What are pinworms and how they look
Content
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- Enetherobiosis
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- Pinworms
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- Signs of infection with enterobiasis
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- Pinworms in humans
Enterobiasis is the most common helminthic invasion. Looking at the photos of pinworms causing the disease, it is difficult to imagine what harm they cause to the body. These parasites, despite their small size, can spoil health, undermine health and cause serious complications up to peritonitis.
Etiology
Enterobiasis literally translated from Greek means intestines, life and a worm. The cause of the disease is pinworm worms, which live mainly in the lower parts of the small intestine. Both adults and children are infected with helminths, but in children pinworms are diagnosed more often.
The reason is non-compliance with sanitary rules and a favorable environment for the eggs of parasites in the child’s body. The level of acidity in their stomach is low and the pathogen easily enters the intestine, safely continuing its development cycle. Mainly children from 3 to 10, sometimes to 14 suffer.
On a note!
The appearance of pinworms in adults, in addition to non-compliance with the rules of personal hygiene, leads to the pathology of immunity and gastritis with low acidity.
What is the difference between worms and pinworms
Helminthiasis or worms is the collective name of a group of pathologies caused by parasitic worms, including nematodes (pinworms).
Accordingly, the worms from pinworms differ only by a specific pathogen and belonging to the nematode type. There is no mistake in applying this or that name.
On a note!
Before conducting a thorough analysis, the doctor records a preliminary diagnosis as helminthiasis, and after identifying the pathogen in the form of pinworms, enterobiosis.In medicine, worms and pinworms are one and the same parasitic disease.
What is pinworms
Pinworms are a type of roundworm and are parasites of the human body. With the help of people, these worms feed and multiply. In the environment, pinworm larvae are viable up to 25 days and do not die under adverse conditions (heat, cold).
Most often they are found on children's toys, bedding and underwear in the bathroom and toilet.
Important!
Pinworm eggs can get into the water of room decanters and baby bottles and persist in them for a long time.
What does pinworm look like
The size of pinworms does not exceed 1 cm. They can be seen in the feces with the naked eye. They are white and look like a regular thread. Among the main three types of these worms, only the human pinworm is parasitic in humans. On top of it is covered with a film that protects it from the negative effects of gastrointestinal enzymes.
The length of the female pinworm is twice that of the male. The female has a sharp tip, the male is rounded. In the anterior region of the body there is a thickening with a suction cup. This end they are attached to the wall of the intestine and held.
They feed on the contents of the intestines and can suck blood from its walls. Helminth eggs are oval-shaped and covered with a transparent shell.
On a note!
If there are inclusions in the form of white or gray threads in the fecal masses, an analysis on helminths should be urgently taken.
Periods of development of worms
The pinworm worm has a circular development cycle that lasts for about a month and has 4 periods. The main growth of the parasite is carried out in the upper intestine. During puberty, the worms move to the lower divisions and are located near the rectum.
| Stages of development | Special features |
|---|---|
| The first | After the eggs of worms enter the human body, individuals of the female and male sex hatch from them. After ripening, pinworms parasitize in the large intestine and then mate. Fertilization occurs. The male then dies. |
| Second | The female begins to look for a place to lay eggs and moves to the anus. Eggs must necessarily get back into the oral cavity, otherwise the chain of development will be interrupted. An ideal place for the maturation of the larvae is human skin, namely the anal folds or the genital area.The female pinworm crawls out of the anus at night and lays up to 2 tens of thousands of eggs. After that she dies. The process is accompanied by severe itching in the anus. |
| Third | During this period, the larvae mature. In the folds of human skin a favorable temperature is maintained within 36 degrees, at which eggs turn into larvae after 6 hours. Then they fall on the bedding or under the nails of a person who is combing the masonry. If a person fails to observe the hygiene rules of the eggs, worms eggs are placed on household items, food and dishes. |
| Fourth | The final stage of development of the parasite begins after the larvae enter the mouth and then into the small intestine. There, helminths hatch from them, which finally matured for another 2 weeks. Then they become adults and begin to mate. The development of pinworms begins to repeat. |
On a note!
