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| Chronic Cough, Definition, Symptoms, Causes, Diagnosis, Treatment, Prevention, Complications |
A chronic cough is a cough that has lasted more than 2 months in adults, or 1 month in children. In adults, chronic cough is most often caused by smoking and tuberculosis. While in children, this condition is most often caused by asthma.
A chronic cough can interfere with daily activities and make it difficult for sufferers to sleep. Depending on the cause, a chronic cough may be accompanied by phlegm and sore throat.
Causes of Chronic Cough
A chronic cough can be caused by one or more of the following conditions:
- COVID-19
- Infections, such as tuberculosis, whooping cough, or pneumonia
- Asthma
- Stomach acid reflux disease
- Inflammation of the respiratory tract (bronchitis)
- Smoking habit
- Side effects of drugs for ACE inhibitor-type hypertension, eg captopril
Although rare, chronic coughs can also be triggered by:
- Bronchiolitis
- Bronchiectasis
- cystic fibrosis disease
- Interstitial lung disease
- Lung cancer
- Sarcodiosis
- Heart failure
Chronic cough is also one of the long-haul symptoms of COVID-19. In this condition, coughing can occur in a matter of weeks or months after the patient recovers from a COVID-19 infection.
Symptoms of Chronic Cough
A chronic cough is a symptom of a condition or disease that has been mentioned above. In addition to a cough that lasts a long time, other symptoms that appear depend on the cause.
Other symptoms that can accompany a chronic cough are:
- Runny nose or stuffy nose
- Phlegm in the throat
- Sore throat
- Hoarseness
- Hard to breathe
- Heartburn
- Mouth tastes bitter
When to go to the doctor
See a doctor immediately if you have a cough that lasts for weeks, especially if it is accompanied by the following symptoms:
- Sweat at night
- Fever
- Drastic weight loss
- Chest pain
- Coughing up blood
- Hard to breathe
Diagnosis of Chronic Cough
To find out the cause of a chronic cough, the doctor will ask about the symptoms you are experiencing, then perform a physical examination. Furthermore, to determine the cause, the doctor will run several further examinations, namely:
- Pulmonary function tests, to measure lung capacity
- Sputum test, to check for possible bacterial infection
- Scanning with chest X-rays and CT scans, to see the condition of the lungs
- Endoscopy, to see the condition of the esophagus and stomach
- Bronchoscopy, to see the condition of the bronchi
- Biopsy, or taking a sample of tissue from the respiratory tract, for examination in the laboratory
Chronic Cough Treatment
Treatment of chronic cough will be adjusted according to the cause. In chronic cough caused by smoking, the doctor will advise the patient to stop smoking. Meanwhile, if the chronic cough is caused by side effects of drugs, the doctor will prescribe other drugs.
Doctors can also prescribe medicines to treat chronic coughs, including:
- Antibiotics, such as azithromycin and cefuroxime
- Antihistamines, such as cetirizine and fexofenadine
- Corticosteroids, such as budesonide and fluticasone
- Proton pump inhibitors, such as omeprazole and lanzoprazole
- Decongestants, such as pseudoephedrine
- H2 antagonists, such as cimetidine and famotidine
- Antacid
If the cough is very bothersome, the doctor will prescribe medication to reduce coughing, such as dextomethorphan or codeine.
Complications of Chronic Cough
Chronic cough should be treated immediately. If it doesn't go away, a chronic cough can be very annoying and can lead to a number of complications:
- Hard to sleep
- Vomit
- hernia
- Headache
- Urinary incontinence
- Cracked ribs
- Faint
Chronic Cough Prevention
Besides being able to help relieve symptoms, the following steps can be taken to prevent chronic coughing:
- Don't smoke and stay away from smokers.
- Drink at least eight glasses of water a day.
- Eat foods that are high in fiber, such as fruits and vegetables.
- Avoid contact with sick people, especially people with pneumonia and bronchitis.
- Take lozenges (throat lozenges).
- Avoid exposure to dust or air pollution.
- Avoid overeating and do not lie down for at least 3 hours after eating, especially if you have acid reflux (GERD).
- Use medications for asthma as directed by your doctor.
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