Cough is one of the most common reasons for consulting a doctor at almost every age all over the world.
Cough, which is not a disease on its own, is a symptom seen in many diseases. In fact, cough is a defense mechanism that plays a role in cleaning and protecting the airways. However, if it lasts longer than two weeks and has reached a point where it disrupts the quality of nighttime sleep, work, and school life, the underlying disease must be investigated. Sometimes, cough can be the first symptom of very serious diseases such as cancer.
Chest Diseases Specialist Dr. Hijran Mammadova Orucova gave information about ‘Causes of cough and things to watch out for’.
People who usually use tobacco products such as cigarettes and hookahs and who frequently have upper respiratory tract infections may not see a doctor because they attribute their cough to these reasons, and this causes delays in diagnosis. If you have a persistent cough that never goes away, it is useful to knock on the door of a specialist.
After the pandemic, with the society becoming more sensitive, coughing has become dangerous not only for the person himself but also for those around him. We see that people are disturbed by individuals who sneeze or cough and try to stay away from them. This causes psychological situations such as feeling embarrassed for coughing in front of other people, feeling uncomfortable with other people, preventing people from socializing, trying to stay away from society, and triggering mental illnesses such as depression etc.
If there is a cough, patients should not use cough suppressant syrups or medications as they wish. First of all, all possible causes of cough should be examined one by one. The severity of the cough, its character, whether it is dry or phlegmy, whether it increases during the day or night, whether it increases or decreases after an infection, its relationship with seasonal and environmental factors, and whether there are other accompanying complaints should be investigated. After upper and lower respiratory tract infections, the cough may last up to three weeks in non-smokers and up to eight weeks in smokers.
A long-lasting and disturbing cough is a sign of diseases such as asthma, allergies, COPD, chronic bronchitis, upper respiratory tract problems, postnasal drip, and reflux. The factors that cause the cough complaint that increases due to reflux are resolved more quickly with questions directed to the patient and examinations. Especially when lying down, the cough increases due to the stomach acid leaking back. These patients experience heartburn and sourness in the stomach. Let’s not forget that every disease has a cause. Cough is not a disease but a symptom. Let’s not forget that air conditioners and heaters also cause coughing by drying the air. Dry air can cause chronic itchy cough. To prevent this, a bowl of water can be placed on the heaters in the room or room humidifiers can be used.
Some medications used (especially blood pressure and cholesterol lowering medications) cause coughing as a side effect and as the medication is continued, the cough continues proportionally. If no findings are found when the necessary research is done, it may be beneficial to change the medication by looking at the side effects of the medications the patient uses regularly.
Prolonged and untreated coughing can lead to serious problems. Since muscles and ribs are also used in continuous and severe coughing, rib fractures can occur, especially in older people, due to the severe pressure that occurs. In those who do not experience such severe results, the patient may experience frequent muscle pain. In addition, urinary incontinence and even fainting attacks may occur in some people due to severe coughing.