When a cough caused by parasites appears, almost everyone thinks of viral or infectious diseases that affect various parts of the respiratory tract. But there are parasites that cause coughing with the same symptoms. Laboratory tests and instrumental examination methods performed by a therapist or infectious disease specialist will help understand the conditions.
Types of parasites that cause coughing
Main types of parasitic infection:
- Giardia;
- worms;
- toxocara;
- roundworms.
Most often, the infection is located in the lower digestive tract, but if left untreated, it spreads to other organs and systems, including parts of the respiratory system.
Pathways through which parasites can migrate:
- with blood flow through the vessels (some worms are small, so they penetrate through the endothelial wall into the bloodstream);
- fecal-oral method (after defecating, people forget to wash their hands, so when eating food, bacteria penetrate the oral cavity);
- through food or water.
Many people don't know that parasites and coughing are compatible concepts. Pathogens can penetrate any part of the body, causing symptoms of inflammation.
Worms
The structure of the pathogen resembles a coffee bean. There are small spines on its body. At the bottom there are suction cups with which it moves and feeds. All individuals are hermaphrodites, meaning they can reproduce independently. But there are also cross-fertilization options.
The main stages of the life cycle include:
- pond snail;
- larva;
- metacercariae.
The helminth takes no more than 2 days to go through all the stages, causing the infection to appear. This is due to the fact that the respiratory tract membrane is a favorable environment for the development of worms.
When the parasite enters the body, symptoms are not detected immediately. Initially, microorganisms multiply, spreading throughout the tissues.
Giardia
Giardia is a parasite that causes coughing most frequently in children. In adults, pathology also occurs, but rarely.
Giardia are single-celled microorganisms that have flagella necessary for movement through tissues. Reproduction occurs by division; within 1 day after infection, their number increases several times.
If the pathogen is outside the body, its body is covered in a membrane that helps it survive in the environment. With its help, it can exist for up to 12 hours on various objects. If fed with dairy products, survival time is extended to 3 months.
The main route of entry into the human body is oral. The main carriers are animals and birds. Giardia disease is often found in schools and kindergartens. Microorganisms settle on all household items, but for a short period of time.
Roundworms and how they affect the respiratory system
The parasite enters the host's body via the fecal-oral route through contaminated products - it can be food or water. The larva is located in the digestive tract and is not affected by gastric juice and other unfavorable factors. Then eggs with processes appear, which attach to the intestinal mucosa.
Tiny worms bore holes in the mucous membranes, penetrating through the vascular endothelium into the blood. Through it, they spread to the heart, alveoli of the lungs and bronchi. In the respiratory tract they go through developmental stages over a period of 3 weeks.
Cause of cough:
- damage to alveolar tissue;
- strong sensitizing effect, the immune system is activated, sending many lymphocytes to the site of inflammation with the formation of an infiltrate;
- bronchial obstruction, areas of infiltration and accumulation of helminths lead to blockage of various parts of the bronchi;
- During coughing, helminths spread from the bronchi to the pharynx, returning to the digestive tract.
This is how a chronic disease is formed. The larvae constantly penetrate the respiratory and digestive tract, forming a repeated infection.
Toxocara and its effects on the human body
Toxocara is the pathogen that causes the disease toxocariasis. The disease affects people and animals. Children who go to school get sick more often. The epidemiological peak is observed in summer.
The worm has a life cycle of egg, larva and adult. Parasites enter the human body through food, contaminated water, spreading in the intestines. When they migrate to the circulatory system, they travel to various organs, including the lungs. They lay eggs in tissues, from which repeated helminth infestations form.
Eggs and larvae enter the environment through animal feces and, from there, can even spread through the water. The parasite is stable in the environment and survives in the soil. Therefore, it remains contagious for years.
The main danger of the pathogen is the possibility of penetration through the placenta of the pregnant woman to the fetus. The infection also spreads through breast milk.
Enterobiasis
Enterobiasis develops as a result of helminths entering the body. The disease occurs only in humans due to the entry of pinworm larvae into the esophagus. Children are more often susceptible to the disease due to a weak immune system.
Nematodes, which are roundworms, penetrate the child's body. The maximum length of the parasite is 1 cm. In the body, they spread through the intestine, depositing eggs in the anus; After that, the adults die. The parasites stay in the child's underwear and also under the nails when scratching the anus. A repeated cycle of infection occurs through contaminated hands.
Symptoms:
- anal itching, more intense at night;
- redness and inflammation of the anus;
- in complicated cases, eczema and dermatitis occur in the anus;
- sleep disorders;
- bruxism (teeth grinding);
- urinary incontinence;
- cutting pain in the abdomen, like contractions;
- loss of appetite;
- periodic changes in stool (diarrhea, constipation);
- nausea, vomiting, weight loss;
- in severe cases - developmental disorders;
- emotional instability, increased fatigue and loss of concentration.
