How to cure Giardia in a child: methods of infection with parasites, diagnosing the disease and proper treatment. Giardiasis in children - signs and treatment of the disease

Infection in children can occur in various forms and with a variety of clinical symptoms, for example, allergic-dermatological, dyspeptic, intoxication, etc. The susceptibility to infection in children is three times higher than in the general population.

The danger of the pathology is that in young patients it can hide under the guise of other diseases, so diagnosing and preventing the development of giardiasis is a rather serious problem.

Therefore, in children affected by Giardia, fungal infections, Helicobacter pylori, are often detected, and the content of lacto- and bifidobacterial organisms drops critically.

Against the background of such changes, a pronounced disease develops, which creates a favorable environment for the further progression of giardiasis in the structures of the intestinal sections.

As a result, multivitamin deficiency and acute micronutrient deficiency are formed.

Against the background of these processes, the intestinal walls are irritated, their nerve endings activate reflex reactions, causing abdominal syndrome. As a result of sensitization, the child often begins to experience allergic reactions, etc.

Photo of a rash in the form of dermatosis in giardiasis in children

Classification

Primary, when there is an acute form of giardiasis. Typically, such lesions are detected in very young children of toddler and kindergarten age;
Secondary or protracted is chronic giardiasis, which usually occurs in school-age children and adults.

Giardiasis can also develop in a child as a concomitant pathology.

Symptoms of acute form of giardiasis in children

The main blow is directed at the small intestinal structures that are involved in digestion and absorption, so the pathology often manifests itself in exhaustion.

The development of giardiasis in a child can be determined by some specific manifestations:

Giardiasis often occurs with a neuropsychiatric syndrome, in which patients complain of headaches and dizziness, memory impairment or nervous tics.

Signs of chronic form

Against the background of giardiasis, there may be stool instability, peeling and noticeable dryness of the skin, allergic pathologies, keratosis or periodic hyperthermic signs to subfebrile levels, as well as symptoms of vegetative-vascular dystonia.

Diagnostics

It is imperative that all children with abnormalities in the gastrointestinal tract, neurotic or autonomic disorders, increased allergenicity, etc. be tested for giardiasis.

To identify giardiasis infestations, a child must have a stool sample tested, and this procedure must be completed three times, since cysts are excreted unevenly, which is why they may not be detected in stool.

Also, to diagnose giardiasis, laboratory tests of duodenal masses, serological tests, diagnostics, etc. are prescribed. Additionally, diagnostic tests such as ultrasound examination of the abdominal organs, blood biochemistry, detection of dysbacteriosis in feces, etc. can be prescribed.

How to cure an infection?

Treatment of giardiasis should be carried out exclusively by an experienced specialist, especially if a child is affected. To do this, you need to contact an infectious disease specialist or gastroenterologist.

The general treatment regimen is based on diagnostic data, laboratory results, assessment of the baby’s general well-being, etc. The preparatory stage of treatment requires strict adherence to the diet and relief of cholestasis. This stage lasts about 20 days.

Diet

For childhood giardiasis, it involves an approach that necessarily takes into account the allergenic effect. For example, allergic reactions are usually caused by citrus fruits and berries, nuts, etc. Therefore, these products will have to be excluded from the little patient’s diet for the duration of treatment.

The basis of the menu should be simple dishes of lean meat, vegetables, compotes and low-fat cottage cheese, etc. If there is no rash characteristic of giardiasis, then a small amount of bright red berries, fruits or vegetables such as cherries, tomatoes or beets can be added to the menu.

To exclude the wrong selection of products, you need to contact a pediatrician, who will select the dietary diet your baby needs.

Food should be steamed or boiled. Only strict adherence to the principles of diet therapy guarantees the child a speedy recovery.

Folk remedies

Among the folk methods, the following are especially well known:

Cucumber water. Half a kilo of overripe cucumbers should be poured with a liter of boiling water and left to steep. The resulting drink should be given to the child throughout the day.
Garlic milk. Boil the milk and cool slightly, pour into a glass and add a couple of garlic cloves. The product is suitable for treating children over 6 years of age, who should be given ¼ glass four times a day, about an hour before meals. Take this milk until recovery.
Plantain with honey. Grind plantain leaves and mix with honey 1:1. Give your baby this mixture one teaspoon at a time. a day three times about half an hour before meals. The medicine is suitable for children over 7 years of age.
Flax-seed. You need to prepare a mixture of 10 parts of flaxseeds and 1 part of cloves, add water to it and cook for half an hour. Divide the child's weight by 3. The final result will be the dose of decoction for the baby. Give drinks no more than three times a day, the course is one and a half to two weeks.

There are many more folk recipes for the treatment of giardiasis in children, however, they cannot be practiced at will in order to eliminate the possibility of developing unforeseen complications. Therefore, it is necessary to first discuss the details of such treatment with a specialist.

Drugs

It is the second phase of therapy for giardiasis. Typically, the duration of taking the drugs does not exceed a weekly course, although in some cases the doctor may extend the treatment.

The drug Macmiror is often used for the treatment of giardiasis, and the number of possible adverse reactions from it is minimal, and the spectrum of antimicrobial action, on the contrary, is quite wide.

Per kilogram of weight take 15 mg of the drug. The parents of young patients who were prescribed this drug were very pleased with the therapeutic result.

