When a cough appears due to parasites, almost all people think 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 examination methods performed by a therapist or infectious disease specialist will help to understand the conditions.
Types of parasites that cause cough
The main types of parasitic infection:
- Giardia;
- flows;
- toxocara;
- roundworms.
Most often, the infection is localized in the lower digestive tract, but in the absence of treatment it spreads to other organs and systems, including parts of the respiratory system.
Routes through which parasites can migrate:
- with the flow of blood through the vessels (some worms are small in size, so they penetrate through the endothelial wall into the bloodstream);
- fecal-oral method (after defecation, people forget to wash their hands, so when they eat food, bacteria penetrate the oral cavity);
- through food or water.
Many people do not know that parasites and cough are compatible concepts. Pathogens can penetrate anywhere in the body, causing symptoms of inflammation.
Flukes
The structure of the pathogen resembles a coffee bean. There are small thorns on her body. In the lower part there are suckers with which it moves and feeds. All individuals are hermaphrodites, meaning they can reproduce independently. But there are also options for cross-fertilization.
The main stages of the life cycle pass:
- pond snail;
- larvae;
- metacercariae.
The helminth takes no more than 2 days to go through all the stages, causing the infection to begin. This is due to the fact that the membrane of the respiratory tract is a favorable environment for the development of flows.
When the parasite enters the body, symptoms are not immediately apparent. Initially, microorganisms multiply, spreading throughout the tissues.
Giardia
Giardia is a parasite that most commonly causes cough in children. The pathology also appears in adults, but rarely.
Giardia are unicellular 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 with a membrane that helps it survive in the environment. With its help, it can exist up to 12 hours in different objects. If it is fed with dairy products, then the survival time is extended to 3 months.
The main route of entry into the human body is the mouth. 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
The parasite enters the host's body through 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 from it, which stick to the intestinal mucosa.
Small worms make holes in the mucosa, penetrating through the vascular endothelium into the blood. Through it they spread to the heart, lung alveoli and bronchi. In the respiratory tract, the stages of development pass for a period of 3 weeks.
Cause of cough:
- alveolar tissue damage;
- 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, ending up back in the digestive tract.
This is how a chronic disease is formed. Larvae constantly penetrate the respiratory and digestive tracts, forming a recurrent infection.
Toxocara and their effects on the human body
Toxocara is the pathogen that causes the disease toxocariasis. The disease affects humans 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 into the circulatory system, they move to various organs, including the lungs. They lay eggs in tissues, from which repeated helminthic infections are formed.
Eggs and larvae enter the environment through animal excrement, and from there they can also spread in water. The parasite is stable in the environment and survives in soil. Therefore, it remains sticky for years.
The main danger of the pathogen is the possibility of penetration through the placenta from a pregnant woman to the fetus. The infection is also spread through mother's milk.
Enterobiasis
Enterobiasis develops as a result of helminths entering the body. The disease occurs only in humans due to the larvae of worms that enter 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 throughout the intestines, laying eggs in the anus; After that, the adults die. Parasites get into the child's underwear, as well as under the fingernails when scratching the anus. A repeated cycle of infection occurs through contaminated hands.
Symptoms:
- anal itching, worse at night;
- redness and inflammation of the anus;
- in complicated cases, eczema and dermatitis appear in the anus;
- sleep disturbance;
- bruxism (tooth loss);
- urinary incontinence;
- 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 moves into 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 spreads not only in the digestive tract 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 from the group of trematodes. It penetrates through the digestive tract into the pulmonary system and liver, causing clinical symptoms.
The pathogen does not immediately pass to a person. The first host is shellfish, and the second is fish. Only then can it migrate to mammals. Larvae enter bodies of fresh water and become infected through it.
Symptoms:
- increase in body temperature;
- ill-treatment in the form of weakness, fatigue, drowsiness, abdominal pain;
- intoxication of the body, which manifests itself as pain in the muscles and joints;
- hepatosplenomegaly;
- dyspeptic disorders;
- bronchial asthma with severe cough and asthma attacks;
- toxic-allergic brain and heart damage;
- inflammation of various parts of the gastrointestinal tract, gall bladder, pancreas;
- pneumonia, pleurisy.
Lack of treatment leads to death.
Paragonimiasis
The causative agents are trematodes. This is a pulmonary stroke, which is located mainly in the respiratory tract (bronchi, lungs, trachea). It goes through a complicated development cycle. It does not immediately reach humans, it first develops in the organs of animals. The transmission mechanism is fecal-oral. The eggs fall to the ground with feces, then pass into the water.
Symptoms (no symptoms for the first 3 weeks):
- inflammation of the esophagus and liver;
- acute stomach;
- skin rash and itching;
- tracheitis, bronchitis, pneumonia;
- increase in body temperature to critical values;
- choking, cough, hemoptysis;
- increased heart rate, cardiac arrhythmia;
- if the pathogen is in the central nervous system, then this is associated with meningitis and encephalitis.
A few months after the pathogen enters the human body, the symptoms disappear. A chronic disease is formed that can develop over many years with deterioration.
Complications with 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 membranes of the digestive and respiratory tracts;
- 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, then suffocation 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.
The necessary diagnostics
Therapist or infectious disease specialist determinesWhich diagnostic methods are sufficient to establish a diagnosis:
- general clinical analysis of urine and blood, blood biochemistry;
- bacteriological analysis and PCR of saliva;
- itching from the anus followed by microscopy;
- extended co-program;
- X-rays of light;
- Abdominal ultrasound.
An increased number of immune cells is detected in the blood. X-rays of the lungs may show lumps that can be mistaken for tuberculosis or cancer. Analysis of saliva and scrapings from the anus reveals helminths.
Treatment and prevention measures
The main method of treatment is antiparasitic drugs, which are taken in several stages.
Use symptomatic therapy using the following agents:
- antihistamines;
- antipyretics;
- pain relievers;
- corticosteroids;
- bronchodilators.
After the first end 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 parasites cause a cough, it is not recommended to use syrups to suppress it - it can cause suffocation. For prevention, you should wash your hands, vegetables and fruits often.
Clinical picture
Most often the patient worries about:
- stomach ache;
- dyspeptic disorders (nausea, vomiting, change in stool);
- itching in the anus;
- increase in 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 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 to be especially careful in summer. At this time, parasites are actively developing, getting into the soil and water. Therefore, it is recommended not to drink juices from water bodies and to wash fruits and vegetables well.
Experts tell us what parasites cause cough: toxocara, lamblia, flukes. All of them provoke a symptom in the form of a cough when they enter the respiratory tract.