Although rare, other complications of a pinworm infection may include: Urinary tract infections. Weight loss.
Nearly one quarter of the world's population is infected with gastrointestinal parasites. These prevalent infections often result in a period of reduced appetite resulting in weight loss.
Substantial pinworm populations can reduce your intake of essential nutrients and cause weight loss.
What are the symptoms of a pinworm infection? Pinworm infection (called enterobiasis or oxyuriasis) causes itching around the anus which can lead to difficulty sleeping and restlessness. Symptoms are caused by the female pinworm laying her eggs.
Severe or persistent threadworm infections can cause: loss of appetite. weight loss.
Kristen: Yes, you can lose weight if you have a tapeworm. That's one of the symptoms of having a tapeworm.
Scratching may make the anus sore. Large numbers of threadworms may possibly cause mild abdominal (tummy) pains, and make a child irritable. Very rarely, threadworms can cause other problems.
If left untreated, the intense itching and scratching associated with these infections will result in secondary bacterial infections. Some of these may be difficult to treat. Untreated people can continue to infect other people.
How long does pinworms last? The life cycle of a pinworm is 4 to 6 weeks. Without treatment, infestation will continue as long as fresh eggs are being swallowed, unless a person develops immunity to pinworms, which is unusual before age 15.
Typical pinworm infections don't cause serious problems. In rare circumstances, heavy infestations can cause infection of female genitals. The parasite can travel from the anal area up the vagina to the uterus, fallopian tubes and around the pelvic organs.
Unintentional weight loss has many different causes. It might be caused by a stressful event like a divorce, losing a job, or the death of a loved one. It can also be caused by malnutrition, a health condition or a combination of things.
What are the symptoms of a pinworm infection? - Itching around the anus, disturbed sleep, and irritability are common symptoms. If the infection is heavy, symptoms may also include loss of appetite, restlessness, and difficulty sleeping.
“To be precise, the worms don't cause weight loss but can suppress weight gain,” Chikako Shimokawa, the assistant professor at the Department of Parasitology at Gunma University's Graduate School of Medicine who led the study, told The Japan Times on Thursday.
It may be that you have a fast metabolism (meaning your body burns energy from food at a fast rate than the people around you) or you're just naturally slender. For some people, underlying health conditions and certain medications and treatments can make it difficult to reach and/or maintain a healthy weight.
Having worms can make you feel extreme hunger just after eating, or extreme fullness when you haven't eaten anything. This is because the worms feed on the food that you have eaten, leaving you hungry, but can also cause you to feel nauseous or gaseous, which can make you feel full.
Most pinworm infections are mild and easily treated. Your doctor may prescribe a single chewable tablet of a medicine called mebendazole. A second tablet is taken about 3 weeks later if the infection isn't cured. Or your doctor may recommend another kind of medicine called pyrantel, which is taken as a single dose.
Give a repeat dose of the pinworm medicine in 2 weeks. Reason: To prevent the pinworms from coming back. The repeat dose is needed because eggs can live for 1 to 2 weeks.
You get pinworms by accidentally swallowing or breathing in their eggs. You could eat or drink something that's contaminated with them and not know it. The eggs can also live on surfaces like clothing, bedding, or other objects.
If you have pinworms, don't worry. They don't cause any harm (just itching!), and it won't take long to get rid of them. Your doctor will give you some medicine to take right away and then again 2 weeks later to be sure the worms are gone. The doctor can also give you a cream to help stop the itching.
Threadworms usually produce no symptoms except an itchy bottom. In fact, people may harbour them for years without realising it.
Are threadworms harmful? Not usually. Often, the worst thing about them is the itch and discomfort around the back passage (anus). This sometimes wakes children from sleep.
Threadworms do not go away by themselves, and people do not build up immunity to them, so they must be treated in order to eradicate them totally from the body.
Diarrhea, constipation, gas, bloating, and nausea are all common symptoms of parasites. Weight loss — parasites can cause nausea and poor nutritional absorption, which can lead to weight loss.
The most common symptoms of worm infestation are pain, enlargement of the abdomen, loss of appetite and weight, vomiting, insomnia, and irregular respiration.