What Are the Symptoms of Pinworms?

Pinworms, or threadworms, are small, thin, white roundworms that can live in a human's colon and rectum. They are not able to infect other animals. If a person is infected, female pinworms lay their eggs on the skin around the anus while the person sleeps. Such infections are actually quite common, especially in young children. It easily spreads among family members or humans who live in crowded dwellings.

Itching

Anal itching is the most common symptom of a pinworm infection. The itching is usually worse at night when the female pinworms travel to the anus to lay their eggs, due to the inflammation of the skin in response to the worms' presence around the anal tissue. This increase in itching can cause sleep disruptions and even insomnia. If the itching leads to severe scratches, a secondary bacterial infection can occur.

Vaginal Infection

It's rare, but pinworms can travel into the vagina or urethra and cause inflammation and irritation. These infections typically go away on their own, but they can cause yeast infections and sometimes travel even further into the reproductive tracts.

Possible Abdominal Symptoms

Pinworms are not known to cause abdominal pain, bloody stool, fevers or poor appetite even though they are sometimes accompanied with such symptoms. Adult pinworms actually have been discovered in inflamed appendices when removed to treat appendicitis, but it's still controversial as to whether pinworms are able to cause appendicitis.

Asymptomatic

It's very common for infected people to not have any symptoms at all, especially if the infection is mild. Symptoms usually do not occur unless the infection is moderate or severe.

Visual Sighting

Pinworms are very small, but they can still be seen with the naked eye. They are yellowish-white and look like a piece of thread (hence the moniker, threadworms) and are about half an inch long. Since they are the most active at night, it's easier to find them then. They can sometimes also be see on the outside of stool.