What worms cause coughing? We treat worms in children

At first glance, it seems that there is nothing in common between cough and worms. Worms live in the intestines and it is not entirely clear what the lungs have to do with it.

But, directly in the intestines, they only develop, and over time migrate throughout the body. The lungs are no exception either.

Cough is one of the signs of the presence of helminths in the human body.

What is the relationship between cough and worms?

Often, parents regard a cough in their children as a sign of a cold and begin active treatment. Is it a cold and can worms cause a cough? The answer is clear - they can.

The cough is regarded as dry, but in fact a lot of larvae come out. Later the cough becomes wet (wet). Pathological process with sputum production, it manifests itself against the background of an inflammatory process.

Helminths, causing cough in children they cause mental and physical development disorders. It is very important to seek help from a doctor in time. Not all worms can cause a cough.

So, what worms cause coughing?

These include:

• (canine roundworm);
• pulmonary fluke (pulmonary fluke).

What these worms have in common is that they can stick to the shell internal organs, rapidly develop and multiply, causing serious complications and diseases.

A description of the characteristics of helminths and the diseases they cause is presented below.

Roundworms and Giardia

Roundworms and Giardia are very different in appearance, but they have one thing in common: similar symptoms and ongoing therapy.

The most common disease in childhood is ascariasis (infection with roundworms).

Roundworms enter the body through the mouth and are eliminated through anus along with feces.

Females are very fertile - they can lay 250 thousand eggs per day. Adults migrate throughout the body through the circulatory system.

Infection occurs through contact with soil, water, grass where roundworm larvae live, or after contact with an infected person, animals, or as a result of poor hand hygiene.

The main symptoms of ascariasis are:

• pallor skin;
• dry paroxysmal cough;
• blueness of lips.

If treatment is not started in a timely manner, this can lead to vascular damage, which will lead to pulmonary failure.

You can become infected by drinking contaminated water, playing in a dirty sandbox, or eating unwashed fruits and vegetables.

A sign of the presence of these worms in the body is prolonged diarrhea With increased gas formation, general weakness and nausea.

Toxocara and pulmonary fluke

Both types belong to flatworms, are very dangerous to health - they affect the respiratory tract.

Toxocara (dog roundworm) is a worm that is spread by canids (dogs, wolves). There is another subspecies that carries the cat family. They enter the human body by mistake and do not live long, but cause serious illness.

Infection with toxocara (toxocariasis) is especially dangerous for children under one year of age. The larvae penetrate the lung tissue and cause a severe allergic reaction.

The main symptoms are blurred vision, whistling when breathing, and increased body temperature. The cough from worms is painful and paroxysmal. If treatment is not started on time helminthic infestation, then the disease can develop into bronchial asthma, lead to blindness.

The pulmonary fluke is a very common worm from the class of trematodes, which is the causative agent of paragonimiasis.

The carriers are crabs and crayfish that live in reservoirs. Animals are infected through water and then transmitted to humans. The main symptom is wet blood and purulent cough The child has.

Cough due to worms in children is very serious symptom, which under no circumstances should be ignored. Urgent need to apply for medical care, which will avoid the development of complications and the occurrence of serious diseases.

Diagnostics

The attending physician collects anamnesis, analyzes symptoms and prescribes necessary tests. Most often, a stool test, a general blood test, and sputum examination are prescribed.

With helminthic infestation in the blood, a decrease in hemoglobin, an increase in the amount of ESR (erythrocyte sedimentation rate) and eosinophils are observed, which indicates the presence of an allergic reaction.

Treatment of cough caused by helminths

Collateral successful treatment Cough in children, which is caused by worms, is to consult a doctor in a timely manner.

Only a doctor can diagnose correct diagnosis, appoint effective treatment, taking into account absolutely all factors. Self-medication has no place here.

The most effective and popular drugs are Pramoxine and Zinc Oxide.

The drugs are quite toxic and the dosage should be strictly observed. Sometimes it is necessary to treat with two drugs at the same time.

Antitussives are prescribed to relieve inflammation of the respiratory tract. To remove toxins - drugs Enterosgel and Allahol. For allergies - antihistamines such as Zodak, Suprastin.

If the treatment of helminthic infestation is carried out correctly and on time, the cough will go away on its own.

Possible complications

If a cough is not treated in time, complex allergic reactions may appear, inguinal hernia, visual impairment, asphyxia, hypoxia, general intoxication of the body.

To avoid possible complications It is necessary to diagnose the disease in a timely manner and carry out appropriate treatment.

