When a cough appears due to parasites, almost everyone thinks about a viral or infectious disease that affects various parts of the respiratory tract. But there are parasites that cause coughs with similar symptoms. Laboratory tests and instrumental examination methods performed by a therapist or infectious disease specialist will help to understand the situation.
The type of parasite that causes cough
The main types of parasitic infections:
- Giardia;
- flukes;
- toxocara;
- roundworm.
Most often, the infection is localized in the lower digestive tract, but if left untreated it spreads to other organs and systems, including parts of the respiratory system.
Routes through which parasites can migrate:
- with blood flow through the vessels (some worms are small in size, so they penetrate the endothelial wall into the blood stream);
- fecal-oral method (after defecation, people forget to wash their hands, so when eating food, bacteria penetrate into the oral cavity);
- through food or water.
Many people do not know that parasites and cough are compatible concepts. Pathogens can penetrate any part of the body, causing symptoms of inflammation.
Flukes
The structure of the pathogen resembles a coffee bean. There are small thorns on his body. At the bottom there is a suction cup with which it moves and feeds. All individuals are hermaphrodites, i. e. they can reproduce independently. But there are also options for cross-fertilization.
The main stages of the life cycle through:
- pond snails;
- larvae;
- metacercariae.
Helminths take no more than 2 days to go through all the stages, causing the onset of infection. This is due to the fact that the membrane of the respiratory tract is a good environment for the development of flukes.
When the parasite enters the body, symptoms may not be detected immediately. Initially, microorganisms multiply, spreading throughout the tissue.
Giardia
Giardia is the most common parasite that causes cough in children. In adults, pathology also occurs, but rarely.
Giardia is a single-celled microorganism that has 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 with a membrane that helps it survive in the environment. With its help, it can exist for up to 12 hours on various objects. If it is fed on dairy products, then the life span is extended to 3 months.
The main route 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 time.
Roundworms and how they affect the respiratory system
Parasites enter the host's body through the fecal-oral route through contaminated products - this can be food or water. Larvae are located in the digestive tract and are not affected by gastric juices and other unfavorable factors. Then an egg with a process emerges from it, which attaches to the intestinal mucosa.
Small worms make holes in the mucous membrane, penetrate through the vascular endothelium into the blood. Through it they spread to the heart, lung alveoli, and bronchi. In the respiratory tract they go through developmental stages within 3 weeks.
Causes of cough:
- damage to alveolar tissue;
- a strong sensitization 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 bronchus;
- During coughing, helminths spread from the bronchi into the pharynx, ending up back in the digestive tract.
This is how chronic diseases are formed. Larvae constantly penetrate the respiratory and digestive tracts, forming repeated infections.
Toxocara and its effects on the human body
Toxocara is the pathogen that causes toxocariasis. This disease affects humans and animals. Children who go to school get sick more often. Epidemiological peaks are observed in summer.
Worms have a life cycle of eggs, larvae and adults. Parasites enter the human body through food, contaminated water, spread in the intestines. When they migrate into the circulatory system, they travel to various organs, including the lungs. They lay eggs in the tissue, from which repeated helminthic attacks are formed.
Eggs and larvae enter the environment through animal feces, and from there they can also spread into water. The parasite is stable in the environment and survives in the soil. Therefore, it remains contagious for many years.
The main danger of the pathogen is the possibility of penetration through the placenta from the pregnant woman to the fetus. The infection is also spread through breast milk.
Enterobiasis
Enterobiasis develops as a result of helminths entering the body. This disease only occurs in humans because pinworm larvae enter the esophagus. Children are most often exposed to this disease because of 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 throughout the intestines, lay eggs in the anus; After this, the adults die. Parasites get in children's underwear, as well as under the nails when scratching the anus. Repeated infection cycles occur through contaminated hands.
symptoms:
- anal itching, worst 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 pains in 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 the pathogen moves into the respiratory tract,This condition is complicated by symptoms:
- cough, asthma attacks;
- bronchial asthma;
- viral diseases that are often caused by suppression of the immune system.
Parasites spread not only in the digestive tract and lung system. It 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. It penetrates through the digestive tract into the pulmonary system and liver, causing clinical symptoms.
Pathogens are not immediately transferred to a person. The first host is shellfish, and the second is fish. Only after this can it migrate to mammals. Larvae enter fresh water bodies and become infected through them.
symptoms:
- increase in body temperature;
- malaise in the form of weakness, fatigue, drowsiness, stomach ache;
- motion sickness, which manifests itself as pain in the muscles and joints;
- hepatosplenomegaly;
- dyspeptic disorders;
- bronchial asthma with severe cough 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 agent is a trematode. This is a lung disease, localized mainly in the respiratory tract (bronchi, lungs, trachea). It goes through a complex development cycle. It does not reach people immediately; it first developed in animal organs. The transmission mechanism is fecal-oral. Eggs fall into the soil with feces, then enter the water.
Symptoms (no symptoms for the first 3 weeks):
- inflammation of the esophagus and liver;
- acute stomach;
- rash and itching on the 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, then this is 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.
Complications with the respiratory system due to parasitic attacks
If the cough and infection are not treated, the condition gradually worsens and complications develop:
- bleeding of the mucous membrane of the digestive and respiratory tract;
- in the lungs, tissue necrosis, empyema, cysts, abscesses are possible, which can only accompany dry cough;
- if the pathogen moves to the upper part of the respiratory tract and blocks it completely, then suffocation and death occur;
- penetration into the central nervous system is accompanied by paralysis, intracerebral hemorrhage, epilepsy;
- Intestinal obstruction, appendicitis, cholangitis, and hepatitis form in the gastrointestinal tract.
Required diagnostics
A therapist or infectious disease specialist determinesWhat diagnostic methods are sufficient to make a diagnosis:
- general clinical analysis of urine and blood, blood biochemistry;
- bacteriological analysis and PCR of sputum;
- scraping from the anus followed by a microscope;
- expanded joint programs;
- X-ray light;
- Ultrasound of the abdominal cavity.
An increase in the number of immune cells is detected in the blood. A lung X-ray may show a lump that could be mistaken for tuberculosis or cancer. Analysis of sputum and scraping from the anus reveals helminths.
Treatment and preventive measures
The main method of treatment is antiparasitic drugs, which are taken in several stages.
Use symptomatic therapy using the following agents:
- antihistamines;
- antipyretic;
- painkillers;
- corticosteroids;
- bronchodilator.
After the first completion of taking anthelmintic drugs, the course is repeated. This is due to the fact that some eggs and larvae can survive by turning into worms.
If the parasite causes a cough, it is not recommended to use syrup to suppress it - it can cause shortness of breath. For prevention, you should regularly wash your hands, vegetables and fruits.
Clinical picture
Patients often worry 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, itching on the skin.
Parasites that cause cough in children and adults show atypical patterns in disease formation. It can be easily confused with appendicitis, intestinal infection, bronchitis, pneumonia.
What doctors say about parasites
Doctors advise to be careful especially in summer. At this time, the parasite is actively developing, getting into the soil and water. Therefore, it is recommended not to drink liquids from water bodies and wash fruits and vegetables thoroughly.
Experts tell us what parasites cause cough: toxocara, lamblia, flukes. All of them cause symptoms in the form of coughing when they enter the respiratory tract.