Cough from worms: what symptoms appear with helminthiasis

Coughing is the body’s protective reaction to irritants that enter the respiratory tract. It could be dust, allergens, etc. The question often arises whether worms can cause coughing.

Causes of cough when infected with parasites

Cough is becoming a fairly common symptom of parasite infection. Among the main reasons for this phenomenon are the following:

1. Movement of larvae through the respiratory tract. As they move, parasites and their larvae irritate the larynx and upper respiratory tract.

   

2. Accumulation of parasites in the lung area. In this case, inflammation of the tissues of the respiratory tract occurs, caused by the vital activity of helminths.

   The cough becomes wet. Particles of pus appear in the sputum, which are visible to the naked eye.

Cough caused by the accumulation of helminths in the lungs is more difficult to treat. Moreover, the diagnosis should be made as early as possible. This is the only way to avoid serious health consequences.

1. Trichinella. You can become infected with them through the meat of pigs and wild animals, which was poorly processed before consumption.
2. Roundworms. Eggs from these parasites enter the human body through contaminated water or food. Often they remain in the hands of a person. Therefore, it is extremely important to wash your hands frequently.
3. Intestinal eels. Infection occurs through contact with infected soil.
4. Schistosomes. Often water bodies are infected with these parasites. It is enough to swallow a few drops of water while bathing and schistosomes immediately enter the human body.
5. Toxocars. The eggs of these parasites may be contained in insufficiently purified water or low-quality products. Toxocara can exist in a dog's body. Therefore, infection can occur after contact with a sick animal.
6. Siberian flukes. They enter the human body through poorly cooked fish.
7. Pulmonary flukes. These helminths are often found in crustaceans. Eating poorly processed crayfish often leads to infection.
8. Echinococcus. The larvae of these parasites live in the reins, food or body of animals.

It is important to find out in time which worms are parasitic in your body. The quality of treatment will depend on this.

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Cough and accompanying symptoms of helminthiasis in children and adults

Infection with helminths is accompanied not only by the appearance of a severe cough, but also by a number of other signs:

1. Attacks of nausea.
2. Skin rashes.
3. Signs of dysbacteriosis.
4. Dizziness.
5. Headache.
6. Nausea.
7. Discomfort in the abdomen and lung area.
8. Weakness, apathy, drowsiness.
9. Decreased immunity.
10. Significant weight loss.
11. Inability to concentrate for long periods of time.

With severe intoxication, cough from worms is accompanied by symptoms of mental disorders. A person becomes hot-tempered and quickly loses psychological balance.

If you notice such symptoms, you should not try to cure yourself. This can lead to negative consequences. It is better to immediately seek help from a specialist and undergo a medical examination.

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Symptoms of cough caused by roundworms

The vital activity of roundworms most often causes a cough in a child. This parasite takes root well in the child’s body and has a detrimental effect on it. Coughing becomes a reaction to the movement of larvae through the respiratory tract.

1. Upon contact with infected animals.
2. If particles of contaminated soil get into your mouth.
3. When eating poorly washed fruits and vegetables.

Ascariasis is more often observed in children due to their not yet fully formed immune system. She is not able to cope with worms. Therefore, it is extremely important to follow all the rules of personal hygiene.

The main life activity of roundworms occurs in the intestines; they have a negative effect on metabolism and the nervous system. The resulting toxins poison the internal organs. In order to cope with the problem, the child’s body begins to actively consume vitamins and nutrients. This makes the immune system suffer even more.

Among the symptoms of ascariasis are the following:

1. Attacks of severe dry cough.
2. Release of mucous sputum in the later stages.
3. Respiratory failure.
4. Paleness of the skin.
5. Blue lips.

Cough in children caused by ascariasis requires immediate treatment. The prolonged presence of parasites in a child’s body can cause irreparable harm to his health.

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Signs of paragonimiasis

Adults and older children are more likely to suffer from paragonimiasis. The disease is caused by the pulmonary fluke. This parasite belongs to the class of flukes - flatworms.

Once the fluke enters the human body, it enters the lungs. This triggers a strong inflammatory process. Fibrous tissue begins to form around the lesion. Gradually the process progresses.

The bronchioles are affected. The parasite eggs immediately rush there.

Coughing due to worms in this case is an attempt by the body to get rid of parasite eggs. Therefore, it is accompanied by phlegm. Infection occurs through consumption of improperly prepared crustaceans or dirty water.

Paragonimiasis infection, in addition to coughing, produces the following symptoms:

1. Pain in the chest and abdomen.
2. Hives.
3. Diarrhea.
4. Excessive sweating.
5. Fever.

If not treated in a timely manner, paragonimiasis can become chronic. There is aching pain in the chest and shortness of breath.

