Treatment of Giardia, in children

Parents need to know: the disease is difficult to treat, especially in its advanced form with concomitant chronic diseases. If your baby has signs of giardiasis, immediately contact your doctor. Early screening can help cure the disease.

According to statistics, revealed by the Russian Parasitology and Helminthology Laboratory, about 30% of children of preschool age suffer from giardiasis.

When lamblia is detected, the doctor prescribes treatment according to the test pattern.

Doctor of Medical Sciences of the Kazan Medical Academy Fayzulina R.G. distinguishes the pharmacological qualities of drugs in the treatment of pediatric Giardiasis:

• high anti-lamb disease;
• no side effects and serious contraindications.

Do not give unchecked drugs to your child. Incorrectly calculated dose will cause complications.

The tasks of parents for the treatment of giardiasis

Improve the digestive tract

The amount of lamblia should be reduced thanks to a special diet: limit carbohydrates, increase proteins, increase the acidic environment. Eat often and fractionally: 6 meals a day. Enforcement is required: Smecta or Enterosgel. For constipation, children are recommended Duphalac or Normase. Drugs have no contraindications.

Destroy the parasites with 2 courses of medication

Remember, a break between courses of treatment is required and is at least 1 week.

Assigned groups of drugs:

• 1 course – Tinidazole or Ornidazole – after 12 years;
• 2 course – Makmiror or Nifuratel – from 2 months.

In case of an allergic reaction, the doctor prescribes Zyrtec – from 1.5 years –or Telfast – from 12 years -.

Normalize the digestive system

Course of dysbacteriosis (Enterol or Wobenzym). Wobenzym has anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory properties. The composition includes natural enzymes.

Activate the immune system

Reception of vitamins + fruit and vegetables. The recovery course involves taking drugs with micro-and macro elements: zinc, selenium, phosphorus, iodine, iron, calcium, and vitamins (A, C, B, PP, E).

Improve and strengthen the immune system of the baby will help the Russian drug Polyoxidonium. No side effects, recommended for children from 6 months.

Also, the doctor must take into account all the deviations in the health of the baby: the treatment should not worsen the general condition.

Additionally prescribed drugs:

• spasmolytics  – with pains: Trpimedat, No-spp;
• enzymes  – in violation of digestion: Pancreatin, Festal.

Folk remedies for giardiasis

Parents need to pay attention to the fact that the treatment of lamblia in children with folk remedies is an auxiliary measure. To save the baby from Giardia, you need to connect the means of traditional medicine to the medicinal course.

Garlic tincture

Garlic has disinfectant properties.

Tincture consists of 50 gr. garlic and 200 gr. vodka.

1. Insist 7 days in a dark place.
2. Dilute with water or milk before taking.
3. Give the child 20 drops half an hour before meals.

Infusion of tansy

To 1 cup boiling water – 1 tablespoon of herbs. You can add wormwood. Infusion of tansy is a simple and effective remedy for the simplest parasites.

Pumpkin-honey mass

1. Pound 100 grams of pumpkin seeds in a mortar until smooth.
2. Add 50 grams. boiled water and 25 gr. honey
3. Give the child on a small spoon on an empty stomach for half an hour.
4. Give a laxative and make an enema.

Giardia or giardiasis is an infectious form of the disease that occurs in children. Lyamblia is the causative agent, the simplest unicellular (flagellate) parasite that lives in all corners of the world. Once in the body, Giardia settles in the small intestine, feeding on useful flora.

Causes of lamblia

The clinical picture of children’s giardiasis – 80%. 40% of children suffer an acute form of the disease.

Giardia have two developmental cycles: cystic (immobile) and vegetative (motile). Giardia vegetative forms quickly divide and assimilate. Cysts are able to stay in the environment for a long time and not collapse when they enter the stomach. Many cysts from the carrier of the disease are released into the environment: not only humans, but also animals.

Ways of infection with giardiasis:

• Water. Ensure that the child does not drink running water. Buy a water filter. So you protect yourself and your baby from infection.
• Food. Infection occurs with the ingestion of parasite eggs in food – unwashed fruits and vegetables.
• Household. Parasites enter the body due to unwashed hands. Children forget about hygiene, bite their nails and touch animals. Dogs and cats are direct carriers of the disease. Eggs laid by parasites are transferred to the hands of a healthy child. Baby enough to rub the eye. Contact with the mucous membrane is an unimpeded way of infection.

Symptoms lamblia

Getting into the intestines of a child, lamblia stick to epithelial cells. The digestive process is disturbed: parasites absorb nutrients. The parasitic form of the disease involves parasitic intoxication of a healthy organism. Breeding, Giardia causes swelling of the intestinal mucosa and inflammation of the walls. The result – a violation of metabolism. Proteins, fats and carbohydrates are not available in sufficient quantities. Lack of vitamins and macronutrients reduces the immune system of the baby.

The disease is acute and chronic. To identify the symptoms of giardiasis is possible with the clinical picture of the disease.

Infected children have typical signs of giardiasis:

• fatigue, decreased activity, scattered attention, memory impairment;
• the child grinds his teeth in his sleep; convulsions appear;
• allergic reactions on the skin (pink rash, itching, irritation, dryness and peeling) and mucous membranes (yellow on the tongue);
• choking cough, especially at night;
• an increase in lymphoid, liver, spleen;
• upset stool: diarrhea (watery or feathery consistency), constipation, pain around the navel and under the ribs;
• biliary dyskinesia – acute form;
• subfebrile temperature – 37.5-37, 9;
• growth retardation and acute development;
• nausea, loss of appetite;
• vegetovascular dystonia in acute form;
• mood swings.

Sometimes the disease is asymptomatic.

Diagnosis of Giardiasis

The disease can not be diagnosed at the initial stage: Giardia can hide for a long time. Symptoms of giardiasis are not specific: test results may coincide with the clinical picture of other diseases.

Basic research methods:

• blood test for Giardia. The study will give positive results in the first 3-4 weeks after infection. In the case of neglected to conduct research is not necessary. In rare cases with a chronic course, a blood test reveals monocytosis, ezonophilia, leukopenia.
• analysis of feces for dysbacteriosis. Detects a reduced amount of normal microflora in the intestine (lacto-and bifidobacteria). Also pathogenic bacteria are detected: staphylococci, streptococci, enterococci; mushrooms Candida, etc.
• analysis of feces for Giardia cysts.  Establishes a complete picture of the disease.

For children older than 10 years, the method may be uninformative. Giardia able to interrupt the multiplication of cysts. It is rarely possible to determine the interval of active excretion of parasites in time.

These methods are used if the analysis of feces is not informative:

• analysis of feces for coproantigen ;
• serological diagnosis. Detection of special antibodies to parasites (immunoglobulins of classes G, A (IgG, IgA);
• IFA diagnostics of cysts ;
• PCR diagnosis of feces in Giardia ;
• analysis of duodenal contents  – in chronic and recurrent form.

Often medicine relies on the koproscopic method of research for giardiasis.