Cough does not go away: causes and methods of treating the condition

In medical practice, there are many diseases that are accompanied by such an unpleasant phenomenon as coughing. Most people become alarmed when they see that their cough does not go away for several weeks, or even more so, months. It is at this moment that they begin to think that they have a serious pathology .

But sometimes it happens that a cough occurs as a complication of a previously suffered cold and can bother an already healthy person for a long time. And when this problem cannot be solved with the help of home remedies, a person finally decides to seek qualified medical help.

It is very difficult for the average person to understand why a cough does not go away quickly. This may be due to various reasons. The immune defense was weakened by the disease, during the treatment of which a new infection or virus was able to enter the body.

When everything is in order with the immune system, the body itself is able to repel the attacks of any virus. But if it is weakened, it can no longer cope with its basic functions. Therefore, when a person begins to be bothered by an incessant cough for a long time, he must first establish whose “fault” this unpleasant symptom arose. Only knowing this can you choose effective treatment.

Causes of a long cough

According to statistics, a cough can torment a person for a long time if he has one of the following diseases:

• tuberculosis;
• fungal microflora;
• mycoplasma;
• pneumocystis.

Some patients may also have a mixed infection . In this case, treatment is complicated, since the diseases caused by these microorganisms have a severe course. The patient may complain of weakness, fever and severe sweating.

• If the patient decides to undergo treatment on his own, does not complete the course prescribed by the doctor, or seeks medical help too late, then most often such diseases manage to develop into a chronic form .
• All these viruses and bacteria enter the human body through airborne droplets when the carrier of the infection sneezes or coughs.
• People who have weakened immune systems or are exposed to frequent stress at work are at greater risk of becoming infected than others.
• From this we can draw the only correct conclusion - each of us should regularly take measures to improve immunity , and for this it is necessary to increase the consumption of vegetables and fruits, ensure a normal sleep schedule and play sports.

What to do if the cough does not stop for a week?

A cough is an uncontrolled respiratory reflex, which is the body's response to irritation of the mucous membrane of the larynx, bronchi or throat and lung tissue. Through coughing, foreign bodies, harmful microorganisms, as well as dangerous mucus, dust and sputum are removed from the respiratory tract.

Experts attribute the appearance of a prolonged cough to the following factors :

• emotional stress;
• allergy;
• colds.

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It also needs to be said that each cough can have a different course. Depending on this, wet and dry, night, day, as well as periodic and other types of expiratory reflex are distinguished.

Treatment of weekly cough

If, based on the diagnostic results, it was possible to establish that a week’s cough was caused by an acute respiratory infection, then the doctor prescribes antitussive drugs .

However, under no circumstances should these be antibiotics, since they can only effectively fight bacteria.

Even if a strong cough persists for a long time, the doctor can prescribe expectorants based on medicinal plants to the patient. Immunomodulatory agents can also be added to them, which, when used, have a stimulating effect on the immune system and enhance the therapeutic effect of antiviral drugs.

In cases where the cough bothers the patient for a week or more and, on top of that, causes pain in the chest, and is also accompanied by an elevated temperature and causes constant release of bloody green or yellow sputum during expectoration, these symptoms should not be treated independently under any circumstances. . The patient should immediately see a doctor.

Patients who have been bothered by a persistent cough for a long time are given special treatment recommendations. For example, to avoid dry throat, they need to increase the amount of fluid they drink. As part of this recommendation, it is useful to drink a glass of warm milk with a spoon of honey before going to bed.

Juices and fruit drinks can bring no less benefits to the body. If a person has been bothered by a dry cough for 7 days, then he can drink one tablespoon of fresh black radish juice 3 times a day during the day.

Why does the cough not go away for a long time?

Sometimes the patient, even if he follows all the recommendations of the attending physician, cannot eliminate the unpleasant symptom. Few can understand what they should do. If this occurs, then this can be explained by the influence of the following factors:

• bronchial asthma;
• tuberculosis;
• pneumonia;
• foreign body in the respiratory tract;
• bronchitis.

In order to be able to quickly cope with a long-term cough, the doctor must know what exactly served as the catalyst for the disease or the disease itself, against which this symptom developed. It is also important to have a clear understanding of his character. A prolonged cough can be productive or unproductive, frequent or infrequent, as well as spasmodic or paroxysmal.

Seeing that the cough with sputum continues to bother you for more than a month, the patient needs to see a doctor as soon as possible. Moreover, if new symptoms have been added to the above:

• sharp pain in the chest;
• fast fatiguability;
• heat;
• dyspnea;
• lack of appetite;
• clear, thick discharge or sputum with blood clots;
• pronounced weight loss;
• attacks of nausea;
• increased sweating;
• severe swelling.

