Cough and worms are phenomena that seem incompatible.However, the cause of a dry cough is often helminths that have settled and multiplied in the human body.
Not all helminths are capable of this, but only those that can be localized in the respiratory system.
What worms cause cough?They 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, roundworms, live and reproduce in the intestines.Their infection occurs through eggs entering the body with food or through the hands and objects used by an infected person.Soil, fruits, vegetables, poorly cooked meat and fish - all this can introduce helminth eggs into the human body.
To avoid infection, you must:
- avoid contact with infected animals;
- do not use things from people with helminths;
- keep your hands clean, especially when returning from the street and before eating;
- wash foods eaten raw (fruits and vegetables) thoroughly;
- prepare fish and meat dishes correctly.
To know!Roundworms cause a dry cough.Migrating through the circulatory system, their larvae enter the respiratory organs - bronchi, trachea, lungs - irritating the receptors and causing this symptom.The period of migration of 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.Parasitic infection mainly occurs in the following ways.
- From an infected person or animal to a healthy person.
- By eating poorly washed food.
- By drinking raw milk or unboiled water.
Having settled in the small intestine of a person, Giardia within 10 days becomes capable of infecting other people.After a while, giardiasis becomes chronic.Giardiasis cough is caused by allergic reactions that occur when the body is poisoned by parasite waste.For a person infected with Giardia, the case often ends with bronchial asthma.
One of the main dangers of giardiasis is the absence at the initial stage of pronounced symptoms that would allow 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 the stool.You need to take samples for analysis several times before you can confidently diagnose the disease.
In addition to roundworms and lamblia, the symptom can also be caused by toxocara, also called canine roundworm due to its widespread presence in dogs.Having reached the bronchi, the larvae cause allergic reactions.
Types of helminths that affect children
If a child coughs and a cold is excluded, there is serious reason 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 helminth is responsible.
Attention!Most often, helminthic cough is observed in young children.
It is not surprising that parents often mistake it for 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 reason that caused it, namely 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 able to migrate throughout the body and reach the respiratory tract.These parasites include roundworms and lamblia.Their sexually mature individuals live in the intestines, but the larvae of parasites have the ability to penetrate with blood into the respiratory system, irritating the receptors and causing allergic reactions.
In this case, some larvae are rejected, the other is swallowed and again enters the intestine, where the next life cycle of the parasites begins.Some larvae remain in the respiratory system, disrupting its functioning.
Toxocara and pulmonary fluke
Flatworms, especially flukes and toxocaras, are the most dangerous for the respiratory system.Having attached to the lungs, they cause paragonimiasis and toxocariasis - serious diseases accompanied by the destruction of lung tissue and a progressive inflammatory process.
The penetration of tapeworms into the child's lungs causes him to cough.If left untreated, the inflammatory process progresses and enters a phase accompanied by mucus formation.Sputum coughed up may contain blood.This alarming manifestation should force parents to urgently consult an infectious disease doctor.
Important!In case of fluke infection, sputum containing 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 this is indeed the case.A cough caused by worms is usually dry and can easily be mistaken for a cold.In this case, the absence of other ARVI symptoms that usually accompany a cold should be alarming.
What explains this state?There are two reasons for this:
- Mechanical effects of helminth larvae on lung tissue.
- Allergies in which the infected body reacts to the presence of worm waste and the decomposition of dead individuals.
There are not so many worms and other parasites that affect the respiratory tract.These are :
- roundworms;
- Giardia;
- paw;
- Echinococcus tapeworm.
Ascariasis
Roundworms are very common, so cough against the background of ascariasis is a typical phenomenon.Roundworm infection occurs through traditional helminthiasis routes.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 impact of roundworms on the human respiratory system are as follows.
Once in the gastrointestinal tract, roundworm eggs, under the influence of their own enzymes and digestive juice, lose their shell and turn into larvae.The latter have the ability to penetrate through the intestinal wall into the bloodstream.After which, they are carried by the blood throughout the body, reaching the liver, heart, lungs and respiratory tract.
On the mucous membrane of the trachea there are cilia that carry the larva upwards with their reflex movements.In this case, the receptors are irritated and coughing occurs, throwing helminths into the mouth, from where they are either spat out or swallowed, returning to the intestines.
For your information!Cough accompanied by ascariasis is usually a short-term phenomenon.But if the infestation is recurring in nature, it can become almost permanent.
Giardiasis
Despite the fact that Giardia is a microscopic creature, it causes very serious harm to the body.Giardia's natural habitat is stagnant water.They enter the human body by consuming dirty or poorly processed foods, or by drinking unboiled milk or water.Transmission from infected people and animals is possible.
The primary location of Giardia is the intestine.The parasites only need 10 days from the time of infection for larvae to begin emerging from the eggs.Penetrating through the intestinal walls, they enter the blood and with it reach the organs of the respiratory system, disrupting their functioning and causing coughing.
Lung fluke
The fluke lives in pairs in the lungs and forms cysts in the bronchi.Infestation occurs when eating crabs and crayfish infected with the parasite.Once in the gastrointestinal tract, the pulmonary fluke enters the peritoneum and reaches the lungs through the diaphragm, causing a persistent cough in the patient.
The small helminth pulmonary fluke, belonging to the class of trematodes, “specializes” in parasitism specifically in the lungs.It causes much more serious problems with the respiratory system than roundworms, for example.
At the site of its localization, infiltrates appear and hemorrhages develop, as a result of which cavities appear filled with decaying metabolites of worms, dead parasites and lung tissue.The damage caused by lung fluke is further compounded by the fact that it is long-livered and can live in the host's body for up to 20 years.
To deal with this dangerous parasite, treatment is necessary under the strict supervision of a doctor.Only he can choose an effective drug, which must be different for each case.
However, the primacy of "harmfulness" belongs not to the pulmonary 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 causing much harm.
Helminths of the trematode class (digenetic flukes) and trichinella roundworms cause allergic cough, which can be particularly severe in children.
Runny nose due to helminthiasis and other parasitic infections
Runny nose is much less common due to 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 perverse (random, uncharacteristic) localization, enter the nasal passages and cause runny nose and nasal congestion.
If we talk about non-helminthic parasitic diseases, then as an example of an infestation causing a runny nose and abundant discharge of mucus from the nose, we can cite nasal myiasis, which is the larvae of horseflies and flies that have settled in the nasal cavity.
Attention!A runny nose, sometimes caused by Giardia, is a consequence of the body's response in the form of an allergenic reaction to Giardia waste products.
As for roundworms, they do not cause a runny nose or nasal congestion.
Conclusion
If a cough is due to helminthiasis, treatment should include antiparasitic treatment aimed at destroying the worms.Taking pills for colds in such cases means directing treatment not to the disease itself, but to its symptoms.