When a cough occurs due to parasites, almost everyone thinks of viral or infectious diseases that affect different parts of the respiratory tract. But there are parasites that cause cough with the same symptoms. Laboratory tests and instrumental testing methods performed by a therapist or infectious disease specialist help to understand the conditions.
Types of parasites that cause cough
The main types of parasitic infection:
- Giardia;
- gingerbread cookies;
- toxocara;
- roundworms.
Most often, the infection is localized in the lower part of the digestive system, but in the absence of treatment it can spread to other organs and systems, including parts of the respiratory system.
Migration paths of parasites:
- with blood flow through blood vessels (some worms are small in size, so they penetrate through the endothelial wall into the bloodstream);
- fecal-oral method (people forget to wash their hands after defecation, so bacteria enter the oral cavity during meals);
- through food or water.
Many people do not know that parasites and cough are compatible concepts. Pathogens can enter the body anywhere, causing inflammatory symptoms.
Flukes
The pathogen's structure resembles a coffee bean. It has small spines on its body. It has suction cups on the bottom, which it uses to move and feed. Each individual is a hermaphrodite, i. e. able to reproduce independently. But there are also possibilities for cross-fertilization.
The main stages of the life cycle are:
- pond snail;
- larva;
- metacercariae.
It takes up to 2 days for an intestinal worm to go through all the stages that cause an infection. This is due to the fact that the membrane of the respiratory tract is a favorable environment for the development of flukes.
When the parasite enters the body, symptoms are not immediately apparent. In the beginning, the microorganisms multiply and spread in the tissues.
Giardia
Giardia is a parasite that most commonly causes coughs in children. In adults, pathology also occurs, but rarely.
Giardia are unicellular microorganisms that have flagella for movement through tissues. Reproduction is by division; their number increases several times within 1 day after infection.
If the pathogen is outside the body, its body is covered with a membrane that helps it survive in the environment. With its help, you can exist on various objects for up to 12 hours. If fed with dairy products, the 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 objects, but only for a short time.
Roundworms and how they affect the respiratory system
The parasite enters the host's body via the faecal-oral route, through contaminated products - this can be food or water. The larva is located in the digestive system and is not affected by gastric juice and other adverse factors. Then eggs with processes appear from it, which adhere to the intestinal mucosa.
Small worms make holes in the mucous membrane and enter the blood through the endothelium of the blood vessel. Through it, they spread to the heart, the alveoli of the lungs and the bronchi. In the airways, they go through developmental stages in 3 weeks.
Cause of cough:
- damage to the 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, infiltration and accumulation of helminths lead to blockage of various parts of the bronchi;
- During coughing, the intestinal worm spreads from the bronchi to the pharynx and returns to the digestive system.
This is how a chronic disease develops. Larvae continuously penetrate the respiratory system and the digestive system, forming a recurrent infection.
Toxocara and their effects on the human body
Toxocara is the pathogen that causes toxocariasis. The disease affects humans and animals. Children who go to school get sick more often. The peak of the epidemic can be observed in the summer.
The life cycle of the worm consists of egg, larva and adult. Parasites enter the human body with food and contaminated water, spreading in the intestines. When they migrate into the circulatory system, they move to various organs, including the lungs. Eggs are laid in the tissues, from which repeated helminthic infections are formed.
Eggs and larvae enter the environment with animal excrement, and from there they can even spread into 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 from the pregnant woman to the fetus through the placenta. The infection is also transmitted through breast milk.
Enterobiasis
Enterobiasis develops as a result of helminths entering the body. The disease only occurs in humans due to fungal larvae entering the esophagus. Children are most susceptible to the disease due to their weak immune system.
Nematodes, which are roundworms, enter the child's body. The maximum length of the parasite is 1 cm. They spread throughout the body in the intestines, laying eggs in the anus; After that, the adults die. The parasites get on the child's underwear and under the fingernails when the anus is scratched. The repeated cycle of infection occurs 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 disorder;
- bruxism (teeth grinding);
- difficulty urinating;
- cutting pain 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 a pathogen enters the respiratory tract,the condition is complicated by symptoms:
- cough, asthma attacks;
- bronchial asthma;
- common viral diseases due to suppression of the immune system.
