Cough and worms are phenomena that seem hardly compatible.However, the cause of dry cough is usually helminths that have settled and multiplied in the human body.
Not all helminths are capable of doing this, only those that can be located in the respiratory system.
What worms cause cough?These are parasites that originally lived in the intestines, but as a result of rapid reproduction or in search of better living conditions, they ended up in the liver, and from there, through the general blood flow, they reached the bronchopulmonary tissue.
Types of helminths
Roundworms, intestinal worms, live and reproduce in the intestines.Infection with them occurs through eggs that enter the body with food or through the hands and objects used by an infected person.Undercooked soil, fruits, vegetables, meat and fish - all this can introduce helminth eggs into the human body.
To avoid infections it is necessary:
- avoid contact with infected animals;
- do not use things from people with helminth infections;
- keep your hands clean, especially after returning from the street and before eating;
- wash foods that are consumed raw (fruits and vegetables) well;
- properly prepare fish and meat dishes.
It's worth knowing!Roundworms cause dry cough.Migrating through the circulatory system, its larvae enter the respiratory organs (bronchi, trachea, lungs), irritating the receptors and causing this symptom.The migration period of the larvae throughout the body is one to two weeks.
Giardia are very small single-celled microorganisms that live in stagnant water.The disease they cause is called giardiasis.Parasite infection occurs mainly in the following ways.
- From an infected person or animal to a healthy one.
- By eating poorly washed food.
- When drinking raw milk or unboiled water.
Having settled in the small intestine of a person, Giardia in 10 days becomes capable of infecting other people.After some time, giardiasis becomes chronic.The cause of giardiasis cough is allergic reactions that occur when the body becomes poisoned with parasite waste products.For a person infected with Giardia, the problem usually ends in bronchial asthma.
One of the main dangers of giardiasis is the absence at the initial stage of pronounced symptoms that allow an accurate diagnosis of the disease.The release of worms from the body is episodic, so it is not always possible to detect Giardia cysts in feces.You must take samples for testing several times before you can confidently diagnose the disease.
In addition to nematodes and lamblia, the symptom can also be caused by toxocara, also called canine nematode due to its frequent appearance in dogs.Upon reaching the bronchi, the larvae cause allergic reactions.
Types of helminths that affect children
If a child has a cough and a cold is ruled out, there are serious reasons to assume that he may be infected with helminths.Since it can be a reaction to different types of worms, only laboratory tests can determine which particular helminth is responsible.
Attention!Most often, helminthic cough is observed in young children.
It is not surprising that parents often confuse it with a symptom of a cold and begin to treat it with generally accepted medications, which, due to the specificity of their action, actually eliminate the problem.But at the same time, the cause that caused it, that is, helminthic infestation, remains unresolved.The worms continue to multiply in the child's body and the disease progresses.
Giardiasis and ascariasis
What parasites cause symptoms in a child?Only those that are capable of migrating throughout the body and reaching the respiratory tract.These parasites include roundworms and lamblia.Their sexually mature individuals live in the intestines, but the larvae of the parasites have the ability to penetrate together with the blood into the respiratory system, irritating the receptors and causing allergic reactions.
In this case, one part of the larvae is expelled, the other is swallowed and re-enters the intestine, where the next life cycle of the parasites begins.Some of the larvae remain in the respiratory system, altering its functioning.
Toxocara and lung fluke
The most dangerous for the respiratory system are flatworms, particularly flukes and toxocaras.By adhering to the lungs, they cause paragonimiasis and toxocariasis, serious diseases accompanied by destruction of lung tissue and a progressive inflammatory process.
The penetration of flatworms into the child's lungs causes coughing.If left untreated, the inflammatory process progresses and enters a stage accompanied by the formation of mucus.Coughed up sputum may contain blood.This alarming manifestation should force parents to urgently consult a doctor specializing in infectious diseases.
Important!When infected with a fluke, sputum with pus and blood is inevitable.
Types of worms that infect adults.
Not all patients believe that helminths and cough can be part of the same process, but that is indeed the case.Cough caused by worms is usually dry and can be easily confused with a cold.In this case, the alarm should be the absence of other ARVI symptoms that usually accompany a cold.