Svetlana:

My son was diagnosed with giardiasis, the doctor prescribed McMiror. I was very afraid for the child, I thought it was safer to treat with folk remedies, but my husband convinced me. We took a course of the drug, I was pleasantly surprised that it acted mildly, I didn’t notice any side effects. Therefore, I had no reason to worry, it is safe for children.

Nemozol

A fairly popular anthelmintic drug is Nemozol. It is capable of destroying not only adult Giardia, but also their larvae, which often makes this remedy a priority in the treatment of Giardiasis.

But it cannot be used to treat children with liver pathologies and retinal diseases. The drug should only be taken at the same time as food. The dosage is 10 mg per kilogram.

Elena:

When my daughter was diagnosed with Giardia when registering for school, I was simply shocked. I myself am literally obsessed with hygiene and taught my daughter this from the cradle, but giardiasis was diagnosed. Nemozol was prescribed for his treatment. I didn’t think before that it was prescribed for small children, but you can’t argue with the doctor. After the first dose, there was no reaction to the drug, but after the next dose of the drug, my daughter began to feel nauseous and vomited several times. This happened a couple more times, but then all the side effects disappeared, the body adapted to the medicine and we successfully completed the entire course. Control tests did not detect Giardia.

Hofitol

The drug Hofitol is also considered an effective remedy, and the drug is of plant origin, and its basis is artichoke.

The product helps eliminate many toxins, nitrates, etc. The drug is directly indicated in the presence of giardiasis.

For children, syrup forms of the drug are usually used.

Forecast

If the course of treatment is completed completely, then remission according to clinical and laboratory data is achieved in about 95% of young patients. But there are also situations when relapse or reinfection of giardiasis occurs in children.

Therefore, in order to avoid such a reaction, the child is observed by a pediatrician for another six months after treatment. During this time, it is necessary to undergo 2-3 preventive examinations for giardiasis infestations.

Prevention

Preventive measures regarding giardiasis involve timely identification of infected children in children's groups, as well as their timely treatment. Parents should instill personal hygiene skills in their children from an early age.

For drinking, it is better to use pre-boiled water, and fruits or vegetables should be thoroughly washed and doused with boiling water. Anti-epidemic measures in preschool and school institutions are also excellent preventive methods.

Which doctor treats you?

Giardiasis is treated by a pediatric gastroenterologist.

Video broadcast by Dr. Komarovsky about giardiasis in children:

Routes of infection

To protect a child from infection, it is necessary to study all possible routes of infection. So, there are three main methods of infection:

Important! Pay close attention to what your child eats and what he does during independent play. Prevent infection routes by explaining their dangers and consequences.
The symptoms of giardiasis in children do not differ from the signs that appear in adults. Therefore, parents should take a closer look not only at the child’s behavior and appearance, but also at themselves in particular.

Signs of Giardia in children

The main signs of the presence of Giardia in children include:

Low-grade body temperature – it does not exceed 37.5 degrees and can rise before bedtime every day for two weeks. At the same time, the baby does not complain of a sore throat, he does not have a cough or runny nose.

Problems with the gastrointestinal tract - the baby’s parents are concerned about digestive disorders, which are manifested by alternating constipation and diarrhea. At the same time, adults cannot determine what causes food problems and what foods cause diarrhea or constipation. Such disturbances within a few days can lead to dysbiosis, the treatment of which will take a long time.

Giardia often settles in the liver, passing into the organ through natural blood circulation. Such an infection leads to several distinctive symptoms, which include:

The child’s tongue becomes “coated” - plaque appears in the oral cavity. There may not be a plaque - instead, characteristic ulcers or acne appear.

The baby often vomits, and bile is often present in the vomit.

When the liver is damaged, the organ enlarges, which is manifested by the same pain in the abdomen and in the right hypochondrium. A characteristic enlargement of the liver or spleen (which also increases due to damage to internal organs) is determined by palpation.

Donation of feces

In this case, stool collection should take place in the following sequence:

The collected biomaterial, which has just been removed from the body of an infected child, is placed in a sterile jar.

The resulting material must be delivered to the clinic within 20 minutes, which is not always possible.

Maximum - laboratory assistants conduct a standard study if 2 hours have not passed after collecting the material, as indicated on the jar (indicate the time of collection of the biomaterial).

How to donate blood

Blood is donated in the morning on an empty stomach. The child should not be given food, sweets or other goodies. The most a child can drink in the morning is water. In “critical” situations, it is allowed to drink tea without sugar, milk and other food additives.

It should also be noted that before taking the test, it is forbidden to eat food 10 hours before.

How then to identify lamblia in a child? During the examination, specialists are guided by complex data. This takes into account urine and blood tests, symptoms and changes in the child’s behavior, palpation of the abdomen and the child’s complaints of pain during such an examination.

Important! For greater reliability, analyzes are carried out several times with a difference of 2-3 weeks, often within a month. During the specified time intervals, the child undergoes prescribed treatment, compiled by a specialist so as not to harm the baby’s health.

How to cure a disease in a child

After determining the infection, the question quite reasonably arises of how to remove Giardia. After all, this also poses difficulties. Unlike ordinary helminthiases, this treatment must include certain stages.

