Chronic Cough

CHRONIC COUGH

Chronic cough may be a function of the body that happens routinely, but it can become a cause of worry and inconvenience in daily life when it occurs for an extensive period. This problem is referred to as a chronic cough, which can be damp, create phlegm, or irritate the throat.

Chronic cough lasts longer than eight weeks for adults or four weeks for children. The usual causes of this affliction include asthma, allergies; bronchitis; or gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD. In rarer cases, it signals more severe problems like a cough in the heart or lung disease.  

Below are the more usual causes behind a chronic cough. 

Asthma is a condition in which an individual’s upper airways area experiences sensitivity to cold air, the air’s irritants, or physical activity. The asthma is a cough variety, meanwhile, it is a specific cause of cough. 

Chronic bronchitis leads to inflamed airways in the long run, which also leads to a cough.  

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) describes a condition that makes acid climb from one’s stomach to their throat. GERD results in irritation of the chronic kind in the said throat, leading to a cough.   

Chronic cough can be caused by the aftermath of an infection, like pneumonia or flu.  

Aside from being called an upper airway cough syndrome, a postnasal drip describes the outcome of mucus that has flowed down the throat’s hind area. 

Medications that lower the blood pressure can cause some people to experience chronic cough. 

Meanwhile, this cough’s lesser-known causes are aspiration, bronchiectasis; bronchiolitis; cystic fibrosis; heart disease; lung cancer, and sarcoidosis.

SYMPTOMS

As mentioned, symptoms of chronic cough last longer than eight weeks in adults or four weeks in children.

A cough is usually the outcome of whatever is triggering an irritation in the airways, which causes contraction in the chest muscles and stomach. 

There are two kinds of cough: Wet and dry. A dry cough does not produce mucus, and cigarette smokers tend to experience this. The wet cough produces mucus or sputum.

DIAGNOSIS

Your doctor will ask about your medical history and lifestyle habits, such as whether you smoke to make some diagnosis. Some doctors will subject a person to the following tests listed below, to determine whether a person can be diagnosed with this condition or not. 

  • Sputum is a sample acquisition and finding of blood or cancerous cells.
  • X-rays or computed tomography scans could find the onset of inflammation or lung disease. 
  • Bronchoscopy is a procedure almost the same as above. 

 

TREATMENT 

 

Chronic cough treatments may depend on one’s underlying conditions. A doctor who cannot initially find the precise cause of the cough might treat one of the usual conditions behind the cough instead, such as GERD. 

GERD can be treated through the steps below:

  • Eat only minimal sizes of meals daily.
  • Avoid GERD-causing food such as caffeine, citrus fruits; tomato-based foods; high-fat foods; and chocolate.
  • Consume medication like cimetidine, or Tagamet, or famotidine, also known as Pepcid.

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