Where does dry cough come from and how to treat it

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

It usually goes away on its own, but in some cases you have to go to the doctor.

If you have a sore throat but no mucus (phlegm) is released when you cough up, doctors talk about a dry cough. Often it is shallow, light, and therefore looks much less dangerous than deep and wet. But this is an imaginary sensation. In fact, a dry cough can be a sign of a serious illness.

Where does dry cough come from?

If a wet cough is caused by a desire to get rid of mucus accumulated in the respiratory system, then the main reason for a dry cough is irritation of the walls of the upper respiratory tract.

It is not uncommon for people to cough when they breathe in dry hot air, smoke, dust, or other irritants. For everything to pass, it is enough to go out into a well-ventilated area.

If you have been coughing for longer, such as a few days or even weeks, the causes are likely more serious. Here are the main ones.

• ARVI. Dry cough is associated with many types of acute respiratory infections, including influenza and COVID-19. Also, a cough can persist for some time after an illness.
• Allergy. In this case, the irritant is an allergen substance, for example, plant pollen.
• Asthma. With it, the airways become inflamed and swollen, which is why the throat is sore.
• Whooping cough.
• Some types of pneumonia.
• Chronic lung disease.
• Heartburn and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Gastric juice rises up the esophagus and irritates the throat.
• Side effects of certain medications, such as drugs for high blood pressure.
• A foreign object accidentally trapped in the respiratory tract.

When to see a doctor

Be sure to consult a physician if:

• dry obsessive cough lasts more than three weeks and there is no improvement;
• the cough is so severe that it interferes with communicating with other people;
• shortness of breath, a feeling of a lump in the throat, inability to breathe in deeply;
• there is blood when coughing;
• the voice has changed;
• lumps or swellings appear on the neck;
• you have begun to inexplicably lose weight.

It is also worth talking to your doctor if there are other signs of an infectious disease, such as a high fever, or when the cough becomes chronic and lasts more than 8 weeks.

How a doctor will treat a dry cough

First you need to understand what exactly caused it. The primary diagnosis is carried out by the therapist. He will ask about the symptoms, conduct an examination, and, if necessary, propose to undergo additional examination, for example, a blood test or an X-ray.

If any disease is found, the doctor will prescribe treatment or send you to a specialized specialist - the same pulmonologist or allergist. When you defeat or correct the underlying disease, the unpleasant symptom will go away by itself.

That is, the cause is always treated, not the cough itself. There are no pills or drugs that will make it just run out. Yes, you can find OTC products in pharmacies, but their effectiveness has not been confirmed.

How to relieve a cough at home

If there were no serious reasons for the cough, then it usually goes away on its own within 2-3 weeks. The simplest methods will help you recover:

• Get more rest.
• Drink a lot. Warm tea, compotes, fruit drinks will do.
• Avoid irritants - cigarette smoke, dust, pollen. Ventilate the room in which you spend time regularly.
• Monitor the humidity in the room. Ideally, when it is in the range of 40-60%.