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Symptoms of toxocariasis

Cough often occurs with toxocariasis. This disease is associated with the ingestion of dog roundworms or toxocara. Their length can reach 18cm. The greatest danger is from infection in young children.

Infection leads to a severe allergic reaction, which is manifested not only by coughing, but also by other symptoms:

1. Fever.
2. Whistling while breathing.
3. Deterioration of vision.

If the disease is not diagnosed in time and treatment is not started, it can trigger the development of bronchial asthma.

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Diagnostic and treatment methods

It will be possible to reliably answer the question whether a cough can be caused by helminthiasis only after undergoing a medical examination. The most accurate diagnostic methods in this case are blood, stool and sputum tests. The presence of helminths is easily detected in them.

Treatment should be carried out under the supervision of a parasitologist. Before eliminating the symptoms of cough from worms, it is necessary to expel the parasites. For this purpose, a course of specialized medications is prescribed.

Therapy is carried out according to the following scheme:

1. Preparatory stage. On it, the body prepares to attack parasites. It is recommended to take adsorbents, such as activated carbon or Allochol.
2. Use of broad-spectrum antiparasitic drugs. The specific drug is selected based on the type of helminths and the patient’s health condition.
3. Recovery stage. It is necessary to take immunomodulators, drugs that restore intestinal microflora, as well as drugs to normalize liver function.

Important! All medications should be used only after consultation with your doctor. Do not self-medicate. This may be dangerous to your health.

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Source: https://opnevmonii.ru/kashel/vidy-06/mogut-li-glisty-vyzyvat-kashel.html

Can adults and children cough from worms?

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Coughing is one of the reflexes; its causes can be diseases of various organs and systems. Oddly enough, worms can also cause this reflex. Can a child have a dry or wet cough from worms, and what parasites cause it? Let’s try to figure it out in this article.

How are cough and worms related in children and adults?

Cough from worms

Coughing in our body is needed to protect the respiratory tract and lungs from foreign bodies, such as excessive dust, and it also occurs in cases of anxiety and illness. But doctors noticed that there is a certain relationship between human infection with helminths and the occurrence of cough.

Indeed, the connection between these phenomena has been proven in pediatrics and therapy. We are used to understanding worms as long worms that settle in the human intestines and grow there to impressive sizes.

But it is not always the case. Helminths are different: from microscopic to meter-long or even several meter-long individuals.

Microscopic-sized worms can settle not only in the intestines, but in any favorable tissues of the body. They are located in the muscles, liver, heart, lungs, depending on the size and type of helminths.

For this reason, the question: “Can worms cause coughing in adults and children?” - you can safely answer: “Yes.”

Types of helminths that cause cough

In total, medicine knows more than 300 types of parasites, but their presence in humans does not always cause a protective reflex of the lungs. There are some known worms that cause this symptom. These are worms in humans such as:

• roundworms;
• Giardia;
• pulmonary fluke;
• dog roundworms.

Roundworms

This is a type of roundworm, they are localized in the intestines, they enter the body of humans and children with soil, sand, fruits and vegetables, and insufficiently heat-treated meat and fish. It is very easy to become infected with roundworm larvae, just by touching the things of an infected person or not washing your hands and food growing on the ground.

The cough from these helminths is most often dry. Why does it occur? Cough from worms in children and adults appears due to the movement of larvae throughout the body. Once in the body, the larvae travel through the blood vessels, lungs, and other respiratory tracts. As a reaction to a foreign micro object in the respiratory system, a person develops an unproductive, dry cough. It can last 1-2 weeks.

Giardia causing cough

These are very small worms that are very difficult to detect in the body. Sometimes intensive multiple diagnostics are required, since they may not immediately appear in the stool. They enter the body in several ways:

• if a person has eaten unwashed food;
• touched animals and did not wash hands;
• transmitted through household items from one person to another;
• if a child or adult drinks raw water or milk, since such microorganisms are concentrated in the standing liquid.

Giardia is located in the small intestine, but affects the organs of the respiratory system. Thus, during intoxication, an allergic cough often occurs, a complication of which is bronchial asthma.

Paragonimiasis

Cough due to worms in children is a serious and dangerous symptom. The sooner parents understand what kind of cough their child has and what causes it, the less harm the parasites will cause to the body.

Paragonimiasis is caused by the presence of pulmonary fluke in the body. This is a parasite that lives in the lungs, causing tissue inflammation and pulmonary sclerosis. In adults and children, infection with these parasites can occur through ingestion of water from a reservoir.

