Sore throat and dry cough
Sore throat and dry cough can be symptoms of a number of diseases – both infectious and allergic. “Komsomolskaya Pravda” tells what to do if you have the first symptoms of a cold

There is hardly a person who has not experienced an unpleasant tickling in the throat, accompanied by a cough. Sometimes a feeling of tickling or sore throat occurs unexpectedly during a conversation. At this moment, we want to clear our throat, drink a sip of water. Consider the main causes of this symptom, treatment and prevention measures.

Causes of sore throat

The cause of perspiration, accompanied by a dry cough, can be both external and internal factors. External factors include: polluted and dusty air, dry climate, exhaust gases. One of the common causes of tickling is dehydration of the mucous membrane of the throat. The reason for this may be being in a room with dry unhumidified air.

Another factor that causes a sore throat can be smoking, because due to the constant deposition of harmful substances on the mucous membrane of the throat, it is constantly irritated.1. Internal factors that cause a sore throat include:

  1. Infectious-inflammatory diseases, such as pharyngitis, laryngitis, tonsillitis, etc. Usually, redness is observed when examining the throat. If perspiration is accompanied by a runny nose, pain when swallowing, hoarseness, you need to seek help from a doctor who will establish an accurate diagnosis and prescribe treatment.
  2. Gastroesophageal reflux – reflux of stomach contents into the esophagus, which causes irritation of the throat and, as a result, coughing2.
  3. SARS or acute respiratory viral infection – a fairly common disease in the autumn-winter season, which affects residents of large cities. These include influenza, parainfluenza, and other viral infections that affect the respiratory tract. The main route of transmission of viral infections is contact and airborne. When the virus affects the mucous membrane of the pharynx and larynx, an inflammatory reaction develops, which manifests itself in the form of perspiration and dry cough, which after a while can turn into a productive one, i.e. with sputum.
  4. RџSЂRё oncological diseases irritation of the mucous membrane of the throat, perspiration, dry cough can serve as early symptoms of cancer of the larynx or laryngopharynx. These signs may be followed by hoarseness, and then a complete loss of voice, impaired swallowing, etc.
  5. Allergic diseases – the most common cause of a sore throat and dry cough. Allergens can cause irritation of the mucous membrane of the larynx. For example, dust, animal hair, plant pollen, some food products. Usually, with a sore throat associated with allergies, there are other characteristic symptoms, such as lacrimation, runny nose, itchy nose.

– Frequent sore throat is a manifestation of chronic pharyngitis, that is, chronic inflammation of the mucous membrane of the posterior pharyngeal wall. At the same time, the mucous membrane becomes thinner and requires additional nutrition, hydration and treatment. In addition to tickling, patients also usually complain of dryness, a feeling of a lump, sore throat, our expert notes. MD, ENT surgeon Konstantin Dobretsov.

Why perspiration causes a dry cough

The cough reflex (that is, the occurrence of a cough) is directly related to irritation of the nerve endings of the mucous membrane of the throat. Infectious agents, particles of dust, polluted air, allergens settle in the mucous membrane of the larynx, which first causes itching, and then turns into a dry cough.

Sore throat treatment methods

Sore throat remedies

For effective treatment of sore throat, it is necessary to eliminate the cause that caused it. To do this, you need to consult a doctor who will diagnose and select a treatment. The prescribed therapy may vary depending on the cause of the sore throat. For example, with ARVI, it is necessary to prescribe antiviral agents and immunostimulants. If a sore throat occurs due to an allergy, it is necessary to limit contact with the allergen and prescribe a course of antihistamines.

With a dry cough, it is desirable to soften it, make it productive, that is, achieve sputum separation. The appearance of sputum helps to clear the mucous membrane of the respiratory tract from pollution and other irritating agents. Various sprays and expectorants help to soften the cough. The most popular of them are Sinekod, Lazolvan, ACC, Ambroxol, etc.

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Lozenges or lozenges to suck on a sore throat

— To date, there are a large number of lozenges that eliminate pain, have an antibacterial and anti-inflammatory effect. However, you need to understand that their effect lasts exactly as long as they are in the mouth. They also contain a large amount of sugar, and the abuse of these lollipops can increase the load on the pancreas and lead to an increase in blood glucose levels, says expert Konstantin Dobretsov.

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Inhalation for sore throat

Inhalations are another very common method of physiotherapy treatment. It is also convenient in that it can be used at home, and it is very easy to use. But not all inhalations can be used for chronic pharyngitis.

To date, there are several types of inhalations: steam, compressor, ultrasonic.

The use of steam inhalations for sore throat can cause an additional microburn of the pharyngeal mucosa, and the clinical picture of chronic pharyngitis will only intensify. Therefore, when itching in the throat, it is better to use a nebulizer, which, under the action of a compressor or ultrasound, turns the solution into an aerosol, into fine particles. They settle on the mucous membrane of the laryngopharynx and exert their therapeutic effect. It is best to use ultrasonic inhalations with mineral water for chronic pharyngitis. Alkaline (for example, Borjomi) or alkaline-salt (for example, Essentuki-4) solutions are well suited for this. These inhalations help to reduce inflammation, positively affect blood circulation and trophism of the pharyngeal mucosa, which ultimately reduces perspiration and dryness in the pharynx.

