When a cough occurs 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 a cough with the same symptoms. Laboratory tests and instrumental examination methods performed by a therapist or an infectious disease specialist will help in understanding the condition.
Types of parasites that cause cough
The main types of parasitic infection:
- Giardia;
- flukes;
- toxocara;
- round worms.
Most often, the infection is localized in the lower part of the digestive tract, but in the absence of treatment it spreads to other organs and systems, including parts of the respiratory system.
Routes by which parasites can migrate:
- 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 (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 terms. Pathogens can penetrate anywhere in the body, causing symptoms of inflammation.
Flukes
The structure of the pathogen resembles a coffee bean. There are small spines on the body. At the bottom there are vacuum cups with which it moves and feeds. All individuals are hermaphrodites, that is, they can reproduce independently. But there are also options for cross-fertilization.
The main stages of the life cycle go through:
- pond snail;
- larva;
- metacercaria.
The helminth does not need 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 flukes.
When the parasite enters the body, symptoms are not immediately apparent. At first, the microorganisms multiply, spreading through the tissues.
Giardia
Giardia is the parasite that most commonly causes cough in children. In adults, pathology also occurs, but rarely.
Giardia are single-celled microorganisms that have flagella necessary for movement through tissues. Reproduction takes place 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 last up to 12 hours on various 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 oral. The main vectors are animals and birds. Giardia disease is often found in schools and kindergartens. Microorganisms settle on all household items, but only 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 emerge from it with appendages that attach to the intestinal mucosa.
Small worms make holes in mucous membranes, 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 in a period of 3 weeks.
Cause of cough:
- alveolar tissue damage;
- strong sensitizing action, 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 different 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 arises. Larvae constantly penetrate the respiratory and digestive tracts, creating repeated infections.
Toxocara and their effects on the human body
Toxocariasis is a 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 recorded 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 infestations are created.
Eggs and larvae enter the environment through animal feces, and from there they can spread even into water. The parasite is stable in the environment and survives in the soil. Because of this, it remains contagious for years.
The main danger of pathogens is the possibility of penetration through the placenta from the pregnant woman to the fetus. The infection also spreads through breast milk.
Enterobiasis
Enterobiasis develops as a result of the entry of helminths into the body. The disease occurs only in humans due to the entry of pinworm larvae into the esophagus. Children are most susceptible to this disease due to a weak immune system.
Nematodes, which are round worms, penetrate the child's organism. The maximum length of the parasite is 1 cm. In the body, they spread through the intestines, laying eggs in the anus; After that, the adults die. Parasites get on 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, strongest at night;
- redness and inflammation of the anus;
- in complicated cases, eczema and dermatitis in the anus occur;
- sleep disorder;
- bruxism (teeth grinding);
- 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.
Once 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 spreads not only in the digestive tract and 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 trematode group. Through the digestive tract, it penetrates into the pulmonary system and liver, causing clinical symptoms.
The pathogen is not immediately transmitted to a person. The first host is shellfish, and the second is fish. Only then can it migrate to mammals. Larvae enter fresh water and become infected through it.
Symptoms:
- rise in body temperature;
- weakness 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;
- inflammations of various parts of the gastrointestinal tract, gall bladder, pancreas;
- pneumonia, pleurisy.
Lack of treatment leads to death.
Paragonimiasis
The causative agents are trematodes. It is a lung fluke, which is localized mainly in the respiratory tract (bronchi, lungs, trachea). It goes through a complex development cycle. It does not reach people immediately, it first develops in the organs of animals. The transmission mechanism is fecal-oral. The eggs fall into the soil with the feces and then pass into 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;
- suffocation, cough, hemoptysis;
- rapid heartbeat, cardiac arrhythmia;
- if the pathogen is in the central nervous system, then it is accompanied by meningitis and encephalitis.
A few months after the pathogen enters the human body, the symptoms subside. A chronic disease is formed that can develop for many years with exacerbations.
Complications with the respiratory system due to parasitic infestations
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;
- tissue necrosis, empyema, cyst, abscess are possible in the lungs, which can only be accompanied by 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 followed by paralysis, intracerebral hemorrhage, epilepsy;
- Intestinal obstruction, appendicitis, cholangitis and hepatitis are formed in the gastrointestinal tract.
Diagnostics required
Determined by a therapist or infectious disease specialistWhich diagnostic methods are sufficient to make a diagnosis:
- general clinical analysis of urine and blood, blood biochemistry;
- bacteriological and PCR analysis of sputum;
- scraping 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 nodules that can 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 means:
- 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 may survive by turning back into maggots.
If parasites cause a cough, it is not recommended to use syrup to suppress it - it can cause suffocation. For prevention, you should often wash your hands, vegetables and fruits.
Clinical picture
Most often, the patient is worried about:
- stomach pain;
- dyspeptic disorders (nausea, vomiting, stool changes);
- itching in the anus;
- increased body temperature;
- signs of respiratory infection with dry or wet cough;
- rash, itchy skin.
Parasites that cause cough in children and adults show an atypical pattern in the onset 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. At this moment, parasites are actively developing, entering the soil and water. Therefore, it is recommended not to drink liquid from water bodies and to wash fruits and vegetables well.
Experts tell us which parasites cause cough: toxocara, lamblia, flukes. All of them cause a cough symptom when they enter the respiratory tract.