When parasites are sucked into the lung tissue, the tissue of the lungs is damaged, so a cough from worms in a person with a fluke is accompanied by purulent and bloody discharge. He himself is productive.

Toxocariasis

Of all the helminths, dog roundworms are the most dangerous for children. The larvae of parasites live in the organs of the respiratory system, and the child reacts to them through allergic reactions in the form of a severe cough and sometimes bronchial asthma.

With this disease, a person experiences deterioration in vision, he begins to cough from these parasites with a whistle, and he is overcome by fever.

Read more in the article “Toxocariasis: causes and treatment”.

How can we understand what caused this phenomenon?

A person does not always find out about parasites as soon as he becomes infected with them. Even symptoms in children may indicate other diseases. Parents should be extremely attentive to their children’s complaints in order to prevent the maximum proliferation of helminths in the children’s bodies. To do this, let’s look at what the main symptoms of the disease are.

• The person feels constantly tired.
• He has no appetite and is often nauseated.
• The patient complains of constant dizziness, this condition is accompanied by severe thinness.
• Abdominal pain occurs periodically or constantly, and diarrhea occurs along with these pains.
• The person becomes irritable, his expectations about any situations are not met. He wants to sleep, but cannot fall asleep deeply and get enough sleep.
• A characteristic feature is circles under the eyes of those who have helminths.
• Outwardly, this is visible when the cheeks turn pale and a rash appears on them.
• Decreased concentration, fatigue, apathy.

Knowing which worms cause coughing and how the presence of helminths in the body manifests itself externally, parents need to closely monitor their child, his behavior and appetite.

To know that cough is a symptom of helminths, it is necessary to carry out diagnostic measures. To do this you need to get tested. Sometimes, if roundworms or giardia are present, doctors can listen for wheezing in the lungs and mistakenly treat pneumonia; it is important to determine the correct diagnosis.

The first important examination is a routine general blood test. If a person has helminths in the body, important indicators will be ESR, eosinophils and hemoglobin. In this case, the first two indicators will be above the norm, and the last one will be below. Stool tests, scrapings and other specific examinations are also prescribed.

Treatment for helminths

Consult a doctor

Can there be relief from conventional mucolytic or expectorant medications? There are often cases when parents of children begin to treat a cough on their own without seeking advice from a specialist. Conventional cough medications will not affect the condition of a child, or an adult either, if the initial cause is the presence of parasites.

Antiparasitic drugs are primarily used for treatment. Essential medicines:

• Vermox is a medicinal product used for mixed helminthiasis and separately living worms. It should not be used by pregnant women and children under 3 years of age; there are other contraindications.
• Zentel - applicable only for intestinal worms, side effects are possible, cannot be used in children under 1 year old and for some other diseases.
• Pyrantel - is used in the presence of intestinal helminths at different stages of their existence.

Zinc oxide helps well with allergic rashes. If there is a cough, Sinecod, Mucoltin and some other drugs are used that help reduce the intensity of this symptom.

Treatment of cough in the presence of worms consists of removing them from the body, and the cough will then stop on its own.

Antitussives are used to reduce the strength of the cough; if it is strong, children may develop an umbilical hernia.

Source: https://parazitsos.ru/glisty/kashel-on-glistov.html

Cough due to worms: symptoms and treatment

Cough always interferes with physical activity and causes psychological discomfort. For many people, such a reflex reaction of the body is a symptom of respiratory diseases, most often colds.

But it is not always the case. The body can develop such a reaction to the appearance of parasites.

Cough with worms is one of the characteristic symptoms of helminthiasis, caused by parasites localized in the lungs or migrating along the respiratory tract.

Cough is one of the symptoms of the presence of worms in the body Loading...

How do worms cause coughing?

The question of whether worms can cause a cough has only one clear answer - yes.

The appearance of worms and cough are closely interrelated, since many types of parasites are capable of causing this reaction in the respiratory system by entering it during migration or by choosing the lungs as a home.

There are two options for the appearance of the disease:

• When infested, some types of worms, having penetrated the body along with the bloodstream, are spread to the internal organs, including the lungs. Once in the respiratory tract, they interfere with the passage of air and can cause a dry cough, while spreading tiny worm eggs. But small helminths can also cause an inflammatory process in the lungs and then a small amount of sputum will be released. By feeding on blood components and microparticles of mucous membranes and releasing toxins, they cause allergic reactions. Some of the worms that enter the lungs during migration fall into an inert state, some leave the body with a cough, and the rest return to the intestines.

• Another variant of the appearance may be caused by such types of parasites as pulmonary flukes or pulmonary fluke and toxocara. In this case, the location of the parasites is the lungs, which are directly affected by them. This type of helminth causes serious diseases and destroys organ cells. The cough becomes wet and even with traces of blood.

