All about coughs and their causes

All about coughs and their causes

A cough, also known as tussis, is a voluntary or involuntary act that clears the throat and breathing passage of foreign particles, microbes, irritants, fluids, and mucus; it is a rapid expulsion of air from the lungs.

Fast facts on coughs -

Here are some key points about coughs. More detail and supporting information is in the main article.

• Some germs use coughing to spread to new hosts.
• There is a wide array of potential causes of coughs.
• Some types of cough only occur at night.
• If the cough is difficult to diagnose, a chest X-ray may be necessary.
• Home remedies can soothe the majority of coughs.

• Treatments

  
  

  
  

  Honey can relieve a cough in some cases.
  The best way to treat a cough caused by a viral infection is to let the immune system deal with it — generally, such coughs clear up on their own.
  If a doctor is treating a cough, they will focus on the cause; for example, if it is due to an ACE inhibitor, it may be discontinued.
  Codeine, dextromethorphan, and other cough suppressants are often used by people with coughs.
  However, there is not much research into cough medicines and how much they can actually reduce symptoms.

• What is a cough?
• There are three phases to a cough:

  1. Inhalation (breathing in).
  2. Increased pressure in the throat and lungs with the vocal cords closed.
  3. An explosive release of air when the vocal cords open, giving a cough its characteristic sound.

  
  

• Causes

  The majority of coughs are caused by viruses and clear up without treatment.

  Causes of acute (short-term) cough

  In most cases, the infection is in the upper respiratory tract and affects the throat, this is known as a URTI or URI (upper respiratory tract infection). Examples include:

  • flu
  • common cold
  • laryngitis

  If it is an LRTI (lower respiratory tract infection), the lungs are infected, and/or the airways lower down from the windpipe. Examples include.
• If it is an LRTI (lower respiratory tract infection), the lungs are infected, and/or the airways lower down from the windpipe. Examples include:
  • bronchitis
  • pneumonia
  An acute cough can also be caused by hay fever.

• Causes of chronic (long-term) cough

  A chronic cough may be caused by:
  • smoking
  • mucus dripping down the throat from the back of the nose (post nasal drip)
  • GERD (gastro-esophageal reflux disease)
  • asthma
  • some medications (e.g., ACE inhibitors)
  Chronic coughs in children are most often caused by asthma, but can also be from conditions like post-nasal drip or GERD.
  Less common causes of chronic cough in adults include TB (tuberculosis), fungal infections of the lung, and lung cancer.