Periods of development of worms clearly follow one after another. In the absence of one of the stages, the chain is broken, and further infection of the person stops.
Symptomatology
Clinical signs of enterobiasis begin to appear only after the parasite has matured in the intestine.During the laying of eggs, the female pinworm crawls out and causes severe itching in the anus.
Discomfort usually occurs at night and appears after 2 weeks from the start of infection. Suspected worms in humans can also be due to the following symptoms:
- recurrent abdominal pain, especially in the navel;
- nausea;
- increased or decreased appetite;
- dry mouth and plaque on the tongue;
- intestinal swelling;
- combing in the anus;
- anemia and dizziness.
Important!
In women, worms often lay eggs in the genital area, causing inflammation. Also, worms affect the appearance of a person. Patients often have a pale or yellowish complexion and may suffer from an excess or underweight.
What is dangerous infection
Parasitizing pinworms in the intestines is rarely without consequences. Attaching to the walls of the intestine, they damage the mucous membranes. The waste products of worms through microtraumas enter the blood and cause allergies, which can manifest as skin itch, rash and edema.
Also during the illness, harmful substances are released into the blood and cause general intoxication of the body.Long-lasting helminth infections occur similarly to poisoning and can lead to exhaustion and manifestations of pathological weakness.
Gradually, the nervous system begins to suffer. Patients become irritable, sleep poorly and complain of frequent headaches. Physical activity decreases, mental abilities weaken.
With mass invasion, worms can accumulate in the cecum and cause inflammation (appendicitis). They also deprive the body of nutrients and lead to a deficiency of immunity. As a result, patients often suffer from colds and infectious pathologies.
Important!
The most terrible complication of enterobiosis is the penetration of worms into the abdominal cavity. The pinworm parasite punches the intestinal wall and causes dangerous inflammation (peritonitis).
Types of parasites and diagnosis
It is difficult to establish the exact period when pinworm infection occurred. More often, patients learn about the disease by chance while undergoing medical examination. In children, the symptoms are brighter and the parents go to the doctor about the itch in the anus in the child.
For the detection of helminth eggs, lab technicians take scrapings from the anus area.The analysis is repeated for three days in a row, carefully rubbing the area of the anus and the entrance to the rectum with a cotton swab.
Important!
It is forbidden to wash or empty the intestines before the examination.
Also pinworms can be found in the morning feces or with the help of modern laboratory techniques that allow to identify helminthiasis by blood analysis. The body perceives worms or pinworms as foreign bodies and secretes specific cells (antibodies) that are present in blood tests. The study also helps to identify other parasitic diseases. The most common types of worms in humans are:
- ascaris;
- wide tapeworm;
- echinococcus;
- Giardia;
- toksokar.
Less common varieties of helminthic invasions caused by bovine chain, trichina and whipworm.
Important!
With a negative analysis of pinworms and preservation of the clinic of helminthiasis, blood should be donated to other types of parasites.
Treatment methods
Pinworms are parasites, they live and feed at the expense of man, causing harm to the body. If you find these worms, you should definitely get rid of them. Given the cyclical nature of the development of helminths, in order to remove them, it is sometimes sufficient to interrupt the circular chain of infection.
To prevent re-invasions, wash hands thoroughly with soap, cut nails briefly and handle household items for at least a month. Laundry should be ironed with a hot iron.
For the final treatment of pinworms should be drunk complex medications. Usually, doctors prescribe Pyrantel, Dekaris or Vermox.
Conclusion
Itching in the anus in humans is the first and most pronounced symptom of helminth infection. At the initial stage, going to a doctor will help in time to break the chain of development of the parasite and avoid its further negative impact on the body.
Important!
If one family member has pinworms, all children and adults living together should receive medical therapy.
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