The pulmonary fluke is capable of destroying organ cells

The clinical picture of helminthic infestation will depend on which worms infect a person.

Ascariasis and cough

Ascariasis is one of the most common parasitic diseases, especially among children. When consuming dirty foods and not following hygiene rules, roundworms settle in the body of a child less often than an adult. The main location of worms is the small intestine, through the walls of which the larvae penetrate into the blood vessels.

Then they enter the heart, liver and lungs, and then the relationship between parasites and cough is clearly visible. From the capillaries, the larvae continue to migrate to the end parts of the respiratory apparatus (alveoli), rise higher, bypassing the trachea, pass the larynx and enter the pharynx. When swallowed with saliva, the larvae return to the upper gastrointestinal tract.

This “journey” lasts on average 2-3 weeks.

Ascariasis is one of the most common parasitic diseases

As a result, the body reacts with a coughing attack. If the disease is not treated, the harmful activity of worms intensifies, they damage the smallest vessels, so traces of blood may appear in the sputum. In more rare cases, with massive invasion, single foci of inflammation form on one or both lungs.

Externally, the presence of worms in the lungs is manifested by blue lips and pale skin.

Cough and pulmonary fluke

Cough from worms can occur with a disease such as paragonimiasis.

When swimming in an open body of water and accidentally swallowing water or eating fish or crayfish that have not undergone proper processing (boiling, salting, drying), a person at any age can become infected with pulmonary fluke.

The nematode is shaped like a coffee bean. It has an oval body, the length of which is on average 1.2 cm, width - 0.7 cm. The parasite attaches itself to the epithelium with two suckers located on the head and belly.

The first place where fluke larvae enter is the duodenum. Here they release the membranes and begin migrating to the lungs. Along the way, they drill through the intestinal wall, diaphragm, and serous membranes of the lung.

In the place where the lung connects to other organs and in the peripheral zones, nematodes form tumors (cysts) with a fibrous membrane, the size of which can reach 10 cm. Inside the hollow cyst there are 1 or less than 2 parasites, and over time the cavity is filled with cloudy mucus.

After 1.5 months, the nematodes become sexually mature and begin to lay eggs.

This fluke worm and its eggs are localized in the lung tissue, destroying it with mechanical damage and its metabolic products, which leads to atrophy and inflammation. Over time, the tissue changes, grows, and scars form.

Also, with paragonimiasis, hemorrhages form, a mixture of blood and lymph accumulates in the lungs. If the fluke leaves its cyst, it can end up in any other organ and even the brain.

As a result of pathological processes, symptoms of inflammation of the small intestine and hepatitis appear at an early stage. Then a cough with sputum begins, and with massive infestation and with an advanced form of the disease, traces of blood are found in the sputum released with cough. Shortness of breath and chest pain begin. X-rays may reveal signs of pleurisy.

Paragonimiasis is characterized by a transition to a chronic form (2-3 months from the onset of the disease) and frequent relapses.

The following signs are characteristic of this stage:

• high body temperature;
• dyspnea;
• chest pain;
• cough with sputum containing nematode eggs.

When the parasite gets into the lungs, chest pain begins

With massive infection and if it lasts for several years, enlargement of the right side of the heart is possible, since blood pressure increases due to damage to the lungs. As well as the development of a pathological condition in which lung tissue is replaced by connective tissue.

What types of worms cause coughing?

In addition to the types of helminths described above, there are other parasites that cause coughing. Thus, toxocara, penetrating into a person, can provoke an allergic reaction, which is manifested by coughing, and massive invasion threatens bronchial asthma.

But the greatest danger to health is posed by the larvae of echinococcus, which cause various types of echinococcosis, which are characterized by the formation of cysts in the lungs and other organs. Sexually mature individuals do not live in humans. The larvae form oval-shaped cysts that are filled with fluid.

Cysts put pressure on neighboring tissues and thereby cause pain in the chest, initially a slight cough, then coughing with phlegm. When the pathological process is advanced, the cyst can grow so that deformation of the chest occurs.

Also, an echinococcus cyst can rupture, and fluid enters the bronchi, causing coughing attacks with a large amount of sputum and blood impurities.

The hosts of echinococci are representatives of canines. A person becomes infected through contact with a sick animal.

Echinococcus forms cysts in the lungs and other organs Loading...

There are other types of worms that, when migrating throughout the body and entering the lungs, cause coughing, spasms in the bronchi, and as a result of their vital activity, symptoms of pneumonia and other diseases appear.

