Cough and worms are phenomena that seem little 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 this, but only those that can be localized in the respiratory system.
What worms cause coughing?These are parasites that originally lived in the intestine, but as a result of rapid reproduction or in search of better living conditions, they ended up in the liver and, from there, through general blood flow, reached the bronchopulmonary tissue.
Types of helminths
Roundworms, roundworms, 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 of these can introduce helminth eggs into the human body.
To avoid infection you need to:
- avoid contact with infected animals;
- do not use things from people with helminth infections;
- keep your hands clean, especially when returning from the street and before eating;
- wash foods consumed raw (fruits and vegetables) well;
- Properly prepare fish and meat dishes.
It's worth knowing!Roundworms cause a dry cough.Migrating through the circulatory system, its larvae enter the respiratory organs - bronchi, trachea, lungs - irritating the receptors and causing this symptom.The larvae's migration period throughout the body is one to two weeks.
Giardia are very small, single-celled microorganisms that live in stagnant water.The disease caused by them is called giardiasis.Parasite infection mainly occurs in the following ways.
- From an infected person or animal to a healthy one.
- When eating poorly washed food.
- When 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 some time, giardiasis becomes chronic.The cause of coughing due to giardiasis is allergic reactions that occur when the body is intoxicated by parasite waste.For a person infected with Giardia, the matter usually ends in bronchial asthma.
One of the main dangers of giardiasis is the absence, in the initial phase, 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 collect 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 occurrence in dogs.When reaching the bronchi, the larvae cause allergic reactions.
Types of helminths that affect children
If a child develops a cough and the possibility of a cold has been ruled out, there are serious reasons to assume that the child may be infected with helminths.Since it can be a reaction to different types of worms, only laboratory tests can determine which specific helminth is responsible for it.
Attention!Most often, helminthic cough is observed in young children.
It is not surprising that parents often mistake this 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 helminth infestation, remains unsolved.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 can migrate throughout the body and reach the respiratory tract.These parasites include roundworms and lamblia.Their sexually mature individuals live in the intestines, but parasite larvae have the ability to penetrate the respiratory system along with the blood, irritating the receptors and causing allergic reactions.
In this case, some larvae are expelled, others are swallowed and return to the intestine, where the next life cycle of the parasites begins.Some of the larvae remain in the respiratory system, disrupting its functioning.
Toxocara and lungworm
The most dangerous for the respiratory system are flatworms, mainly worms and toxocaras.Fixed in 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 the child to cough.If left untreated, the inflammatory process progresses and enters a phase accompanied by the formation of mucus.Coughed up sputum may contain blood.This alarming manifestation should force parents to urgently consult an infectious disease doctor.
Important!When infected with a worm, sputum with pus and blood is inevitable.
Types of worms that infect adults
Not all patients believe that helminths and coughing 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 confused with a cold.In this case, the absence of other ARVI symptoms that usually accompany a cold should be alarming.
What explains this condition?There are two reasons for this:
- Mechanical effects of helminth larvae on lung tissue.
- Allergies with which the infected body responds 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;
- chance;
- Echinococcus tapeworm.
Ascariasis
Roundworms are very common, so coughing against the background of ascariasis is a typical phenomenon.Roundworm infection occurs via traditional helminthiasis routes.This includes contact with soil, 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 parasite's migration phase.The mechanism and sequence of the 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, shed their shell, turning into larvae.The latter are endowed with the ability to penetrate through the intestinal wall into the bloodstream.After that, 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, which transport the larva upward with their reflex movements.In this case, the receptors become irritated and cough occurs, throwing the helminths into the mouth, where they are spat out or swallowed, returning to the intestine.
For your information!Cough with ascariasis is usually a short-term phenomenon.But if the infestation is recurring, 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 still waters.They enter the human body when consuming dirty or poorly processed foods, or drinking unboiled milk or water.Transmission by 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 emerging from the eggs.Penetrating through the intestinal walls, they enter the bloodstream and with it reach the organs of the respiratory system, disrupting their functioning and causing coughing.
Lungworm
The worm lives in the lungs in pairs, forming cysts in the bronchi.Infestation occurs by eating crabs and crayfish infected with the parasite.Once in the gastrointestinal tract, the lungworm penetrates the peritoneum and reaches the lungs through the diaphragm, causing the patient to cough persistently.
The small helminth lungworm, belonging to the class of trematodes, “specializes” in parasitizing specifically in the lungs.It causes much more serious problems in the respiratory system than roundworms, for example.
At the site of its location, 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 lungworm is further compounded by the fact that it is a long-liver 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 will be able to choose an effective medicine, which must be different for each case.
However, the championship in “harmfulness” belongs not to the lungworm, but to the larvae of alveococci and echinococci.These are small tapeworms (up to 7 mm in length), which are carried by wolves, coyotes, dogs, jackals, foxes, wild and domestic cats without much harm to themselves.
Helminths of the trematode class (digenetic worms) and trichinella roundworms cause allergic coughs, which can be especially serious in children.
Runny nose due to helminthiasis and other parasites
A runny nose is caused by the presence of helminths much less frequently.This manifestation is not 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, uncharacteristic) localization, enter the nasal passages and cause a runny nose and nasal congestion.
If we talk about non-helminthic parasitic diseases, then as an example of an infestation that causes a runny nose and abundant mucus secretion from the nose, we can mention nasal myiasis, which are larvae of flies and flies that have settled in the nasal cavity.
Attention!Runny nose, sometimes caused by Giardia, is a consequence of the body's response in the form of an allergic reaction to Giardia waste.
Roundworms do not cause a runny nose or nasal congestion.
Conclusion
If coughing occurs due to helminthiasis, treatment should include antiparasitic therapy aimed at destroying worms.Taking cold pills in these cases means directing treatment not against the disease itself, but against its symptoms.