Preventive measures

Parents must teach their children to maintain personal hygiene almost from the cradle. It is very important to wash your hands before and after eating, after going outside and after close contact with animals. Kids should know that vegetables and fruits can be eaten only after they have been thoroughly washed.

It is advisable that children do not come into contact with street animals and mandatory carry out the prevention of helminthiasis in domestic animals. Children should also not swim in open water.

If a child eats meat and fish dishes, then the products must undergo full heat treatment.

In addition, the local pediatrician or family doctor may prescribe medications for children to take for preventive purposes.

Remember that the health of our children is in our hands and a cough does not always indicate a cold. If a symptom torments a child throughout the day, this is a reason to urgently seek medical help.

A complete examination of the child and effective therapy are a guarantee full recovery without harm to health.

This phenomenon is due to the active movement of worms in the body and most often cough occurs in children younger age. Parents, as a rule, mistake a cough for and start active treatment. Despite the fact that taking antitussive medicines does not cause any particular harm to the child’s body, they do not solve the problem. Yes, under the influence of specific medications, the cough disappears, but the helminthic infestation continues to actively progress in the body.

Why does coughing occur with worms?

Almost all parents know that the main symptoms of the presence of worms in the child’s body are itching anus, restless sleep baby and sudden weight loss. Why does a cough occur with worms? Everything is quite simple: the larvae of worms, which are located in the bronchi, block the air flow - this is the cause of the cough. Moreover, in the process of coughing, an incredible amount of worm larvae and eggs come out of the body. As the underlying disease develops, an inflammatory process is added to the dry cough, which is localized in the vascular tissues.

Giardia and roundworms

Toxocara and pulmonary fluke

As soon as the worms enter the child’s lung area, a dry cough appears. If no therapeutic measures will not be undertaken during this period, then the progression of the inflammatory process begins, which will be characterized by the production large quantity mucus. Sputum will come out when you cough, it may contain small patches of blood - this factor, by the way, should alert parents and become a reason to contact an infectious disease specialist.

Diseases caused by worms in children

Children are much more likely than adults to be exposed to helminthic infestations. Therefore, when a dry cough appears against the background general health You should immediately seek qualified medical help to avoid the development of complications.

Ascariasis

It has been noted that ascariasis is most often diagnosed in childhood. Infection with roundworms can occur through contact with animals (street or domestic), getting into oral cavity soil, eating unwashed vegetables/fruits. Doctors say that the spread of ascariasis among young children is associated with poor personal hygiene and a weak immune system.

If the intestines are affected by worms, then:

• everyone is violated metabolic processes in the child’s body;
• is significantly reduced;
• toxic poisoning occurs;
• depression of the nervous system occurs;
• worm larvae move into the lungs;
• an inflammatory process is formed.

With ascariasis, there is not only a dry cough, but also pale skin and bluish lips. If there is no treatment for helminthic infestation, the blood vessels will begin to be damaged and problems will appear in the functioning of the respiratory system.

Paragonimiasis

Fluke infection occurs through contact with crayfish and crabs. Most often, the worm first penetrates the body of a domestic or street animal that has bathed in a pond, then the worms are transmitted to humans.

Note:If there is a fluke worm in the body, then coughing attacks in children will certainly be accompanied by the release of blood and pus.

Toxocariasis

Toxocara in the dog will certainly cause the appearance of worms in the child’s lungs. This disease is especially dangerous for children under one year of age. Worm larvae are found in lung tissues, which causes the development of a severe, aggressive allergic reaction. If this is absent (this refers to the treatment of helminthic infestation), then the sick child may soon develop.

TO additional symptoms Toxocariasis includes disturbances in the functioning of the organs of vision, the appearance of fever and pronounced wheezing.

What measures need to be taken

If treatment for helminthic infestation was prescribed and carried out correctly, then the symptoms, including dry cough, will disappear on their own.

Almost every person, when he has a cough, mistakes it for a cold and tries to immediately begin treating it with expectorants. medicines. But not everyone knows that a dry cough can signal the presence of helminths in the body.

Cough from worms begins due to their movement in the body and occurs not only in children, but also in adults. Taking expectorant medications, of course, will not harm the body, but it will not solve the problem either. Therefore, before running to the pharmacy for unnecessary drugs, you should consult a doctor to determine exact reason occurrence of cough.

It would seem that cough and worms are completely incompatible concepts, but nevertheless, in some types of helminthiasis one of the symptoms is cough. There are two explanations for this: pulmonary form infestations (worms were localized in the lungs) or larvae in this moment migrate through the respiratory tract.

Much more serious is the first, pulmonary form, in which worms live directly in the lungs, directly affecting their functioning.

