Coughs and worms are two phenomena that seem incompatible.However, dry coughs are often caused by parasites settling and multiplying in the body.
Not all worms have this ability, only those located in the respiratory system.
What bugs cause coughs?These parasites originally live in the intestines, but due to rapid reproduction or search for better living conditions, they end up in the liver and from there via the general blood stream to the bronchopulmonary tissue.
Type of worm
Roundworms, roundworms, live and reproduce in the intestines.Their infection occurs through eggs that enter the body on food or on hands and objects used by an infected person.Soil, fruits, vegetables, undercooked meat and fish – all of these can introduce worm eggs into the body.
To avoid infection, you need to:
- Avoid contact with infected animals;
- Don’t use things from people infected with parasites;
- Keep your hands clean, especially after coming back from the street and before eating;
- Wash raw foods (fruits and vegetables) thoroughly;
- Prepare fish and meat dishes correctly.
Worth knowing!Roundworms can cause a dry cough.Their larvae migrate through the circulatory system and enter the respiratory organs - bronchi, trachea, lungs - irritating receptors and causing this symptom.The migration period of the larvae throughout the body lasts one to two weeks.
Giardia is a very small, single-celled microorganism that lives in stagnant water.The disease caused by them is called giardiasis.Parasitic infections mainly occur in the following ways.
- From an infected person or animal to a healthy person or animal.
- When eating unwashed food.
- When drinking raw milk or uncooked water.
After Giardia colonizes a person's small intestine, it can infect other people within 10 days.Over time, giardiasis becomes chronic.The cause of a giardiasis cough is an allergic reaction that occurs when the body is poisoned by the parasite's waste products.For people infected with Giardia, things often lead to bronchial asthma.
One of the main dangers of giardiasis is that there are no obvious symptoms in the initial stages, making it impossible to accurately diagnose the disease.The release of worms from the body is intermittent, so it is not always possible to detect Giardia cysts in the stool.You must take multiple samples for analysis to confidently diagnose a disease.
In addition to roundworms and Toxoplasma gondii, this symptom may also be caused by Toxocara, also known as canine roundworms due to its widespread occurrence in dogs.The larvae can cause allergic reactions when they reach the bronchi.
Types of worms that affect children
If a child develops a cough and a cold has been ruled out, there is good reason to think he may have worms.Because it can be a reaction to different types of worms, only laboratory testing can determine which specific worm is causing it.
attention!Worm cough is most common in young children.
Not surprisingly, parents often mistake it for symptoms of a cold and begin to treat it with commonly accepted medications, which, due to the specificity of their action, actually eliminate the problem.But at the same time, the cause of this condition, a worm infection, remains unresolved.The worms continue to multiply in the child's body and the condition worsens.
Giardiasis and ascariasis
What parasites cause symptoms in children?Only those viruses are able to migrate throughout the body and reach the respiratory tract.These parasites include roundworms and lamblia.Sexually mature individuals live in the intestines, but the larvae of the parasite can penetrate the respiratory system in the bloodstream, stimulating receptors and causing allergic reactions.
In this case, some larvae are ejected, others are swallowed and enter the intestine again, where the next life cycle of the parasite begins.Some larvae remain in the respiratory system, disrupting its function.
Toxocara and Paragonimus
The most dangerous to the respiratory system are flatworms, especially flukes and Toxocara.After they attach to the lungs, they cause paragonimiasis and toxocariasis, serious diseases accompanied by the destruction of lung tissue and a progressive inflammatory process.
The flatworms invaded the child's lungs and caused him to cough.If left untreated, the inflammatory process can progress and enter a stage accompanied by mucus formation.Cough phlegm may contain blood.This alarming presentation should compel parents to urgently consult an infectious disease doctor.
Important!When infected with flukes, pus and blood will inevitably be present in the sputum.
Types of worms that infect adults
Not all patients think that worms and coughing may be part of the same process, but they are.Coughs caused by worms are usually dry and can easily be mistaken for a cold.In this case, the lack of other ARVI symptoms that usually accompany colds should be alarming.
