McKenna's Pharmacology for Nursing, 2e

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P A R T 2  Chemotherapeutic agents

roundworms called Ascaris are the most frequent cause of helminth infections throughout the world. ■■ Some helminths invade body tissues and can seriously damage lymphatic tissue, lungs, CNS, heart, liver and so on. These include trichinosis-causing tapeworms, which are found in undercooked pork; filariae, which occur when thread-like worm embryos clog up vascular spaces; and schistosomiasis-causing flukes. Schistosomiasis is a common problem in many tropical areas where the snail, that is necessary in the life cycle of the fluke, lives. ■■ Anthelmintic drugs affect metabolic processes that are either different in worms than in human hosts or are not found in humans. These agents all cause death of the worm by interfering with normal functioning. ■■ Prevention is a very important part of the treatment of helminths. Thorough hand washing; laundering of bed linen, pyjamas and underwear to destroy ova that are shed during the night; and disinfection of toilet facilities at least daily and of bathroom floors periodically, help to stop the spread of these diseases. In addition, proper sanitation and hygiene in food preparation and storage is essential for reducing the incidence of these infestations. ■■ Education is important for decreasing the stress and anxiety that may occur when individuals are diagnosed with a worm infestation. Knowing your strengths and weaknesses helps you to study more effectively. Take a PrepU Practice Quiz to find out how you measure up! ONLINE RESOURCES An extensive range of additional resources to enhance teaching and learning and to facilitate understanding of this chapter may be found online at the text’s accompanying website, located on thePoint at http://thepoint.lww.com. These include Watch and Learn videos, Concepts in Action animations, journal articles, review questions, case studies, discussion topics and quizzes.

WEB LINKS

Healthcare providers and students may want to consult the following Internet sources: www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/ pages/Pinworms Victorian Government information on pinworms. http://smartraveller.gov.au Home page of Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade Smart Traveller. www.who.int/topics/helminthiasis/en/ World Health Organization Information on helminth infections. Abbas, A. & Newsholme, W. (2011). Diagnosis and recommended treatment of helminth infections. Prescriber, 22, 56–64. Dempsey, J., Hillege, S. & Hill, R. (2014). Fundamentals of Nursing and Midwifery: A Person-centred Approach to Care (2nd Australian and New Zealand edn). Sydney: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. Drudge-Coates, L. & Turner, B. (2013). Schistosomiasis: An endemic parasitic waterborne disease. British Journal of Nursing , 22 , S12–S14. Falcone, F. & Pritchard, D. (2005). Parasite reversal: Worms on trial. Trends in Parasitology, 21, 157–160. Farrell, M. & Dempsey, J. (2014). Smeltzer & Bare’s Textbook of Medical-Surgical Nursing (3rd edn). Sydney: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. Gherardin, A. (2012). Assessing fever in the returned traveller. Australian Prescriber , 35 , 10–14. Hamilton, S. (2005). Alleviating the distress of threadworms. Practice Nursing, 16, 430–432. Horton, J. (2003). Global anthelmintic chemotherapy programs: Learning from history. Trends in Parasitology, 19, 405–409. Hotez, P. J., Brooker, S., Bethony, J., Bottazzi, M. E., Loukas, A. & Xiao, S. (2004). Hookworm infection. New England Journal of Medicine, 351, 799–807. Keiser, J. & Utzinger, J. (2008). Efficacy of current drugs against soil transmitted helminth infections: Systematic review. JAMA, 299, 1937–1948. McKenna, L. (2012). Pharmacology Made Incredibly Easy (1st Australian and New Zealand edn). Sydney: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. McKenna, L. & Mirkov, S. (2014). McKenna’s Drug Handbook for Nursing and Midwifery (7th edn). Sydney: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. Porth, C. M. (2011). Essentials of Pathophysiology: Concepts of Altered Health States (3rd edn). Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. Porth, C. M. (2009). Pathophysiology: Concepts of Altered Health States (8th edn). Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. BIBLIOGRAPHY