Physiological Integrity Q 7
The nurse is teaching the mother regarding treatment for enterobiasis. Which instruction should be given regarding the medication?
A. Treatment is not recommended for children less than 10 years of age.
B. The entire family should be treated.
C. Medication therapy will continue for 1 year.
D. Intravenous antibiotic therapy will be ordered.
Correct Answer: B. The entire family should be treated.
Enterobiasis, or pinworms, is treated with Vermox (mebendazole) or Antiminth (pyrantel pamoate). The entire family should be treated to ensure that no eggs remain. Because a single treatment is usually sufficient, there is usually good compliance. The family should then be tested again in 2 weeks to ensure that no eggs remain. Enterobiasis can cause recurrent reinfection, so treating the entire household, whether symptomatic or not is recommended to prevent a recurrence.
Option A: Enterobiasis usually occurs in children under 10 years of age. The male-to-female infection frequency is 2 to 1. However, a female predominance of infection is seen in those between the ages of 5 and 14 years. It most commonly affects children younger than 18 years of age. It is also commonly seen in adults who take care of children and institutionalized children.
Option C: The medications used for the treatment of pinworm are either mebendazole, pyrantel pamoate, or albendazole. Any of these drugs are given in one dose initially, and then another single dose of the same drug two weeks later.
Option D: Oral antibiotics are the most recommended form of treatment for enterobiasis. Young pinworms tend to be resistant to treatment and hence two doses of medication, two weeks apart are recommended. At the same time, all members of the infected child must be treated. If a large number of children are infected in a class, everyone should be treated twice at 2-week intervals. Follow-up is vital to ensure that a cure has been obtained.