Over time, a prolonged cough can develop into a chronic one. This can be avoided if the patient seeks help from a doctor after 5 days, if during this time he was unable to cope with this symptom.

  Psychosomatics of cough: treatment in adults

Often people treat this symptom with disdain, especially since they see that there are no other phenomena that would indicate the seriousness of their condition - weakness, runny nose and fever. However, every day of delay leads to the fact that it will be incredibly difficult to cure this disease later.

If a patient cannot cure a cough within 4 weeks, then he should be examined by several highly specialized specialists - a phthisiatrician, an allergist, a therapist, an ENT specialist and, possibly, a pulmonologist. Having the examination results in hand, it will not be difficult for doctors to understand what is the cause of this condition and what specific means and procedures should be prescribed to the patient in order to relieve him of this symptom.

If we look at the observation statistics of patients who have been bothered by an incessant cough for a month, we can identify a list of diseases that can provoke the appearance of this symptom:

• pleurisy;
• silicosis;
• whooping cough;
• tuberculosis;
• asbestosis;
• sinusitis;
• cancer metastases or lung cancer;
• bronchial asthma;
• heart failure;
• Chronical bronchitis.

additional tests may be required before your doctor can tell you the exact cause of a persistent cough . A blood test, sputum culture for flora, a blood test for the presence of mycoplasma and chlamydia, as well as an X-ray of the lungs and the Mantoux test can help in making a more accurate diagnosis.

If a patient has been bothered by a severe cough for at least 4 weeks, this may be due to exposure to unfavorable external conditions or bad habits.

For example, in most cases, silicosis is diagnosed in miners, asbestosis is diagnosed in people employed in the construction industry, and pneumonitis is diagnosed in agricultural workers.

Cough does not go away for a long time in adults: how to treat?

The fight against this symptom must begin with the fact that the patient must begin to restore water balance . And this can be achieved by increasing the amount of fluid you drink. At the same time, he should reconsider his diet, which should contain a small amount of calories. And it is advisable to add more fruits and vegetables to it.

Also, inhalations with the addition of pine oil, baking soda, sage and chamomile, coltsfoot and thyme have a good healing effect. If over time the cough develops into a productive one with viscous secretions, then it would be correct to prescribe the patient medications that thin the sputum. Mucolytics and expectorants have similar properties.

And it is advisable to use drugs that contain medicinal plants to treat cough in adults. If the cough is accompanied by a small amount of discharge, then it would be correct to prescribe expectorant syrups and tablets to the patient. It must be said that these medications should not be taken simultaneously with antitussive drugs.

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Prolonged cough

According to medical terminology, a cough is called long-term if it bothers the patient for 4-8 weeks. Thus, a cough that persists for two weeks may become a long-term symptom over time.

Seeing that nothing helps against the cough and it has been going on for a long time, we can assume that it could be caused by one of the following diseases:

• lungs' cancer;
• tuberculosis;
• HIV infection;
• left ventricular failure;
• bronchial asthma.

Treatment for long-term cough in adults should not be based solely on symptoms. To make a more accurate diagnosis, it is necessary to conduct additional research to help determine the true causes of a prolonged cough.

For example, rapid and confused breathing is often observed with pulmonary heart failure.

If the doctor suspects the presence of lung cancer or bronchiectasis, he may prescribe a special “drumstick” examination.

In addition to the above measures, an examination of the mucous membrane of the nasopharynx or pharynx must be carried out. The specialist should pay attention to nasal discharge, differentiate between polyps in the nasal cavity and sinusitis, which in most patients causes discomfort in the projection of the paranasal sinuses.

It must be said that a cough that does not stop for a long time is not in all cases accompanied by an elevated temperature. Basically, it is one of the symptoms that one has to observe in diseases such as pneumonia, tuberculosis and sinusitis.

Before making a diagnosis, the doctor should also examine the patient’s neck. It is possible that a positive venous pulse will be detected there, and this is a clear sign of pulmonary failure .

If during an examination an adult patient was found to have enlarged posterior or anterior cervical lymph nodes and nodes in the supraclavicular region, then based on this it can be assumed that the patient has cancer of the larynx and lungs. Listening can further clarify the situation, during which you can identify noise or local or scattered dry rales.

Conclusion

But by this point, quite a lot of time has passed and the disease has time to develop, which significantly complicates its treatment. Therefore, you shouldn’t let it come to this. It is best to play it safe and already in the first weeks after unsuccessful attempts to cure a cough on your own, make an appointment with a specialist.

Attention, TODAY only!

