What’s coughing

Definitions

Coughing is an important way to keep your throat and airways clear. However, excessive coughing may mean you have an underlying disease or disorder.

Some coughs are dry, while others are considered productive. A productive cough is one that brings up mucus. Mucus is also called phlegm or sputum.

Coughs can be either acute or chronic:

·   Acute coughs usually begin suddenly. They are often due to a cold, flu, or sinus infection. They usually go away after 2 to 3 weeks.

·    Chronic coughs last longer than 2 to 3 weeks.

Common Causes

Besides recent upper airways infections, such as the common cold and flu, other common causes of coughs include:

·         Allergies and asthma

·         Lung infections such as pneumonia or acute bronchitis

·         Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (emphysema or chronic bronchitis)

·         Sinusitis leading to postnasal drip

·         Lung disease such as bronchiectasis, interstitial lung disease, or tumors

·         Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)

·         Cigarette smoking

·         Exposure to secondhand smoke

·         Exposure to air pollutants

·         ACE inhibitors (medications used to control blood pressure)

If a child has a barking cough, see croup.

Home Care

Although coughing can be a troubling symptom, it is usually your body’s way of healing. Here are some tips to help ease your cough:

·         If you have a dry, tickling cough, try cough drops or hard candy. NEVER give these to a child under age 3, because they can cause choking.

·         Use a vaporizer or take a steamy shower. Both these things increase the moisture in the air and can help soothe a dry throat.

·         Drink plenty of fluids. Liquids help thin the mucus in your throat and make it easier to cough it up.

NOTE: Medical experts have recommended against using cough and cold drugs in children under age 6. Talk to your doctor before your child takes any type of over-the-counter cough medicine, even if it is labeled for children. These medicines likely will not work for children, and they may have serious side effects.

Medications available without a prescription include:

·         Guaifensin helps break up mucus. Drink lots of fluids if you take this medicine.

·         Decongestants help clear a runny nose and relieve postnasal drip. Do NOT give children under age 6 an over-the-counter decongestant unless specifically told to do so by your doctor. You should not take decongestants if you have high blood pressure.

Do not expect a doctor to prescribe antibiotics for viral infections like colds or flu. Antibiotics do not work on viruses. Antibiotics also will not help coughs from allergies

Causes of Cough

Cough is the most common reason why people go to their primary doctor. In some cases, the cough has lasted less than 3 weeks, and is termed an “acute cough”. A cough that has lasted for between 3 and 8 weeks is termed a “sub-acute cough”. And coughing that has been going on for more than 8 weeks is termed a “chronic cough”.

While some people have been coughing for years, the cause of a cough can be determined in at least 90% of these cases. Therapies for cough have a success rate of at least 85%, and therefore treatments should be aimed at the underlying cause, rather than just medications that cover up the cough temporarily.

What Causes a Cough?

The cause of a cough is dependent upon how long the symptom has been present. For example, the causes of an acute cough may be quite different from the causes of a chronic cough. In at least 25% of cases of a chronic cough, there are at least 2 medical conditions causing the cough in the person.

What Causes an Acute Cough?

The most common causes of an acute cough include:

·         The common cold

·         Acute sinusitis

·         Pertussis (whooping cough)

·         Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbations

·         Allergic rhinitis

·         Non-allergic rhinitis

The cause of the acute cough is usually determined by the person’s history and physical exam. Some experts will use an antihistamine/decongestant combination (such as Dimetapp or the equivalent generic) in the treatment of an acute cough due to the common cold. Newer antihistamines/decongestants, such as Claritin-D (loratadine/pseudoephrine), do not seem to be as helpful.

People who continue to cough despite the treatment for a common cold, or who have other signs of an acute sinusitis, are given a course of antibiotics aimed at sinusitis as a reason for the acute cough. Children appear particularly prone to having a cough as the only sign of a sinus infection.

Those with underlying COPD (emphysema or chronic bronchitis) may have exacerbations with an increase in cough, shortness of breath, wheezing and change in mucus production and color. Antibiotics are typically given to these people with an acute cough.

Whooping cough, or Pertussis, is becoming more in certain communities, and vaccination does not always provide complete protection. People with Pertussis will have severe episodes of coughing, often with vomiting after the cough. Treatment with antibiotics helps if given early in the infection; otherwise the cough may become chronic and last for many weeks.

Rhinitis (allergic and non-allergic) may also cause a cough that is related to post-nasal drip (phlegm draining from the back of the nose into the throat). However, this may be a very different cough from the above, and more of a throat clearing type of cough. Allergic rhinitis will respond to various allergy treatments, while non-allergic rhinitis may only respond to decongestants or various prescription nasal sprays.

Less common, but more serious, causes of acute cough include heart failure, pulmonary embolism, pneumonia and getting a foreign object lodged in the lung (aspiration).

What are the Causes of Sub-acute Cough?

For a cough that has lasted for between 3 and 8 weeks, the most common causes are:

·         Post-infectious cough

·         Acute sinusitis

·         Asthma

A post-infectious cough is a cough that has persisted after a common cold or other viral respiratory tract infection, in which there is no pneumonia. It can be a result of post-nasal drip or bronchitis. These symptoms may resolve without treatment, or may become an acute sinusitis requiring antibiotics. Some experts will give a trial of a decongestant/antihistamine combination (such as Dimetapp or the generic equivalent) for one week, and if this fails, a trial of antibiotics.

If a person also complains of shortness of breath, wheezing, or chest tightness, then asthma may be the cause of the cough. Usual treatments for asthma would then be given.

For further treatment go to this site: http://www.medhelp.org/tags/show/184/cough?section=drugs