The parasite spreads not only in the digestive system and the pulmonary system. It can penetrate the urogenital tract. Therefore, girls are often diagnosed with vulvitis and vulvovaginitis.
Opisthorchiasis
The causative agent is a worm belonging to the group of trematodes. It enters the pulmonary system and liver through the digestive tract, causing clinical symptoms.
The pathogen is not immediately transmitted to humans. The first host is the shellfish, the second is the fish. Only then can you migrate to the mammals. The larvae enter fresh water and become infected through it.
Symptoms:
- rise in body temperature;
- malaise in the form of weakness, fatigue, drowsiness, abdominal pain;
- poisoning of the body, which manifests itself in pain in the muscles and joints;
- hepatosplenomegaly;
- dyspeptic disorders;
- bronchial asthma with severe cough and asthmatic attacks;
- toxic-allergic damage to the brain and heart;
- inflammation of various parts of the gastrointestinal tract, gall bladder, pancreas;
- pneumonia, pleurisy.
Lack of treatment leads to death.
Paragonimiasis
The pathogens are trematodes. This is a lung flu that is mainly localized in the respiratory tract (bronchi, lungs, trachea). It goes through a complex development cycle. It does not reach humans immediately, it first develops in the organs of animals. The transmission mechanism is faecal-oral. The eggs fall into the soil together with excrement and then into the water.
Symptoms (no symptoms in the first 3 weeks):
- inflammation of the esophagus and liver;
- acute stomach;
- rash and itching on the skin;
- tracheitis, bronchitis, pneumonia;
- rise in body temperature to critical values;
- suffocation, cough, hemoptysis;
- increased heart rate, heart rhythm disorder;
- if the pathogen is in the central nervous system, it is accompanied by meningitis and encephalitis.
A few months after the pathogen has entered the human body, the symptoms subside. A chronic disease develops, which can develop with worsening over many years.
Complications related to the respiratory system due to parasitic infections
If the cough and infection are not treated, the condition gradually worsens and complications develop:
- bleeding of the mucous membrane of the digestive system and respiratory tract;
- in the lungs tissue necrosis, empyema, cyst, abscess is possible, which can only be accompanied by a dry cough;
- if the pathogen moves to the upper parts of the airways and completely blocks them, suffocation and death occur;
- penetration into the central nervous system, accompanied by paralysis, intracerebral bleeding, epilepsy;
- Intestinal obstruction, appendicitis, cholangitis and hepatitis develop in the gastrointestinal tract.
Needed diagnostics
Determined by therapist or infectious disease specialistWhat diagnostic methods are sufficient to establish a diagnosis:
- general clinical analysis of urine and blood, blood biochemistry;
- bacteriological and PCR analysis of sputum;
- scraping from the anus followed by microscopic examination;
- extended co-program;
- x-ray;
- Abdominal ultrasound.
An increased number of immune cells are detected in the blood. X-rays of the lungs may show nodules that can be mistaken for tuberculosis or cancer. Analysis of sputum and scrapings from the anus reveals helminths.
Treatment and preventive measures
The main method of treatment is antiparasitic drugs, which are taken in several stages.
Apply symptomatic therapy with the following agents:
- antihistamines;
- antipyretics;
- pain relievers;
- corticosteroids;
- bronchodilators.
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 reverting to worms.
If the parasites cause a cough, it is not recommended to use syrups to suppress it - it can cause suffocation. For prevention, wash your hands, vegetables and fruits often.
Clinical picture
Most often, the patient is worried about the following:
- abdominal pain;
- dyspeptic disorders (nausea, vomiting, stool changes);
- itching in the anus;
- increased body temperature;
- signs of respiratory infection with a dry or wet cough;
- rash, itching on the skin.
Parasites that cause cough in children and adults show an atypical pattern in the development of the disease. It can easily be confused with appendicitis, intestinal infection, bronchitis, pneumonia.
What doctors say about parasites
Doctors advise to be especially careful in summer. During this time, the parasites actively develop and enter the soil and water. Therefore, it is not recommended to drink liquids from water bodies, and to wash fruits and vegetables thoroughly.
Experts tell us what parasites cause cough: toxocara, lamblia, fluke. All of them cause symptoms in the form of coughing when they enter the respiratory tract.