Source: https://BolitGorlo.com/2017/04/chto-delat-esli-dolgo-ne-prohodit-kashel/

Why does an adult’s cough not go away? What should a patient do?

Coughing is a natural and normal process. This is the body's reaction to the penetration of foreign objects into the upper and lower respiratory tract. These may be exudate, aspiration contents, or other objects.

According to medical statistics, cough develops in 100% of patients at some point in life. In the vast majority of cases, we are talking about pathological reasons. The diseases are multiple.  

The nature of the reflex can be dry or wet. Often the cough does not go away on its own.

If the symptom does not go away for 2 weeks or more, it is necessary to identify the root cause of the problem and begin urgent treatment. We often have to talk about complex and serious diseases, but which ones? What do you need to know about such a difficult symptom as a cough?

Causes of a dry, persistent cough

A dry or unproductive reflex almost always accompanies pathological processes. Contrary to popular belief, a cough that does not go away for several weeks or a month or more is not always the result of problems with the lungs and bronchi. What diseases are we talking about?

Hyperthyroidism with goiter

• Goiter is a nodular or more often diffuse enlargement of the thyroid gland, provoked by a number of exogenous and endogenous factors.
• In this case, cough develops as a result of compression of the trachea and bronchi by an overgrown endocrine organ.
• Excessive pressure leads to irritation of the lower respiratory tract.
• The result is the formation of an intense reflex that will not go away until the operation is performed.

In this case, sputum production is not typical and is never observed. The release of exudate does not indicate the thyroid genesis of the disease.

Pleurisy

Inflammation of the outer lining of the lungs. The pleura is a thin membrane of the bronchopulmonary structures; it primarily performs a protective function.

Pleurisy almost never develops as a primary pathology.

Most often we are talking about a secondary process, which is explained by inflammation of the pulmonary structures, bronchi, tracheitis (during the descent of pathogenic flora into the lower respiratory tract).

The disease is accompanied by nonspecific symptoms, primarily an intense, painful cough without phlegm that can last for months, chest pain and others.

Rhinitis, sinusitis and other diseases of the upper respiratory tract

Paradoxically, it is possible to develop a cough even if the nasal passages and nasopharynx are affected. The reason is the flow of mucus and exudate, which is actively produced during a runny nose, into the lower respiratory tract.

Next, the mechanism goes through the standard path. The ciliated epithelium and its cilia perceive mucus and exudate as foreign objects that need to be expelled from the passages. A strong cough reflex develops.

In this case, there are practically no accompanying symptoms. This is a characteristic feature of the nasal nature of the cough.

Whooping cough

Childhood disease. It practically never occurs among adult patients, which is understandable.

This pathology develops with significantly reduced immunity, which is rarely observed in older patients.

The cough is intense, painful, clogging. It gets to the point where the patient begins to vomit from the force of the reflex.  

Measles

Another inflammatory and infectious disease that occurs mainly in children and adolescents under 16 years of age. It is characterized by the same painful, long cough, although not always. Much depends on the strength of the infection.

Heart failure

Strangely, however, a cough can also develop as a result of congestive cardiac damage, which is explained by stretching of the ventricles of the heart.

It's all about disruption of gas exchange. When the heart muscle stops working as well as it should, the blood is less supplied with oxygen.

Shortness of breath begins, which leads to drying of the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract. The result is a cough, which is not always intense.

This is just one of the mechanisms for the formation of the reflex in heart failure. The disease is accompanied by many external symptoms. This dry cough does not go away for a month until the heart problems are eliminated.

Pharyngitis

It appears to be a disease in which inflammation of the pharyngeal mucous membranes and epithelial tissues occurs.

This unpleasant process is accompanied by sore throat, decreased swallowing activity of muscle structures, a dry cough, and voice disturbances (it becomes hoarse, hoarse, or disappears altogether).

Despite the discomfort of the current situation, pharyngitis extremely rarely produces complex and life-threatening symptoms. Although there is still a threat.

Most of the disease is infectious in nature; pathogenic flora can descend into the lower respiratory tract and develop secondary damage to bronchopulmonary structures.

Laryngitis

Despite the similarity of names, it has nothing to do with pharyngitis. Inflammation of the larynx forms. The cough with laryngitis is specific: it is barking, clogging, and booming in nature.

Timely treatment is required, since secondary respiratory failure and suffocation are quite possible. However, death occurs extremely rarely.

A dry, persistent cough thus develops for many reasons, but there are even more factors in the development of the wet reflex. 

