Symptoms may include diarrhoea, tiredness and weakness, abdominal pain and weight loss. Some worms cause anaemia.
The best way to diagnose this infection is to do a tape test. The best time to do this is in the morning before bathing, because pinworms lay their eggs at night. Steps for the test are: Firmly press the sticky side of a 1-inch (2.5 centimeters) strip of cellophane tape over the anal area for a few seconds.
Threadworms live about 5-6 weeks in the gut, and then die. However, before they die the female worms lay tiny eggs around the anus. This tends to be at night when you are warm and still in bed. The eggs are too small to see, but cause an itch around the anus.
Worms are a very common source of illness for both adults and children, so experts recommend that deworming should be done two times a year, or every six months, beginning at the age of two years. Deworming is the process of eliminating intestinal parasites, such as worms, using medication.
Any worms in your gut will eventually pass out in your poo. You may not notice this. To avoid becoming infected again or infecting others, it's very important during the weeks after starting treatment to wash your hands: after going to the toilet.
A person with threadworms (also known as pinworms) may have an itchy bottom or redness and scratch marks around the bottom. A child with threadworms may be irritable, not sleep very well and lose their appetite. Threadworms (come out of the anus at night to lay their eggs between the buttocks, causing extreme itching.
Without treatment, threadworm may give rise to vaginitis (inflammation of the vagina) in girls and women. You can often see threadworms, a 1cm thread-like worm, wriggling in your child's stools or their bottom.
Eat more raw garlic, pumpkin seeds, pomegranates, beets, and carrots, all of which have been used traditionally to kill parasites. In one study, researchers found that a mixture of honey and papaya seeds cleared stools of parasites in 23 out of 30 subjects. Drink a lot of water to help flush out your system.
Lack of appetite, tiredness, anaemia, fever, itchy bottom, loose bowels, abdominal pain and vomiting are some of the common symptoms of worm infestation.
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.
Common signs include a cough, breathlessness or breathing difficulties but can include weight loss, lethargy, reduced appetite, anaemia and abnormal bleeding.
Intestinal worms (also known as soil-transmitted helminths) affect more than 1.7 billion people worldwide including more than 1 billion children, according to the World Health Organization. The three most common intestinal worms are hookworm, ascaris (roundworm), and trichuris (whipworm).
Symptoms of threadworms
In some cases, you may spot threadworms on your bed clothes or sheets at night, or you may notice them in your stools. The worms look like threads of white cotton and are about 1 centimetre long.
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.
Threadworms do not cause major health problems, and are usually not the cause of tummy pain. Scratching of the bottom can cause a red rash around the anus, which can sometimes become infected. In girls they can move into the vagina, causing itching and a vaginal discharge.
Although not all infected people will have symptoms, many will experience itching around the rectum. Some females may also experience itching in the genital area. How soon do symptoms appear? Symptoms usually are noticed one to two months after infection.
If you have a large number of worms in the intestine, you might have: Severe abdominal pain. Fatigue. Vomiting.
If you have a tapeworm infection, you may not have any symptoms. But some people have nausea, stomach pain, weakness, or diarrhea. You might notice a change in appetite (eating more or less than usual). And since the tapeworm keeps your body from absorbing nutrients from food, you may lose weight.
If you suspect you have a parasite, you should talk to your doctor. The healthcare provider will need to test you to confirm if it is a parasite or some other condition causing your symptoms and determine what it is.
You can buy medicine (mebendazole) for threadworms from pharmacies. This is usually a chewable tablet or liquid you swallow. Treat everyone in your household, even if they do not have symptoms.
Threadworms are common but are not usually serious. Threadworms infect the gut and lay eggs around your anus, which causes itch. Treatment usually includes medication plus hygiene measures.
Although often asymptomatic, parasitic infections can lead to disruptions in mood, behavior and sleep – particularly in children with worms. The most common worm infection amongst Australian children is threadwork (pinworm, Enterobius vermicularis).