Worms In The Lungs In Humans, Cats And Dogs: Symptoms And Treatment

Page content

• What worms can be in the lungs
• Penetration routes
• Symptoms and signs
• Worms in the lungs in an adult
• Worms in the lungs in children
• Treatment methods
• You can defeat parasites!

Worms in the lungs are extremely rare, but this condition is dangerous to human health. Helminthiasis of this form can occur in both adults and children.

Ignoring the pathology significantly impairs the quality of life, negatively affects the general well-being and, ultimately, can lead to the death of a person.

What to do in such a situation? To get started, we recommend reading this article. This article details the methods of dealing with parasites. We also recommend contacting a specialist. Read the article >>>

Worms in the lungs

What worms can be in the lungs

Parasites in the lungs can be:

• roundworm;
• echinococcus;
• toxoplasma;
• pork tapeworm larvae.

Each type of parasite provokes the development of a certain disease, which has a specific clinical picture:

Pathology	Signs of invasion
Ascariasis	The reproduction of parasites in the lungs is extremely intense, which provokes local edema, the formation of infectious, purulent plugs. As a result of lung damage, a cough with bloody, purulent sputum, shortness of breath and chest pain may occur.
Echinococcosis	As a result of the invasion, cysts are formed in the lungs filled with the parasite. They gradually grow, putting severe pressure on the lung tissue, causing hemoptysis, coughing, and chest pain.
Toxoplasmosis	Congenital pathology is characterized by a rapid aggravated development with pronounced symptoms - dysfunctions of the central nervous system, liver, brain and other pathologies that worsen the development of the baby. Acquired disease is characterized by symptoms that can be easily confused with the flu: pain in muscles, joints; high temperature; wet cough; wheezing in the lungs. As the invasion develops in the lungs, cystic foci of large sizes, necrosis, and inflammatory processes can form.
Cysticercosis	After lung damage, a neoplasm of various sizes develops in them, in which the parasite settles. The number of bubbles increases with the intensity of infection - as a result, appear: dyspnea; wet cough with blood impurities; asthma attacks. With the growth of the worm, the size of the bladder also increases, which fills the lung cavity. An urgent surgical intervention is required.

Penetration routes

Infection occurs through contact with objects around a person, people, food and water. Usually, a person is susceptible to infection after contact with animals, and if he does not observe hygiene standards.

Swimming in a reservoir where the eggs of the parasite are located, a person can involuntarily swallow this water, thereby exposing himself to infection.

When the eggs pass through the digestive system, they enter the intestines and develop into a larva. Due to their microscopic size, the larvae easily penetrate the bloodstream and move through the internal organs, entering the lungs.

A snapshot of the lungs infected with ascaris

Symptoms and signs

The first signs of invasion may appear long after the initial infection. Usually this:

• the formation of cysts;
• allergic reactions;
• weakening of immunity;
• frequent inflammatory and infectious pathologies;
• unstable psycho-emotional state.

The primary symptoms, regardless of the affected organ, are the same in most cases. Some time after the reproduction of the parasite, the intestinal and pulmonary forms of the invasion will begin to differ from each other:

Parasites in the intestines	Parasites in the lungs
Constipation followed by diarrhea; Bloating, flatulence; Attacks of nausea, vomiting; Decreased or increased appetite; Increased fatigue, weakness; Allergic skin rash.	Cough with phlegm, impurities of pus, blood; Shortness of breath, shortness of breath; Headaches; Chest pain that worsens when coughing; Blurred vision; Increased body temperature; Bronchitis, bronchial asthma; Pneumonia; Pleurisy.

Worms in the lungs in an adult

The danger of the disease lies in the prolonged asymptomatic course. The first symptoms begin to appear only at the stage of exacerbation, in most cases they are similar to the development of other diseases.

For this reason, a person does not immediately go to a doctor and begins treatment for influenza, ARVI - as a result, the clinical picture can significantly worsen, which negatively affects further treatment and the healing process.

Almost all helminths, in the course of their life, release enzymes into the bloodstream that poison the human body, provoking serious allergic reactions. In addition, in the process of living in the lungs, worms create favorable conditions for the development of pathogenic microorganisms, which provokes lung abscess, pneumonia.

Worms in the lungs in children

Since children are more likely to come into contact with the soil, animals, less likely to observe the rules of personal hygiene and learn the world by tasting everything, they are more susceptible to parasite infestation. The course of the invasion is not much different from the pathology in adults.

Only the doctor should select the treatment for the child, not the parents. When negative symptoms appear, parents should take the baby to a medical center. The doctor will study the clinical picture, prescribe laboratory tests, and undergo diagnostic measures.

Only after identifying the cause of negative symptoms can adequate therapy methods be prescribed.

Treatment methods

Helminthiasis therapy is based on individual characteristics. The doctor selects the most effective anthelmintic drugs, for example Albendazole, Vormil, Dekaris. Antihelminthic therapy is necessarily accompanied by hygiene, the use of sorbents, antihistamines.

For an accelerated rehabilitation period and to prevent relapses, you need to adhere to preventive recommendations and take vitamin complexes with immunomodulators.

Compliance with the rules of personal hygiene, the use of high-quality processed and washed food products exclude the possibility of infection.

After the first course of treatment, a week later, it is necessary to undergo a second examination, possibly therapy, which will eliminate the likelihood of a relapse. In some cases, surgery is required.

Sometimes it is possible to use folk recipes. The choice of the method of therapy should be agreed with the attending physician. Both traditional and unconventional techniques have a number of contraindications, if ignored, side symptoms develop.

Self-medication can significantly complicate the process of further treatment with recovery, cause irreparable damage.

No one is immune from infestation by parasites, however, following simple preventive recommendations significantly reduces the risk of infection.

The defeat of the lungs by helminths is a very dangerous phenomenon, which, without timely medical care, can lead to serious consequences.