Wet cough

The productive reflex develops for several dozen reasons. If a cough with sputum does not go away for a month or more, we are talking about a number of diseases that are prone to a chronic, long-term course. Among all the most common diseases are the following:

• Influenza infection. Including acute respiratory diseases of a different nature. Surely everyone knows the following symptoms of a cold: wet cough with a lot of sputum, shortness of breath, breathing problems. These are manifestations of influenza infection or other acute respiratory disease. The flu itself, like other diseases, does not cause a cough. We are talking about secondary tracheitis; as a rule, secondary bronchitis is somewhat less common.
• Bronchitis. Inflammatory damage to bronchopulmonary structures. Accompanied by an intense cough with the discharge of a large amount of sputum (but not always), chest pain, and severe shortness of breath. Possible suffocation. Bronchitis, unlike pneumonia, is less aggressive and much less likely to lead to a fatal outcome of the disease. The pathology tends to become chronic, causing a residual cough that lasts for months.
• Pneumonia. Pneumonia is not always accompanied by a wet cough. It is possible for the disease to progress without any manifestation of a reflex from the lower respiratory tract. But most often there is a slight cough with a small amount of sputum. Similar to bronchitis, the pathology can take on sluggish forms that do not go away for years.
• Tracheitis. Defined as an inflammatory lesion of the tracheal mucosa. It is this structure that is most rich in nerves and ciliary epithelium, and therefore actively responds to inflammation and swelling. The cough is severe, with a lot of sputum, and lasts on average 2-3 weeks with appropriate treatment.
• Bronchial asthma. An obstructive disease, during which narrowing of the lumen of the bronchi and breathing problems occurs. The flow is paroxysmal, with the discharge of a small amount of mucous exudate. This cough does not go away for a long time in adults and children; the pathology can accompany the patient all his life.
• Tuberculosis and lung cancer. Both pathologies have the same symptoms. The leading manifestation is the discharge of bloody sputum.
• COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease). Most often observed in patients with a significant history of smoking. It is characterized by destruction of the bronchial tree, constant obstruction, inability to breathe normally, and a wet cough. Potentially incurable disease.
• Reflux esophagitis with aspiration of gastric contents. Until the cause of the weakness of the gastric sphincter is eliminated (it happens that it cannot be cured), the cough reflex will haunt the patient.
• Bronchiectasis. Accompanied by the discharge of purulent exudate. The disease is typically characterized by the formation of purulent inclusions in the alveoli: the alveolar structures literally turn into sacs with exudate.

In some cases, a combination of several diseases at once is possible, for example, bronchial asthma with tracheitis, etc. In this case, the course of both ailments worsens significantly, overlapping one another.

Cough for more than a month

1. If the cough does not go away for a month or longer, it can develop as a result of the course of diseases of both described groups.
2. However, most often we are talking about pneumonia, bronchitis, and the asthmatic process.
3. These diseases always last a long time, are difficult to treat and tend to take a chronic form - which is why the cough does not go away for a long time.
4. However, if asthma occurs due to an allergic lesion, when the substance histamine is actively produced, it is enough to eliminate the allergen so that the problem becomes less urgent. 

Associated symptoms

The cough almost never comes alone. Not counting some of the diseases described above.

In most cases, we have to talk about the following accompanying manifestations:

• Chest pain. They intensify when touching or trying to make a full breathing movement (usually while inhaling). Explained by the inflammatory process.
• Dyspnea. An increase in the number of respiratory movements at a certain point in time (per minute). It intensifies with physical activity, but persists at rest.
• Suffocation. Represents the inability to adequately perform respiratory movements. Often the result of suffocation is a violation of gas exchange. The result is respiratory failure. If normal treatment is not started, there is a high probability of death.
• Wheezing and whistling in the pulmonary structures when breathing. 

Another characteristic symptom that occurs only with intense cough, tuberculosis and lung cancer is hemoptysis.

The patient coughs up blood in the form of streaks, or mixed into the structure of the mucous exudate. In this case, the sputum looks foamy and has a pinkish tint.  

Manifestations from the gastrointestinal tract are possible if the cause of the cough is hidden in reflux or gastritis.

Diagnostic methods

Diagnostic measures are quite complex; it is impossible to make a diagnosis on your own. Moreover, self-diagnosis is unacceptable. It is necessary to consult a doctor to start therapy in a timely manner.

A specialist should diagnose and treat cough with sputum and dry reflex.

The specialized doctor is a pulmonologist, however, due to the impossibility of contacting a specialist, an initial consultation with a therapist is recommended.

The most difficult treatment is a wet cough. That is why timely diagnosis is required so as not to waste valuable time.

At the initial appointment, a general assessment of the patient’s condition, an oral interview and anamnesis are performed.

