Cough Causes, Symptoms And Treatment

A cough is a voluntary or involuntary action that clears foreign particles, microbes, irritants, fluids and mucus from your throat and airway passage. It is also known as tussis. It is a process of rapid expulsion of air from your lungs. There are two main types of cough, productive and non-productive cough. A productive cough clears your lungs by producing mucus while non-productive does not produce mucus. Non-productive cough is also known as dry cough. Other types of cough are barky cough, daytime cough, cough with a fever, whooping cough, cough with wheezing, nighttime cough, cough with vomiting and persistent cough. Cough is an important and healthy reflexive action of your body. But if the cough persists for a longer period of time, then it can be an indicating sign of disease. It is usually relieved on its own within three weeks even without treatment. But you should consult with your general physician if your cough persists for more than three weeks.

Causes

Acute cough is caused by respiratory tract infections. There are two types of respiratory tract infection, lower and upper respiratory tract infections. Lower respiratory tract infections include bronchitis, pneumonia while upper respiratory tract infections include cold, flu, sinusitis, laryngitis and common cold. Acute cough can also be caused by hay fever. Hay fever causes cold-like signs and symptoms and it is also known as allergic rhinitis. Chronic cough is caused by smoking, gastro-esophageal reflux disease, tuberculosis, fungal lungs infections, lung cancer, cystic fibrosis, asthma and post nasal drip. In post nasal drip, mucus drips down the back of throat from the back of your nose and often causes coughing. People with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), bronchiectasis and chronic bronchitis are at higher risk for developing cough. Some medications can also cause chronic cough such as ACE inhibitors. It can also occur as a result of heartburn (acid reflux).

Symptoms

You may also feel the following symptoms along with cough,

• Sore throat
• Runny or stuffy nose
• Postnasal drip (In post nasal drip, mucus drips down the back of throat from the back of your nose and often causes coughing.)
• Wheezing
• Shortness of breath
• Hoarseness
• Heartburn
• Feeling of bad or sore taste in the mouth
• Coughing up blood (in rare cases)
• Tightness or pain in your chest

Treatment

Cough is usually relieved on its own within three weeks even without treatment. But you should consult with your general physician if your cough persists for more than three weeks.  Homemade remedies also play an effective role in treating cough. You should take honey and lemon in a cup of hot water. You should take proper rest and keep yourself well hydrated by drinking plenty of fluids. You can also take painkillers to treat any pain such as paracetamol or ibuprofen. In case of chronic or persistent cough, your doctor may prescribe expectorant and antitussive medications. Expectorants facilitate the removal of mucus by increasing its secretions or reducing its viscosity. There are two main types of expectorants, mucokinetics and mucolytics. Mucokinetics includes sodium or potassium citrate, potassium iodide, guaifenesin, balsam of tolu, vasaka and ammonium chloride. The most commonly used mucolytics are bromhexine, ambroxol, acetylcysteine and carbocysteine. Antitussive medications are cough suppressants. They act on the central nervous system and enhance the threshold of the cough center. They are prescribed for the treatment of dry unproductive cough only. There are two types of antitussive drugs, opioids and nonopioids. The most commonly used opioids are codeine and pholcodine. Non-opioids antitussive drugs include noscapine, dextromethorphan and chlophedianol. Your doctor can also prescribe antihistamines in case of an allergic reaction such as chlorpheniramine, diphenhydramine and promethazine.