How to explain this situation?There are two reasons for this:
- Mechanical effects of worm larvae on lung tissue.
- An allergic reaction of the infected body to the presence of worm waste and the decomposition of dead individuals.
There are not many worms and other parasites that affect the respiratory tract.These are:
- roundworms;
- Giardia;
- fluke;
- Echinococcus tapeworm.
Ascariasis
Roundworms are so common that coughing due to ascariasis is a typical symptom.Roundworm infection occurs through the traditional route of helminthiasis.These include contact with soil, eating unwashed fruits and vegetables, and dirty hands.
Roundworm larvae cause problems by mechanically affecting respiratory tissue.This occurs during the migratory stage of the parasite.The mechanism and sequence of the effects of roundworms on the human respiratory system are as follows.
Once in the gastrointestinal tract, the roundworm eggs shed their shells and transform into larvae under the influence of their own enzymes and digestive juices.The latter has the ability to penetrate the intestinal wall and enter the bloodstream.They are then carried throughout the body by the bloodstream - reaching the liver, heart, lungs and respiratory tract.
There are cilia on the tracheal mucosa, which transport the larvae upward through reflex movements.In this case, the receptors are stimulated and a cough occurs, throwing the worm into the mouth, where it is spit out or swallowed and returned to the intestines.
for your information!Cough caused by roundworms is usually a short-term phenomenon.But if the infection is recurring, it may become permanent.
Giardiasis
Although Giardia is a tiny organism, it can cause serious damage to the body.Giardia's natural habitat is stagnant water.They enter the body by eating dirty or poorly processed food, or drinking uncooked milk or water.Infected people and animals have the potential to spread.
The main site of distribution of Giardia is the intestines.It only takes 10 days from the date of infection for the larvae to begin hatching from the eggs.They pass through the intestinal wall into the bloodstream and reach the respiratory organs, disrupting their function and causing coughing.
Paragonimus
Flukes live in pairs in the lungs and form cysts in the bronchi.Infection occurs when crabs and crayfish infected with the parasite are eaten.Once in the gastrointestinal tract, paragonimiasis penetrates the peritoneum and travels through the diaphragm to the lungs, causing persistent coughing.
Small paragonimiasis worms belong to the class Flukes and "specialize" in the lungs.For example, it can cause more severe respiratory problems than roundworms.
At the site of its localization, infiltration occurs and hemorrhage occurs, as a result of which the cavity is filled with worms, dead parasites and putrefactive metabolites of the lung tissue.Because paragonimiasis has a long liver, it can survive in the host body for up to 20 years, which further aggravates the harm of paragonimiasis.
To deal with this dangerous parasite, treatment must be carried out under the strict supervision of a doctor.Only he can choose effective medicines, and choose different medicines for different situations.
However, the "hazardous" champion does not belong to paragonimiasis, but to the larvae of paragonimiasis and echinococcosis.These are small (up to 7 mm) tapeworms carried by wolves, coyotes, dogs, jackals, foxes, feral cats, and domestic cats without much harm to themselves.
Fluke-like worms (double genetic flukes) and Trichinella spiralis can cause allergic coughs, especially in children.
Runny nose due to helminthiasis and other parasitic diseases
A runny nose is caused by worms, which is much less common.This presentation is not at all typical of helminthiasis.However, in some cases, parasites can cause a runny and stuffy nose.
Sometimes, in rare cases, pinworms can enter the nasal passages in what is called abnormal (random, non-characteristic) positioning, causing a runny and blocked nose.
If we talk about non-helminthic parasitic diseases, then as an example of an infection that causes a runny nose and discharge of large amounts of mucus from the nose, we can refer to nasal myiasis, which is the larvae of gadflies and flies that settle in the nasal cavity.
attention!A runny nose is sometimes caused by Giardia and is the result of the body's allergic reaction to Giardia's waste products.
As for roundworms, they do not cause a runny or stuffy nose.
in conclusion
If the cough is caused by helminthiasis, treatment should include antiparasitic treatments designed to eliminate the worms.Taking cold medicine in this case means that the treatment is not for the disease itself, but for its symptoms.