Preparatory stage - diet

Before removing Giardia from a child, he must be put on a diet that prohibits fatty and spicy dishes and foods, sweets, and large amounts of flour. The baby needs a complete balanced diet with plenty of cereal porridges and water. You can give fruits and vegetables in small quantities, but only those that do not cause bloating in the child.
It is important to restore the intestinal microflora during the diet, so whole milk, cabbage or boiled rice are prohibited here. During the treatment process, it is necessary to drink medicinal mineral water, which is purchased in pharmacies. It can be replaced by a special solution taken by children during periods of severe poisoning.

The presented diet is followed for two weeks.

Drug treatment

Effective means include:

Metronidazole is a drug approved for the treatment of children over 2 years of age. It is taken for 5 days with a daily dose of 0.4 g, which is divided into three doses.

Albendazole - dosage is calculated as 0.015 g per 1 kg of child weight. The duration of treatment is also 5 days. The drug is approved for use by children of all ages.

Furazolidone - taken after meals 4 times a day for a week. The daily dosage is calculated as 0.01 g per 1 kg of weight.

Flamin is allowed for all children; the drug is taken an hour before meals. The duration of treatment is 10 days. The daily dosage of half a tablet is divided into 3 doses.

The listed drugs have many side effects, therefore, if the child experiences a deterioration, you should immediately stop using the drug and consult a doctor again for a different treatment regimen.

Recovery stage

After a course of drug treatment has been applied, the recovery stage begins within two weeks. The use of some medications may be extended depending on the baby's health condition. The following drugs are used here:

Treatment with folk remedies

It is necessary to indicate several methods of treating giardiasis using traditional methods, which are used only after consultation with a doctor. Effective recipes include the following options.

Cucumber infusion

Use slightly overripe cucumbers, which contain a large number of seeds. Two hundred grams of cucumbers are poured with boiling water in a saucepan and covered with a lid. Cover the pan with a towel and leave to steep for two hours. After the infusion has cooled, put the pan in the refrigerator. Let the baby drink the infusion throughout the day. The daily dosage is at least half a liter.
Dandelion roots can be purchased at a pharmacy or prepared independently. The plant must be washed, dried and crushed. Pour a liter of boiling water over 3 tablespoons of roots and leave to simmer over low heat for a quarter of an hour. The broth is filtered and given to the child to drink at the rate of one teaspoon per 10 kg of the child’s weight. Take at least twice a day for 10 days.
Take the herb, wash, dry and grind it. Pour a tablespoon of the mixture into a thermos and pour 0.5 liters of boiling water. Let the infusion stand for two hours and strain before use. The medicine is given to the baby in the amount of 1 tablespoon before each meal.

The above methods may be dangerous for children. Often an allergy simply develops to them. Therefore, you should use the chosen recipe carefully - after the first use, monitor the baby’s condition. If you notice any abnormalities in him, stop treatment immediately.

Komarovsky: treatment of giardiasis

Disease Prevention

Prevention of Giardia infection is carried out in compliance with the following rules:

It is necessary to monitor the condition of the food and products consumed by the child and all family members. Be sure to wash fruits and vegetables with special cleaning products that remove all dirt, including harmful microorganisms.

Do not let your baby drink plain tap water. It must be filtered or boiled.

Monitor your child's personal hygiene. Teach him to wash his hands before eating and every time after going outside or visiting public places.

Wean your child off bad habits. The child should not suck thumbs or bite nails or objects.

Do not bathe your baby or bathe yourself in bodies of water with questionable water conditions.

To prevent infection in your child, be sure to get tested yourself. Under no circumstances allow your child to have close contact with the animal, and after playing, go wash your hands. If you have a pet, wash floors more often using special detergents.

Protozoa enter the child's body in the form of cysts. Giardiasis is popularly called the disease of “unwashed hands,” which is quite difficult to treat. The protozoa present in the body quickly emerge from their dormant state and begin to multiply, localizing in the internal organs, causing their functional disorder. Giardia also causes a significant decrease in immunity, a low percentage of absorption of nutrients, and the child’s body’s immunity to vaccination.

Giardiasis is an insidious disease. Its symptoms are so similar to other intestinal infections that it is quite difficult to diagnose the disease without special tests. There are a number of cases of useless treatment of children with an unclear diagnosis in the pulmonology, allergy, immunology departments of clinics, at a time when their body was affected by the protozoa - Giardia, says the head of the children's infectious diseases department of the Moscow multidisciplinary clinical diagnostic center Trustmed, an infectious disease specialist Irina Viktorovna Semina.

In children, the intestinal form of giardiasis develops when protozoa enter their body with poorly washed fruits and vegetables, but most often with dirty water. This is summer swimming in open reservoirs contaminated with infection, drinking tap water. Even modern water filters are not able to prevent infection from entering a child’s body. Only boiling helps purify water from protozoa.

Every decade - 10 days, cysts are released from the child’s body with feces. That is why it is so difficult to detect their presence in fecal excrement the first time.

In some cases, the body may spontaneously reject the protozoa. But this is observed only in the case of a strong immune system of the child, capable of healing itself, and an absolutely healthy gastrointestinal tract with intact mucosa. Under other circumstances, Giardia may again go into a dormant state, form cysts, hiding in the internal organs, and show no signs of life for many years. Only with the onset of favorable conditions can the disease manifest itself.

