Different WORMS AND PARASITES create different problems in children ranging from “not very serious” to “very serious”.  Their damaging capacity also depends on how long they have been allowed to live in our body.

Roundworms: may cause nausea and vomiting, loss of weight, fever, nervousness, and irritability.

Hookworms: may cause dizziness, ringing in the ears, headache. Patients having hook-worms look pale and are easily fatigued. Their hair is dry and the facial expression dull and apathetic. In more severe case, the heart is enlarged and there may be swelling in all the tissues of the body.

Pinworms: may cause severe itching around the anal area, poor appetite, poor appetite, loss of weight, bed-wetting, sleeplessness, grinding of teeth, inflammation of the female organ.

Whipworms: may cause nausea, vomiting, constipation, flatulence, a slight fever and headache, and in severe cases anemia with blood streaked diarrhea. 

Tapeworms: may cause hunger pain which is sharp and stabbing but quickly relieved by food. These worms get into our body by eating incompletely cooked meat of pork, beef and fresh water fish. The clinical manifestations resulting from infection with the larval (Cysticercosis) of pig tapeworm are the most feared. These larval forms can be found anywhere in the body, most commonly in the brain and the skeletal muscle. The clinical presentation of cysticercosis depend on the number and location  of cysticerci as well as the extent of associated inflammatory responses.  Neurologic manifestations are the most common and include: seizures, hydrocephalus which causes headache, nausea, vomiting, visual changes, dizziness, confusion, altered mental status, meningitis and stroke.

Entamoeba Histolytica: may cause, at early stage, gastro-intestinal disturbances with occasional loose and watery stools. In its severity, it may cause abdominal cramp, diarrhea, bloody mucoid stools, undue fatigue, fever, vague aching in the muscles, backache, arthritis, dizziness etc.  Liver abscess is the most serious complication due to amoebic infection.