Your Cough: Causes, Symptoms, And Available Treatments
Your cough may be nothing or it could be something serious and require medical attention.
Cough: Causes
Air that’s polluted with chemicals like sulfur dioxide or nitric oxide can trigger a cough. Mold and dust can do the same. Using special filters on your air-conditioning unit or wearing a mask on your face when you go outdoors may help.
Common Cold
It’s caused by a virus that gets in through your mouth, eyes, or nose from tiny droplets in the air. You can catch it from a sick person’s cough or sneeze, or through touch, for example, if you grab a doorknob with the virus on it. In addition to the runny nose and sneezing fits it brings on, a cold also can get in your airway and make you cough. It usually runs its course in a week or so. See your doctor if it’s severe or lasts 2 weeks or more.
Postnasal Drip
When your body makes too much mucus, it drips down the back of your throat and can trigger coughs. Lots of things can cause it, including infections or allergies. Your treatment will depend on what that is. For example, if you have an infection, your doctor may give you antibiotics. Allergies can be managed with lifestyle changes, medication, or allergy shots.
Asthma
This happens when your airways narrow and swell. It can make it hard to breathe, and you may cough up mucus. Things that can trigger an asthma flare include pollen, dust, smoke, exercise, cold air, the common cold, and even stress. Your doctor can help you recognize and avoid these triggers. In addition, medication to help prevent an asthma attack and a drug you inhale in case one comes on suddenly, is available.
Acute Bronchitis
An infection of your throat-nose-lung area makes your bronchial tubes — which carry air to and from your lungs — inflamed. It usually gets better within a few days, but you may have a cough that brings up a thick, colored mucus for a couple of weeks. If that doesn’t go away or keeps coming back, you may have another problem, such as chronic bronchitis.. See your doctor to get the right treatment.
Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD)
This happens when stomach acid, sometimes mixed with partly digested food, flows back up toward your throat. That can irritate the tube that connects your throat to your stomach and make it hard to swallow. It also can bring on a dry cough. You usually can manage it with lifestyle changes and over-the-counter medications, but if you have a severe case, you may need prescription drugs or surgery.
Pneumonia
When bacteria or a virus or fungus infects your lungs, they make the air sacs inside fill with fluid or pus. That causes a cough with thick mucus. You’re also likely to have fever, chills, and trouble breathing. Treatments may include antibiotics (if it’s caused by bacteria), cough medicine, and drugs that help with fever and pain.
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
This is the name for a group of conditions, including emphysema and chronic bronchitis, that cause breathing problems. The tiny air sacs in your lungs get damaged or irritated, and that makes it hard for air to flow through. Treatment depends on the cause, but your doctor may give you medication and recommend lifestyle changes Stop smoking.
Whooping Cough (Pertussis)
The medical name for this condition is pertussis. It’s caused by a bacterial infection, and it comes with a telltale deep, hacking cough. It gets its name from the “whoop” sound you make when you try to take a deep breath between coughing fits. Most of us have had shots to prevent it, but you need boosters as you get older. If you spend time with a baby, make sure you’re up to date with the vaccination. Doctors treat it with antibiotics, but whooping cough can be very dangerous to infants and the elderly.
Obstructive Sleep Apnea
Snoring is the most common symptom of this condition, but research suggests it also may make you cough when you’re awake. It happens when your throat muscles relax during sleep, and your airway closes, making it hard to breathe. Your doctor may recommend a machine called a CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) that helps keep your airway open when you sleep, but some people need surgery.
Medication
ACE (acetylcholine) inhibitors, which are drugs used to treat high blood pressure, will also usually work well with few side effects. But up to 1 in 5 people who take them get a cough. If that happens to you, substitutes are available.
Heart Failure
This is when narrowed arteries, high blood pressure, or another condition keeps your heart from pumping as strongly as it should. One symptom is a cough that brings up a white or pink, foamy mucus. Medication and lifestyle changes, such as exercise, improved diet, and weight loss will help.
Lung Cancer
A cough, especially one that brings up blood, can be a sign of lung cancer. But noticeable changes in a long-term cough, such as “smoker’s cough”, also can be a sign, along with chest pain, headache, wheezing, and trouble breathing. Treatments for lung cancer may include radiation, chemotherapy, and surgery.
Conclusion
Watch this informative video on coughs: