A cough is your body’s way of responding when something irritates your throat or airways. An irritant stimulates nerves that send a message to your brain. The brain then tells muscles in your chest and abdomen to push air out of your lungs to force out the irritant.
An occasional cough is normal and healthy. A cough that persists for several weeks or one that brings up discolored or bloody mucus may indicate a condition that needs medical attention.
At times, coughing can be very forceful. Prolonged, vigorous coughing can irritate the lungs and cause even more coughing. It is also exhausting and can cause sleeplessness, dizziness or fainting, headaches, urinary incontinence, vomiting, and even broken ribs.
SYMPTOMS
There are many things that can make you cough. Some of them include:
Irritants or allergens
- Smoke.
- Strong smells (like cleaners and perfumes).
- Mold.
- Dust.
- Pollen.
- Pet dander.
- Mucus.
- Certain medications, like the blood pressure medications known as ACE inhibitors.
Medical conditions that can cause acute and subacute cough
- Cold.
- Flu.
- Acute bronchitis or bronchiolitis.
- Whooping cough (also called pertussis).
- Asthma.
- Allergies.
- Acute second- or third-hand smoke exposure.
Medical conditions that can cause chronic cough
- Chronic bronchitis.
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and other lung conditions.
- Throat disorders, including vocal cord disorders.
- Postnasal drip.
- Heart failure and other cardiac conditions.
Treatment
Determining the cause of chronic cough is crucial to effective treatment. In many cases, more than one underlying condition may be causing your chronic cough.
If you are currently smoking, your doctor will discuss with you your readiness to quit and provide assistance to achieve this goal.
If you’re taking an ACE inhibitor medication, your doctor may switch you to another medicine that doesn’t have cough as a side effect.
Medications used to treat chronic cough may include:
- Antihistamines, corticosteroids and decongestants. These drugs are standard treatment for allergies and postnasal drip.
- Inhaled asthma drugs. The most effective treatments for asthma-related cough are corticosteroids and bronchodilators, which reduce inflammation and open up your airways.
- Antibiotics. If a bacterial, fungal or mycobacterial infection is causing your chronic cough, your doctor may prescribe medications to address the infection.
- Acid blockers. When lifestyle changes don’t take care of acid reflux, you may be treated with medications that block acid production. Some people need surgery to resolve the problem.
