Coughing Can Hide Dangerous Illnesses – Your Doctor Cautions You When to Worry

Types of cough

Almost all people have experienced a cough, because its causes can be diverse: dust, various odors, pathological processes in the respiratory tract, irritation of the pleural sheet, cough of central origin. Kristina Lebedevaitė, a GP at the Endemik medical clinic of the Affidea group of companies, says there are two main types of cough: dry and wet.

“During a dry cough nothing can be expelled, but during a wet cough sputum is expelled, which can be characterized by different colors, viscosity, quantity and provides a lot of additional information about the cause of this ailment”, explains K. Lebedevaitė.

The family doctor says that some people experience morning cough, which is usually characteristic of chronic bronchitis and is also known as a smoker’s cough. Morning cough can also be caused by gastroesophageal reflux, where due to lying down at night, stomach acid irritates the larynx, it can cause inflammatory changes.

K. Lebedevaitė points out that sometimes people decide to calm their coughs. According to her, if the cough is not intense and is associated with mild cold symptoms, the treatment can also be practiced at home, drinking plenty of hot liquids, using throat lozenges, expectorants.

Coughing can hide dangerous diseases

However, the doctor explains that coughing can be a manifestation of more serious diseases and that cough suppressants should not be used without a prescription, since coughing is not always necessary, it is a reflex in which the body tries to eliminate a respiratory irritant. According to K. Lebedevaitė, if the condition does not improve during home treatment, it is necessary to consult a doctor.

“During the examination of the patient, we first think about infectious respiratory diseases that require rapid diagnosis and treatment: acute bronchitis, tracheitis or pneumonia.

Chronic cough can be caused by smoking, various inhalants, and can also affect people who work in harmful conditions. Coughing and even coughing up blood can also be caused by an acute condition, pulmonary embolism, which is difficult to diagnose because the symptoms can be very diverse, so even with the latest diagnostic methods, some cases may not be diagnosed in time. ”Explains the family doctor.

It also mentions that heart disease, heart failure, can lead to fluid build-up in the lungs, which can also lead to coughing and other breathing problems. Due to chronic diseases such as tuberculosis, oncological lung disease, the cough can be prolonged, ignored, so these diseases are sometimes diagnosed when additional symptoms are present.

When should you see a doctor?

Family doctor K. Lebedevaitė says that if the cough lasts for several days, worsens, chest pain, sputum, coughing up blood or shortness of breath, you should immediately contact a family doctor, who will carefully examine the patient, prescribe the necessary tests and prescribe the treatment.

However, the doctor emphasizes that tests such as a chest X-ray are not always prescribed. This test is used if the patient complains of coughing up sputum, decreased oxygen saturation in the blood, and, when listening to the lungs, changes in breathing – heavy breathing with dry squeaks or wet crusts, and when there is an infection of unknown origin or fever.

K. Lebedevaitė also explains that in the event of a pandemic and an increase in the number of infected people, when the cough starts, first of all, it should be identified if other symptoms of the COVID-19 disease are felt: fever, shortness of breath , sudden loss of smell or taste. Other less specific symptoms may include headache and muscle aches, chills, fatigue, vomiting, and / or diarrhea. According to her, if you experience these symptoms, you should first think about COVID-19 infection and follow the established rules.