Complications. 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.
While serious complications are rare, pinworms can lead to: Bacterial infections: When the infected person scratches the anal area, the skin can bleed and become infected. Urinary tract infections (UTIs): In females, the worms can travel to the vagina and cause infections.
Pinworm infection may cause: Itching around the anal area, difficulty sleeping and irritability. If it is a severe infection, symptoms may include: nervousness.
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.
Even though the majority of pinworm cases are symptomless, children with heavy pinworm infections often suffer from irritability and loss of appetite, nausea, insomnia, bed-wetting, nightmares, grinding of the teeth, diarrhea, pruritus ani, catarrhal inflammation, pruritus vulvae, recurrent cellulitis, and endometritis ...
What Are Pinworms? If your child develops a pinworm infection, try not to worry. Pinworms don't cause any harm (just itching and restless sleep), and it won't take long to get rid of them.
Pinworm infections usually don't cause any serious issues. However, in rare cases, the following complications can occur: Bacterial infection. A secondary infection can occur if your child scratches the area and causes the skin to break.
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. Symptoms of pinworm infection usually are mild and some infected people have no symptoms.
Medication is available to kill the worms and this is usually prescribed for the person who is infected and all other members of the household. One dose may be followed up with a second dose 2 weeks later to take care of any surviving worms.
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.
The research isn't clear but worm infections (not just pinworm) seem to impact on how our immune system develops and functions. There have been suggested links to the hygiene hypothesis, microbiome diversity, inflammatory bowel disease, obesity and diabetes. Some studies even showing a benefit!
The medications used for the treatment of pinworm are either mebendazole, pyrantel pamoate, or albendazole. Any of these drugs are given in one dose initially, and then another single dose of the same drug two weeks later. Pyrantel pamoate is available without prescription.
When children develop parasitic diseases they are often asymptomatic. This means that we usually don't even know the infection is in the body. But occasionally, childhood parasitic infections can lead to changes in mood, behavior and sleep.
Pinworms do not cause abdominal pain, bloody bowel movements,fevers, or poor appetite. If the person has any of these signs or symptoms, they may have a more serious condition and should call a doctor or visit the hospital's emergency department.
The people most likely to be infected with pinworm are children under 18, people who take care of infected children and people who are institutionalized. In these groups, the prevalence can reach 50%. Pinworm is the most common worm infection in the United States.
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.
The key is to break the 6-week cycle of pinworm reinfection by killing any live pinworms and preventing the ingestion of eggs. A diagnosis should be confirmed before treating with medications. Medications kill only the adult worms and have no effect on developing eggs and larvae.
In the morning, before your child goes to the bathroom or washes up, put the sticky side of a piece of clear tape around the anus. Remove the tape and look for pinworms or their eggs. You can also buy a tape test kit at the pharmacy. If you do not find pinworms, do the tape test 2 more mornings in a row, to be sure.
If you or someone in your family has pinworms that keep coming back, or if more than one family member is infected, every member of your family or household should be treated. Follow-up care is a key part of your treatment and safety.
Parents often find them gross. They freak out about them, and sometimes are even too embarrassed to ask the doctor about them. But don't be frightened, they're common!
The males die soon after copulation; the gravid females, on the other hand, have an overall life span of up to 100 days, reaching the anal canal by means of active migration (14). The time interval between ingestion of infective eggs and oviposition by the adult female pinworm is 2–6 weeks (15).
Head lice, MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus), and pinworm infection are unlikely to be spread through the use of swimming pools.
To treat pinworm infection, your doctor may recommend over-the-counter pyrantel pamoate or prescribe medication to all members of your household to prevent infection and reinfection. The most common prescription anti-parasite medications for pinworms are: Mebendazole. Albendazole (Albenza)
Identification of pinworm (threadworm) infection
In children, the pinworm can cause vulvovaginitis during its migration from the anus. Pinworms or their eggs have occasionally been detected at other sites, such as the liver and lung.