Measures to eliminate cough

It is important to understand that cough caused by worms is only a symptom of the disease, but not the disease itself. Therefore, it is necessary to treat not a cough, but to eliminate the cause that caused it. To do this, you need to consult a doctor, since only he can help establish a diagnosis, take tests for helminths and follow the treatment regimen that was prescribed in the medical institution.

An advanced disease can result in bronchial asthma, allergies, asphyxia and a number of pulmonary diseases for a person.

Source: https://iparazity.ru/glisty/mozhet-li-byt-kashel-ot-glistov.html

Cough due to worms: worms that cause coughing

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A cough is always the body’s reaction to various kinds of obstacles in the respiratory tract (viscous sputum, dust, allergens), but there are other reasons, for example, worms that cause coughing.

Diagnosis of cough due to helminthic infestation should be complete, multi-stage, and treatment should be adequate, eliminating the cause of the disease, and not the cough syndrome.

Cough and parasites: features of the relationship

Cough is a symptom of many diseases, but it is considered to be a sign of colds. Treatment often begins with taking antiviral and anti-inflammatory drugs.

Before starting treatment for cough in children, it is important to find out the cause of its occurrence and conduct a thorough history of the patient’s clinical picture.

The peculiarity of the diagnosis of worms lies in the peculiarities of the life cycle of nematodes, during a certain period of which it is impossible to determine the presence of worms using laboratory methods. The relationship between cough and helminthiasis is explained by two reasons:

1. migration of nematode individuals or larvae to the respiratory organs (along the ascending path);
2. detection of foci of invasion in the lung cavity (against the background of the development of paragonimiasis).

The main cause of cough during helminthic infestation is the migration of larvae and their irritation of the larynx and the lumens of the respiratory tract. The larvae are the main obstacle to the air entering the body, causing a strong cough without sputum production (dry cough).

During a cough, a person can secrete several hundred thousand nematode larvae and eggs invisible to the eye.

Along with coughing, inflammation of the vascular tissues of the respiratory tract often occurs. This process is caused by the parasitic activity of tiny helminths. In this case, when you cough, sputum mixed with pus and other organic inclusions may come out.

Cough due to worms with parasitism in the lungs is a serious disease. The pulmonary form of helminthic infestation (otherwise known as paragonimiasis) has a depressing effect on lung function and affects the walls of the organ, leading to their gradual perforation. Treatment of paragonimiasis should be immediate to avoid serious consequences for the entire body.

Types of helminths and the nature of cough

Each type of helminthiasis is characterized by one or another cough. Cough develops according to the mechanism of the disease, as well as the form of helminthic infestation. Treatment of helminthiases accompanied by cough is fundamentally different. Cough due to helminthic infestation is classified according to the following criteria.

Migration of nematode larvae and eggs

Localization of parasites is the human intestine. During their life cycle, the larvae enter the cardiovascular system and, together with the bloodstream, penetrate the bronchi, trachea and lungs.

Migration is accompanied by the absorption of nutrients from the blood, their processing and release in the form of toxic substances. The patient experiences mild (sometimes severe) intoxication, deterioration in health, inflammation and allergic manifestations.

Having reached the lungs, the larvae are removed during a dry cough, and some return back to the intestines, where they continue to parasitize.

Helminthic infestation in the lung cavity

The most dangerous localization, which can cause serious diseases of the lungs and respiratory tract. The main pathogens are the nematode Toxocara and the pulmonary fluke.

Black spots in the lungs are a consequence of parasite damage.

The appearance of the worms resembles that of a ribbon-shaped flatworm. Parasites attach to the walls of the lungs and, as a result of their vital activity, cause serious diseases - paragonimiasis, toxocariasis.

The initial symptom is cough. As the disease progresses, a cough with sputum appears, which subsequently may contain bloody fragments.

Obstruction due to parasitic infestation can be of a different nature. It all depends on what type of helminthiasis the patient suffers from.

Cough due to roundworms

Almost always, a cough from worms occurs as a result of the migration of larvae in the patient’s body - roundworms. The worm appears to be a nematode about 15 cm long. Infection occurs through close contact with domestic animals and the penetration of soil particles into the stomach. Infection can occur if the patient ate poorly washed vegetables and fruits the day before.

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Doctor's opinion..."

Roundworms can cause a severe, dry cough.

The disease is more often diagnosed in young children when certain hygiene standards are not observed. Character of cough:

• the appearance of a dry paroxysmal cough;
• the formation of an inflammatory process and the appearance of sputum;
• the appearance of blood components in the secreted mucus.

The development of ascariasis occurs in the intestine and its lumens. Parasitism affects metabolic processes, the nervous system of the child, and causes intoxication of the body.

