Giardiasis in children

As if caring mother did not try to save her child from infections, all of them still can not escape. That is why every third child today is infected with Giardiasis. The causative agent of this parasitic infection is a unicellular protozoa, lamblia, which settles in the small intestine and liver of the child.

These parasites have two phases of development - the vegetative form and cysts. Giardia in the vegetative stage are mobile, have a pear-shaped form and reach 0.5 millimeters in length. Attached with a disk to the mucous surfaces of the intestine, this parasite disrupts the proper functioning of the children's digestive system, which leads to a deterioration in the health of the child. Cysts have an oval shape, are immobile and are excreted with caloric masses, and then spread through sewage, preserving vital functions up to 40 days. Once again in the human body, the cysts are released from the membrane and transformed into vegetative individuals.

Due to the wide spread of parasites, giardiasis in children can be transmitted in three main ways:

- water;

- contact-household;

- food.

A special risk group is children of younger preschool age who do not observe the basic rules of hygiene and, as they say, "everyone wants to taste." Giardiasis in babies is quite common, even if with hygiene, at first glance, everything is in order. Toys, foreign objects on the street and in children's educational institutions, and even tap water can be a source of infection with Giardiasis.

Despite the fact that such parasites as Giardia have very small sizes and are amenable to drug treatment, they are very dangerous for a child's body. Embedded in the mucous membranes of the intestine, lamblia "suck" out of the blood quite a large number of nutrients, minerals and vitamins. Therefore, deterioration of the general condition of crumbs is the first symptom of such a disease as giardiasis. Children's immunity sharply decreases, because instead of the consumed complex of vital substances of lamblia, very strong toxins are released that suppress the patient's immune system. Another insidious property of these parasites is the difficulty of diagnosing the disease. After all, before the cysts start to go out with the calves, the amount of lamblia can increase to a maximum in the vegetative form, disrupting the functioning of the children's digestive system. Therefore, to determine such a disease as a lambliasis in children, it is not enough to hand over the feces for analysis once and for all, this procedure will have to be repeated 3-5 times. But even in cases where this method has not revealed the presence of lamblia, it is worthwhile to carry out also duodenal (investigation of bile) or serological (blood for antibodies) study.

Symptoms of Giardiasis in Children:

- flatulence, diarrhea, decreased appetite, vomiting;

- intoxication - causes depression;

- severe allergies.

In general, giardiasis has a wavy character of the course of symptoms - it depends on the period of the disease. Usually the acute stage does not last long, turning into chronic.

How to treat giardiasis in children?

Due to the fact that this disease is the cause of the violation of many functions of the child's body and can cause other pathologies, treatment is carried out under the strict supervision of specialists.

As a rule, even in the most mild forms, therapy is directed not only to the destruction of pathogens, but also to the restoration of the immune, digestive and other damaged systems of vital activity of the child. Therefore, there is no need to hope for a fast treatment process, the minimum time only of the rehabilitation period is from 1 to 3 months, not to mention the treatment.

The duty of each parent is the prevention of Giardiasis. Observance of the basic rules of hygiene and rational baby food, as well as the cancellation of swimming in suspicious water bodies can reduce the risk of disease by 50%.