What explains this condition?There are two reasons for this:
- Mechanical effects of helminth larvae on lung tissue.
- Allergies with which the infected organism responds to the presence of worm waste products and the decomposition of dead individuals.
There are not as many worms and other parasites that affect the respiratory tract.These are:
- intestinal worms;
- Giardia;
- flounder;
- I had Echinococcus.
ascariasis
Nematodes are widespread, so cough against the background of ascariasis is a typical phenomenon.Intestinal worm infection occurs through the traditional routes of helminthiasis.These include contact with the ground, eating unwashed fruits and vegetables, and dirty hands.
Ascaris larvae cause the problem by mechanically affecting the tissues of the respiratory system.This occurs during the migration phase of the parasite.The mechanism and sequence of the effect of nematodes on the human respiratory system are as follows.
Once in the gastrointestinal tract, pinworm eggs, under the influence of their own enzymes and digestive juice, shed their shell and turn into larvae.The latter are endowed with the ability to penetrate through the intestinal wall into the bloodstream.After which they are transported by blood throughout the body, reaching the liver, heart, lungs and respiratory tract.
On the mucous membrane of the trachea there are cilia that transport the larva upward with their reflex movements.In this case, the receptors are irritated and coughing occurs, which throws helminths into the mouth, from where they are spit out or swallowed and return to the intestines.
FYI!Cough with ascariasis is usually a short-lived phenomenon.But if the infestation is recurrent, it can become almost permanent.
giardiasis
Even though Giardia is a microscopic creature, it causes very serious damage to the body.Giardia's natural habitat is standing water.They enter the human body by consuming dirty or poorly processed foods, or by drinking unboiled milk or water.Transmission through infected people and animals is possible.
The main location of Giardia is the intestine.The parasites only need 10 days from the time of infection for the larvae to begin to emerge from the eggs.Penetrating through the intestinal walls, they enter the blood and with it they reach the organs of the respiratory system, altering their functioning and causing cough.
lung fluke
The fluke lives in the lungs in pairs, forming cysts in the bronchi.Infestation occurs by eating crabs and crabs infected with the parasite.Once in the gastrointestinal tract, the pulmonary fluke penetrates the peritoneum and reaches the lungs through the diaphragm, causing a persistent cough in the patient.
The small helminth lung parasite, belonging to the class of trematodes, “specializes” in parasitizing specifically in the lungs.It causes much more serious problems in the respiratory system than, for example, intestinal worms.
At the site of their localization, infiltrates appear and hemorrhages develop, as a result of which cavities appear filled with decomposing metabolites of worms, dead parasites and lung tissue.The damage caused by the lung fluke is further compounded by the fact that it has a long liver and can live in the host's body for up to 20 years.
To deal with this dangerous parasite, treatment under the strict supervision of a doctor is necessary.Only he can choose an effective medication, which must be different for each case.
However, the championship in "harmfulness" belongs not to the lung fluke, but to the larvae of alveococci and echinococci.These are small tapeworms (up to 7 mm long) that are carried by wolves, coyotes, dogs, jackals, foxes, wild and domestic cats without much damage.
Helminths of the fluke class (digenetic flukes) and trichinella roundworms cause allergic cough, which can be especially severe in children.
Nasal discharge due to helminthiasis and other parasites.
A runny nose is much less often caused by the presence of helminths.This manifestation is not at all typical for helminthiasis.However, in some cases, parasites can cause a runny nose and nasal congestion.
Sometimes pinworms, in rare cases, with the so-called perverted (random, non-characteristic) localization, enter the nasal passages and cause a runny nose and nasal congestion.
If we talk about non-helminthic parasitic diseases, as an example of an infestation that causes a runny nose and abundant secretion of nasal mucus, we can name nasal myiasis, which are the larvae of horseflies and flies that have settled in the nasal cavity.
Attention!A runny nose, sometimes caused by Giardia, results from the body's response in the form of an allergic reaction to Giardia waste.
As for intestinal worms, they do not cause a runny nose or nasal congestion.
Conclusion
If cough occurs due to helminthiasis, treatment should include antiparasitic therapy aimed at destroying the worms.Taking cold pills in such cases means directing treatment not against the disease itself, but against its symptoms.