Against the background of reduced immunity, roundworms often reach the lung tissue, forming a local inflammatory focus.

The child's body tolerates intoxication much harder, which may be accompanied by slight blueness of the lips and respiratory failure.

Cough with paragonimiasis

Severe cough from worms against the background of paragonimiasis can occur in both young children and mature patients. The parasites that cause coughing are called lung flukes.

The lung fluke is a type of fluke worm and has a flat body shape. The helminth destroys the walls of the lung tissue, causing its atrophy, sclerosis or inflammation.

At the site of nematode parasitism, fibrous tissue is formed. Features of cough:

• cough with sputum (initial stage);
• cough with pus and bloody spots (advanced form).
  Pulmonary fluke causes a cough that produces sputum.

Infection is possible after swimming in a river pond, consumption of poorly processed river fish, contact with crustaceans or domestic animals (river sand on the paws). Treatment of a child requires hospitalization for constant monitoring by medical personnel.

Cough with toxocariasis

The causative agents of toxocariasis are toxocara nematodes (otherwise known as dog roundworms). Toxocariasis can occur in people of any age group. The disease is especially severe in young children. Ascaris has a length of up to 20 cm, a cord-like body. Parasites actively multiply, localizing in the bronchi, trachea and lungs.

Toxocara often affects the eyes, but can also live in the lungs.

Symptoms:

• severe coughing attacks;
• allergic reactions (cough, rash);
• breathing with pronounced whistling;
• visual impairment;
• fever.

Infection is possible through a domestic or stray dog. Young patients who do not follow hygiene rules are at particular risk. The course of the disease is quite serious and requires immediate treatment.

Treatment and possible complications

Treatment of cough due to helminthic infestation is complex. On the one hand, it is necessary to relieve the unpleasant symptom, and on the other, to completely expel the parasites from the body.

Treatment is carried out with antihelminthic drugs, taking into account the patient’s age and his general clinical history.

The earlier a helminthic infestation is diagnosed, the fewer consequences it will have for the patient’s body. The main complications include:

• inguinal or umbilical hernia;
• pulmonary diseases;
• visual impairment;
• the occurrence of bronchial asthma.

With timely treatment, good results are achieved, and the prognosis for all patients is favorable.

When some helminthiases are advanced, severe intoxication, allergic reactions and asphyxia occur. The main prevention in the fight against any parasites is hand and mouth hygiene, thorough food processing, and monitoring of small children.

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Source: http://proparazites.ru/glisty/glisty-vyzyvayut-kashel.html

Cough due to worms: worms that cause coughing

Worms and cough are closely related. After all, a cough when a person has helminths is the body’s reaction to an infection. Typically, this cough is dry, without phlegm.

Coughing occurs:

1. When helminths are found in the patient's lungs.
2. When worms move through the lungs.
3. The body reacts to toxic substances released by the worm. This is how a cough occurs, even if the parasite is not near the lungs.

Thus, the cause of cough during invasion can be either a mechanical effect on the lungs and respiratory tract, or an allergic reaction of the body to the waste products of parasites.

A sore throat with helminthiasis is a consequence of the movement of parasites along with the bloodstream through the circulatory system. As a rule, it is caused by worm larvae when they enter the lungs, where they, partially blocking the respiratory tract, prevent normal air exchange.

Both daytime and nighttime coughs are also dangerous because during the coughing process, many eggs and larvae of worms are thrown out into the mouth, which the child swallows again, and they continue to poison his body.

The following helminths can cause this phenomenon:

• Roundworms, pinworms and Giardia have the ability to migrate and can move into the circulatory and respiratory systems. The cough in these cases is dry and paroxysmal. In advanced cases, parasites damage blood vessels, which causes pulmonary failure.

• Toxocara directly affects the respiratory system, causing painful paroxysmal coughing and whistling when breathing. If treatment is not started promptly, the disease can cause bronchial asthma, as well as blindness.

• The pulmonary fluke (pulmonary fluke) is localized in the body in the lung tissues, which leads to pneumonia and pulmonary sclerosis. The main symptom of paragonimiasis, which is caused by this parasite, is the appearance of a wet, bloody and purulent cough in the child.

• Trichinella, acne and schistosomes are not so widespread, but advanced helminthiases caused by them can have the most severe consequences for a child’s health.

A cough caused by helminths is almost always dry, that is, unproductive. In a word, the body reacts to irritation, but does not produce phlegm that can bind and remove those very irritants. Experts divide this cough into several groups depending on the true reasons for its occurrence:

1. Finding parasites directly in the lungs. This happens infrequently, since pulmonary forms of helminthiasis in children are relatively rare.
2. Migration of the larval stage of worms through the lungs. Such cases occur most often.
3. A specific reaction of the body to toxins released by parasites. They can cause allergic reactions, one of the manifestations of which is coughing.

