Are pinworms healthy?

Pinworms don't cause any harm (just itching and restless sleep), and it won't take long to get rid of them.

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Do pinworms affect your health?

Pinworm infection (called enterobiasis or oxyuriasis) causes itching around the anus which can lead to difficulty sleeping and restlessness. Symptoms are caused by the female pinworm laying her eggs. Symptoms of pinworm infection usually are mild and some infected people have no symptoms.

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Should I worry about pinworm?

Typical pinworm infections don't cause serious problems. In rare circumstances, heavy infestations can cause infection of female genitals. The parasite can travel from the anal area up the vagina to the uterus, fallopian tubes and around the pelvic organs.

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What will happen if pinworms are not treated?

Most people don't experience serious complications from pinworm infections, but in rare cases the following complications can occur: Urinary tract infections (UTIs). UTIs can develop if you do not treat the pinworm infection. Vaginitis and endometritis.

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Why am I always getting pinworms?

If a person with a pinworm infection touches their underwear, bedsheets, or their anus, they can pick up eggs on their fingers. If they touch another surface, they can leave the eggs there. Anyone who touches that surface and then touches their mouth is at risk of infection.

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Pinworm Dangers

31 related questions found

Do pinworms last forever?

How long does pinworms last? The life cycle of a pinworm is 4 to 6 weeks. Without treatment, infestation will continue as long as fresh eggs are being swallowed, unless a person develops immunity to pinworms, which is unusual before age 15.

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Is it rare for adults to get pinworms?

Adults are rarely affected, except for parents of infected children. Infection often occurs in more than one family member. While an infected person sleeps, female pinworms crawl out of the anus and lay their eggs on the surrounding skin.

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Do pinworms go away OK their own?

Threadworms do not go away by themselves, and people do not build up immunity to them, so they must be treated in order to eradicate them totally from the body.

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Will I ever get rid of pinworms?

To treat pinworm infection, your doctor may recommend over-the-counter pyrantel pamoate or prescribe medication to all members of your household to prevent infection and reinfection. The most common prescription anti-parasite medications for pinworms are: Mebendazole. Albendazole (Albenza)

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Can you feel pinworms move?

It moves. If it doesn't wiggle, it's probably lint or a thread. The worm may be seen around the anus or on the child's bottom. It is especially active at night or early morning.

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How long do pinworms last in humans?

Life cycle of a pinworm

A grown pinworm is yellowish white, slender and about one centimetre long. Around 4 weeks after ingestion, the adult female moves down the gut and exits the body via the anus to lay a batch of eggs on the surrounding skin, often at night. The worm then dies, her reproductive mission complete.

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Can pinworms reach the brain?

Roundworm Symptoms and Risks

“The worm matures in the gut and then likes to travel to the lung,” says Shirley. “From the lung, the worm can occasionally travel to the eyes, leading to vision loss. Or it may go to the brain where it can cause encephalitis, which leads to seizures and brain damage.”

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What do pinworms do to adults?

While serious complications are rare, pinworms can lead to: Bacterial infections: When the infected person scratches the anal area, the skin can bleed and become infected. Urinary tract infections (UTIs): In females, the worms can travel to the vagina and cause infections.

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Do pinworms itch during the day?

The eggs pass into the digestive system, where they hatch. About 1 to 2 months later, adult female pinworms lay eggs on the skin right around the anus, which makes the area itchy. Often, this happens at night.

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What temperature kills pinworm eggs?

Complete die-off within the tested exposure time range was noted for 70 °C, 75 °C and 80 °C, however treatment at 60 °C and 65 °C allowed for development of a few eggs after incubation.

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Can you get pinworms from a toilet seat?

A person is infected with pinworms by ingesting pinworm eggs either directly or indirectly. These eggs are deposited around the anus by the worm and can be carried to common surfaces such as hands, toys, bedding, clothing, and toilet seats.

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What kills pinworm eggs?

The medications used for the treatment of pinworm are either mebendazole, pyrantel pamoate, or albendazole. Any of these drugs are given in one dose initially, and then another single dose of the same drug two weeks later. Pyrantel pamoate is available without prescription.

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How many pinworms does a human have?

Almost the entire body of a gravid female becomes filled with eggs. The estimations of the number of eggs in a gravid female pinworm range from about 11,000 to 16,000. The egg-laying process begins about five weeks after initial ingestion of pinworm eggs by the human host.

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Can you be immune to pinworms?

The study was published today (May 5) Journal of Experimental Medicine. Pass it on: Some people are able to ward off parasitic worm infection because they possess a certain protein in their gut mucus that is toxic to worms.

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Do most people have pinworms?

Pinworm is the most common worm infection in the United States. Experts estimate that one in ten people throughout the world become infected with pinworms.

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Can you have pinworms for years and not know?

Pinworm infection is very common, occurring in children much more often than in adults. As many as one in five children will be bothered by this parasite. Between 30 and 40 million people in the United States get this infection, many without even knowing it.

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Do pinworms cause weight loss?

If it is a severe infection, symptoms may include: nervousness, restlessness, loss of appetite, weight loss, and girls may experience vaginal itching and irritation (vaginitis), if pinworms are near the vagina.

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How long can pinworms live on bedding?

Pinworms can survive up to two weeks on clothing, bedding or other objects, if kept at room temperature.

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What do brain worms feel like?

Symptoms of neurocysticercosis depend upon where and how many cysts are found in the brain. Seizures and headaches are the most common symptoms. However, confusion, lack of attention to people and surroundings, difficulty with balance, excess fluid around the brain (called hydrocephalus) may also occur.

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Are pinworms highly contagious?

Pinworm infection is very contagious. If you don't take precautions, it's easy to become reinfected. If anyone in your home has pinworms, take these steps to get rid of the pinworm eggs. Doing so will minimize your chances of reinfection.

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