Is pinworm infection in children dangerous?

Posted by Master, Doctor Nguyen Thi Dinh - Pediatrician - Pediatric Center - Vinmec Times City International Hospital

Pinworm disease is a common disease of all ages, but most commonly seen in children. Pinworms multiply and develop in the anal area, their food is the blood of the host. The disease can leave dangerous complications for children such as digestive disorders, intestinal inflammation, etc. However, pinworm disease can still be treated and prevented if parents recognize the disease in time.

Pinworms are parasitic roundworms in the human intestine called Enterobius vermicularis. Pinworms lay eggs in the anal fold, the larvae in the eggs develop after 4-6 hours. Healthy people after swallowing eggs, the larval stage of infection escapes the shell in the small intestine, the worms will develop, mature, and parasitize in the large intestine.

When in the intestines, pinworms can cause damage, irritate the intestinal lining, cause digestive disorders or cause chronic intestinal inflammation, which can cause rashes and allergies. If pinworms get into the appendix, it can cause appendicitis. There are cases of pinworms entering the genitals, causing vaginal itching, menstrual disorders in girls and women. The time from swallowing infected eggs to developing into adults and laying eggs is about 1 month. Adult worms can live for about 2 months. At night, female worms have eggs that move to the anus and lay eggs in the folds around the anus. Autoinfection or retrograde crawling from the anal skin to the rectum may occur.

Treatment of pinworms must be closely combined with disease prevention to avoid reinfection. With high worm infections, mass treatment is required to prevent reinfection. Because pinworms have a short lifespan (1-2 months in the intestine), if you actively fight autoinfection, you may not need to take medicine.
Treatment of people infected with pinworms and groups of people living with infected people can use benzimidazole drugs with the regimen: Mebendazole 500mg orally in a single dose for both adults and children, repeat treatment after 1 month .

Pinworm disease can be prevented by some of the following measures:
Detect the disease and treat it in time. Wash the child's anus in the evening and in the morning Do not let the child wear pants with torn bottom or no pants Do not let the child playing on dirty ground Keep hands clean, keep fingernails short, wash hands before eating and after going to the toilet. Clothes and bedding are often sun-dried. Pinworm disease is a common helminthic disease, especially a common disease in children, children do not know how to prevent and detect the disease by themselves, so this is the main source of infection in the community. Pay attention to proactively prevent disease for yourself and your children.
Pediatrics department at Vinmec International General Hospital is the address for receiving and examining diseases that infants and young children are susceptible to: viral fever, bacterial fever, otitis media, pneumonia in children, ... With modern equipment, sterile space, minimizing the impact as well as the risk of disease spread. Along with that is the dedication from the doctors with professional experience with pediatric patients, making the examination no longer a concern of the parents.