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The so-called pinworm infection is caused by a very small (1 cm) worm with the scientific name of Enterobius vermicularis. This infection often affects whole groups and not just individuals. The most obvious clue that a person is suffering from the condition is an itchy anus or anal opening. This condition is not rare. It is estimated that 208 million people in the world are affected by pinworms. The condition itself may not kill, but once other conditions and complications set in because of the sheer increase in number of pinworms, an infected person may seriously get sick and die. Particularly harmful is the pinworms’ tendency to travel to the different parts of the body.
The itchy feeling at the anus is caused by the female pinworm laying eggs on the folds of the skin around the anus and anal opening. Eggs may number from 5,000 to 17,000, or 11,000 on the average. Within 6 hours, these eggs become fully mature. Because children tend to scratch their itchy anal regions incessantly, and may fail to wash their hands before eating, the eggs are often ingested by the same person who had the infection in the first place. This is called “autoinfection.” Once inside the body, the eggs hatch and can mature into adult, egg-laying females in a month.
The intense itchiness of the anal region during the female pinworm’s egg-laying leads to scratching which is just as intense. This can lead to the anal region having a lot of wounds, and consequently, scars. Sometimes the wounds may bleed, and they may even become infected with bacteria. Because of this, the simple pinworm infection is dreaded as a possible starting point of bacterial infection in the anus and genital areas together, since the two are so closely related in the body.
The pinworms themselves may travel inside the body, going into locations other than the anal opening. In females, the pinworms can go into the vagina, causing itchiness here instead. Aside from itchiness, the pinworm can cause greater problems in females if they enter the female reproductive organs, particularly the fallopian tubes. Here, they may become small masses, which may block the passage of the female’s egg from the ovary (where eggs are made), into the uterus (where they may become babies if fertilized by the sperm cells of a male).
Mothers should suspect that their children are infected with the pinworm, if, as earlier stated, they keep scratching their anal regions. Because of this, a child may also appear restless, and unable to sit down properly. If noted, the child should be brought immediately to a doctor. The doctor will get a sample of the feces of the child, and see if there are the characteristic D-shaped eggs of Enterobius vermicularis. The doctor may also get a sample of debris around the anus using a piece of adhesive tape. Any pinworm eggs attached to the folds of the anal opening may thus be seen very easily attached to the adhesive tape, under the microscope of course. Because the eggs mature fast, it is easy for an infection of one person to spread to other people, especially if they are staying in just one household. The eggs may be passed from hand to mouth (as earlier described), from inhaling the eggs, or by hatched pinworms climbing back up the anal opening (this is called “retroinfection”). These methods of spreading the infection can be prevented by good personal hygiene. Fingernails should be cut short, and hands should always be washed after using the toilet and before having meals. Bed linens and clothing of infected people should be isolated and sterilized by boiling.
The drugs used to treat pinworm infection are called Mebendazole and Pyrantel Pamoate. These are both very effective. People suspected to have pinworm infection, particularly children, should be taken to a doctor, who will determine if the suspicion is true, and who will subsequently prescribe these drugs properly. This is important because these drugs have some side effects if taken in excess.
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