Risk factors
By Mayo Clinic staffRisk factors for pinworm infection include:
- Being of young age. Pinworm infections are most likely to occur in children between the ages of 5 and 14. The microscopic eggs are easily spread to family members, caregivers, or other children at school or child care centers.
- Living in crowded spaces. People who live in institutions are at higher risk of developing pinworm infections.
- Living in a temperate climate. While pinworms occur worldwide, they're more common in countries that don't have tropical climates.
References
- Parasites and health: Enterobiasis. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.dpd.cdc.gov/DPDx/html/Enterobiasis.htm. Accessed Feb. 16, 2012.
- Kliegman RM, et al. Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics. 19th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2011. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/208746819-6/0/1608/0.html. Accessed Feb. 16, 2012.
- Fact sheet: Pinworm infection. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/pinworm/index.html. Accessed Feb. 16, 2012.
- Ferri's Clinical Advisor 2012. 5 Books in 1. Philadelphia, Pa.: Mosby Elsevier; 2012. http://www.mdconsult.com/books/about.do?about=true&eid=4-u1.0-B978-0-323-05611-3..C2009-0-38601-8--TOP&isbn=978-0-323-05611-3&uniqId=291436269-101. Accessed Feb. 16, 2012.
- Pinworm infection. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. http://www.niaid.nih.gov/topics/pinworm/Pages/default.aspx. Accessed Feb. 16, 2012.
- Gardner AS. Vulvovaginitis and other common childhood gynaecological conditions. Archives of Disease in Childhood: Education and Practice Edition. 2011;96:73.
- Stermer E, et al. Pruritus ani: An approach to an itching condition. Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition. 2009;48:513.


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