Chronic
Coughing
First of
all, what is coughing? Coughing is
a reflex action started by stimulation of sensory nerves in the lining
of the respiratory passages - the tubes we use to breathe.
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When a
person coughs, there is a short intake of breath and
the larynx (the voice box) closes momentarily. The abdominal and chest
muscles used for breathing contract, which in turn increases the pressure
needed to drive air out the lungs when the larynx re-opens.
You start coughing.
The resulting
blast of air comes out at high speed, scrubbing and clearing the airway
of dust, dirt or excessive secretions. This is a common
symptom when the airways are 'tight', as in asthma and bronchitis.
The reflex
is a vital part of the body's defence mechanisms. Normally, the lungs
and the lower respiratory passages are sterile. If dust or dirt get
into the lungs, they could become a breeding ground for bacteria and
cause an infection in the breathing tubes.
What causes
coughing?
It usually means there is something in the respiratory passages
that should not be there. This can be caused by breathing in dust particles
in the air or when a piece of food goes down the wrong way.
Coughing
could also be a sign that an infection in the lungs is making the respiratory
passages produce phlegm.
- It can be provoked by:
The
common cold, which is a frequent cause of acute coughing that usually
settles in less than three weeks.
- Sucking
material into the breathing tubes from your mouth, which starts a
bout of coughing.
- It also can be caused by more severe illnesses, such as
pneumonia, acute heart failure or pulmonary embolism (a clot in the
blood vessels of the lung).
- Smoking,
which often causes chronic coughing.
- Asthma
- particularly in children who may only show coughing and no wheezing.
- Another
cause is stomach acid coming back up the gullet and spilling over
into the windpipe (gastro-oesophageal reflux).
- Medicines
used in heart disease called angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors
can also cause coughing.
- A common
cause of chronic coughing is bacterial or viral infections
in the lungs, e.g. acute bronchitis, pneumonia, whooping cough, croup
in children.
- Coughing
is more efficient when preceded by a full intake of air.
For this
reason, patients with weak muscles, poor coordination of airway closure
and re-opening, or who have airflow obstruction will have a poor coughing
result and be susceptible to complications including chronic coughing
infection in the lower respiratory tract and pneumonia.
How can coughing be treated?
Coughing
is a symptom, not a disease. It is the underlying cause that needs to
be treated.
You should
consult your doctor if any of the following symptoms accompany your
coughing, so that possible underlying causes can be
investigated and treated where necessary:
- Coughing
up phlegm that is green, rusty brown, yellow, blood-stained or foul
smelling.
- Chest
pain.
- Shortness
of breath or wheezing.
- Pain
and swelling in the calf.
- Recurrent
night-time coughing.
- Whooping
cough or croup.
- Worsening
smoker’s cough.
- Sudden
weight loss.
- Fever
and sweating.
- If you
can't cough but need to, problems soon arise. Equally, when coughing
is painful (for example, because of a broken rib), patients try not
to cough and this can be dangerous.
What if
a young child is coughing?
Older children
and adults usually have some idea whether their coughing
is caused by a foreign body, dust or smoke particles, or an infection
in the breathing tubes. Clinical inspection will reveal features that
may suggest a specific cause.
If a young
child is coughing, parents need to be able to tell
whether the coughing is a sign of disease or whether their child has
a foreign body in their respiratory passages.
If your
child also has a fever or a cold, this is a sign of an infection. If
nothing else seems to be wrong, wait for the coughing to go away. If
the coughing goes on for more than a couple of days, consult a doctor.
If the coughing comes on suddenly, and is very forceful,
it's likely your child has swallowed something that's causing the cough.
This could be life-threatening for your child, who could choke. Lift
your child by the legs so their head points downwards, then slap their
back with a cupped hand. If this doesn't help, call an ambulance immediately.
If at any point your child seems very ill, you should consult an emergency
doctor immediately.
An excellent coughing
treatment to relieve coughs and coughing is the
latest treatment discovered by James Churchill. This new and
unique chronic coughing remedy is
a natural and it simply involves three readily available plant
extracts and a mineral. This coughing treatment seems to work
by killing the bacteria and viruses that cause infection in
the lungs.
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This new
discovery is proving very popular and effective. For more details
of this simple coughing treatment, please click Chronic
Coughing
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