Cough may be due to many reasons. Cough that lasts up to 3 weeks is called acute cough, if it lasts between 3-8 weeks it is called subacute cough, and if it lasts more than 8 weeks it is called chronic cough.
A persistent cough should not be neglected, and the problem causing the cough should be determined without wasting time, as it may be a sign of a serious disease.
Upset. Dr. Nazlı Deniz Atik explained what you need to know about cough and its causes.
nasal drip manifests itself through cough
The most common cause of cough is postnasal drip. It may develop due to allergic conditions, flu, cold, etc. Diseases may also cause postnasal drip. Sinus irrigation, application of nasal sprays, and antihistamine treatments to open the nose and reduce postnasal drip will reduce postnasal drip and the associated cough. Cough after respiratory tract infections may last up to 8 weeks due to hypersensitivity of the airways (bronchial hyperactivity). There is no need to worry, it is a temporary situation. However, if the cough wakes you up at night or interferes with daily living activities, a physician should be consulted. Your doctor will prescribe medications that will help you get through this temporary process more easily. Natural methods such as ginger, turmeric, honey, sage and thyme tea can also be used to relieve cough.
Acute coughs that last 3-4 weeks are mostly due to infections. These infections can occur in the upper airway or lower airway. The presence of sputum accompanying the cough, the sputum being large amounts, yellow-green-brown, and fever are the reasons that suggest infection. In this case, a doctor should be consulted and treatment should be started after the necessary examinations.
THOSE WITH CHRONIC DISEASES NEED TO BE ESPECIALLY ATTENTION!
Especially those with chronic diseases such as hypertension and diabetes and people at risk should get a flu vaccine every year to protect themselves from infections. Patients with chronic lung-related diseases (such as asthma, COPD, bronchiectasis) should also receive a pneumococcal (pneumonia) vaccine in addition to flu vaccines. The risk of infection is reduced with vaccines. In COPD patients, the Tdap (dTaP/dTPa) vaccine is also recommended for protection against whooping cough in patients who were not vaccinated during adolescence, and the Zoster vaccine is recommended for COPD patients over the age of 50.
Coughs lasting more than 8 weeks may be caused by allergies, sinusitis, reflux, medications used to treat other diseases (such as blood pressure medications), smoking, heart failure, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), pulmonary fibrosis (hardening of the lung) and even lung cancer. it could be. In this case, a pulmonologist should be consulted.
ONE OF THE CAUSES OF COUGH IS REFLUX
Stomach acid can irritate the upper parts of the esophagus and trachea, triggering the cough reflex. Other symptoms that suggest reflux include the cough being associated with meals, bitter water coming into the mouth, and symptoms occurring more often when sleeping at night. If your cough is accompanied by stomach complaints, it is recommended that you see an internal medicine or gastroenterology specialist. Other causes of nocturnal cough include asthma, heart failure, and chronic sinusitis. In case of long-lasting coughs, chest diseases, ear, nose and throat, cardiology and internal medicine physicians work as a team to investigate the cause.
Smoking is also a common cause of cough. Smoking also increases the risk of pneumonia. Smokers may experience cough and phlegm production in the morning as the airways begin to clear overnight due to non-smoking. Smoking also increases the risk of lung cancer.
Especially people who have a cough lasting more than 8 weeks should definitely consult a pulmonologist. In patients presenting with cough, a physical examination must be performed first, then lung x-ray, respiratory function test and, if necessary, laboratory tests and lung tomography may be requested.
