Pinworms - photos, symptoms in children and adults, treatment, tablets

Pinworms: ways to get rid of them at home

Life cycle of a pinworm
Pinworms are parasites that live in the intestines . Quite often the disease itself does not make itself known and does not bother the patient, but this does not mean that it does not have any negative consequences.

Pinworms are quite small in size and difficult to see. Female representatives can reach one and a half centimeters, but males do not outgrow 5 mm. They reproduce by laying eggs.

Appearance

What do parasites look like? Can pinworm larvae or eggs be seen? Unfortunately, the sizes of the larvae and eggs are so miniature that they can only be seen under a microscope. Adults may vary in size and shape:

females up to 13 millimeters with a pointed tip
males are much smaller - up to 5 millimeters, the tip is rounded.

Most parasites, including pinworms, are white in color.

Causes of infection

The most common cause of infection is contact with a patient with enterobiasis. Pinworm eggs may be on his clothes or hands. When he handles household items, he leaves parasite eggs on them, which can easily get into his mouth if he does not wash his hands in time. Through the mouth, helminth eggs penetrate the intestines, where they actively reproduce.

Causes of infection

Within a month, a fully mature female can bear offspring by laying eggs, crawling out of the anus. One clutch can contain up to fifteen thousand eggs.

With her movement, the female causes discomfort and provokes severe itching in the anal area. Often, patients, especially young children, try to scratch the itchy area, as a result the eggs get lodged under the nails and remain on the skin. By touching towels, door handles, money, or clothes of other people, people reluctantly spread the larvae of this helminth.

It is especially difficult not to become infected if there is a sick person in your immediate environment. This applies not only to the family, but to the children's group, where children communicate especially actively, exchanging various objects and visiting a common toilet. Therefore, if there is one sick person, it is recommended that those who had close contact with him also get tested.

Why are pinworms dangerous in adults?

In the process of their development, helminths poison the human body with toxic waste products. Intoxication leads to complications such as exhaustion, damage to the nervous system, increased sensitivity of the immune system (excessive allergization), and the development of leukocytosis.

Due to the fact that helminths adhere to the mucous membrane of the digestive organs, and sometimes penetrate deep into the muscle layer, the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract is disrupted - food is poorly digested, acidity increases, and in advanced cases, pinpoint hemorrhages and erosions in the walls of the stomach and intestines can be observed.

Pinworms are able to penetrate the genitals (in women), provoking inflammatory processes in the fallopian tubes and ovaries. And the entry of helminths into the abdominal cavity threatens peritonitis.

Signs of the disease

The most obvious sign is if small white worms, those same pinworms, were noticed in the feces. Males emerge dead, they die immediately after mating, but due to their small size they are very difficult to see. The females come out alive and, if desired, can be seen by their movements.

The most obvious sign is a violation of stool for no apparent reason, which can result in both prolonged diarrhea and constipation;
With long-term illness with enterobiasis, the immune system is weakened, and the likelihood of contracting various types of colds increases several times;
Quite often the patient loses appetite and experiences nausea;
During illness, fever may occur;
If you are particularly sensitive to this type of helminth, spots may appear on the skin, and the anal area turns red due to constant irritation;
The itching can be so severe that the patient may lose sleep, causing fatigue to increase during the day;
Frequent severe pain in the lower abdomen;
As a result of the disease, weakness and dizziness occur.

In addition to all the listed signs, a girl may develop symptoms of inflammation of the genital tract, including purulent discharge. This happens because pinworms crawl into the vagina, transferring intestinal infections there.

Diagnostics

Diagnosis of feces for the presence of pinworms

It is extremely difficult to diagnose enterobiasis on your own. This procedure is carried out through clinical studies. Moreover, the traditional sampling of feces for eggs is not able to reflect the true picture, because pinworms lay eggs not in the intestines, but outside. Therefore, scraping is done with a cotton swab or with adhesive tape.

And even this analysis does not guarantee one hundred percent detection of the disease. Because pinworms don’t lay eggs every day. To get a complete picture, scrapings are carried out several times at intervals of several weeks.

Consequences

If you ignore all the obvious signs of the disease and do not start treatment, this will lead to serious consequences. The longer a person delays treatment, the more parasites there are in the body. They suck out beneficial microelements, as a result the patient does not receive the proper amount of substances necessary for the normal functioning of the body. As a result, patients with enterobiasis often experience unreasonably strong weight loss.

