Chronic Cough

A cough is considered chronic if it lasts two months or extended periods. Chronic cough deprives you of sleep, causes physical and mental exhaustion, and sometimes social stigma. Chronic cough often doesn’t respond to treatment and can’t be linked to a specific condition.

You can experience chronic cough if you have pulmonary fibrosis, asthma, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. It can also indicate lung disease that is yet to be diagnosed. Once you undergo treatment of the underlying condition, chronic cough will disappear.

Symptoms

Chronic cough can present itself with several signs. These signs include frequent sore throat and throat clearing, stuffy or runny nose, and hoarseness.Other symptoms include the following:

• Shortness of breath and wheezing
• Sour taste or heartburn
• Rapid breathing
• Coughing of blood in rare cases
• Postnasal drip

Thus, you need to understand when to visit a doctor. Check if the cough affects your activities for days on end, running into weeks. Visit a doctor if you have sputum or blood.

Diagnosis

Chronic cough diagnosis entails several steps where the doctor conducts tests, examines your medical history, and performs a physical examination. For example, medical history will entail informing the doctor when the cough started, whether it has mucus, and whether you have any chronic diseases or medical illnesses.

On the other hand, a physical examination entails the doctor checking your temperature. They can also examine the back of your throat and ears or listen to your lungs or heart. In addition, diagnostic tests can involve a blood test for signs of infection or allergy, chest x-ray, and throat swab, among many other tickets.

Management and Treatment

The severity level of a chronic cough can be lowered by speech therapy. In addition, you can try over-the- counter cough medicines containing Mucinex and Robitussin for the relaxation of cough flex. Cough suppressants can also come in handy in the management of symptoms.

Treatments take specific angles depending on the cause of your cough. For example, if the condition is caused by asthma, you can use not limited bronchodilators and steroids. Medications that break, neutralize, and reduce acid production can neutralize a state like acid reflux.

How Can We Help?

To find a lasting solution to chronic cough problems, you need to identify healthcare providers where services are accurate and reliable. Our specialists have extensive experience diagnosing and treating patients with chronic cough.