About this topic
Pinworm infection is also known as a threadworm. The tiny worms live in your bowels. They lay eggs in the area around your anus. This infection is common among school-age children. The infection is easily passed from one person to another. This happens when you touch something with the eggs on it or an infected area and then put your hands in your mouth. Biting your nails after touching these areas can also pass the eggs into your mouth. Each person in the household should be treated if one person has this infection. ‚
The doctor will give you a drug to kill the adult worms. The doctor will give you the same drug after 2 weeks to kill the adult worms that have hatched. It is very important that you take all of both sets of drugs. Your doctor may suggest that all people in the house are treated at the same time. Everyone should also take extra care to keep an infection from starting again. ‚
What care is needed at home?
Ask your doctor what you need to do when you go home. Make sure you ask questions if you do not understand what the doctor says. This way you will know what you need to do. ‚
Part of the treatment is to prevent others from getting the infection. ‚
- Wash your hands with warm soapy water after going to the bathroom, after changing diapers, and before eating.
- Wash bed sheets, blankets, and towels using hot water.
- Wash your clothes using hot water.
- Clean your house and surfaces with disinfectant.
- Avoid sharing personal items while you have the infection.
- Avoid making food for others while you have the infection.
- Clean toilet seats each day.
What follow-up care is needed?
Your doctor may ask you to make visits to the office to check on your progress. Be sure to keep these visits. ‚
What drugs may be needed?
The doctor may order drugs to: ‚
- Kill the adult worms
- Ease anal itching
What problems could happen?
- Infection of the female genitals
- Weight loss
What can be done to prevent this health problem?
- Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 15 seconds.
- Always wash your hands after going to the toilet or changing diapers, and before eating.
- Teach children to keep their hands out of their mouth.
- Take a bath each day.
- Avoid biting your nails. Keep your nails trimmed and short.
- Avoid scratching your anal area.
- Change clothes and underpants often.
- Change underclothing, pajamas, towels, and bedding often.
- Wash clothing, washcloths and bedding in hot water.
When do I need to call the doctor?
- Signs come back or do not go away
- Signs of vaginitis. These include vaginal itching, pain while passing urine, bleeding, and change in color or odor of vaginal discharge.
- Very bad anal itching
- You are not feeling better in 2 to 3 days or you are feeling worse
Teach Back: Helping You Understand
The Teach Back Method helps you understand the information we are giving you. The idea is simple. After talking with the staff, tell them in your own words what you were just told. This helps to make sure the staff has covered each thing clearly. It also helps to explain things that may have been a bit confusing. Before going home, make sure you are able to do these: ‚
- I can tell you about my condition.
- I can tell you how and when to wash my hands to avoid passing the infection to others.
- I can tell you what I can do to help avoid passing the infection to others.
- I can tell you what I will do if I have vaginal itching, pain while passing urine, bleeding, or change in color of my vaginal discharge.
Where can I learn more?
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ‚
http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/pinworm/ ‚
KidsHealth ‚
http://kidshealth.org/parent/infections/stomach/pinworm.html ‚
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases ‚
http://www.niaid.nih.gov/topics/pinworm/Pages/Default.aspx ‚
National Organization for Rare Disorders ‚
http://www.rarediseases.org/rare-disease-information/rare-diseases/byID/747/viewAbstract ‚
Consumer Information Use and Disclaimer
This information is not specific medical advice and does not replace information you receive from your health care provider. This is only a brief summary of general information. It does NOT include all information about conditions, illnesses, injuries, tests, procedures, treatments, therapies, discharge instructions or life-style choices that may apply to you. You must talk with your health care provider for complete information about your health and treatment options. This information should not be used to decide whether or not to accept your health care providers advice, instructions or recommendations. Only your health care provider has the knowledge and training to provide advice that is right for you. ‚
Copyright
Copyright ‚ © 2015 Clinical Drug Information, LLC and Lexi-Comp, Inc. ‚