Cough

What it is?

Coughing is a reflex aimed at restoring airway patency. It occurs extremely often in human life. In essence, this is a protective reaction aimed at removing dust, foreign particles, and bronchial secretions from the respiratory tract.

Why does this happen?

There are many causes of cough. First of all, it could be an allergic reaction to odors, to plant pollen - there are plenty of options in this case. An allergic cough can develop into bronchial asthma, so it is important to identify the allergen and try to avoid it.

In case of acute respiratory infection, depending on where the inflammatory process occurs, the following are distinguished:

1. Tonsillitis - on the tonsils;
2. Rhinitis, or runny nose - on the mucous membrane of the nasal cavity;
3. Pharyngitis - in the throat, while a person feels a sore, raw sensation in the throat;
4. Laryngitis - in the larynx area, manifested by hoarseness of voice and a rough “barking” cough;
5. Tracheitis - in the tracheal area, with cough accompanied by pain behind the sternum;
6. Bronchitis is an inflammation of the bronchi, which is characterized by a cough with dry and then moist wheezing of various sizes;
7. Pneumonia is inflammation of the lungs.

The possibility of something getting into the respiratory tract should be taken into account - for example, parts from toys and other small objects - young children are especially resourceful in this regard. If you suspect that your child has a foreign body in his respiratory tract, consult a doctor immediately.

A characteristic paroxysmal cough with long, deep breaths may be a symptom of whooping cough. So if you are an opponent of vaccinations, then your child may well catch this disease.

Chronic cough can be a sign of a hereditary disease - cystic fibrosis. With this disease, degeneration of the mucous glands, including the bronchi, occurs, which leads to chronic inflammation of both the bronchi and lungs.

Sometimes a prolonged cough may be due to... treatment. True, not the cough itself, but another disease, for example, hypertension. The fact is that among the side effects of some medications there is a cough. These drugs are also used to treat heart failure and other diseases. The popularity and scope of use of such drugs is growing, which means that the likelihood of side effects is also increasing.

A cough can be a symptom of such serious diseases as lung cancer, tuberculosis, and bacterial pneumonia. Therefore, it is better not to delay visiting a doctor, especially if the cough persists for three months.

Diagnosis

Do not delay a visit to the doctor when the cough is accompanied by fever, sweating, weight loss, thick, colorless or blood-stained sputum, shortness of breath or the inability to lie in a horizontal position, swelling, especially if it leads to weight gain, chest pain, excessive fatigue , loss of appetite or persistent nausea.

Even if the cough does not bother you much, but does not go away for three months or more, you need to consult a doctor and determine the source of this problem.

Treatment

If you are not sure about the origin of the cough, you should not give the person antitussive drugs, i.e. drugs that relieve the cough reflex - this can seriously worsen the situation. You should also not rush to use antibiotics at the first cough -

Coughing is a reflex act of removing foreign objects, mucus or phlegm from the lungs and upper respiratory tract. Although a cough is most often caused by an infection, it can be caused by anything that irritates the airways: foreign bodies, cigarette smoke, house dust and other irritants.