Over the last period, cases of diagnosing giardiasis in infancy have become more frequent. Signs of giardiasis appear in breastfed children:

tearfulness;
refusal to eat;
episodic temperature up to 38°C, or low-grade fever that does not subside for a long time;
severe diarrhea;
dysbacteriosis;
allergic reactions;
slowdown in physical development.

In this case, the entry of Giardia into the baby’s body could only have occurred due to the negligence of the parents. If the above symptoms occur, parents should urgently contact a pediatric infectious disease specialist. Independent measures to suppress signs of the disease in infants are strictly not recommended.

Giardia in children over one year of age

Dramatic changes occur in the child's behavior. First, the child refuses to eat, and then begins to rapidly lose weight, to the point of exhaustion.

According to the form of the disease, two types of giardiasis are distinguished: acute and chronic. Both one and the second form must be treated.

Symptoms of acute giardiasis:

frequent defecation of liquid, watery, foul-smelling masses - “greasy diarrhea”, difficult to wash off the walls of the pot;
feverish condition;
abdominal pain, the clinical picture is similar to the diagnosis of “acute abdomen”;
allergic manifestations in the form of a pink rash;
exacerbation of the disease in the presence of atopic dermatitis;
general condition is weak.

Without appropriate treatment, the signs of the disease gradually fade away and the disease enters the chronic stage.

Symptoms of chronic giardiasis:

indigestion;
gastroduodenitis;
biliary dyskinesia;
flatulence;
pain in the mid-abdomen, around the umbilical region;
unstable repeated bowel movements with mushy feces.

In addition to the general signs of an infectious lesion, there are a number of characteristic signs of Giardia infection in a child over one year of age:

Prolonged diarrhea. Fecal masses have a strong unpleasant odor that sticks to the walls of the toilet because fats are not digested by the body during infection.
Prolonged non-falling temperature, remaining at low-grade levels.
Prolonged feverish state - chills interspersed with fever against a background of general weakness in the body.
The occurrence of acute pain around the umbilical region is the place of projection of the small intestine on the surface of the body.
Allergic skin reactions in the form of an itchy rash are possible.
Occasionally - nausea accompanied by vomiting.

Against the background of these symptoms, a rapid decrease in the child’s weight occurs, leading to exhaustion.

Manifestation of giardiasis in adolescents

When infected in a child during adolescence, giardiasis manifests itself in the form of autonomic dysfunctions of the body and is noted:

pressure changes;
dizziness;
vasomotor rhinitis;
motion sickness in transport.

Symptoms of giardiasis in adolescents are often confused with signs characteristic of biliary dyskinesia.

Any prescribed treatment that is not aimed at suppressing the vital activity of Giardia naturally leads nowhere and is ineffective.

That is why it is so important to carry out an appropriate diagnosis for the child for protozoa, especially if the uncharacteristic signs are supported by the above symptoms of the presence of Giardia in the body.

Examination of the child’s body and tests for Giardia

There is a specific diagnosis of giardiasis in children with a standard analysis for protozoa:

Taking a coprogram, or examining stool under a microscope.
Taking blood for serological testing.
Taking blood for duodenal examination.

Duodenal blood tests are performed only for children over 10 years of age.

The main conclusions for the diagnosis of giardiasis are made based on the findings of studies of feces and the contents of the duodenum. Hard stool is examined within the first 24 hours after the test is taken, since the vitality of the cysts remains for a ten-day period. Stool that is liquid in consistency should be delivered and examined in the laboratory no later than 15 minutes after defecation, since the survivability of the vegetative form of Giardia is barely 30 minutes.

Targeted tests of feces for giardiasis are carried out daily for 3-4 days, since the accuracy of any analysis of feces in its effectiveness does not exceed 70%. In this case, the child is given a small dose of a laxative, which allows him to regularly collect stool for testing. Formalin-ether precipitation microscopy should be performed immediately while the stool is still hot.

A blood test is a search and detection of antibodies formed as a result of infection of the body with Giardia. But this analysis does not give a clear picture, inducing the presence of protozoa in the body.

It is precisely because of the difficulties of conducting research in children that the treatment of giardiasis is considered a disease that is difficult to treat, despite the abundance of pharmacological drugs, as well as folk recipes for expelling protozoa from the body.

If the disease affects a child, it is necessary to resort to classical medicine, and use traditional medicine as an auxiliary therapy, since a child, once diagnosed, needs serious and immediate treatment.

To expel protozoa from the body, modern therapeutic techniques have developed an effective scheme for the destruction of Giardia in the intestines, liver, bile ducts and duodenum. The technique is divided into three stages, the duration of which depends on the degree of damage and severity of the disease.

As noted by reviews from parents whose children received complex treatment in a clinical setting, the fifth day is critical in all respects. As a rule, the child becomes worse, the intestinal condition is noted as painful, and the body temperature rises. This is due to the death of protozoa and the entry of intoxication products into the blood. Already at the first stage, antihistamines are introduced into the course. The treatment prognosis is favorable, and from this moment the second stage of complex therapy begins.

At the second stage, antiallergenic drugs are administered. This can be either Loratedin or Citirizine, as well as the introduction of choleretic herbal drugs into the regimen - Allochol and Holosas. Smecta, activated carbon or Polysorbate are prescribed as sorbents. For additional support of the body, enzymes are prescribed - Festal or Pancreatin, as well as a laxative for better bowel movements.