“It is also very important to follow proper nutrition, avoid spicy and peppery foods, do not drink strong alcoholic drinks, do not smoke, including electronic cigarettes and hookah,” notes Konstantin Dobretsov.

Prevention of sore throat

To prevent sore throat, you must follow certain rules:

  • regularly do wet cleaning, ventilate the room, wipe dust, humidify the air;
  • quit smoking;
  • increase fluid intake, especially during hot weather;
  • try not to overcool, do not abuse cold foods (ice cream, cold drinks, etc.), beware of drafts;
  • in the presence of chronic diseases (tonsillitis, sinusitis, caries), as well as SARS, you need to consult a doctor in time3.

Popular questions and answers

Doctor of Medical Sciences, ENT surgeon Konstantin Dobretsov answers popular questions about a sore throat.

How to relieve severe itching?

– The first is inhalation, which is mentioned above. Also, a strong scratchy throat can facilitate the use of vegetable oils. Of course, it is technically quite difficult to lubricate the back wall of the pharynx due to the pharyngeal and gag reflexes. Therefore, vegetable oils must be instilled into the nose, lying on your back. So they will drain into the nasopharynx and pharynx, softening the mucous membrane. The choice of oils is quite large, these are peach, apricot, olive oils and others.

If sore throat is combined with pain, then it is necessary to use sprays containing an anti-inflammatory component, for example, Tantum Verde, Vertum ENT, Angidak and analogues.

What you can not do with chronic pharyngitis is to gargle. Rinsing washes away the entire protective layer from the mucous membrane of the pharynx, exposing it to viruses and bacteria. As a result, inflammation, and with it the sore throat, will only intensify.        

How to treat perspiration in a child?

– In children, chronic pharyngitis is extremely rare, so most often a sore throat is associated with the flow of mucus from the nasopharynx and irritation of the pharyngeal mucosa. The main source of discharge in the nasopharynx in children are adenoids. Adenoids are the pharyngeal tonsil, which is very active in preschool and primary school age. With infections, it increases and becomes inflamed, a chronic inflammatory process occurs – adenoiditis. To reduce sore throat in children, it is necessary to treat these inflammatory changes.

At home, it is necessary to wash the nose, use sprays with sea water. Physiotherapy is also effective: laser, tube quartz, halotherapy. With an increase in adenoids to 2-3 degrees, when there is a persistent difficulty in nasal breathing, breathing stops during sleep, changes in bite and hearing impairment, adenoids are removed. As a result, along with the restoration of nasal breathing, the sore throat also disappears.

Sore throat during pregnancy – what to do?

– During pregnancy, a woman undergoes hormonal changes, a decrease in the activity of the immune system, a lack of vitamins, which provokes an exacerbation of chronic diseases of the upper respiratory tract. In addition, the occurrence of rhinitis during pregnancy also leads to chronic runny nose and mucus flow down the back of the throat. All this can lead to a sore throat.

Given the risks of undesirable effects of drugs on the fetus, the treatment of any pathology in a pregnant woman should be justified and weighed. In this case, ultrasonic inhalations with mineral water are absolutely harmless for both the unborn baby and the pregnant woman. However, it is worth refraining from using various sprays in the throat. In any case, the use of drugs during pregnancy should be used only as directed by a doctor.

Can folk remedies help with a sore throat?

– Despite the lack of an evidence base, folk remedies are widely used in the treatment of chronic pharyngitis and sore throat. Although not all of them really have a positive effect on the mucous membrane. It is strictly forbidden to breathe over hot potatoes, boiling soda or steam in the bath – all this leads to a burn of the pharyngeal mucosa and increased inflammation. It is also worth avoiding aggressive influences in the form of lubricating the throat with kerosene or gargling with strong alcoholic drinks. But the resorption of honey helps a lot to eliminate dryness and perspiration in the throat.

A mixture based on honey and radish is even more effective. To do this, you need to cut a recess in the radish, put a few tablespoons of honey there, then insist this mass for 10-12 hours and take it, dissolving, 1-2 times a day. Due to its therapeutic effect and the composition of trace elements, honey with radish has a beneficial effect on the pharyngeal mucosa and reduces sore throat.

Sources:

  1. Smoking as a risk factor for lung disease. Zaripova A.I., Khazimullina E.R. Journal “Problems of modern science and education”, 2015. https://cyberleninka.ru/article/n/kurenie-kak-faktor-riska-vozniknoveniya-zabolevaniy-legkih
  2. Chronic cough. Who is to blame and what to do? Chikina S.Yu. Journal “Medical Council”, 2018. https://cyberleninka.ru/article/n/hronicheskiy-kashel-kto-vinovat-i-chto-delat
  3. Treatment of acute inflammatory diseases accompanied by pain and sore throat. Petrovskaya M.I. Journal “Pediatric Pharmacology”, 2013
  4. The use of mineral water “Plastunskaya” in the complex treatment of acute purulent rhinosinusitis. Zinchuk N.M., Khodasevich L.S. Journal “Modern issues of biomedicine”, 2018. https://cyberleninka.ru/article/n/ispolzovanie-mineralnoy-vody-plastunskaya-v-kompleksnom-lechenii-ostrogo-gnoynogo-rinosinusita

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