If you don't treat worms, they can cause malnutrition, anemia, dehydration, and severe abdominal pain, while some types, like tapeworms, can form cysts in organs (brain, liver, lungs, heart), leading to seizures, organ damage, or even fatal infections, as worms steal nutrients and can irritate or damage intestinal walls. Untreated pinworms keep laying eggs, spreading the infection and causing intense itching, but generally don't cause severe systemic issues unless very heavy.
Worms are not usually fatal but in serious cases they can cause abdominal pain, diarrhoea, loss of appetite, weight loss, fatigue and anaemia. In children, they can also contribute to malnutrition, stunted growth, and absences from school.
While many people may experience no immediate symptoms, the effects of untreated intestinal worms in humans may be far-reaching. Over time, these worms can cause nutrient deficiencies, weaken the immune system, and lead to chronic digestive problems.
Important. Go back to the GP if your symptoms do not get better in 2 weeks or you keep passing live worms in your poo.
Threadworms live about 5-6 weeks in the gut, and then die. However, before they die the female worms lay tiny eggs around the anus. This tends to be at night when you are warm and still in bed. The eggs are too small to see, but cause an itch around the anus.
Strongyloidiasis is an infection with the parasitic worm Strongyloides. It lives in contaminated soil and infects you through your skin. Some infections become chronic, lasting for years. Strongyloidiasis can cause life-threatening illness if you have a weakened immune system.
Some mattress worms are simply parasitic worms, and will remain in their worm-form their entire life. Some common worms that might appear in your home are pinworms, roundworms, and hookworms. If you see tiny white worms crawling on your bed sheets, they could be any of the following: Bed bugs.
The medicine will either kill the adult worms or cause you to poop them out. But they won't kill the eggs, which can still cause infections. You'll probably need to give your doctor a stool sample for a few months to make sure all the tapeworms are gone.
Symptoms of other worm infections
Any symptoms or signs patient might have, specifically itch (particularly intense, nocturnal, perineal itching is common with threadworms) and if any recurrent abdominal pain. Any previous episodes of threadworm. Any sleep disturbance and irritability at night. Any symptoms of vulvovaginitis.
Parasites drain nutrients from your body, leaving you with a constant feeling of fatigue. Digestive issues: Frequent diarrhea, abdominal pain, or bloating can be signs of a parasitic infestation. These digestive disturbances affect not only your physical well-being but also your daily comfort.
How are pinworms treated? Your child will need to take an oral (taken by mouth) anti-parasitic medication to kill the worms. They'll take one dose immediately and another dose two weeks later to be sure all the worms are gone.
In most cases, these “wandering worms” cause no symptoms or obvious damage. However, in some cases they can cause damage to tissue. Sometimes they affect the nerves or even make their way to the eyes. In some cases, they may cause permanent nerve or eye damage, even blindness.
Infestations caused by worms, if left without treatment, can result in malnutrition, iron deficiency anaemia, stunted growth, and impaired immunity.
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.
Complications. Most often, pinworm infections don't cause serious problems called complications. Rarely, having many pinworms in the body can cause infection of female genitals.
10 Warning Signs of Parasitic Infections
Conduct a "tape test". Press the sticky side of clear tape against the skin near the anus to collect pinworm eggs. First thing in the morning is the best time, before the person washes, goes to the bathroom, or gets dressed. Do this three mornings in a row.
The medicine should start to work straight away but it may take several days to kill all the worms.
Yes, it is normal to see dead threadworms in the persons bowel motions. Depending on the frequency of bathroom visits this can take up to one week. Symptoms of threadworm infection usually disappear within one week of treatment. Threadworms are highly contagious.
What are the most common food sources of parasites?
1. What do worms hate the most? Compost worms, such as tiger and red worms, are sensitive creatures that thrive in reasonably specific conditions. Dry conditions are one of the worst things as worms have very little capacity to withstand dehydration.
To help prevent spread within the home, when pinworms are identified in one family member, use these precautions: Treat any person who sleeps in the same bed as the infected child. Treat non-bed sharing family members only if they have symptoms. Treat all family members who develop symptoms.
If just a little bit of a worm is broken off, it can grow a new head or tail. But if you cut a worm in half, it will not live. Worms have 5 hearts located close to their head.