Managing the Cough
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A cough, also known as tussis is a sudden, often repetitive, spasmodic contraction of the thoracic cavity, resulting in violent release of air from the lungs, and usually accompanied by a distinctive sound.
Coughing is an action the body takes to get rid of substances that are irritating the breathing passages. A cough is usually initiated to clear a buildup of phlegm in the trachea. Coughing can also be triggered by a bolus of food entering the trachea rather than the esophagus due to a failure of the epiglottis. Frequent or chronic coughing usually indicates the presence of a disease. Provided the patient is a non-smoker and has a normal chest X-ray, the cause of chronic cough in 93% of all patients is due to asthma, heartburn or post-nasal drip. Other causes of chronic cough include chronic bronchitis and medications such as ACE inhibitors. Coughing can happen voluntarily as well as involuntarily.
The complications of coughing can be classified as either
Acute complications include
- cough syncope (fainting spells due to decreased blood flow to the brain when coughs are prolonged and forceful),
- insomnia,
- cough-induced vomiting,
- rupture of blebs causing spontaneous pneumothorax (although this still remains to be proven),
- subconjunctival hemorrhage or "red eye",
- coughing defecation and in women with a prolapseduterus,
- cough urination.
Chroniccomplications are common and include
- abdominal or pelvic hernias,
- fatigue fractures of lower ribs and costochondritis.
Treatment
Coughs can be treated with cough medicines. Dry coughs are treated with cough suppressants (antitussives) that suppress the body's urge to cough, while productive coughs (coughs that produce phlegm) are treated with expectorants that loosen mucus from the respiratory tract. Centrally acting cough suppressants, such as codeine and dextromethorphan reduce the urge to cough by inhibiting the response of the sensory endings by depolarization, or a dulling, of the vagus nerve, the nerve leading from the brain stem and serving the chest area. A recent study indicates that, because of the presence of theobromine in chocolate, 50 grams of dark chocolate may be an effective treatment for a persistent cough.
Research has demonstrated that gargling with a mixture of warm water and salt washes away the layer of mucus on the throat containing bacteria and proteins that cause inflammation, according to the American Academy of Otolaryngology.