Then comes the turn of specialized research:

• X-rays of the chest organs.
• Bronchoscopy.
• Analysis of sputum and examination of bacteriological profile material.
• FGDS.
• Blood tests.
• Listening to bronchopulmonary sound.
• Physical examination.

In general, diagnosis presents certain difficulties. It is especially difficult to differentiate between different diagnoses.

General principles of treatment

What to do if the cough does not go away? — General principles of therapy require the use of specialized drugs.  

• If there are no functional problems, it is necessary to suppress the cough on its own. For this purpose, special pharmaceutical agents are prescribed to suppress the reflex at the central and peripheral levels. Accordingly, special brain centers and ciliary epithelium are inhibited. If adults’ cough does not go away, most often they take drugs from these particular groups on their own, which is wrong. We need to understand the situation.  
• Allergies are treated with bronchodilators and antihistamines. These are Berodual, Salbutamol, and other medicines.  
• Inflammatory and infectious diseases, including tuberculosis, are subject to curation using antibiotics, primarily fluoroquinolones.
• In all complex cases when respiratory failure occurs, the use of Prednisolone and other corticosteroids is required. 

Specific names are selected only by a specialist. Otherwise, there is a high probability of an unpredictable course of the disease.  

Cough is a complex and complex process that occurs in people regularly for various reasons. Due to the huge number of possible factors causing the problem, diagnosis is very difficult. It is necessary to undergo prompt and competent treatment. So the forecast will be as favorable as possible.

Source: https://pneumoniae.net/kashel-ne-prohodit/

Causes of persistent cough in adults

A lingering cough may be a manifestation of sluggish pneumonia. If the reflex action does not go away for a month, you should definitely seek help from a doctor. This must be done even if the person is completely sure of the cause of the involuntary act. The thing is that a long-lasting cough can appear due to the simultaneous influence of several causes. They can only be recognized by taking specific tests. 3 weeks, 6 weeks or 6 months is a long time during which the disease can transform into a more severe form of the disease.

Persistent cough: visible manifestation of the symptom

When a cough does not go away for a long time, you need to analyze the visible manifestations of the reflex act, that is, what it is:

• The jerky, forced action is very intrusive, it continues almost without stopping. This happens during the peak development of a viral disease, an attack of asthmatic, involuntary act.
• A lingering cough does not stop for several months, although drug treatment for pneumonia or bronchitis has long been completed. The fact is that in this situation, such an effect can be observed for almost 5 weeks or more. This is due to the fact that the antitussive receptors have not yet fully recovered from the destructive effects of viruses and bacteria, and any, even the most insignificant irritant, for example, smoke, a pungent odor, can cause an involuntary reflex action that torments people.
• A strong expectorant cough is observed in chronic bronchitis during its exacerbation, cystic fibrosis.
• A dry reflex act, which does not go away even after taking mucolytics, indicates a chemical effect on the respiratory tract. Here we are most likely talking about poisoning with harmful vapors or inhalation of substances in the form of suspensions. Most often, this reaction is observed among workers in hazardous industries.
• If a lingering cough lasts more than six months, this may indicate a serious disease such as pulmonary tuberculosis. This diagnosis is verified by undergoing fluorography and submitting sputum to detect the concentration of Koch's bacillus in it. It should be noted that it is present in small quantities in the body of every person. With a decrease in immunity, tuberculosis can develop even without contact with people who have an open form of the disease.

Causes of prolonged cough

It is necessary to highlight the following reasons that have a significant impact on the appearance of a long, lingering cough:

• Reflex action occurs in older people. Unfortunately, in this case we are talking, most often, about age-related changes in the body. It is not possible to completely remove this symptom. It is softened with medication.
• How long a persistent cough lasts is of great importance. A prolonged paroxysmal involuntary act occurs due to swelling of the larynx and exposure to reagents.
• Negative environmental influences. WHO notes that in industrial centers with developed industry, wet reflex action can appear in any person. The reason for its occurrence is the negative state of the environment. It should be noted that forced exhalation can last for a week even if the negative influence of the damaged environment is removed. This period of time is necessary for the body to cope with it naturally.
• Unsystematic use of medications. How often do people self-medicate when they have a persistent cough? Yes, with the help of mucolytics you can transform a dry cough into a wet reflex act. Only, unfortunately, the disease often heals and becomes chronic. In this case, it is very difficult to cope with the cause of a prolonged act, since the body develops resistance to certain medications.
• Smokers cough. As a rule, even after giving up this negative habit, the reflex action continues for a long time. This is due to the fact that nicotine has irritated cough receptors for many years, negatively affected the entire body, and in order for it to recover, it takes not 6-7 months, but much more time.