For a child's body, the presence of a large number of all kinds of parasites can lead to developmental delays. This does not threaten an adult, but hemorrhoids may well develop. As a result of damage to the intestinal lining, frequent constipation may develop.

To begin treating these diseases, you first need to get rid of the parasites, and then treat hemorrhoids and constipation.

In most cases, pinworms cause little trouble to the health of an adult, causing mostly negative sensations only during egg laying. But only until the number of parasites becomes too large. In this case, indigestion is the minimum harm that can be expected from such a neighborhood. In addition, gastritis and intoxication of the body as a result of the release of waste products from pinworms are likely. It is not uncommon to experience allergies and severe coughing caused by pinworm larvae penetrating through the esophagus into the respiratory tract, and from there into the bronchi. Therefore, it is worth paying special attention to a cough that suddenly appears, especially if it does not go away for a long time.

Women are more likely to develop vulvovaginitis and genitourinary tract infections. Pinworms crawl inside the vagina, carrying bacteria from the intestines. There are cases of salpingitis due to the penetration of parasites into the pelvic organs.

Appendicitis can also result from the accumulation of a large number of pinworms in the body; this occurs as a result of the parasite entering the cecum.

Restoring the body after enterobiasis

After complete removal of parasites, an important step is to support the body in restoring immunity and intestinal microflora. Vegetable juices will be good helpers in this matter. Preference should be given to freshly squeezed juices from carrots and beets. They do not irritate the gastric mucosa and enrich the body with vitamins and nutrients. It is recommended to drink half a glass of juice in the morning and evening.

To restore microflora and proper functioning of the intestines, consuming fermented milk products, vegetables, wholemeal products and various cereals is very useful.

Depending on the duration of the disease, sometimes (especially in children) a pronounced deficiency of vitamins and microelements develops, which can most easily be replenished with the help of a complete vitamin complex.

After treatment, you need to make sure that there are no parasites in the body. To do this, scraping for enterobiasis is performed 2-3 times over 10-14 days. And, most importantly, even after complete recovery, we must not forget about prevention. Only proper hygiene, attention to yourself and the health of your loved ones will help you forget about pinworms for a long time.

How to get rid of pinworms at home

If you suspect enterobiasis, it is better to immediately go to see a doctor and have your body diagnosed for the possibility of pinworm infection. But even if the diagnosis is confirmed, not in every case you should immediately go to the pharmacy, buy anti-invasive drugs and immediately start taking them. There are situations when pharmacy medications are contraindicated.

Pregnancy after 15 weeks;
Breast-feeding;
Disturbances in the functioning of the kidneys and liver.

Due to the fact that enterobiasis cannot be started, treatment should still be carried out for these diseases, but for safety it is better to consider analogues from traditional medicine.

Folk remedies against pinworms

Most herbal mixtures and infusions used to treat enterobiasis are completely harmless to the body and can be taken by pregnant women at any stage. Children's age is also not a contraindication for treatment with them. Many of these recipes have been tested for centuries and their effectiveness is undeniable.

However, it should be taken into account that plant substances can have quite a strong effect on the body, and they may also have contraindications and restrictions.

Onion

It is unlikely that there will be at least one home where this representative of the vegetable crop will not be found. In order for it to turn into a remedy for this type of nematode, it should be infused with alcohol. To do this, grate a large onion head on a fine grater and pour in 100 ml of vodka. Keep the resulting mixture warm. We keep it for at least seven days. Drink a tablespoon on an empty stomach three times a day. After just four days, the disease should subside. Otherwise, not all pinworms may die and after some time the disease may develop with renewed vigor. For obvious reasons, it is better not to give this infusion to children.

Wormwood tincture is no less effective in the fight against enterobiasis. To prepare, you will need 100 g of wormwood leaves and pumpkin seeds; for convenience, all ingredients need to be crushed. Pour half a liter of vodka into the dry mixture. Keep warm for 10 days. Then drink 50 ml twice a day half an hour before meals. It should not be taken with water or diluted. Within a week the disease will completely recede.

Combination of cognac and fish oil

This is a fairly easy method that does not require long infusion and complex preparations. If you are planning to treat an adult, then you need to take 50 g of good skate (from 4 stars) and 50 g of castor oil. Mix both components and take. The very next day, the pinworms should leave the body. If this does not happen, the drug should be repeated, but not more than four times.

