Cough is a natural response of your respiratory tract to clear mucus and any other foreign particles. It is a daily life reflex that prevents the entry of foreign particles into the respiratory tract. Usually, it does not show something so serious. But when it remains for a long time, it can become chronic and may be a symptom of something serious.
If you have a complaint about chronic cough, you must visit a healthcare provider. Many people rarely take coughs seriously. They keep coughing and carry on with their day-to-day activities. Along with a nuisance, it leaves you tired and irritated.
Cough, if it occurs with fever, shows infection. But sometimes it can occur because of some other reasons too, and they also need to be taken seriously.
If you have a complaint of chronic cough, you must attend follow-up visits with your healthcare provider. To get an expert opinion, you can consult with the Best Internal Medicine specialist in Lahore.
What Causes Cough?
In this article, we will tell you about factors that cause coughing. The common reasons for it are allergies, GERD, asthma, and respiratory tract infections. Sometimes it’s because of other reasons, such as kidney disease, heart disease, and other conditions.
Sometimes one or more factors can play a role in causing cough. It can occur because of reasons such as:
Asthma
A common cause of cough is asthma. It is more common in children but occurs in adults too. Asthma is a condition in which bronchoconstriction occurs, and efficient gaseous exchange can not take place.
Asthma causes breathlessness, chest tightness, and cough too. However, sometimes it may occur without coughing, too.
Bronchitis
Bronchitis is the inflammation of the bronchi- that often occurs because of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. It affects respiration and makes breathing difficult. Mostly, it occurs due to smoking.
Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease
Gastroesophageal reflux disease is a condition in which your stomach acid regurgitates backward towards the esophagus. It is a condition of the gastrointestinal tract, but acid irritates your throat, eventually causing a cough.
Infections
Respiratory tract infections in the acute phase often cause a lot of coughs. But even when the acute phase is over, the cough may linger.
Cough due to infection may take some time to go away. Make sure that you take plenty of rest and drink plenty of fluids. Taking antiallergic medications can also help get rid of lingering coughs associated with infections.
Postnasal Drip
Postnasal drip, also known as upper airway cough syndrome, is a condition in which the mucus drips down towards your throat. It mostly occurs due to asthma and allergies.
Cough because of postnasal drip worsens when you lie down straight. To sleep well, you may need to take over one pillow under your head.
Blood Pressure Medications
Certain medications can trigger cough, and a common one of them is blood pressure medication known as ACE inhibitors. These medicines are given in emergency and in follow-up to lower blood pressure. However, they have a side effect of causing a dry cough.
ACE inhibitors cause coughing by building a substance in your lungs called bradykinin. It can trigger inflammation and coughing. These drugs end with a suffix -pril. The common examples of ACE inhibitors are enalapril, captopril, benazepril, and ramipril.
Heart Disease
Cough and breathlessness can also occur because of heart disease. When heart failure occurs, your heart can not pump blood efficiently, which leads to fluid build-up in your lungs, eventually causing cough.
Cough associated with heart failure is known as heart cough. To treat it, your healthcare providers often prescribe diuretics. If you are at risk of developing heart failure, you must visit the healthcare provider frequently for follow-up visits.
The Bottom Line
You should not take cough lightly, especially if it persists for a long time. Sometimes it can occur due to some serious underlying cause. If you have had a cough for a long time, you can visit an Internal medicine Doctor in National Hospital.