On the 10th or 12th day after the start of complex treatment, reviews from parents note a significant improvement in the child’s condition. In total, a child's giardiasis is cured in two to three months, but do not forget that there is a prevention of the disease that prevents not only relapses, but also a priori infection with protozoa.

Prevention of infection with protozoa comes down to basic hygiene rules: washing hands, thoroughly washing vegetables and fruits and rinsing them with boiled water before eating, being attentive to pets and worming them in a timely manner.

The small intestines and liver are primarily affected by the insidious Giardia. Problems arise with the absorption of nutrients. The consequences of helminth activity affect the quality of blood, causing a “poisonous blow” to the donor.

What is Giardia?

vegetative;
spore

➡ Vegetative form

In the vegetative, active form, Giardia resembles a pear measuring less than 0.02 mm. “Equipped” with four pairs of flagella, with the help of which it moves in the donor’s body. On the thickened part of the “pear” there is a suction disk - thanks to it, the protozoan attaches to the intestinal walls. Giardia feeds on a solution of nutrients formed during the digestion process. “Prefers” carbohydrate foods – sweets and flour products.

In the vegetative phase of their life, Giardia actively reproduces by ordinary division, like amoebas. Their number is increasing at incredible speed.

If an immature Giardia specimen finds itself in less comfortable conditions, it adapts to the environment, turning into a cyst. Helminths leave the body from the large intestine with feces. In capsulated form, they can live for months until they find a new “owner”.

The number of viable cysts is directly dependent on the degree of infection and the food consumed by the child. There are more of them in summer and autumn due to the large amount of fiber in the diet. The longer the baby is infected, the greater the number of capsulated lamblia secreted by him. The main source of infection with giardiasis is a person capable of excreting helminth cysts, his habits and lifestyle. The mechanism of infection is fecal-oral.

There are three main ways of transmitting the disease:

unwashed or poorly washed vegetables, fruits and berries;
undercooked or undercooked meat;
products infested with flies or cockroaches;

⇒ 2. Water. A significant part of the epidemic manifestations of the disease is aquatic in nature. In a humid environment, Giardia cysts live for a very long time - up to several months. A very high incidence of giardiasis occurs when runoff from contaminated soil or runoff containing infected animal excrement is discharged into drinking water intakes. Malfunctions at wastewater treatment plants are also fraught with similar outbreaks. Infection occurs:

through unboiled drinking water;
through vegetables and fruits washed with tap water or water from rivers and lakes;
when swimming in open water contaminated with Giardia cysts.

failure to comply with personal hygiene rules;
unsanitary living conditions;
use of infected household items (linen, dishes, toys);
presence of bad habits (finger sucking, pencil sucking, nail biting);
playing with yard cats and dogs;
infection of an infant from the mother during childbirth or through breast milk.

Important! Giardia cysts do not live in seawater.

Symptoms of giardiasis in children

The clinical picture of giardiasis is often similar to the manifestations of other “sores”. If parents doubt whether their children have Giardia, the symptoms and treatment of the disease should be monitored by a specialist. However, you should know the signs of helminth cyst infection. If you have several symptoms, you need to rush to see a specialist. The main manifestations of giardiasis:

loose stools (foamy, sometimes foul-smelling), turning into diarrhea. Sometimes diarrhea gives way to constipation within a few days;
belching, heartburn, bitterness in the mouth;
nausea and vomiting;
bloating, increased gas formation;
pain in the right hypochondrium and in the navel area;
slight increase in body temperature;
allergic manifestations that externally resemble diathesis or measles. In adolescents, acne may appear or worsen;
poor appetite;
weight loss;
dizziness, headache;
general malaise;
enlarged spleen and liver;
causeless enlargement of lymph nodes;
choking cough;
fatigue, decreased concentration;
irritability;
grinding of teeth, usually in sleep;
changes in skin pigmentation (darkening, pallor, “marbled” nose);
the appearance of a yellowish coating on the tongue;
dry skin (“pimples”, bumps, cracks on the feet);
hair thinning.

A large number of Giardia cysts provokes an acute form of the disease. It usually occurs in the youngest children under three years of age. This is explained by the fact that babies have an underdeveloped immune system. Diagnosing acute giardiasis is not easy. The baby begins to be treated for other diseases, and giardiasis becomes chronic. The clinical picture of the disease must be confirmed by laboratory tests.

Diagnosis of the disease

If giardiasis is not detected in time, unpleasant consequences are possible. In addition, it is easier to treat a disease detected in the early stages. There are several research methods that allow you to diagnose infection of the body with Giardia:

Palpation. The doctor analyzes the pain of a small patient in the intestines, gall bladder, and liver;
Coprogram. A stool examination is performed to detect Giardia cysts. It may show a false negative result - at the “silent” stages, when cysts are not excreted in the feces. Repeated studies are recommended;
Probing. The biliary system is examined. With this method, you can detect not only cysts, but also active forms of Giardia. False negative results are excluded. To carry out probing, the child must be over ten years old;
Biopsy. The epithelium of the small intestine is studied.
Enzyme immunoassay blood test. Antibodies to Giardia appear in the body two weeks after infection. This method even allows you to name the approximate period of development of the disease. Blood from a vein is donated on an empty stomach. It is recommended to use simultaneously with coprogram.

