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Cough

Description

Cough is a sudden, expulsive reflex to clear out the irritants from the respiratory tract.

It is usually of two common types:

  • Dry cough - which presents itself with an itchy throat and no mucus production.
  • Productive cough – also known as 'wet' cough, in which there is a lot of mucus production along with a congested or 'tight chest' feeling. 
Causes

Cough can be classified as acute (lasts for less than 3 weeks) and chronic (lasts for longer than 3 weeks). Known causes of acute cough are:

  • Flu,
  • Common cold,
  • Laryngitis (inflammation of larynx),
  • Bronchitis (inflammation of bronchi),
  • Pneumonia (bacterial infection that causes of inflammation of air sacs in lungs),
  • Sinusitis (inflammation of sinuses),
  • Pharyngitis (inflammation of pharynx).

Known causes of chronic cough are:

  • Smoking,
  • Asthma (swelling and narrowing of airways),
  • Post-nasal drip,
  • Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease,
  • Gastroesophageal reflux disease (movement of acid from stomach to lower part of esophagus),
  • Certain medicines like ACE inhibitors (antihypertensive),
  • Tuberculosis,
  • Lung cancer.
Risk factors

Prominent risk factors of cough are:

  • Active and passive smoking,
  • Allergies,
  • Air pollution,
  • Industrial fumes and smoke,
  • Asthma (swelling and narrowing of airways).
Symptoms

Cough itself is usually a symptom of an underlying disease. However, it may sometimes be associated with the following:

  • Runny and stuffy nose,
  • Post-nasal drip,
  • Sore throat,
  • Hoarseness (heaviness) of voice,
  • Wheezing (whistling sounds on breathing),
  • Shortness of breath,
  • Heartburn,
  • Sour taste in mouth,
  • Expulsion of mucus,
  • Coughing up blood.
Diagnosis

It is important to diagnose the underlying cause of cough. For this, your physician may take a detailed history, inspect your chest and hear your breath sounds.

Following tests may be done to rule out the causes:

  • Blood test
  • Pulmonary function test – this test helps in know how well your lungs are working.
  • Chest X-ray
  • Sputum test/culture
Management

The treatment aims at relieving cough and treating the underlying cause as well.

For cough your doctor may prescribe you the following, depending on the cause:

  • Antitussive drugs or Cough suppressants
  • Antibiotics
  • Asthmatic drug – steroids and bronchodilators
  • Anti-tuberculosis drugs
When to consult a doctor?

 

You are advised to consult a doctor if your cough does not resolve within 3 weeks, your condition starts worsening, you start coughing up blood, if coughing is associated with vomiting, chest pain, weight loss, presence of lumps in neck, alteration of voice, high grade fever, difficulty in swallowing, and shortness of breath.

 

 

Available Medicine for Cough

Rhinathiol 5%

Rs.94

Sanofi

Rhinathiol 2%

Rs.53

Sanofi

Costa 100 mg / 5 ml

Rs.98.77

Hirani's Pharma

Costa 250 mg / 5 ml

Rs.161

Hirani's Pharma

Costa - Pro 100 mg / 2.5 mg

Rs.127.28

Hirani's Pharma

Costa 375 mg

Rs.100

Hirani's Pharma

Ventolin Expectorant (sugar Free)

Rs.68.81

GlaxoSmithKline

Muconyl

Rs.67.35

Barrett