It turns out that a lingering cough can last more than a month, six months, a year or even several years. Moreover, it is very difficult to completely get rid of this symptom. In order to achieve such a result, it is necessary to know exactly the cause of the disease. A full medical examination can help with this.

pro-kashel.ru

Why doesn't a dry cough go away? Causes of dry cough in children and adults

Coughing is a reflex, just like breathing itself. And its appearance indicates that some kind of pathogen has appeared - allergic, infectious, viral, that is, the cause of a dry cough, serious or not, which causes irritation in the respiratory tract and forces the body to cleanse them of - allergen, infection, virus or foreign body.

Cough itself is not a disease; it is a symptom of over 50 different diseases or allergic manifestations, from a common cold to tuberculosis, oncology, bronchial asthma or heart disease. Most often, a dry cough goes away within a few days, turning into a productive, wet cough with sputum, but sometimes it can drag on. Based on duration, dry cough is divided into:

• Acute - which after a few days turns into wet or goes away
• Prolonged – which lasts from 3 weeks to 3 months
• Chronic – which lasts more than 3 months.

Let's figure out why a dry cough does not go away for a long time, what diseases cause a dry cough.

The main causes of dry cough related to the respiratory system

The most common causes of dry cough are inflammatory diseases of the upper respiratory tract, caused by viruses and pathogenic bacteria.

In this case, a strong body with a strong immune system copes on its own, and if the immune response to a virus or infection is weakened, then antibiotics or antiviral drugs come to the rescue for ARVI and influenza.

If you have parainfluenza and influenza, you should definitely consult a doctor, since these are very insidious diseases that have recently become very aggressive, leading to a lot of complications. Read our article about how to distinguish influenza from ARVI.

If a dry cough does not go away for a long time during an acute respiratory viral infection, influenza or other infectious disease, this may be caused by:

• firstly, because the human immune system is significantly weakened
• secondly, that there are provoking factors that affect the duration of a dry cough, these include: smoking and drinking alcohol, very dry air in the room and taking insufficient fluids during a cold or viral disease.
• thirdly, the addition of a secondary infection or complication after a viral disease, when bacterial bronchitis, pneumonia, tracheitis, pharyngitis, etc. develop.

Diseases of the pleura and lungs can also be accompanied by a dry, painful cough - this is pneumonia, pleurisy. In this case, most often there is a high temperature, shortness of breath, and chest pain.

Atypical forms of pneumonia

It should also be borne in mind that a prolonged cough can be a consequence of mycoplasma and chlamydia; these pathogens can cause atypical pneumonia, bronchitis, which can last a long time and periodically recur. To differentiate the pathogen that caused pneumonia or bronchitis, you can take a blood test using ELISA.

Whooping cough, measles, false croup

Whooping cough can cause a dry cough in children and adults.

Whooping cough is considered to be a childhood infectious disease, although vaccinations have reduced the incidence of whooping cough among children, but they do occur, and in weakened adults, cases of whooping cough are also sometimes recorded.

With this disease, the convulsive cough is so strong that it often leads to vomiting. In this case, you should take antitussives for dry cough, such as Sinekod, Libexin, Bronholitin, etc.

Source: https://neb0ley.ru/kashel/neprohodjashhij-kashel-u-vzroslogo-prichiny.html

Why an adult’s cough does not go away for more than a month and what needs to be done for treatment

All materials on the site are published under the authorship or editorship of medical professionals, but are not a prescription for treatment. Contact the specialists!

With proper treatment of infectious pathologies, signs of cough in adults disappear after 7-10 days. If a symptom persists for more than 2 weeks, it means that the disease has become more complicated or become chronic. An adult’s cough does not go away for a month, what should he do: see a doctor or continue self-treatment?

The cough has not gone away for a month: why?

The main reason for persistent cough is improper treatment of ARVI. At the beginning of the disease, spasms appear without signs of sputum production. The cough does not bring relief and provokes abdominal pain and heart rhythm disturbances. 4-5 days after the first signs of ARVI appear, the cough becomes wet. If the airways are not cleared of mucus, the process will be complicated by infection.