There are modern immunological methods for detecting giardiasis antigens in feces and antibodies in the small intestine, blood serum, and saliva. They are promising, but are still extremely rarely used in domestic medicine. Typically, specialists resort to the simplest method - stool examination.

Important! Diagnosis of the disease may give incorrect results if the patient is taking antibiotics. Medicines can temporarily destroy a significant portion of helminths.

Drug treatment of giardiasis

Doctors of the “old school” recommend immediately starting treatment when Giardia is detected. Experts who adhere to the modern approach advise resorting to massive therapy only after the manifestation of obvious symptoms - vomiting and diarrhea.

Parents should think about this. Perhaps the child is only a carrier of Giardia cysts. And it is still unknown how his body will react to the use of serious medications. Although, according to Russian sanitary rules, a child infected with giardiasis will not be allowed into kindergarten. In any case, it is better to consult with a specialist with a good professional reputation who inspires trust.

Doctors treat giardiasis according to a proven scheme, which includes three stages:

Important! It is advisable to start the diet two weeks before drug therapy.

➡ Restorative. After the elimination of the causative agents of giardiasis, enzymes and agents are prescribed to stabilize the intestinal flora. The intake of sorbents is not canceled, the diet is followed.

It happens that during secondary diagnosis, after a few months, tests again show the presence of helminth cysts in the child. But there is no clear answer to the question of whether this is caused by repeated infection or whether the treatment only temporarily “silenced” giardiasis. In any case, a second cycle of treatment of the disease with other drugs is carried out.

Treatment of giardiasis with folk remedies

At the stage of recovery of the body, traditional medicine gives good results. But “grandmother’s” remedies should only be used to complement the main treatment.

Cucumber tincture. Pour boiling water over 200 g of seed cucumbers and leave. Drink at least half a liter per day;
Bergamot oil. Place a drop of oil on a cube of refined sugar. Consume on an empty stomach for seven days;
Aspen decoction. Grind the bark, leaves, and buds of the tree. Pour a spoonful of the resulting powder into a liter of water. Cook for half an hour. Strain and let cool. Drink 200 g twice a day for half a month;
A decoction of dandelion roots. Grind two tablespoons of roots, add half a liter of water. Boil for 15 minutes. Drain through cheesecloth and let cool. Drink in the morning and before bed on an empty stomach for 10 days. Dosage – a teaspoon of decoction per 10 kilograms of the child’s weight;
Tincture of celandine. Grind a tablespoon of herbs, pour into a thermos, pour 400 g of boiling water. Let it brew for two hours, drain through the filter. Take a tablespoon before meals. After five days of taking the tincture, take a two-day break;
Compresses with grease. Take a towel soaked in hot water and place it on your stomach in the liver area for 10-15 minutes. Wipe the skin dry, put a sheet of paper on this place, and white grease on it. Cover with plastic wrap. Do it at night. In the morning, wash off the grease and lubricate the skin with a rich cream. Carry out the procedure every night for half a month;
Garlic. Grind 300 g of garlic, add vodka, let it brew for 10 days in a dark, well-heated place. Take 10-20 g twice a day after meals. Do not use when treating children under 12 years of age;
Kalina. Eat a handful of viburnum every morning for two weeks. Chew the bones thoroughly;
Sagebrush. Grind. Take a teaspoon with plenty of liquid for 10 days. To eliminate bitterness, add a little honey;
Flax-seed. Grind the seeds and mix in a 10:1 ratio with spicy cloves. Take with food;
Coconut. Open the nut and divide it into pieces. Grind the pulp on a grater for three days and eat it on an empty stomach. After taking the pulp, refrain from eating for about three hours;
Linden. Burn the tree branches. Sift the ashes and mix with honey. Drink before breakfast and dinner for four days. Children under 10 years old - a teaspoon, after 10 - a tablespoon. Drink with warm milk;
Pumpkin seeds. Eat from 50 to 100 g. The dosage depends on the age of the child;
Fennel. Grind and add heated water in a 1:2 ratio. Leave for 24 hours, drain the water. Pour water again into the soaked fruits in a 1:1 ratio and boil. Strain, add drained water. Drink 50-100 g 30 minutes before meals.

It is better to start auxiliary treatment with traditional medicine methods on the recommendation of the attending physician. Perhaps some component of the tincture or decoction is contraindicated for the child. The specialist will also tell you how to choose the right menu for your baby. Basic principles for constructing a child’s diet, taking into account the characteristics of the causative agents of giardiasis:

Preventing the consumption of fast carbohydrates. The causative agents of giardiasis “adore” sweets and baked goods. These products contribute to the avalanche-like proliferation of helminths. You can ask the kindergarten staff to exclude buns and cheesecakes from the child’s menu. It is recommended to limit the consumption of sweet fruits, dried fruits, and fresh bread. It is allowed to give the baby crackers and crackers;
Planning a diet that includes slow carbohydrates. The child must eat porridge cooked in water: oatmeal, rice, wheat, buckwheat, corn;
Inclusion in the diet of foods that can create an acidic environment in the stomach. Before meals, children should drink sour fruit drinks and compotes. Sour fruits and berries are beneficial;
“Delivery” of pectins into the body. They cleanse the body of toxic substances, have a positive effect on peristalsis, and improve metabolism. Contained in fruits (apples) and berries;
Refusal of fatty, spicy, fried foods. It puts maximum stress on the digestive system;
Selective consumption of protein foods. Varieties of meat and fish with minimal fat content are suitable for cooking. Exclude smoked products and all types of sausages;
Inclusion of fermented milk products in the diet. They normalize the intestinal microflora, it is advisable to consume them daily. Milk is prohibited - it creates conditions for fermentation in the intestines;
Organization of frequent meals. The daily diet should be divided into at least six meals. The food is well crushed and pureed;
Creation of a special drinking regime. The child's body should receive a lot of fluid. Water is preferable. Soda and juices are excluded.