As can be seen from the above situations, the question of whether children can have a cough if they have helminths is not absurd. There are at least 5 types of invasions that can provoke it.

Along with a cough, your child may experience other symptoms. Usually this is low-grade body temperature, general weakness, and a mild rash on the body. Unfortunately, in 90% of cases, parents begin to treat their child for ARVI without consulting a doctor. The unpleasant manifestations of the invasion pass, and the helminths remain in the body and continue their active activity.

Some types of parasites are able to penetrate the circulatory and respiratory systems, so coughing from worms is quite common, especially in children. Understanding the nature of the phenomenon and knowing what to do in this case will help prevent undesirable consequences.

The active movement of parasites within the body causes numerous external manifestations. Cough due to worms has specific internal causes.

They are due to the fact that the larvae of some parasites block the free passage of air in the bronchi, making it difficult for a person to breathe. Frequent coughing causes inflammation of the mucous membranes and the larval forms of worms come out.

Early diagnosis and adequate therapeutic measures will help stop the development of a serious disease.

• Worms and cough - relationship
• Types of helminths that cause cough in adults and children
• Diseases caused by helminths
• Ascariasis
• Toxocariasis
• Paragonimiasis
• How to treat helminthiasis?

Source: https://medgastro.ru/parazity/kashel-pri-glistakh/

Runny nose and cough from worms: symptoms in children and adults

To a person inexperienced in helminthology, it may seem that there is absolutely no connection between a runny nose, cough and parasites. However, if you delve into the reference literature, you will find at least a dozen helminthiasis, among the symptoms of which is cough.

And in the first place on this list should be roundworms - the most common helminths in the world, the eggs of which we encounter literally at every step. Let's try to figure out why a runny nose and cough occur due to worms and what types of parasites cause them.

How do helminths provoke cough and runny nose?

Cough with worms can develop for two reasons:

• mechanical effects of worms on the respiratory tract and/or lungs;
• an allergic reaction of the body to waste products of helminths and decomposition of dead worms.

An excellent example of the first mechanism for the appearance of cough are the familiar roundworms, and to be precise, their larvae.

After an roundworm egg enters the human gastrointestinal tract, the larva located in it sheds its shell under the influence of digestive and its own enzymes. Having reached the small intestine, the larva enters the bloodstream through its wall. Then the larva reaches the liver, right side of the heart through the vessels and finally enters the lungs, from where it migrates through small vessels to the respiratory tract.

The cilia, abundantly covering the mucous membrane of the trachea, lift the larva upward with their movements. In this case, due to irritation of cough receptors, a cough reflex occurs, throwing the larva into the oral cavity, where it will subsequently be swallowed back into the stomach and intestines.

The further development of the larvae is no longer important within the framework of this article, since adult roundworms do not cause coughing or nasal congestion.

Thus, coughing from ascariasis is a short-term symptom, but if the infection is repeated over and over again (which happens when a child plays in the sand), each larva will provoke a new coughing attack, and it will become protracted.

Similarly, worms such as intestinal acne can cause coughing.

Much more serious symptoms are provoked by the pulmonary fluke - a small helminth from the class of trematodes, specializing specifically in parasitism in the lungs.

In places where they are localized, hemorrhages develop, infiltrates (accumulations of cells and blood) appear, and subsequently cavities are formed filled with decaying lung tissue and worm metabolites.

The cavities can reach a diameter of 8 cm.

Externally, infestation by pulmonary flukes (paragonimiasis) is manifested by a chronic cough, the discharge of colorless or brown (the color is not caused by blood, but by accumulations of reddish-brown eggs) sputum, and actual hemoptysis. If you do not take a sputum test, there is a high probability that these symptoms will be mistaken for tuberculosis. This is also facilitated by the extremely high life expectancy of pulmonary flukes - up to 20 years.

However, the strongest impact on the lungs is not even the pulmonary fluke, but the larvae of echinococcus and alveococcus.

These tiny tapeworms, no more than 7 mm in length, in their adult form live in the intestines of wolves, dogs, coyotes, jackals, foxes, domestic and wild spotted cats, without causing them much harm.

Pulmonary echinococcosis ranks second in frequency of development after hepatic echinococcosis. Its symptoms are a chronic cough (dry at first, but with prolonged infestation - wet and mixed with blood), shortness of breath, and chest pain.

These signs are also characteristic of cardiac echinococcosis if embolism (the appearance of foreign substances in the blood) of the pulmonary arteries develops.

