Symptoms & Treatment for Threadworms

The Mayo Clinic states that threadworms (also known as pinworms) cause more infections in the United States than any other roundworm. Understanding facts about the symptoms and treatment for threadworms will help you more quickly identify infections caused by this intestinal parasite.

Common Symptoms

According to the Mayo Clinic, common symptoms of threadworm infection include anal or vaginal itching, nausea or abdominal pain, sleeping problems and excessive restlessness or irritability.

Severity

Your threadworm symptoms will typically vary in strength, depending upon the number of adult worms in your body. In fact, if you have only a few threadworms, you most likely will not experience any symptoms at all.

Time Frame

Most threadworm symptoms occur at night, since that is the time of day that the activity level of female threadworms increases.

Causes

Symptoms of threadworm infection occur when the female threadworm reaches the reproductive phase of her lifecycle and travels to your anal area to lay her eggs.

Treatment

Treatment typically occurs in two doses of over-the-counter or prescription anti-helminthic medication, such as albendazole or pyrantel, usually given at a two-week interval in order to eradicate threadworms at all stages of development.

References

• The Mayo Clinic
• The Mayo Clinic
• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)