Chronic coughs can cause exhaustion, insomnia, and disruption to daily life. They are often caused by underlying issues such as acid reflux, allergies, or asthma. Women and smokers are more at risk. A doctor can diagnose and treat the cause, with treatments including antihistamines, inhalers, and acid-reducing medications.
While a normal cough may be a mild irritation, a chronic cough, or a cough that lasts for more than eight weeks, can present bigger problems. Chronic coughing can wear a person down to exhaustion, as well as cause insomnia, frustration, and a general disruption to life. It is also one of the most common health problems people have every year.
As with a normal cough, a chronic cough is a symptom of an underlying problem. The best way to treat a chronic cough is to visit a doctor, determine the cause, and treat it. A cough that causes blood or a septum to be expelled, as well as one that affects a person’s daily life, typically warrants a doctor’s attention.
Patients suffering from chronic cough can experience many other symptoms. Identifying these symptoms is integral to diagnosing the cause of the cough. Some symptoms may include heartburn, wheezing, runny nose, stuffy nose, shortness of breath, nasal drainage in the throat, a sour taste in the mouth, or coughing up blood.
Most chronic coughs are caused by acid reflux, postnasal drip, allergies or asthma. Other causes may include exposure to an irritant, such as a harmful chemical or pesticide, bronchitis, a respiratory tract infection, lung cancer, or a response to blood pressure medications. Bronchiectasis, a serious condition in which the lungs fail to expel mucus, could also be the culprit.
A chronic cough can affect anyone; however, there are some risk factors that increase a person’s chance of experiencing it. Women are more likely than men to develop chronic cough, as their cough reflexes are more sensitive than men’s. Smokers are also more likely to suffer from chronic dry cough, as are people who inhale secondhand smoke.
Although people are often reluctant to go to a doctor for help with something like a cough, not fixing a chronic cough can lead to serious complications. If left untreated, a chronic cough can lead to urinary incontinence, headaches, profuse sweating, and dizziness. In some cases, fractured ribs may also occur.
Doctors can often diagnose the cause of a chronic cough in a single visit. If not, you may need to do some tests, such as chest X-rays, nasal endoscopy, or tests to determine the cause. Once the cause is determined, a treatment plan can be created.
Treatments for chronic cough will depend on the diagnosis made. If the cause of the cough is common postnasal drip, antihistamines and decongestants may be prescribed. Asthmatics may leave the doctor’s office with a prescription for an inhaler or nasal spray, while acid reflux sufferers may be given acid-reducing medications.
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