My daughter is suffering from loose bowel movements. Is it due to an infestation of larvae?

Question

Hi doctor,

My daughter has been sick for nine months. She has chronic loose bowel movements eight times a day. She has an acne-type rash intermittently across her forehead. She grinds her teeth at night and eats sugar and salt frequently. She never feels full. She has fatigue, headaches, and shooting abdominal pain in the belly button. She took Mebendazole for three day,s and it has increased her symptoms. I took her to a doctor. He told me that she has Crohn's disease, and the other doctor told me it is celiac disease.

Her parasite PCR shows an absence of bacteria, mucus, blood, and parasitic DNA. My doctor refuses to give medication for tapeworm as he believes that Mebendazole should have fixed it. I am concerned about my child's illness, and I want to know whether she has an infestation of larvae that requires killing rather than paralyzing. My doctor advises me to take her to a pediatric gastroenterologist. She became sick after playing a recorder in music class that was not cleaned between classes and used by multiple children. She took Ibuprofen for pain and MegaSporebiotic for gut health.

Kindly help.

Answer 1

Hi,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I do not think that it is a simple worm infestation because taking a single dose of Mebendazole can kill roundworms and hookworms. But tapeworms are slightly resistant to this anti-parasitic agent. To take Mebendazole or Albendazole again, it is necessary to have evidence of parasites in the stools. There are various other possibilities, such as gluten allergy, non-celiac gluten sensitivity, Crohn's disease, food allergies, eosinophilic gastroenteritis, and worm infestations. To rule out a cause, it is necessary to have a detailed history, and kindly provide it to guide you further.

Thank you