Cognac

Fish fat

The mechanism of operation of this mixture is simple. From cognac, the worms become partially paralyzed and lose the ability to actively move in the intestines. Castor oil deprives them of their last opportunity to linger on the smooth fatty walls of the intestines, and they are eliminated.

For children, this recipe is used in a different way. You should wake up the child in the middle of the night, preferably a couple of hours after midnight, and offer to drink sweet tea, first pour a couple of spoons of cognac into it. After 25 minutes you should give a spoonful of castor oil. The latter is selected according to age, which can be read in the instructions; it will work as a laxative. It is better to carry out this procedure on the eve of the weekend.

Advice from Chinese herbalists

This recipe is quite popular in the East. Take 10 g of chamomile, 25 g of tansy flowers, 40 g of wormwood herb and 25 g of buckthorn bark. Pinworms do not like wormwood very much, it is from it that they die. Buckthorn works as a laxative. Other herbs soften the effects of wormwood on the body. Pour a glass of boiling water over the resulting mixture and let sit for a couple of minutes, no longer. Take 250 ml of infusion daily for 4 days. It should be taken into account that this method is contraindicated for pregnant women.

Tansy and chamomile enema

The easy-to-prepare composition will help remove unnecessary parasites in just three days. To do this, you will need to take 100 g of tansy flowers and 50 g of chamomile. Pour boiling water over the mixture and, to be safe, boil for a couple of minutes. Afterwards, strain everything, cool and give the patient an enema based on the resulting decoction.

Pyzhma

Chamomile

This method does not harm the intestinal microflora, while it is excellent to cleanse the body not only of parasites, but also of accumulated toxins.

Popretsky method

A fairly well-known Polish healer recommends using the following method of getting rid of pinworms. 200 g wormwood, 200 g licorice root, 50 g anise. Grind everything and take a spoonful every morning on an empty stomach. For an adult it is a tablespoon, for a child it is a teaspoon. It is better to drink this mixture of herbs not with water, but with a decoction of prunes. Complete recovery will occur within 2-3 weeks.

Method of getting rid of pinworms according to Dr. Ivanov

The doctor claims that getting rid of parasites is not as difficult as many people believe. And in turn, he suggests eating 150 grams of peeled pumpkin seeds, 2 fresh chicken eggs (no need to boil) and a piece of salted herring. After such a meal, you should lie down on the left dock and put a heating pad on the opposite one. You should lie like this for at least two hours. During this time, eat a small piece of herring every half hour. The procedure must be repeated three more times. After such a shake-up, the pinworms must die.

Cucumber pickle

It is often used to cleanse the child’s body of pinworms. Drink a glass twice a day after meals. Instead of cucumber, you can use sauerkraut brine. It should be borne in mind that this method is effective against adults; it is powerless against eggs. Therefore, in order to prevent relapse, the course should be repeated after a week.

Tea for parasites

This method has been known for a long time and has proven itself not only as an excellent cleanser of the body from adults, but also from parasite eggs. All you need is 50 g of thyme herb, calamus rhizomes, elecampane root and mint leaves, 25 g of walnut leaves and 10 g of wormwood. The main component responsible for the destruction of pinworms is wormwood; other herbs complement and enrich the tea with medicinal properties. Mix everything and put it in a thermos; a half-liter will be enough. Pour boiling water over the resulting herbal mixture. Leave to infuse for at least an hour.

Drink the resulting tea for seven days. An adult should take a tablespoon between meals. This method will help not only drive out pinworms, but also free the body from other parasites.

Milk and pumpkin seeds

The latter are often used in the fight against all kinds of parasites; many herbalists recommend constantly consuming the seeds of this vegetable in order to prevent the appearance of worms. They are also included in many preparations and infusions. To prepare this remedy, you need to add 10-15 pumpkin seeds to a glass of milk. Boil it all and drink it, it’s better to do it in the morning. After 14 days, all pinworms should be out of the body.

The huge advantage of this recipe is that it does not require complex manipulations, and even children can drink the resulting drink, while the cleansing occurs quite gently and without any unpleasant side effects.

