Cough - a frequent companion of many colds and other various pathological conditions. With properly selected treatment, this unpleasant symptom recedes within a week. In some cases, coughing may not go on for three weeks or more. This is already considered a serious reason to seek medical help.
The greatest discomfort is a dry cough. It is more painful and painful, capable of disturbing normal sleep and affecting the health of the person as a whole.
Dry cough
Cough is a protective reflex, in which the body tends to get rid of the pathogen that led to a painful state of the body - the virus, allergen, pathogenic microorganisms, third-party objects that interfere with the normal breathing process.
Dry cough - this is the most common symptoms, indicating the presence of respiratory diseases.
When a cough of this type does not occur, the person can suffer from annoying persecution, which prevents talking and eating normally, serious muscle pain in the abdominal area, high blood pressure, insomnia.
Dry cough mechanism
Causes of
The causes of dry cough in children and adults are almost never different. It is the identification of causes that allows the doctor to cope with this ailment as quickly and effectively as possible.
Infectious diseases
Very often, the cause of prolonged and not lasting dry cough is the attachment to the disease of any secondary infection. About the presence of infection very often says chest pain, lack of appetite and weakness. Often the cause of dry cough is whooping cough. It is an infectious disease that affects children. In this case, babies have such a protracted cough that it leads to vomiting.
The reasons for the cough are told by Dr. Komarovsky:
Allergy
The cause of prolonged dry cough may be an allergy. This occurs most often in the summer. At this time of year, the number of allergens increases significantly, which leads to the disease.
In many cases, an allergic reaction causes a cough if a person has nasopharyngeal diseases such as rhinitis, sinusitis, allergic rhinitis. Usually a dry cough appears at night and is called the postnasal sinking syndrome. In the process of sleep, mucus from the nose drains along the walls of the pharynx and leads to a cough.
Often such a cough seems wet to patients, since nasal mucus is secreted with it, but this type of cough is still referred to as dry cough.
Inflammatory diseases of the trachea or mucosa
The cause of dry cough is also tracheitis. This ailment occurs when the patient often inhales dusty or cold air, harmful vapors and gases that can irritate the mucous membrane.
Cough in diseases of the mucous and trachea barking, painful, leading to pain in the chest.
Pneumonia
Pneumonia is characterized by a dry cough in the event that it is in a latent form. It is dry, barking cough that speaks about the possible presence of this ailment. Over time, cough becomes productive. To the symptoms, pain is added in one lung( in a specific lobe of it) or in both lungs at once. The temperature does not usually rise above 37.5.Another symptom is low capacity, fatigue, drowsiness, fever.
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, despite frequent misconceptions, may appear not only in people of low social level, but also in those who are fully provided. The disease begins with unobtrusive coughs, which can last very long.
Cough is dry, is mild, but accompanies a person with tuberculosis daily. In the middle of the day the body temperature in the patient is normal, but in the evening, closer to the night, it rises to the low-grade figures - 37.2-37.5.
Bronchial asthma
This disease is spread almost as much as allergies. It is characterized by a strong cough of a chronic type and attacks of suffocation. Disease is not only a pathology of the bronchi. The disease is considered to be the most complex pathology, which also depends on the health of the immune and nervous system, and the person's propensity to allergic reactions.
Symptoms of the disease are so complex that a person constantly needs therapy and prevention of ailment. The cough is always dry and it often catches its breath. There is a bronchial asthma in the basis of those who live in megacities, working with toxic substances and chemistry.
Pertussis
The misconception is that whooping cough is a very childish disease. The disease is also susceptible to adults, whose body is weakened. Despite the fact that recently vaccinations against whooping cough protect the child from this unpleasant disease, it still occurs.
A person has a dry convulsive cough of an acute nature. It leads to attacks of dyspnea and vomiting. In this case, urgent medical attention is required.
What is whooping cough and what is its danger:
Other causes of
If a person is sick with bronchitis, but continues to drink alcohol and smoke, a dry cough can last for more than a week.
The cause of cough can also be the ecological component of the environment where the patient lives. Typically, dry cough susceptible residents of megacities and cities where heavy industry is developed.
The most dangerous cause of the disease is the presence of tumors in the lungs, trachea, larynx.
Diagnosis
Dry cough can be a manifestation of a serious pathological process. Therefore, the appointment of treatment necessarily requires a preliminary diagnosis of the diagnosis by the doctor.
First and foremost, the pulmonologist focuses on the initial collection of information, which can be obtained after the first meeting with the patient. So, the doctor learns about the duration of the cough, its intensity and additional symptoms.
If the cough is prolonged and the person has not recently suffered from an infectious or catarrhal disease, the range of diagnostic studies is expanding. The following diagnostic steps look like this:
- is collecting physical examination data;
- sputum examination is performed;
- is assigned blood biochemistry;
- is assigned chest x-ray;
- bronchodilator tests are performed to assess the functions of external respiration;The
- measures the expiratory flow rate.
Additionally, diagnostic procedures can be prescribed:
- X-ray of the sinuses of the nose;
- CT of the nose and sinuses;
- ECG, ECHO KG;
- pH metry;
- esophagogastroduodenoscopy.
Recipes and remedies that can help
Dry cough therapy should be aimed at alleviating the intensity of the symptom, as well as spitting out. First you need to start treatment for the underlying disease. So, when suppressing the focus of the problem - the cough begins to soften, gradually disappearing altogether.
Help to fight a dry cough can such recommendations:
- drink more warm liquid - warm milk with honey, raspberry tea helps to fight perfectly with acute attacks of cough. Similar properties have some herbal and fruit teas. However, they need to drink only in warm, but not in hot form.
- the room must be constantly moistened - a lack of moisture adversely affects the respiratory system as a whole. This leads to the development of allergies and asthma. For humidification, it is necessary to ventilate the room within reasonable limits, do wet cleaning and use a humidifier.
- inhalation in the home or with the help of a nebulizer - procedures of this type, made on the basis of essential oils, help to suppress perfectly not only a dry but also a wet cough.
Cough Medications
Than Symptom
is DangerousAn untreated cough very often develops into a problem of a chronic nature. This includes chronic bronchitis, pharyngitis, sinusitis, tracheitis and others.
Dry cough, see our video:
Prevention and forecast
correct diagnosis allows for the correct purpose of therapy and recovery, respectively. Do not engage in self-medication and self-prescribe medicines, expectorants and antibiotics, especially in pregnancy.
To avoid the appearance of dry cough, it is possible, following such preventive measures:
- not to abuse traditional medicine;
- drink enough water;
- do not smoke;
- to ventilate the room of your home;
- observe the rules of hygiene;
- consumes more vitamins;
- should not be supercooled or overheated.
If the first suspicious symptoms occur, the pulmonologist must necessarily appear. This will help to avoid complications and chronic diseases.