Other causes of dry cough include:

1. Hyperthyroidism is a disease of the thyroid gland associated with diffuse enlargement of the organ. The cough reflex develops due to compression of the trachea and bronchi by the enlarged organ.
2. Pleurisy is inflammation of the lining of the lungs. The pathology develops due to illiterate treatment of viral diseases and is manifested by severe pain in the chest. With pleurisy, a dry cough is observed for more than a month.
3. Damage to the nasal passages. The main reason for the reflex is the flow of mucus into the throat. The epithelium of the lower respiratory tract perceives exudate as a foreign substance. Coughing clears the body of mucus. With sinusitis and rhinitis, other associated symptoms are rarely observed.
4. Heart failure. Spasms in the chest are caused by stretching of the ventricles of the heart. A dry cough will not go away until problems with the blood supply are eliminated.
5. Smoking. A common cause of prolonged cough is the use of tobacco products. The symptom is caused by irritation of the mucous membranes of the respiratory system by nicotine, carcinogens and harmful tars. Smokers' cough lasts for years.
6. Harmful working conditions. Long-term symptoms are associated with occupational factors. To prevent health problems, people employed in hazardous work must use special protective equipment: masks, bandages, respirators. The problem affects people who come into contact with wooden, metal objects, and paint and varnish products. Small particles of materials enter the respiratory tract and provoke a lingering cough, which annoys the patient for 4 months or longer.
7. Lung or throat cancer in humans. In pathologies, a nonproductive cough with a small amount of sputum is observed. In the final stages of cancer, streaks of blood will appear in the mucus.
8. Infectious diseases of the throat: laryngitis, pharyngitis. The last type of disorder is associated with inflammation of the pharyngeal epithelium. It is accompanied by hoarseness, difficulty swallowing saliva and decreased muscle activity. Pharyngitis rarely provokes complications such as bronchitis and pneumonia. Laryngitis is swelling of the larynx and threatens asphyxia if medical attention is not received promptly.

Attention! A dry cough may be a sign of tuberculosis or whooping cough. The latter type of disease is more often diagnosed in children than in adults. It is manifested by suffocating attacks, fever up to 40 degrees and bouts of vomiting. With whooping cough, an adult’s cough does not go away for 3 months. Tuberculosis develops gradually. Its distinctive symptom is the presence of blood streaks in the sputum.

A cough that does not go away for 2 months may be associated with allergies or chronic problems in the body. It is not possible to completely cope with a chronic cough. The intensity of spasms will increase during the acute stage and decrease during periods of recovery.

Treatment and prevention of severe cough in adults

A productive (wet) cough is caused by dozens of reasons. If the symptom does not go away for more than a month, then we are talking about the transition of the problem to the chronic stage of its course. Factors that provoke the problem include:

1. ARVI or acute respiratory infections, accompanied by fever, heavy breathing, and headaches. Viral diseases are complicated by tracheitis and bronchitis, in which there is sputum production from the lower respiratory tract.
2. Bronchitis is damage to the bronchopulmonary tract by infectious pathogens. The pathology is accompanied by copious or insignificant amounts of sputum, chest pain, and weakness. In chronic bronchitis, an adult has a cough that lasts for a month.
3. Pneumonia is inflammation of the lungs. Pathology is not always manifested by the lower respiratory tract reflex. Sluggish forms of pneumonia cause coughing for more than a month.
4. Tracheitis is a lesion of the trachea. The structure is rich in nerve endings, so the inflammatory processes occurring in it are accompanied by intense spasm for 2-3 weeks.
5. Bronchial asthma is a problem associated with a narrowing of the lumen of the bronchi. The reflex from the respiratory tract manifests itself in paroxysms and requires immediate action on the part of medical personnel or the patient himself. Advanced bronchial asthma leads to suffocation.
6. Reflux is esophagitis associated with the reflux of stomach contents into the esophagus. A spasm in the chest will haunt the patient until the digestive problem is resolved.

Sometimes a wet cough is associated with several reasons at once: bronchial asthma and bronchitis, in which pathogenic flora penetrates the lungs. The symptoms of each disease become more pronounced.

Diagnostics

If an adult’s cough does not go away for more than a month, then he needs to contact his local physician for a comprehensive examination. Standard diagnostics include a complete blood count and chest x-ray. If the therapist cannot determine the cause of the disorder, the patient will be referred to a specialist doctor - a pulmonologist.

Important! Independent selection of medications without professional diagnostics is not recommended. An illiterate fight against the protracted reflex leads to aggravation of the symptoms of the underlying disease and its transition to a difficult-to-treat form.

X-rays play an important role in the diagnosis of diseases accompanied by cough. If the images do not reveal pathological changes in the structure of the respiratory organs, then the patient is prescribed additional diagnostic procedures:

• examination of sputum for bacterial flora;
• thoracoscopy - a method for assessing the condition of the respiratory system through a puncture in the chest (used for suspected pleurisy, lung cancer, tuberculosis);
• spirometry - examination of external respiration using a special apparatus;
• tossography - determination of the intensity and frequency of the cough reflex;
• bronchoscopy – examination of the respiratory tract using a miniature device (bronchoscope).

