Why do children often get pinworms?

Children often get pinworms mainly due to the habit of giving toys, food, ... not cleaned properly on their mouths. Parents can completely prevent the risk of pinworm infection in their children by keeping them clean and deworming them regularly.

The scientific name of the pinworm is Enterobius vermicularis. This is a small worm that develops in the digestive tract of children. The disease occurs at any age, but the majority is in children of preschool age.
Pinworms are small (like a thread), white and about 1cm long. After mating, the male pinworm will die and the female pinworm will descend to the edge of the anus to lay eggs. A female worm will lay about 4,000 - 200,000 eggs and then die. It takes about 3-4 weeks for worm eggs to develop into adult worms. Pinworm eggs can live 2-3 weeks after leaving the human body. The life span of the pinworm is 30 - 45 days.

Children with many pinworms or after deworming still have them often due to the following reasons:
Pinworm larvae develop rapidly in the creases of the anus, so if there are pinworms in the anus, the child is very sick. susceptible to reinfection. When female worms lay eggs, children often experience anal itching and scratching. Since then, the child's finger has been infected with worm eggs, making him susceptible to pinworm infection or infecting others; Pinworm eggs can survive on surfaces such as blankets, clothing, toiletries, cups, food, school tables, etc. When children eat, go to the toilet or play, Worm eggs will stick to hands and nails. If children suck their thumbs or use their bare hands to pick up food, the eggs will enter the mouth, enter the body, and reside in the intestines.

Pinworm disease has a long-lasting nature, often causing the following symptoms:
Digestive disorders: First, the child has anal itching, mainly at night - bedtime (bed temperature) Warm will stimulate the pinworm to crawl out the anus to lay eggs). The baby's anal margin is red and congested, the baby's stools are often broken or loose, sometimes with blood or mucus, and diarrhea. Children often have anorexia, occasional nausea or vomiting, and dull abdominal pain. Children with pinworms often have growth retardation, anorexia, pale skin, rickets, and malnutrition; Neurological effects: Children infected with pinworms often have symptoms of irritability, neurasthenia, difficulty sleeping, little sleep, or startling and crying at night. Many children also experience frequent bedwetting due to pinworm infections.

Children infected with pinworms may experience a number of health problems such as:
When in the intestines, pinworms cause damage and irritation to the intestinal lining, leading to digestive disorders, causing chronic enteritis, causing Children with anorexia, nausea, persistent dull abdominal pain,... If infected with many pinworms for a long time, the child may suffer from malnutrition, growth retardation, pale skin, emaciation, ... ; When the pinworm lays eggs in the anus causing itching, it will cause the child to lose sleep, be frustrated, or fussy,...; If pinworms get into the appendix, it can lead to appendicitis; Pinworms can be harmful to female genitalia because they can crawl into the vulva and vagina, causing girls to itch and scratch, leading to scratching, inflammation and infection. From there, the child may have vulvovaginitis, vaginitis or menstrual disorders,...; Pinworms stray into the esophagus, lungs, nasal cavity, bladder, ... causing inflammation.

Children who often have pinworms need to be thoroughly treated from this condition. The treatment requires the advice of a doctor to use the right medicine with the right dose. Parents should pay attention not to arbitrarily use anti-worm drugs for children because they do not know all the effects of the drug and if there are any side effects. Therefore, when a child shows signs of pinworm infection, parents should take the child to a medical facility to be consulted by a doctor to prescribe an anthelmintic drug suitable for age.
Usually, children 2 years of age and older are dewormed. However, children who are malnourished due to worm infections can be removed earlier (about 1 year old) but need to use appropriate drugs. Some commonly used deworming drugs for children include:
Albendazol : Effective in killing many types of worms such as roundworms, hookworms, hairworms, strongyloides, pinworms,... Single dose for children from 2 years old (400mg); Mebendazol : Use only for children over 2 years old. To remove pinworms, give the child a dose of 100mg, after 2-4 weeks, take it again. To remove one or more types of worms such as hookworm, whipworm, and pinworm, give the child a single dose of 400mg; Pyrantel: Indicated to remove roundworms, hookworms, and pinworms for children from 1 year of age and older with a dose of 10mg/kg body weight. If the child has a lot of pinworm infections, it can be repeated after 1 week with the above dose. The above deworming drugs are prepared in the form of tablets, fragrance, sweet taste or in suspension form, so children can use it without fear of bitterness. Parents can give the child the medicine at any time of the day (preferably in the evening before bedtime).

To avoid the situation of children being infected with pinworms, parents need to pay attention to preventive measures such as:
Teach children the habit of washing hands after going to the toilet and before eating. Adults also need to pay attention to washing their hands before preparing food for children; Let children drink cooled boiled water, eat cooked vegetables, eat fruits that have been peeled cleanly; Regularly cut the child's nails, clean the anus with soap after each bowel movement, do not leave the child naked; Do not let children crawl on dirty floors or play with sandy soil; Periodic deworming for children every 6 months. If there is a member of the family infected with pinworms, the whole family should be dewormed. There are many causes of pinworms in children, but it is completely preventable. Parents should pay attention to children for regular health check-ups and proper deworming for the best development of children.
Currently, Vinmec International General Hospital is implementing the General Health Checkup Package for children under 18 years old. In the health check package, children will receive a comprehensive examination, from eyes, teeth, blood pressure, weight to necessary tests, combined with diagnostic imaging. The examination package helps you check your baby's overall health, screen for symptoms for early detection and treatment if needed.
The advantages of having a general health check-up for babies at Vinmec are:
The system meets international standards: JCI (Joint Commission International) standards. This is the most stringent safety standard in the world. This standard is patient-centered, committed to providing patients with safe and quality medical care Modern facilities and equipment: Vinmec Hospital owns facilities and equipment Modern equipment helps to support the best diagnosis for patients such as PET/CT, MRI, CT 640, the world's leading modern ultrasound machine system, international standard laboratory,... Room cool, clean, comfortable for patients and families. A team of qualified and experienced staff: Before and after the examination, the doctor always advises and enthusiastically explains the examination results to parents. Besides, after the examination, the medical staff is still ready to assist when parents have questions about the baby's health situation. Limit the use of antibiotics for children: Antibiotic resistance is increasing at an alarming rate due to the indiscriminate use of antibiotics. When a baby gets sick and needs treatment at Vinmec, doctors will consider and minimize its use for children.