Before we get into how to tell if you have pinworms lets talk a little about what this small, wiggly deadly worm is.
What are Threadworms / Pinworms
Threadworms or pinworms are wiggly worms that are very small, difficult to see and are one of the very common parasitic infections in the United Kingdom, United States and many other countries. Pinworms are almost a half inch in size, white in color and infects the large intestine of humans specially children’s below the age of 9 years. Threadworms eggs can survive more than two weeks and when inside the host the worm that gets past the digestion process and ends up in the large intestine starts to lay eggs all around the anus area of its host.
Can threadworms kill you?
Thread worm infection is not life-threatening. A large amount of thread worms inside can cause abdominal pain but a thread worm infection can not kill it’s host.
How do you get Threadworms?
- One can get pinworms by not washing hands properly after a visit to the toilet.
- One can also get threadworms eggs by simply inhaling the infected air around.
- Threadworm eggs can be swallowed accidently by eating the infected food.
- Children can easily get threadworms by putting infected toys/hands into their mouths.
How to Tell if You Have Pinworms
Severe Threadworm Infestation
Severe pinworm infestation can cause many of the following symptoms:
Nausea
Weight loss
Weight loss occurs due to pinworms causing a mayhem inside your large intestine and consuming most of the nutrients that your eating.
Fatigue
Diarrhea
Diarrhea occurs due to your body desperately trying to flush the parasitic worms out as soon as possible.
Anal itching
Vaginal or anal itching can happen especially at night due to the female pinworms laying eggs inside the infected host and it can lead to insomnia.
Pinworms stomach pain
Severe abdominal pain can occur due to the presence of a large number of threadworms present inside your large intestine.
UTI Infection
In women an untreated pinworm infection can also lead to a urinary tract infection.
Above information and symptoms can help you know how to tell if you have pinworms.
Here are some pics of threadworms for you to understand the physical appearance of a threadworm
Pinworms in Babies
Threadworms in Babies are also something to be concerned about for parents as the pinworms are very contagious and very easy to get for infants and babies in the form of eggs or adult worms. Especially babies that crawl, can play and grab on to toys and eat solid foods are at a higher risk of contracting pinworms.
Threadworm Medicine
To treat a pinworm infection your doctor will probably prescribe a non prescription medication such as Reese’s Pinworm Medicine to treat the infection. The doctor also might recommend every member of the family to use the medicine in order to get rid of the parasitic worms once and for all in the house hold, because to treat a threadworm infection successfully all member of a house must be treated whether or not they have symptoms of the infection.
Threadworm Cure
Mebendazole is the most effective and most prescribed medicine foe the pinworm treatment. When using mebendazole almost all the threadworms inside will die in a few days and threadworm infection can be treated successfully.
Mebendazole is one of the most used medications in treating the pinworms infection. It is a broad-spectrum antihelmintic and can treat various parasitic worms such as the hookworm. Mebendazole is used in those who are suffering from mild to moderate infestations of pinworms.
