pills are better for worms. Modern medicine often uses drugs such as Pirantel, Mebendazole, Levamisole, Piperazine.
Traditional medicine in the treatment of worms
Pinworms can also be expelled by the methods offered by traditional medicine. Products and plants used in the treatment process have a milder effect, unlike medications that contain synthetic substances.
- Use of pumpkin seeds. It is considered the most famous remedy used by the people. They should be consumed raw, previously peeled. 100 g of seeds are required, which must be carefully crushed and then diluted in 100 ml of sunflower oil. Eat gruel on an empty stomach and drink it with a glass of water. After this procedure, you can not eat food for 3 hours. The course of treatment is three days.
- The use of garlic. The recipe is very similar to the previous one. Grind two cloves and dilute them with water. The use of the mixture is recommended in the evening. The mixture is washed downwater. The course of treatment is also three days.
- Beet juice. It is taken twice a day, 100 ml. The duration of the course is two weeks. The tool has a high level of effectiveness.
- The use of onions. For 100 g of onion, 1 tsp is taken. s alt and 50 ml of sunflower oil. The mixture is used in the evening. Duration of treatment - within five days.
- Eating wormwood. For 1 st. l. dried herb wormwood is taken 300 ml of boiling water. The herb is infused for 15 minutes. Next, the infusion should be filtered and drunk on an empty stomach an hour before going to bed. Fresh decoction is used in the morning. The course involves taking two doses of infusion. After 4 days, the treatment is repeated.
- Use of herbal infusion. Flowers of tansy, centaury, leaves of the watch are taken. Plants are taken in equal proportions. The daily dose is prepared as follows: 300 ml of water and 2 tbsp. l. collection. The mixture is infused for 8 hours. It is drunk on an empty stomach in the amount of 150 ml. The infusion should be filtered. An hour later, drink 2 tablespoons of sunflower oil. The second dose is taken in the evening. The course of treatment is three days.
- Enema with milk-garlic mixture. A large head of garlic is peeled, boiled in a glass of milk until soft. The broth is filtered and cooled. An enema is placed at night. The volume for adults is a glass, and for children - half a glass. The procedure is repeated for seven days.
How to rid a child of worms?
If you notice symptoms of helminthic invasion in a child, and white worms are found in the feces, then treatment should bestart as soon as possible. It is recommended to seek help from a specialist. The doctor will be able to prescribe a suitable treatment regimen and select effective drugs.
A prerequisite for treatment is strict observance of the rules of personal hygiene. It is necessary to ensure that the child constantly washed his hands, did not suck his fingers and did not pick up dirty objects in his hands.
In the mornings and evenings, you need to wash your perineum and genitals. The child's underwear is changed twice a day and ironed with a hot iron. Wet cleaning should be done frequently in the apartment.
Pinworms in children, the symptoms and treatment of which are presented in this article, are harmful to the he alth of the child.
Folk treatments for pinworms in children
- Use a decoction of herbs such as chamomile, wormwood, centaury, tansy.
- Eating finely chopped onion or garlic at night, children under five years old can be offered a decoction of garlic.
- Using garlic enemas.
Clarification of the diagnosis
White spots in a child's feces do not always indicate the presence of worms. They can be a symptom of an inflammatory process in the intestinal area, for example, candidiasis, dysbacteriosis. Another reason is also possible: the grains in the feces represent poorly digested food residues (grains, seeds).
To clarify the diagnosis, you should observe the child for several days and follow how he goes to the toilet.
If you notice white grains or threads in the feces of an infant, then in this case, you should take into account agefeatures of his chair. His digestive system is not formed. Often, in the stool of an infant who is on artificial nutrition, white mucus may be observed, caused by poor absorption of food.
Conclusion
White worms in feces are quite common. The main cause of helminth infestation is unhygienic conditions. For a speedy recovery, medications are used. Their appointment is carried out only by a specialist based on the results of the study.
Pharmacy preparations against helminths have a high level of effectiveness, but their independent use is not recommended.
Following preventive norms, you can avoid re-infestation with parasites. Adults should pay more attention to cleanliness as well as the hygiene of their children. The child should be taught to follow its basic rules.