An example of a mixed mechanical-allergic effect on the body is the roundworm Toxocara, which provokes toxocariasis - a very serious parasitic disease that can lead to blindness.

After Toxocara eggs enter the mouth and intestines, the larvae that emerge from them begin to migrate through the blood vessels to various organs: first the liver, then the heart, then the lungs. Some of the larvae are retained in the liver and lungs, and the rest are distributed throughout the systemic circulation to many organs and tissues: from muscles to the brain.

During migration, the larvae damage body tissues, causing areas of necrosis and hemorrhage. In addition, the immune system reacts strongly to Toxocara antigens (molecules foreign to the body), which leads to increased synthesis of antibodies (glycoproteins responsible for recognizing and binding antigens).

Antibodies in turn cause the activation of various immune cells - basophils, neutrophils and mast cells, which lead to the release of neurotransmitters such as histamine, leukotrienes and prostaglandins. They provoke the development of allergic reactions - suffocation, dry cough, erythema.

A purely allergic cough is characteristic mainly of worms of the trematode class (digenetic flukes), as well as of the roundworms Trichinella. It can be especially strong in children.

Runny nose and nasal congestion

A runny nose and nasal congestion are generally not characteristic of helminthiasis. The only exception can be pinworms in the rarest cases of perverted localization (the presence of a helminth in an organ that is not its target). In such a situation, they can actually cause nasal congestion and snot.

There is also a type of parasitic disease such as nasal myiasis - the settlement of larvae of flies and gadflies in the nasal cavity. If the larvae manage to penetrate the maxillary sinus, this leads to a runny nose and copious discharge of snot.

Among other parasitic, but not helminthic infestations, a runny nose and nasal congestion can be caused by giardiasis - a consequence of the allergenic effects of Giardia waste products.

What types of helminths can cause cough and nasal congestion?

Cough from worms is typical when infected with the following types of parasites:

• Roundworms. Method of infection: through food, water or hands contaminated with roundworm eggs.
• Trichinella. Method of infection: through poorly processed meat of wild animals and pigs.
• Intestinal eels. Method of infection: larvae burrow into the skin upon contact with contaminated soil.
• Toxocars. Method of infection: through food or water contaminated with Toxocara eggs, through contact with dogs.
• Siberian flukes. Method of infection: through poorly processed fish.
• Liver/giant flukes. Method of infection: through poorly processed fish.
• Schistosomes. Method of infection: larvae burrow into the skin when swimming in contaminated bodies of water.
• Pulmonary flukes. Method of infection: through poorly processed river crabs and crayfish.
• Larvae of echinococci/alveococci. Method of infection: through food and water contaminated with helminth eggs, through contact with animals of the Canine family.

The cause of nasal congestion and runny nose may be infestation by one of the following parasites:

• Pinworms (extremely rare). Method of infection: through food, water or hands contaminated with pinworm eggs.
• Giardia. Method of infection: through cyst-contaminated food, water, hands or household items.
• Larvae of some species of flies and gadflies. Method of infection: adult insects independently lay eggs in the nasal cavity.

Diagnosis and treatment

It is usually impossible to distinguish cough and runny nose due to worms from the same symptoms of viral and respiratory diseases without laboratory tests.

If viral and bacterial infections are excluded, suspicions that the cough is due to worms are justified if the cough torments the patient all day, and not just in the morning. With most respiratory diseases, cough occurs mainly in the morning.

If stool, blood or sputum tests reveal the presence of helminths, treatment depends on the type of parasite.

Pyrantel is taken once, but the dosage for children and adults differs significantly:

• for children 0.5–2 years old - 125 mg;
• for children 2–6 years old - 250 mg;
• for children 6–12 years old - 500 mg;
• for children over 12 or adults weighing up to 75 kg - 750 mg;
• for adults weighing over 75 kg - 1000 mg.

It is best to take the drug not in the morning, but in the afternoon. Approximately 15-20 days after treatment, you should take a stool test.

Also, roundworms, toxocaras and most other roundworms are effectively removed using folk remedies: anthelmintic products, decoctions of bitter poisons or ready-made anthelmintic drugs based on antiparasitic plants.

The other aforementioned helminth infections will have to be treated with noticeably more toxic drugs - albendazole (Nemozol) or praziquantel (Biltricid).

There is indeed a clear relationship between cough and many helminthiases, since some worms can mechanically irritate the respiratory tract and have an allergenic effect on the body.

However, in most cases, cough is a symptom of respiratory and viral diseases, so before you take toxic anthelmintic drugs yourself or give your child, you should take a stool and/or sputum test to make an accurate diagnosis.

Source: https://gelmintov.net/oslozhneniya/kashel-pri-glistah.html