How to treat Giardia in children by Dr. Komarovsky
Content
The possibility of infecting a child with intestinal parasites causes concern to his parents. Moms and dads bypass all sorts of doctors to identify worms or protozoa in a baby. Then the parents agree to any dubious diagnosis, look for the terrible signs of illness, are set up for any treatment, just to get rid of the infection. It is necessary to study the symptoms and treatment of Giardia in children by Dr. Komarovsky in order to have an idea of their real danger and methods of control.
What is Giardia
The famous pediatrician dedicated the whole TV show of the “School of Doctor Komarovsky” to the disease called giardiasis. In it, the doctor gave accessible information about the causative agent, the clinic of infection, serious and frivolous symptoms, the real danger of infection and the need for treatment.
E. O. Komarovsky said that Giardia was first discovered by the inventor of the microscope Leeuwenhoek. They received their exotic name due to the surname of Dr. F. Lambla.
On a note!
Giardia are not bacteria or helminths. These are microscopic protozoa flagellates. They contain two nuclei, have organelles of movement and fixation in the intestine. Giardia breed by dividing in half and can be in a state of active form or cysts.
Komarovsky explained that in the form of cysts, protozoa are long preserved in the environment. The causative agents of giardiasis are not afraid of chlorination, survive freezing, but quickly die when heated to 60 ° C and boiled.
How parasites enter the body and where they live
Infection with Giardia occurs through the fecal-oral route. The simplest enter the body in the form of cysts. The main habitat of Giardia is the small intestine.There they are attached to the wall and parasitize.
On a note!
Doctor Komarovsky warned that one shouldn’t believe the charlatans who assert that these protozoans are connected with such terrible diseases as liver cirrhosis, inflammation of the gallbladder and its ducts, and stomach ulcers. Giardiasis in children or adults is a disease that is limited only to the digestive tract. The simplest reproduce in the small intestine, and then go to the feces. Not only the person is ill, but also pets - cats, dogs.
Lamblia can be hit in the following cases:
- with water containing cysts;
- by eating food, which are giardia;
- upon contact with the patient.
Komarovsky said that for infection with a probability of 30%, a child or adult is enough to swallow from 10 cysts. When released into the digestive tract from 25 cysts, the disease develops in 100% of individuals.
Dr. Komarovsky said that the frequency of people with giardiasis in the population may vary depending on the observance of sanitary and hygienic rules and regulations. So he noted that in countries where it is customary to clean the streets, including those from domestic animal feces, to use high-quality drinking water, to wash hands for at least 25 seconds, the incidence of the disease is reduced to 2%.And in the CIS countries, parasites can be found in 25-35% of the population.
On a note!
In the story of lamblia in children, Komarovsky emphasized that at the age of 1 to 4 years, the probability of infection is from 30 to 90%. This is due to overcrowding in preschool institutions, visiting sandboxes and playgrounds, where feces of dogs and cats can be. The doctor mentioned that it is also possible to detect Giardia in infants.
Parasites do not always mean illness.
Anxious parents who are afraid of infection, refer to the symptoms of Giardia in children any ailments associated with abdominal pain, diarrhea or constipation. It is widely believed that infection with protozoa leads to prolonged or intermittent skin allergies in a child. Dr. Komarovsky does not deny the appearance of rashes in general ill health, but calls for separating the presence of giardias and giardiasis as a disease.
On the telecast, a famous pediatrician told how the impossibility of accurately determining the nature of certain allergic conditions, the desire of parents to “deal with” the slightest indisposition of a child leads to overdiagnosis.There are situations when patients are given directions to the questionable methods for the diagnosis of Giardia. Research is carried out by alternative methods, then the parasite is “detected” and agents are prescribed that do not have proven clinical efficacy.
So lamblia can be found at anybody. Doubtful citizens study the information about their danger and try to “prescribe treatment” for children in order to avoid serious complications.
Important!
Even the discovery of Giardia in a child does not mean the fact of giardiasis. The fact of having the simplest does not impair the quality of life of most children, Komarovsky notes that the babies tolerate them quite easily.
Scientists have not identified a link between the presence of the parasite and reduced immunity. Describing the symptoms of lamblia in children, the famous pediatrician calls for relying on the criteria of the World Health Organization (WHO):
- long-term fact - from 10 days of diarrhea;
- lack of fever;
- the absence of other intestinal infections;
- detection of cysts in the feces analysis.
The pediatrician noted that many children can be suspected of developing giardiasis, but fears are not grounds for making a diagnosis.
Treatment
Dr. Komarovsky listed in what cases it is not necessary to begin treatment:
- If Giardia is not detected by conventional methods, nothing bothers the child. Preventive treatment is not required.
- If the child accidentally found parasites, but there are no symptoms of giardiasis.
- If there is diarrhea, abdominal pain for several days. In this case, even when infected, there is a high probability that the lamblia will come out on their own without causing harm.
The lack of need for treatment even in the presence of lamblia in the analysis Komarovsky connects with the peculiarity of the formation of immunity to the pathogen: antibodies are produced only on those protozoa that were already in the body. When infected with another variant of the parasite, the child’s disease will recur.
It should be listed that includes the concept of "treat Giardia in children by Dr. Komarovsky." Pediatric doctor advises:
- Start treatment only if there is prolonged diarrhea.
- Confirm the diagnosis of giardiasis analysis of feces, referring to the pediatric infectious diseases.
- Use only antiparasitic drugs, following the recommended scheme in the annotation.
- Do not use for the treatment of ineffective and expensive ultrasound methods, folk remedies, homeopathic medicines.
- In view of the extreme prevalence of the parasite in the environment, the pediatrician recommended the observance of sanitary and hygienic rules and regulations.
The simplest flagellated protists cause lambliosis. They enter the small intestine and cause diarrhea. Diagnosis of the disease is based on the result of feces. Treatment of giardiasis in a child is carried out only if there are disturbing symptoms and confirmation of the fact of infection.