At this time, they feed on blood components and mucous membrane secretions, and toxins
released back into the body. As a result of these actions, inflammatory and allergic reactions occur. Some larvae leave the body with a cough, others go into a latent state, and others return to the intestines, where they continue to develop.

Symptoms in adults

When is it affected? respiratory system helminths in adults, symptoms appear clinical development bronchitis and pneumonia. At first, the patient experiences general weakness, loss of strength and a feeling of discomfort. After some time - fever, shortness of breath, or attacks of suffocation.

There have been cases of cough with sputum production in morning time after waking up. Sputum contains worm larvae that can infect the body, so they are very dangerous.

Nausea, which is accompanied by vomiting, is another symptom that causes harm from vomit.

If treatment is not started in time, blood vessels will be damaged and respiratory failure may occur.

What is a cough like when a child has worms?

Coughing due to worms is most often experienced by young children aged 3 to 5 years who go to kindergarten and there they can become infected through contact with already sick children or due to violation of personal hygiene rules.

Most often, children are affected by Giardia, which, when ingested into the lungs, causes dryness.
cough that is difficult to respond to simple treatment.

A cough appears even when living in children's body roundworms They cause a very strong, paroxysmal cough, so strong that sometimes it leads to vomiting.

Coughing is caused not by roundworms themselves, but by their larvae, which emerge from the lungs into the oral cavity along with sputum. The child swallows this infected sputum, and the larvae end up in the intestines, where they turn into sexually mature individuals.

What Komarovsky says about coughing with worms

Komarovsky claims that children almost always have a cough due to worms, and it is especially severe at night.

Doctors prescribe for treatment anthelmintic drugs, and along with them, to guarantee successful treatment, you also need to take probiotics, enterosorbents, minerals and vitamins.

Consequences of infection

Under no circumstances should you self-medicate a cough if you are infected with worms. Only a specialist should monitor the treatment process, this will avoid severe consequences. Timely therapeutic measures will relieve emerging bad symptoms and will not cause any harm to the body.

How is cough related to worms?

What worms cause coughing:

1. Roundworms (migratory larvae; adult roundworms do not cause coughing).
2. Giardia (migratory larvae).
3. Toxocara.
4. Pulmonary fluke.
5. Echinococcus (larvae).

Toxocara roundworms and their larvae migrate along blood vessels. They cause damage to organs and tissues and severe allergic reactions. The allergy is manifested by coughing, choking and redness of the skin.

Larvae need oxygen to develop into adults; first they feed on blood serum, then migrate to respiratory organs. Adult roundworms live in the gastrointestinal tract, liver, lungs, heart and brain.

General symptoms of helminthic infestation:

1. General weakness.
2. Reduced or, on the contrary, brutal appetite.
3. Nausea, vomiting.
4. Weight loss.
5. Increased body temperature.
6. Pain of different localization.
7. Pale skin, blue lips.

Cough - short-term symptom ascariasis. It appears during the migration of larvae and has a paroxysmal character. If a child's cough is chronic, this may indicate pulmonary ascariasis. Based on its symptoms, the disease can easily be confused with ARVI, influenza, or tuberculosis. Pulmonary ascariasis quickly develops into chronic form, with seasonal relapses.

Paragonimiasis in children

Paragonimiasis is caused by pulmonary flukes. Incubation period illness for 2-3 weeks. During the migration of larvae, allergies may appear (rash and itchy skin), inflammatory processes V abdominal cavity. Flukes cause severe pneumonia. There is chest pain, fever, shortness of breath, wet cough. The sputum contains impurities of blood and pus.

To diagnose paragonimiasis, a sputum sample is taken. It is examined for the presence of helminth eggs. The content of eosinophils in the blood is consistently increased.

Toxocariasis in children

The Toxocara worm is transmitted to humans through food contaminated with water or through contact with sick dogs. Toxocariasis most often affects children under four years of age. One female Toxocara lays 200,000 eggs per day; they are quickly distributed through the bloodstream throughout the body. Symptoms caused by helminthiasis:

• fever;
• wheezing;
• visual impairment.

To diagnose toxocariasis, a blood test for antibodies is performed. Feces are checked for the presence of helminth eggs. IN general analysis blood increased level eosinophils and globulins.

Echinococcosis in children

Echinococcus larvae enter the child’s body through contact with sick dogs or through contaminated water. Echinococcosis can develop in any organ - liver, kidneys, heart, brain, lungs, etc.

Cough from worms appears when the lungs are damaged. Invasion of echinococci into the respiratory system leads to the formation of cysts. The growth of the cyst provokes the following symptoms:

• chest pain;
• first dry and then wet cough;
• deformation chest(with severe growth of the cyst);
• pneumonia.

