LYCOS RETRIEVER
Pinworm: Pinworm Infections
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Pinworm is an intestinal infection by a parasite - a worm called ENTEROBIUS VERMICULARIS. Pinworm infections probably affect about 200 million people across the world, including about 40 million people in the United States and Canada. Of all age groups, school children are most at risk for pinworm infections.
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Pinworm is an intestinal infection caused by tiny parasitic worms measuring about 5 to 10 millimeters (about half to one centimeter) in length. Other names for a pinworm infection are "seatworm infection," "threadworm infection," "enterobiasis," or "oxyuriasis."
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Pinworm infection is primarily a condition of children, and parents are typically infected by transmission through their children. Transmission is through direct contact with contaminated furniture, bedclothes, or doorknobs. The parasite can ... be transmitted during sexual contact.
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Pinworm infection is unlikely to cause other conditions. There are cases where the parasite has been suspected as a cause of appendicitis, and pregnant female worms have been known to migrate up the vagina and fallopian tubes and into the peritoneal cavity, where they become encapsulated. Recurrent urinary tract infections have been attributed to ectopic pinworm infections.
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Pinworm infection is treated with prescription or over-the-counter (OTC) drugs. Treatment involves a two-dose course. The second dose should be given 2 weeks after the first. Even with the availability of drugs OTC, you should consult your health care provider before treating a suspected case of pinworm.
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Pinworm is the most common worm infection in the United States. School-age children, followed by preschoolers, have the highest rates of infection. Cases of pinworm infection are seen most often at schools, daycare centers and other institutional settings.
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