Coughing is an important way to keep your throat and airways clear. Coughing is an action the body takes to get rid of burden that are irritating the air passages. In the more advanced stages, it’s marked by the symptom that gives the disease its name: a severe, hacking cough followed by a high-pitched intake of breath that sounds like “whoop. Worldwide, there were over 45 million cases of whooping cough and 409,000 deaths in 1997 making this easy-to-prevent disease one of the leading causes of illness and death. Provided the patient is a non-smoker and has a normal chest X-ray the cause of chronic cough in 93% of all patients is due to asthma reflux ( heartburn ) or post-nasal drip. Other causes of chronic cough include chronic bronchitis and medications such as ACE inhibitors. Coughing during an injection can lessen the pain of the needle stick caused by a sudden, temporary rise in pressure in the chest and spinal canal, inhibiting the pain-conducting structures of the spinal cord.
Causes of Cough
The common Causes of Cough:
Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) .
Lung disease such as bronchiectasis interstitial lung disease, or tumors.
Exposure to secondhand smoke.
Allergies and asthma.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease ( emphysema or chronic bronchitis ).
Lung infections such as pneumonia or acute bronchitis.
Cigarette smoking.
ACE inhibitors (medications used to control blood pressure).
Symptoms of Cough
Some Symptoms of Cough:
A runny nose
Dry cough
Nasal congestion
A mild fever
Sneezing
General feeling of being unwell and loss of appetite
Red, watery eyes
Treatment of Cough
Antitussives should not be given when the cough is productive and the patient is bringing up mucus. If the cough is keeping the patient awake at night, then their use at bedtime is indicated.
Antihistamines and decongestants may be a good choice for treating coughs associated with post nasal drip.
Elevate your head with extra pillows at night to ease a dry cough.
Don’t smoke and stay away from secondhand smoke.
Antitussives are useful in suppressing dry, hacking coughs. (Specific products may be recommended by a physician or pharmacist.)
If you have allergies year round, cover your pillows and mattress with dust mite covers, use an air purifier, and avoid pets and other triggers.
For patients with underlying disease states causing the cough, treatment should first be based on treating the underlying disease.
Antitussives are useful in suppressing dry, hacking coughs.