To diagnose echinococcosis, blood is taken for analysis (antibody test), sputum, and tomography and x-rays are done.

If a child is found to have worms

If a child starts coughing, has trouble sleeping, or has intestinal disorders, it is better to take him to the doctor immediately to find out the cause in time. Blood and stool tests will help determine whether worms and cough are related.

Treatment of worms is carried out comprehensively using the following medications:

Treatment is carried out under the supervision of a doctor.

Children cough various reasons, one of the most dangerous are worms. It is important to detect helminthiasis in a child early stage to avoid serious consequences.

Usually parents immediately begin to treat their children for all kinds of colds. Such therapy does not cause harm, but it does not eliminate the main problem. So, let's figure out whether worms can cause a cough.

Cause of cough due to helminth infection

Despite the surprise of many parents, this theory has been officially confirmed. Worms can cause coughing. This is due to the fact that some types of helminths are capable of blocking Airways child, not completely, but partially. As a result, itching and discomfort occur, and then a cough.

As the pathology develops, other symptoms may appear, and sometimes they are truly dangerous to the child’s health. For example, elevated temperature, developing into fever, delirium, or even breathing problems. If you are not sure of your suspicions, ask your doctor what kind of cough with worms may bother you. Usually it is dry and slightly scratches the throat, because this is not a cold, and phlegm is not produced.

• pinworms;
• Giardia;
• trichinella;
• eels;
• schistosomes;
• toxocara;
• roundworms.

Symptoms of the disease

Cough due to worms is not the only symptom of the pathology. The main signs of infection include the following factors:

• Chronic fatigue, weakness, lethargy.
• Causeless development of depression.
• Absent or very poor appetite.
• Nausea and vomiting.
• Weight loss.
• Pain in the abdominal area.
• Diarrhea and diarrhea.
• Irritability and aggressiveness.
• Sleep disorders.
• Pale skin and noticeable circles under the eyes.
• Sometimes dermatological rashes appear.
• Increased body temperature, chills, fever.

A cough due to worms may not occur in children, but if it does appear against the background of the above symptoms, do not rush to treat your child for a cold. Better show it to the doctor.

In especially advanced cases, the child completely loses interest in life, joy, excitement, desire to study, go for walks, and spend time with family disappears. In the future, pathologies begin to worry different characters. Therefore, helminths must be constantly combated.

Worms do not enter a child’s body by accident. Moreover, it is in childhood that the risk of infection is extremely high. A baby can contract a pathology in any way:

• While playing outside with other children, a child can become infected with helminths in the sandbox or, for example, while walking in tall grass.
• In contact with animals, including domestic ones.
• When visiting public places or traveling on public transport.
• While consuming under-processed food or dirty water.
• In case of non-compliance

You can become infected with helminths even by communicating with a sick person. Any direct contact puts the child in danger. And since there are even more sick people today than healthy ones, coughing from worms in children is far from uncommon.

Diagnosis of the disease

It is worth noting that helminths can live in a child’s body for years without showing themselves. That's why diagnostic measures quite often postponed indefinitely. Meanwhile, without these procedures it is impossible to prescribe adequate treatment.

Therapy should be aimed at eliminating the source of the pathology, and not at relieving symptoms. Therefore, when you start treating cough, you you will succeed for a very short period of time. This symptom can be completely eliminated only with an integrated approach.

Separately, it is worth mentioning that the doctor must prescribe treatment, which includes an effect on immune system. That is only strong body in the future he will be able to fight worms on his own. Immunity is protective forces. It ensures no relapse.

Giardia, pinworms and roundworms

Worms are released toxic substances that poison the body. The child becomes prone to developing allergic reactions. This is the main feature of Giardia and Ascaris.

A peculiarity of this type of helminths is that the cough when they enter the body is not always dry. Sometimes sputum is released, which contains patches of blood. This characteristic symptom infection of a child with worms.

Trichinella, acne and schistosomes

As we have already found out, worms cause coughing in children. But sometimes this symptom can be accompanied by a runny nose. As a rule, this combination worries parents who are sure that their child has been exposed to colds. But worms can also cause a runny nose.

It is worth noting that nasal congestion due to helminths can only occur in combination with a cough, not otherwise.

Preventive actions

We found out whether children can have a cough from worms. Now it’s worth talking about what to do to similar symptoms never bothered. To do this, you need to follow the rules of prevention in order to avoid infection in principle. They consist of the following points:

Helminths are capable of infecting human body again and again, so these rules must always be followed.