You can get pinworms at any age, but they are most common in school-aged children (ages 4-11) due to close contact in schools and daycares, though infants and adults can also get them, especially family members of an infected child. There's no specific age where you can't get them, but hygiene and living situations affect risk, with younger kids and crowded settings increasing chances.
Being young.
Pinworm infections are most likely to happen in children ages 5 to 10. The tiny eggs are easily spread to family members, caregivers, or other children at school or child care centers. Pinworm infections are not common in children younger than age 2.
Pinworm infection causes itching around the anus (butthole). Anyone can get a pinworm infection, but it usually affects children, people living with or caring for children, and people living in long-term care facilities or institutional settings.
Anyone can get pinworms
People get pinworm infections from swallowing these eggs after touching an infected person's skin or personal belongings, such as clothing, bedding, and toys. Pinworms can spread as long as the worm remains alive in the infected person.
Medications cure pinworms 90% to 100% of the time. With proper treatment, pinworms go away and don't cause long-term health problems.
Bathe carefully every day. Be sure to clean the skin around the anus. This will remove pinworm eggs. Showers may be better than baths because you have less chance of getting water that has pinworm eggs into your mouth.
But just 100 years ago, before toilets and running water were commonplace, everybody had regular exposure to intestinal worms. Thanks in part to modern plumbing, people in the industrialized world have now lost almost all of their worms, with the exception of occasional pinworms in some children.
Infection can happen to anyone, regardless of a child's home hygiene. Despite the unsavoury reputation, a pinworm infection is relatively harmless and can be easily treated.
You can spot threadworms in your poo. They look like pieces of white thread. You might also see them around your child's bottom (anus). The worms usually come out at night while your child is sleeping.
At night, the female adult worms deposit their eggs outside the rectum near the anal area. One way to detect pinworms is to shine a flashlight on the anal area. The worms are tiny, white, and threadlike. If none are seen, check for 2 or 3 additional nights.
Pinworms: The Missing Link Between Vitamin B12 Deficiency and Tissue Eosinophilia.
washing machine set on the hot cycle can destroy eggs. Keep the toilet seats clean. What should I do about it? If you suspect a pinworm infection, consult your health-care provider for diagnosis and treatment.
Pinworm eggs can also be transferred to the fingers from clothing or bedding, and then spread around the home. Eggs may be inhaled from the air or deposited onto food and swallowed. Pinworms can survive up to two weeks on clothing, bedding or other objects, if kept at room temperature.
Washing your hands with soap and warm water is the most important way to prevent the spread of pinworms. Teach children the importance of washing their hands. To prevent repeat infections, treat the person infected with pinworms, their caretakes, and members of their household, at the same time.
A person is infectious as long as eggs are present on the perianal skin. Eggs remain infective in an indoor environment for about two to three weeks.
Fortunately, pinworms are easily treated with anti-parasitic medication, which is available by prescription or over the counter. If left untreated, a pinworm infection typically won't cause any serious problems, according to Shirley. In rare cases, the worms may enter the vagina and cause a discharge in girls.
Symptoms of other worm infections
Most people get infected by accidentally swallowing pinworm eggs. Anyone can get pinworms, but they are most common in school-aged children. They are usually spread like this: A child swallows pinworm eggs, and they travel to the child's intestines.
Change and wash your underwear each day. Frequent changing of night clothes is recommended. Change underwear, night clothes, and sheets after each treatment.
Pinworm infestation as a cause of tissue eosinophilia and Vitamin B12 deficiency would have been undiagnosed if the worm and ova had not been found on follow-up colonoscopy.
A person will remain infectious for as long as there are worms laying eggs on the skin around his or her rectum. Pinworm eggs can remain infectious in an indoor environment for two to three weeks. A person can also reinfect themselves or be re-infected by eggs from another person.
Knowing if you have parasites involves recognizing symptoms like digestive issues (diarrhea, bloating, pain), unexplained weight loss, fatigue, skin rashes, or muscle aches, but often infections are subtle or asymptomatic, so a doctor's diagnosis through stool samples or blood tests is crucial for confirmation, especially if you have persistent symptoms like fever, extreme fatigue, or blood in your stool.
(Pinworms can irritate the urethra — the tube through which pee leaves the body — and lead to bedwetting.) Remember that pinworms are quite common among kids and aren't harmful. By taking medicine and following some prevention tips, you'll be rid of the worms in no time.
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