Pinworm disease: Causes, symptoms, prevention

This article is professionally consulted by - Head of Department of Medical Examination & Internal Medicine - Vinmec Ha Long International General Hospital.

Pinworm disease is a common disease of all ages, but is most commonly seen in children. Pinworms multiply and develop in the anal area, their food is the blood of the host. Pinworm infection is a common but completely preventable disease. To actively prevent the disease, let's learn the causes, symptoms, and ways to prevent pinworm disease.

Pinworm disease is caused by infection with the pinworm parasite (scientific name is Enterobius vermicularis).
Morphology: Pinworms are milky white, head slightly bulging and shell notched. Their mouth has 3 lips, the length of the male worm is about 2-5mm, the tail is curved and has genital spines about 70mm. Female worms about 9-12 mm long have a long, pointed tail.
Female pinworm lays eggs that are released into the environment, pinworm eggs develop well and hatch into eggs carrying larvae and are infectious at temperature of 300C, 70% humidity and oxygen after about 6-8 hours. The female pinworm lays eggs only at night in the folds of the anus, and the eggs develop into motile larvae. Because they often lay eggs at night and secrete an itch-causing substance, people with pinworms often have intense anal itching at night.
Mode of transmission of pinworms:
By eating: By scratching the anus containing pinworm eggs, then holding food or sucking fingers in young children. Other routes of transmission: After birth, pinworm eggs develop into pinworm larvae in the anal fold, then move up to the cecum to develop into adult worms, this type is rare.

People with pinworm disease may have symptoms such as:
Itching around the anus, especially at night, is a common and specific symptom of the disease. Children infected with pinworms often cry at night due to anal itching, observing at the anal margin can see female pinworms at the anal margin.

When defecating, see pinworm larvae in the stool. In addition, because pinworms live in the anal area, they can enter the vagina, causing vaginal itching and menstrual disorders. Pinworms can get into the appendix, which can become infected and cause appendicitis. Prolonged illness can cause chronic anemia: dizziness, dizziness.

Principles of treatment of pinworms: If the group is infected, it must be treated simultaneously to avoid re-infection
Pinworm treatment drugs include:
Mebendazole 500mg single dose for both children and adults, repeat oral after 1 month. Or use albendazole 400mg single dose for both children and adults, repeated after one month. Note: mebendazole and albendazole are contraindicated for use in children under 2 years of age, pregnant women in the first 3 months or nursing mothers, people sensitive to Benzimidazole, people with a history of bone marrow toxicity. Be careful with subjects with kidney failure, liver failure.

Preventive measures according to the Department of Preventive Medicine - Ministry of Health include:
Raising awareness of hygiene to protect the environment from being contaminated with feces, especially floors, bedding and children's clothes. Carry out eating and drinking boiling. Good personal hygiene such as cutting nails short, washing hands with soap before eating and after using the toilet. Do not let children wear crotchless pants, wash their anus daily with soap in the mornings. High-risk subjects: regular deworming, especially for children aged 2-12, deworming twice a year. Pinworm disease is a common helminthic disease, especially a common disease in children, children do not know how to self-prevent and detect the disease, so it is the main source of infection in the community. Take the initiative to prevent illness for yourself and your children.

Article compiled from the source: Ministry of Health