Patients will not be able to determine their preferred diagnostic method on their own. A specialist will help you choose the best examination method. In one case, a comprehensive diagnosis will be required using instrumental examination methods (X-ray, ultrasound or MRI), and in the other, the use of a phonendoscope (a device for listening to the chest) is sufficient.

Dry cough does not go away for a month in an adult: what to do

To ease the reflex, follow several recommendations during the treatment period. They are associated with giving up bad habits during treatment (smoking, drinking alcohol) and normalizing the work and rest regime.

If spasms persist for a long time, the diet should be adjusted. For a while, avoid spicy, salty and smoked foods, which irritate the mucous membranes of the throat and pharynx and contribute to the exacerbation of symptoms. Preference is given to steamed dishes.

During the therapy period, the drinking regime is observed: at least 1.5 liters of liquid are consumed per day.

To eliminate symptoms after illness, antibacterial drugs will be required.

To suppress the reflex caused by work in hazardous work or allergic reactions, antihistamines are needed.

For the treatment of dry cough the following are prescribed:

1. Antibiotics (Sumamed, Azithromycin, Amoxiclav).
2. Antiseptic sprays and solutions (Tantum-Verde, Miramistin).
3. Antitussive drugs (Sinekod, Stoptussin).
4. Mucolytics that liquefy viscous sputum (ACC, Fluimucil).
5. Allergy medications (Zodac, Zyrtec, Claritin)

To treat cough without fever, you can use hot inhalations based on herbal decoction. Visible results in eliminating painful spasms are achieved by inhalation using a nebulizer. For the procedure, use saline solution, Lazolvan, Pulmicort or Berodual or mineral water.

For complex treatment of pathology, it is allowed to use traditional medicine after consultation with a doctor. The method should not be used to eliminate coughs accompanied by high fever, shortness of breath and headaches.

Why does allergic cough occur and how to treat it?

The best recipes to combat lingering symptoms:

1. A chest compress made with apple cider vinegar. It has a warming effect and improves blood supply to the lungs.
2. Decoction with onions and milk: 2 chopped onions are mixed with 200 ml of milk and boiled for 20 minutes over low heat. The product is taken 4 times a day, 30 ml.
3. Glycerin with lemon: juice is squeezed out of the fruit and mixed with 1 tsp. glycerin. The medicine is taken up to 5 times a day.

If an adult has a cough for 2 months, then he may be offered physiotherapeutic procedures: chest massage, UHF, electrophoresis.

A wet cough in an adult does not go away for a month: what to do?

General recommendations for the treatment of pathology are the same as for the fight against non-productive spasms. The main differences in the treatment of diseases: for a wet cough, they do not do hot inhalations and do not use means to warm the chest.

To liquefy sputum and remove it out, take:

1. Expectorants - Bronchicum, Mucaltin, Doctor Mom, Travisil.
2. Antibiotics (in case of development of bronchitis, pneumonia or pleurisy) - Augmentin, Tetracycline, Ampicillin.
3. Herbal remedies with a mucolytic effect (Gerbion, Althea).

Attention! Antitussives should not be taken if mucus forms in the respiratory tract. They contribute to stagnation of sputum in the bronchi and worsening of the disease.

Various types of massage (drainage, cupping, acupressure) and electrophoresis are prescribed as physiotherapeutic procedures for the problem. To facilitate the removal of mucus from the respiratory tract, it is recommended to drink decoctions based on thyme, ginger, licorice and marshmallow.

Prevention of violation

Preventive measures will help prevent the development of a protracted reflex. They include:

• to give up smoking;
• use of protective equipment when working in hazardous industries;
• limiting contact with allergens (paint and varnish products, household chemicals);
• frequent exposure to fresh air;
• taking vitamin complexes;
• timely treatment of infectious and viral diseases;
• taking vitamin complexes during the off-season;
• regular fluorography (once a year).

If an adult’s cough does not go away for more than 1 month, then they contact a therapist to identify the cause of the disease and a comprehensive examination of the body. The treatment regimen is drawn up by a therapist or pulmonologist after receiving examination data.

The basis of therapy is symptomatic medications aimed at reducing the intensity of the reflex and improving sputum discharge.

However, with their help it will not be possible to completely cope with the problem without eliminating the provoking factors, especially when it comes to allergic reactions.

Attacks associated with severe illness, lung cancer, tuberculosis, fibrosis or asthma cannot be treated at home. The patient will be observed in the hospital until he feels better.

Source: https://sukhoikashel.ru/kashel-u-vzroslogo/pochemu-kashel-u-vzroslogo-ne-prohodit-bolee-mesyatsa