Important! When carrying out therapy in children, all family members and pets should be treated for giardiasis.

Prevention of Giardia infection

Cured giardiasis does not give the body immunity to the disease. Re-infection is possible. Moms and dads of children who have gotten rid of helminths and parents who do not want the infection to reach their children must remember:

💡 Giardia penetrates the child’s intestines through dirty hands. It is not enough to wet them with water after a walk, visiting the toilet or playing with a kitten. It is important to lather your hands for at least 10-15 seconds. Parents should make sure that this becomes a habit for the child.

💡 The most contagious object on a walk is the sandbox. Stray animals use it as a toilet. It is necessary to cover the sandbox at night with a thick film stretched over slats. It won't be difficult to make it. It is worth taking care of similar protection in kindergarten, asking teachers to close the sandboxes after walks.

💡 All household members must have their own towel.

💡 Pets, be it a dog, cat or hamster, should undergo regular anthelmintic treatment. Wearing a flea collar won't hurt them either. Do not allow your child to empty or clean animal trays.

💡 It is necessary to monitor whether the child has developed bad habits. Gently, not persistently, you need to wean your baby from biting his nails, sucking fingers, and putting foreign objects in his mouth.

💡 Drinking water should be boiled. Sanitation of tap water is not sufficient to destroy Giardia cysts.

💡 Vegetables, fruits, fresh herbs should be washed under running water. Then they need to be poured with boiling water and dried with a clean napkin.

💡 When relaxing on open reservoirs, pay special attention to the child’s behavior. No one is protected from swallowing water when swimming, so it is better to protect small children from water procedures in a river or lake. Sea water is an exception.

💡 A child’s diet should be complete and balanced. It is preferable to keep foods containing simple carbohydrates (sugar, baked goods, sweet drinks) to a minimum. They should be replaced with products that can cleanse the intestines.

💡 Due attention should be focused on feeding the child outside the home. You should not buy him food from fast food establishments.

💡 More time should be devoted to improving the child’s immunity. This will be helped by hardening, training in sports clubs and sections, active games in the fresh air. The lack of essential vitamins and microelements should be compensated for with drugs selected taking into account the characteristics of the child’s body.

💡 If two or more symptoms of giardiasis are detected, you need to contact a specialist. It's better to be safe than to start a disease.

Although prevention does not guarantee 100% protection from Giardia, it will certainly reduce the possibility of infection. And following basic precautions will protect you from other, more serious diseases.

Hundreds of thousands of microorganisms have been identified in the world, and only a few of them are capable of causing significant harm to a child’s body. Since children are especially active, mobile and explore the world, they are most often exposed to contact with the environment. At the same time, they do not have clear knowledge of how to maintain personal hygiene. From this article you will learn everything about giardiasis, what are the symptoms and treatment of this disease, how to identify the signs of pathology and what are the causes of the development of the disease.

What is giardiasis

You should learn everything about Giardia in order to know your enemy by sight. This microorganism can live in two forms:

mobile living individual;
immobile cyst.

Live lamblia (photo can be seen below) has the shape of a pear. It has 4 pairs of flagella, thanks to which it moves, and a special disk, with which it is attached to the intestinal mucosa. The size of Giardia ranges from 9-20 microns.

Since mobile Giardia lives in the environment for only about half an hour, diagnosing the disease can be difficult. Although they are excreted along with the feces, they soon die and cannot be detected.

Cystolymblia are capable of being in the environment for a long time, outside the body of a person or animal. This form of life is formed when a microorganism is exposed to unfavorable conditions in which an ordinary mobile individual does not live.

Giardia of all forms can be destroyed in the following way:

after 10 minutes of boiling;
exposure to temperatures from -20 to -25 degrees.

The microorganism tolerates any household disinfectant well. However, sunlight, ultraviolet radiation and quartz are harmful to Giardia.

You can become infected with Giardia orally in the following ways:

Note! It is rare, but possible, for infection to occur through mother's breast milk.

The source of Giardia can be soil and dust, which contains particles of animal excrement, contaminated water, and fruits and vegetables growing close to the ground.

Mechanism of disease development

Giardia in children negatively affects their well-being and health. It is believed that infection will begin if 10 or more individuals enter the body at one time.

Note! A child suffering from Giardia has an increased risk of developing bronchial asthma, atopic dermatitis and chronic bronchitis.

It can be extremely difficult to identify Giardia in a child. Symptoms can resemble many different pathologies. Many doctors prescribe treatment against other diseases, but the clinical picture persists because the real cause does not disappear.

Clinical picture of the disease

A good doctor should determine the symptoms and treatment of Giardia in children, since there is always a risk of making an incorrect diagnosis. Signs of giardiasis in children are usually pronounced. If during the initial infection many cysts enter the baby’s body at once, the development of the disease will be rapid and the course will be acute.

