Possible complications. Intestinal worms increase your risk for anemia and intestinal blockages, as well as malnutrition. Complications occur more frequently in older adults and in people who have suppressed immune systems, such as people with HIV/AIDS infection.
Symptoms may include diarrhoea, tiredness and weakness, abdominal pain and weight loss. Some worms cause anaemia.
The symptoms may be mild and non-specific, including nausea, diarrhea, constipation, and abdominal pain. Untreated tapeworms can live for years, and can lead to malnutrition.
When a larvae infection finally produces symptoms, the infection may have been present for years. In some rare cases, larvae infection can be life threatening.
Intestinal worms can cause symptoms such as anaemia, intestinal obstruction, inflammation of the colon, impaired development, and even death.
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.
Signs and Symptoms
Parasites can live in the intestines for years without causing symptoms.
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.
Adult worms may live up to 17 years in the human body and can continue to make new microfilariae for much of this time. Most people with loiasis do not have any symptoms.
If you have a large number of worms in the intestine, you might have: Severe abdominal pain. Fatigue. Vomiting.
Sometimes worms are visible in the anal area, on underwear, or in the toilet. In stool, they look like small pieces of white cotton thread.
See a GP if you: find a large worm or large piece of worm in your poo. have a red, itchy worm-shaped rash on your skin. have sickness, diarrhoea or a stomach ache for longer than 2 weeks.
Pinworm is the most common worm infection in Australia. The major symptom is an itchy bottom, particularly at night. Treatment usually includes a single or 2-dose course of medication that should be taken by all members of the affected household. If symptoms persist, consult your doctor.
How long does it take for worms to be gone after deworming? Once you take the deworming medicine, the medicine starts working immediately, but it might take a few days to kill all the worms. It is advised to take a second dose after two weeks to prevent reinfection.
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.
This is why you may need to take another dose 2 weeks later to help prevent reinfection. How long does it take to work? The medicine should start to work straight away but it may take several days to kill all the worms. It's important to take the medicine as a pharmacist or doctor tells you.
Stomach/abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, headache, dizziness, or drowsiness may occur. If any of these effects last or get worse, tell your doctor or pharmacist promptly. Remember that this medication has been prescribed because your doctor has judged that the benefit to you is greater than the risk of side effects.
Severe or persistent threadworm infections can cause: loss of appetite. weight loss. skin infection around the anus if bacteria enter any scratches caused by itching – wearing cotton gloves while sleeping may help prevent this.
Seizures and headaches are the most common symptoms. However, confusion, lack of attention to people and surroundings, difficulty with balance, excess fluid around the brain (called hydrocephalus) may also occur. The disease can result in death.
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.
Worms are mainly spread in small bits of poo from people with a worm infection. Some are caught from food. You can get infected by: touching objects or surfaces with worm eggs on them – if someone with worms doesn't wash their hands.
For most, it's a short stay, with the immune system evicting the worms in days or weeks and leaving no trace that the parasites were ever there. In a small percentage of people and other animals, though, the worms gain a permanent mouth-hold and can stick around the intestines for years.