Can pinworms affect other parts of the body?

Endometritis infections can occur if pinworms travel from the anus to the vagina, affecting the uterus, fallopian tubes, and other pelvic organs.

How does pinworms affect your body?

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.

Can pinworms get in bloodstream?

The pinworm lives in the lower part of the small intestine, and the upper part of the colon. It is found worldwide and causes the common infection enterobiasis in humans. Unlike many other intestinal parasites, the pinworm does not usually enter the bloodstream or any other organs besides the intestines.

What infections can pinworms cause?

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.

Can pinworms affect the brain?

“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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Can pinworms cause long term damage?

This can cause problems such as inflammation of the vagina (vaginitis) and inflammation of the inner lining of the uterus (endometritis). Although rare, other complications of a pinworm infection may include: Urinary tract infections. Weight loss.

Can pinworms get in your lungs?

Once swallowed by a person, the worms mature and grow inside the body. Over months, the worms spread through the intestines and belly (abdomen). They penetrate the diaphragm muscle to enter the lungs. Once inside the lungs, the worms lay eggs and can survive for years, causing chronic (long-term) paragonimiasis.

Can pinworms make you sick?

Most of the time, pinworms don't cause major problems. But in rare cases, they can cause infections of the vagina and uterus. If you have a tapeworm infection, you may not have any symptoms. But some people have nausea, stomach pain, weakness, or diarrhea.

What happens if pinworms go untreated?

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.

Can you have worms in your vag?

A female threadworm can lay thousands of tiny eggs around the anus or vagina. The female threadworm also releases mucus, which can cause an itchy bottom. Scratching the anus or vagina, or wiping them after going to the toilet, can cause the eggs to stick to your fingertips or under your fingernails.

Can pinworms go to your heart?

But in rare cases this parasitic infection can lead to a serious heart complication known as amebic pericarditis, in which it causes abscesses in the pericardium — the saclike membrane surrounding the heart, scientists wrote in the Journal of Clinical Medicine Research.

Can pinworms live in your nose?

A rare case of enterobius vermicularis pin-worm is reported in the nose. An 11-year-old girl presented with the vague symptoms of crawling sensation in the nose for few weeks, who had received treatment for allergic rhinitis.

How do you know if you have worms in your lungs?

Diagnosis and Tests

If the infection is in your lungs, it can be more difficult to diagnose. Your provider can confirm a diagnosis by finding evidence of the larvae in your lungs or stomach fluids. Sometimes people cough up a worm. In rare cases, you may even see one come out of your nose.

Are pinworms harmful?

It's a common infection that affects millions of people each year, particularly school-age kids. If your child develops a pinworm infection, try not to worry. Pinworms don't cause any harm (just itching and restless sleep), and it won't take long to get rid of them.

What are the symptoms of pinworm infection?

What is the fastest way to get rid of pinworms?

Pinworms can usually be treated completely with two doses of over-the-counter medicine called pyrantel pamoate, available in the United States under the brand names Pin-X and Reese's Pinworm Medicine. Take one dose immediately and another dose two weeks later.

How long do pinworms last if not treated?

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.

What can be mistaken for pinworms?

Affected individuals typically present with perianal itching, and diagnosis is made by observing female worms in the perianal area. Mung bean sprouts are much larger than pinworms (Figure 2); roundworms or tapeworms are much more comparable in size.

Can pinworms go away naturally?

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.

Can pinworms cause death?

Pinworm infestation is very rarely fatal; death and morbidity are from secondary infection. A 28% to 68% increased risk for appendicitis is associated with pinworm infestation.

How do you know if you have worms in your stomach?

How do you know if pinworms are gone?

Your doctor will give you some medicine to take right away and then again 2 weeks later to be sure the worms are gone. The doctor can also give you a cream to help stop the itching. Because it's easy to pass pinworms on to other people, the doctor may want the other people in your house to take medicine, too.

Can a parasite cause back pain?

Patients may present with typical symptoms such as back pain, numbness, weakness, or bowel/bladder incontinence, leading the clinician to order relevant imaging of the CNS. In cases of parasitic infec- tion, there is seldom a diagnosis made even after imaging identifies the underlying lesion.

Can worm be in the throat?

The larvae typically make their way down to your stomach or intestines. There they can cause inflammation or damage. You can also have allergic reactions to these worms. Rarely, the larvae can stay in your throat area and that's when you may develop “tingling throat syndrome” and potentially a cough.

Can worms live in your sinuses?

Campos et al. [21] suggested that larvae kept in tissues of rodents could hatch in the human stomach and, from there, migrate towards the upper regions of the digestive tube and neighboring tissues, such as tonsils, middle ear, nasal sinuses, mastoid, and all the other locations where worms have been found.