The main symptoms of Giardia in children are:

prolonged diarrhea;
sticky stool;
foul odor of feces;
prolonged nausea and vomiting;
weight loss;
fever;
rapid rise in temperature;
pink rash accompanied by itching;
dry allergic cough.

In severe cases, the skin of a child suffering from giardiasis turns pale. The tongue may take on a yellowish tint.

Giardia in the blood of a baby can lead to a decrease in the overall tone of life. The child becomes less active, lethargic, and learning ability decreases. Children with this diagnosis do not learn information well at school and have poor concentration.

Note! Giardiasis in children may be accompanied by pain localized around the navel.

If Giardia is localized in the liver, the baby may complain of pain in the right hypochondrium. During diagnosis, it may turn out that the lymph nodes, liver and spleen are enlarged.

Features of the disease in infancy

If Giardia appears in a baby who was recently born, the symptoms may be as follows:

periodic increase in body temperature to 38 degrees;
severe watery diarrhea;
signs of dysbacteriosis;
giving up your favorite food.

At an early age, the development of giardiasis is especially dangerous, since the body does not have enough necessary substances for the full development of the baby. Children can noticeably lag behind their peers in development and be very capricious. Many parents reported crying for no reason.

Features of the disease in children older than one year

Treatment of Giardia in children over one year of age can begin after the following symptoms appear:

fever;
allergic rash, like urticaria;
shortness of breath, as after a run;
bruises under the eyes;
general weak appearance and health;
decreased physical activity.

If blood has not been donated for Giardia, the signs of the disease can be confused with the onset of bronchial asthma. Undoubtedly, any treatment in this case will be ineffective.

Features of the disease in adolescents

You can determine whether Giardia lives in the human body during adolescence or not by the presence of the following symptoms:

blood pressure surges;
motion sickness in transport;
the presence of vasomotor rhinitis;
dizziness;
spontaneous cramping pain in the abdomen.

Sometimes giardiasis with this course is confused with appendicitis, gastroduodenitis and biliary dyskinesia.

Diagnostic measures

Several methods for diagnosing giardiasis are used:

stool analysis;
analysis of the contents of the duodenum;
immunological analysis.

Important! In order for the diagnosis to be accurate, if the result is negative, the study should be repeated after some time.

Cysts do not form constantly; this process occurs periodically. If the first test result is negative, the procedure should be repeated after a few days and then after a week.

Examination of secretions from the duodenum is extremely rare. In our country this is an expensive procedure and rarely used. The patient swallows a special capsule with reagents, it is attached to a nylon thread, and then the data obtained is analyzed.

Taking a blood test without conducting a stool examination may turn out to be uninformative. When a small amount of lamblia enters the body, the immune system copes with it on its own. At the same time, antibodies remain in the blood, which are visible in the analysis. In this case, the body itself is no longer infected. Another picture is also possible: a person has just received an infection, cysts are present in the stool, but antibodies have not yet been developed in the blood.

Is therapy always required?

Opinions vary as to when giardiasis should be treated. Some doctors believe that this is not necessary and that the body will cope on its own; others carry out intensive therapy even if a small number of cysts are detected in the stool.

Treatment of giardiasis in children is usually long-term. The most effective remedy can only be prescribed by the attending physician after an examination, so you should not self-medicate.

Most young patients tolerate both the disease itself and the treatment used well. However, stable immunity to the disease is not developed, so the risk of re-infection is quite high.

The treatment regimen for giardiasis includes several stages. It is noteworthy that therapy does not begin with the use of medications.

To begin with, it is important to normalize the functioning of the digestive system. For this, the child may be prescribed enzyme preparations and sorbents (such as Polysorb). It is extremely important at this stage to follow a diet for giardiasis.

The treatment diet lasts 10-14 days and includes the following features:

refusal of fatty, fried foods;
eliminating whole milk and sweets from the menu;
refusal to bake;
the menu should focus on eating cereals;
you can eat dishes with vegetable oil;
Lingonberries and cranberries have a beneficial effect.

After 2 weeks, you can start using drugs for Giardia. These may be the following medications:

skin rashes;
acne;
diarrhea;
intense abdominal pain.

The total duration of drug therapy is about a week. Drugs that have a choleretic effect, for example, “”, may be prescribed.

Giardia will need to be treated for about two more weeks after this. This time is reserved for the use of enzymes, probiotics and immunomodulators. It is important to help the child’s body fully recover from the illness.

In consultation with your doctor, you can use folk remedies for Giardia. The following home remedies are used:

bergamot oil on a piece of sugar;
decoction of aspen leaves and twigs;
tincture of cucumber seeds;
decoction of dandelion roots;
celandine tincture.

Any therapy must be agreed with the attending physician.

Prevention

Prevention of giardiasis in children can be carried out with the help of walnuts. They can be consumed raw. It is important to do this regularly, during every meal. Prophylactic use should last at least three days.

It is also important to observe the following measures:

always wash vegetables and fruits thoroughly before serving;
teach your child to wash their hands frequently with soap;
wean your baby from bad habits such as biting nails or other objects;
Avoid close contact with pets, as they can carry infections

It is necessary to teach your child how to keep himself clean and explain why eating outside the home can lead to contamination.

Compliance with all these standards will prevent infection with Giardia. If unpleasant symptoms appear, it is important to consult a doctor as soon as possible and have your stool tested.

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