Herbs for enema

A properly prepared enema can be a very effective way to cleanse pinworms. So, Father Gregory, a famous healer and herbalist, advises using the following method. Mix 50 g of celandine, wormwood, tansy (before use, carefully study the properties of all herbs in order to promptly eliminate possible contraindications). Mix the herbal composition and pour 4-5 tablespoons of the resulting volume into half a liter of boiling water. Let it brew a little, literally 2-3 minutes, and then boil for another 10 minutes.

Pass the resulting broth through a strainer, cool and give an enema. For complete cleansing of pinworms, 10 times is enough, but it is better to do a couple more enemas in addition to the required ones in order to consolidate success in the fight against parasites. Since this remedy only works against adults, without affecting the eggs, after a week and a half the therapy should be repeated again from the very beginning.

Herbal tea from Father Gregory

Another method widely used in practice by the same healer. You will need 100 g of blueberry leaves, caraway seeds, wormwood herb, 50 g each of sage leaves, chamomile, yarrow, St. John's wort, hop cones. Since this composition is very rich in all kinds of components, before using it it would be a good idea to make sure that the patient has no contraindications to taking any of them. Mix the ingredients thoroughly. You should take 4 small spoons and fill them with 0.5-1 liter of water.

blueberry leaves

Cumin seeds

Sagebrush

Sage leaves

chamomile leaves

Yarrow leaves

St. John's wort leaves

Hop cones

The resulting mixture must be boiled for a couple of minutes, then covered with a lid and left for another 10 minutes. Before use, be sure to pass the broth through a strainer, freeing it from sediment. You need to take half a glass twice a day, morning and evening. The indicated dosage is effective for a child’s body; if you plan to give it to an adult, the concentration should be doubled.

Fresh garlic with milk

This explosive mixture is almost the most accessible remedy that can be used at any time. The ingredients are simple and can be found in almost every home. To prepare the medicine, chop a couple of cloves of garlic; you can do this with a knife, but it’s better to put it through a garlic press. Whisk the resulting slurry into 100 g of milk. No additional manipulations are required. The resulting drink is taken several times a day.

You can use this composition as a basis for an enema, but for this method you need to be sure that you do not have inflammatory processes in the intestines, otherwise a burning sensation cannot be avoided. To perform an enema, boil the milk and garlic well.

Pumpkin seeds

It is enough to mix 30-40 g of crushed seeds with honey and eat on an empty stomach. An hour after such a snack, you can drink a laxative.

Blueberries and elecampane

Based on these two components, a trouble-free and even tasty product is prepared. Take 5 g of elecampane roots and blueberries, add a tablespoon of honey. Take on an empty stomach, after an hour you should do an enema. For an adult, the portion should be twice as large.

Blueberry

Elecampane

The list of effective recipes for cleansing the body of all kinds of parasites does not end here. But it is worth remembering that many herbs also have their contraindications, and before using any presented collection, you should make sure that the patient has no contraindications to the use of its ingredients.

Prevention

Prevention against pinworms

So that the treatment brings the desired result and its effect lasts as long as possible. Certain standards of personal hygiene should be observed:

Wash your hands upon arrival home and before eating. You should wash for at least three minutes, only after this most of the bacteria on your hands die, and the chances of washing off parasite eggs from the skin increase significantly.
To prevent re-infection, before treatment you should thoroughly clean the house, wash the floors and all children's toys. If you neglect this procedure, there is a high probability of relapse.
Before eating, thoroughly wash vegetables and fruits with special ingredients.
Carry out high-quality disinfection in the toilet room using detergents.
On the eve of taking the medications, you should change your bed linen, after which you should carefully iron the sheets with a hot iron throughout the course.

To reduce the likelihood of re-infection to zero, all family members should be treated; if animals are kept in the apartment, they should also be washed well. They also need to be given anthelmintics.

Treatment during pregnancy

Taking any medications while expecting a baby is not advisable. This is especially true for potent anti-worm medications, which have a toxic effect on the body.

Such treatment is strictly contraindicated in the first trimester of pregnancy. If you have acute symptoms, you can take medications for pinworms starting from the 14th week of gestation.

Important! A nursing mother who has discovered parasites in herself needs to stop breastfeeding for the duration of therapy.

Many doctors recommend treatment with folk remedies at this time, which are safer for the baby. Also, a woman needs to be especially attentive to personal hygiene, constantly iron her underwear and bed linen, and carry out wet cleaning in the house every day. This approach will help overcome helminthiasis without the use of harmful medications.