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When we have a cold, coughing is not particularly questionable. But what if she’s not there? We deal with the causes of cough with a general practitioner and an allergist-immunologist.
The cough itself is the body’s defense mechanism. During a cold, it frees the respiratory tract from germs, foreign matter and “impurities”. But a cough, it turns out, can appear not only due to a cold and indicate more serious illnesses than a cold.
Therapist of the international medical center ON CLINIC
It can be an allergy, it can be gastrointestinal diseases, in particular the stomach, heart disease, helminthic invasions, taking medications can also provoke the appearance of cough, thyroid disease, diseases of ENT organs, tumor-like formations, ”the doctor lists the causes of cough. therapist Lyudmila Vasilenko.
As soon as a lingering cough appears, which is not treated for a month or more, it is necessary to consult a specialist, because only he will be able to make the correct diagnosis and prescribe the correct treatment. Some patients begin to self-medicate, which is fundamentally wrong.
If the cause of the cough, for example, lies in stomach problems, and the patient takes more and more antibiotics, wanting to get rid of the cough, this can further aggravate the situation. You may also develop allergies to certain drugs. You don’t need to self-medicate, you need to contact a specialist, ”the expert warns.
Some people still confuse a cough with a cold and wait for it to go away on its own. This cannot be done, only a doctor can distinguish a difficult cough from the flu or SARS. As a rule, with a cold or flu, there is not only a cough – a runny nose joins, a sore throat, and sometimes the temperature rises. If a cough occurs for unknown reasons, it is necessary to pass certain tests and take an x-ray of the lungs. Do not forget that the causes of cough can be tuberculosis or a neoplasm in the lung. The main symptom of tuberculosis and oncology is the presence of streaks of blood in the sputum. Also, against the background of such diseases, there is a sharp decrease in body weight, weakness, and decreased appetite.
According to Lyudmila Vasilenko, a cough can also appear due to chronic heart failure. About a third of patients with this diagnosis have a dry cough, which occurs, as a rule, after physical or emotional stress, and can often appear at night. Taking cough medicine in this situation is pointless, first of all it is necessary to treat heart failure. “If it is a cardiovascular pathology, due to the lack of treatment, stagnation in the pulmonary circulation may form. This can generally be fatal. You can’t let everything take its course. People over 45 with healthy lungs should be especially attentive to the dry cough symptom. A dry cough in this case may indicate a pathology of the heart, ”says the therapist.
Also, worms can provoke a cough. For example, the most common disease, ascariasis, can cause a dry cough and burning sensation in the chest. A cough can also be caused by parasites that a person can get from their pets. Parasites can live in the body for a long time and at the same time do not manifest themselves in any way. In this case, a cough is the reason for going to a specialist.
To find out more about this problem, we turned to another specialist. The otorhinolaryngologist named 5 reasons.
Otorhinolaryngologist, Doctor of Medical Sciences, Professor.
Head of the Otorhinolaryngology Center ON CLINIC
Otorhinolaryngologist of the highest category. Additional specializations: neurology, otoneurology.
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1. Gastroesophageal reflux.
This disease occurs against the background of insufficiency of the esophageal sphincter – the muscle ring that separates the esophagus from the stomach. If this muscle for some reason does not perform its functions, acid from the stomach, along with the food eaten, enters the esophagus and oropharynx, especially if you immediately take a horizontal position after eating. This often happens if a person eats up at night. The acidic environment, getting on the back wall of the larynx, irritates it, causing dryness and coughing. In addition, if there is a Helicobacter bacterium in the stomach, which causes gastric ulcer, it is possible for it to colonize the mouth. However, this does not happen very often. This pathology is treated by a gastroenterologist in conjunction with an ENT doctor.
2. In diseases of the thyroid gland, such as nodular and diffuse goiter, tumors of various etiologies.
Before you can be sure that the cause is the thyroid gland, other causes of cough must be ruled out. Usually, an ultrasound examination of the neck and lymph nodes is carried out, the blood is examined for the hormones TSH, T3 and T4, and an endocrinologist is consulted.
This is a violation of the nutrition of the mucous membrane and the development of dryness in the oropharynx, a feeling of lack of fluid when swallowing. The process affects the goblet cells of the mucous membrane of the posterior pharyngeal wall. In the absence of moisture, the mucous membrane ceases to perform its function, any nonspecific irritant (rough and spicy food, dry air, chemicals) leads to stimulation of nerve endings and coughing. Most often, atrophic pharyngitis appears in the elderly, but it can also occur at a young age, as a result of hormonal disorders, against the background of radio or chemotherapy for cancer, diseases of the stomach and intestines. The treatment of this pathology is always complex and includes consultations of an ENT doctor, endocrinologist, gynecologist, therapist and others.
Most often it is associated with pollen allergens (pollen of grasses, trees, shrubs), but it can also be associated with dust, fungus, animals and food. Usually, patients notice when the cough appears and when it disappears. With an allergic cough, taking antihistamines relieves symptoms, and the cough disappears when contact with the allergen stops.
5. Taking some drugs that lower blood pressure.
They can have the side effect of coughing. But it can be difficult for patients to associate coughs with these drugs. It may seem that the cough came later, however, it may be just a side effect of the medications. Although this side effect does not always occur. And if it does, then the cough usually goes away a few days after the drugs are stopped. Therefore, before using any drugs, you must read the instructions in detail.
And in conclusion: for any reason for a prolonged and persistent cough, do not self-medicate, see a doctor.