We treat cough correctly

Cough is a protective reflex reaction of the body, aimed at cleansing the airways. Cough is one of the most common complaints at the appointment of a general practitioner, pulmonologist and doctors of other specialties. It is a symptom of a fairly large list of diseases. Finding out the cause of a cough is not always an easy task for a doctor and requires additional examinations.

A doctor who sees a patient with a cough first needs to understand the basic characteristics of his cough. Depending on the sputum secretion, it is customary to allocate a dry and wet cough. Both types can create problems, but for different types of cough, different therapies will be prescribed. Cough may vary in intensity, duration, time of onset, etc. The sputum produced may vary from mucous to purulent. The characteristics of the cough, including a detailed analysis of the factors causing the cough, may lead to the suspicion of allergic and other causes of cough.

The most common causes of cough are acute respiratory infections of the upper and lower respiratory tract, which, with proper treatment, result in a complete recovery. Long-term persistence of a cough is the basis for an additional examination by a doctor in order to find the causes and prescribe a specific treatment.

Most of the diseases that cause prolonged cough require specific treatment, but there are general principles for the symptomatic treatment of cough. So, for example, an extremely intense dry hacking cough that injures the airways, thereby provoking its persistence and the appearance of repeated attacks, significantly reducing the patient’s quality of life, is recommended to be suppressed by prescribing antitussive drugs. A productive cough, accompanied by the separation of viscous, difficult to expectorate sputum, dictates the need for the appointment of so-called expectorants, or mucolytic drugs. Among them, it is worth noting the latest generation of drugs based on erdosteine ​​(for example, Edomari), which is characterized by a powerful effect on thinning viscous mucus.

However, once again it is necessary to emphasize the importance of visiting a doctor in order to establish the correct diagnosis and prescribe the necessary treatment. Self-medication, including the use of traditional medicine, can cause a late visit to the doctor, late diagnosis of the cause of cough and the appointment of the correct treatment. In some cases, this loss of time can have very serious consequences.

Of course, it is impossible to completely protect yourself from respiratory infections and their symptoms, but you can follow certain rules to help reduce this risk: wash your hands thoroughly, choose clothes according to the weather, minimize contact with people who have a cold or have ARVI, refrain from smoking, avoid exposure to allergens, ventilate living and working areas more often, maintain an active and healthy lifestyle, try to avoid stress and get plenty of rest. And be healthy!