When a pathogen enters the respiratory tract,the condition is complicated by symptoms:
- cough, asthma attacks;
- bronchial asthma;
- frequent viral diseases due to suppression of the immune system.
The parasite not only spreads in the digestive tract and pulmonary system. Can penetrate the urogenital tract. Therefore, girls are often diagnosed with vulvitis and vulvovaginitis.
Opisthorchiasis
The causative agent is a worm from the trematode group. Penetrates through the digestive tract into the pulmonary system and liver, causing clinical symptoms.
The pathogen is not immediately transferred to a person. The first host is molluscs and the second is fish. Only after that will it be able to migrate to mammals. The larvae enter freshwater bodies and become infected through it.
Symptoms:
- increased body temperature;
- malaise in the form of weakness, fatigue, drowsiness, abdominal pain;
- intoxication of the body, which manifests itself as pain in muscles and joints;
- hepatosplenomegaly;
- dyspeptic disorders;
- bronchial asthma with intense coughing and asthma attacks;
- toxic allergic damage to the brain and heart;
- inflammation of various parts of the gastrointestinal tract, gallbladder, pancreas;
- pneumonia, pleurisy.
Lack of treatment leads to death.
Paragonimiasis
The causative agents are trematodes. This is a lungworm, located mainly in the respiratory tract (bronchi, lungs, trachea). It goes through a complex development cycle. Does not affect humans immediately; it first develops in the organs of animals. The transmission mechanism is fecal-oral. The eggs fall to the ground with the feces and then pass into the water.
Symptoms (no symptoms in the first 3 weeks):
- inflammation of the esophagus and liver;
- acute stomach;
- rash and itchy skin;
- tracheitis, bronchitis, pneumonia;
- increase in body temperature to critical values;
- choking, coughing, hemoptysis;
- increased heart rate, cardiac arrhythmia;
- if the pathogen is in the central nervous system, this will be accompanied by meningitis and encephalitis.
A few months after the pathogen enters the human body, symptoms subside. A chronic disease is formed that can develop over many years with exacerbations.
Respiratory system complications due to parasitic infestations
If the cough and infection are not treated, the condition gradually worsens and complications arise:
- bleeding from the mucous membranes of the digestive and respiratory tract;
- in the lungs, tissue necrosis, empyema, cyst, abscess are possible, which can only accompany a dry cough;
- if the pathogen moves to the upper parts of the respiratory tract and completely blocks them, asphyxiation and death occur;
- penetration into the central nervous system accompanied by paralysis, intracerebral hemorrhage, epilepsy;
- Intestinal obstruction, appendicitis, cholangitis and hepatitis form in the gastrointestinal tract.
Required diagnostics
The therapist or infectious disease specialist determinesWhat diagnostic methods are sufficient to make a diagnosis:
- general clinical analyzes of urine and blood, blood biochemistry;
- bacteriological analysis and PCR of sputum;
- anus scraping followed by microscopy;
- expanded coprogram;
- X-rays of light;
- Ultrasound of the abdominal cavity.
An increased number of immune cells are detected in the blood. X-rays of the lungs may show nodules that could be mistaken for tuberculosis or cancer. Analysis of sputum and anus scrapings reveals helminths.
Treatment and preventive measures
The main treatment method is antiparasitic drugs, which are administered in several stages.
Use symptomatic therapy using the following agents:
- antihistamines;
- antipyretics;
- analgesics;
- corticosteroids;
- bronchodilators.
After the first completion of the use of anthelmintic drugs, the course is repeated. This is due to the fact that some eggs and larvae could survive by turning back into worms.
If parasites cause coughing, it is not recommended to use syrups to suppress it - it can cause suffocation. For prevention, you should frequently wash your hands, vegetables and fruits.
Clinical condition
Most often, the patient is worried about:
- stomachache;
- dyspeptic disorders (nausea, vomiting, changes in stool);
- itching in the anus;
- increased body temperature;
- signs of respiratory infection with dry or wet cough;
- rash, itchy skin.
The parasites that cause coughing in children and adults show an atypical pattern in the formation of the disease. It can be easily confused with appendicitis, intestinal infection, bronchitis, pneumonia.
What doctors say about parasites
Doctors advise taking special care in summer. At this time, parasites are actively developing, penetrating the soil and water. Therefore, it is recommended not to drink liquids from bodies of water and to wash fruits and vegetables thoroughly.
Experts tell us which parasites cause coughing: toxocara, lamblia, worms. All of them provoke a symptom in the form of a cough when entering the respiratory tract.