Why am I coughing?

What is more annoying than a cough? It annoys the person coughing and those around him or her. It can really interfere with everything that the person does. It's no wonder that in the United States, cough is the most frequent cause of a visit to a primary-care physician. But why do we cough? Is it a good or bad thing?

A cough is a reflex that helps the body to remove a foreign body or mucus from the upper airway or the lungs. A cough becomes problematic when it is persistent or severe when it needs medical assessment. A cough is considered at acute when it lasts less than three weeks and chronic if longer. Coughing is not a disease, of course, but is often the symptom of one.

A cough is not something to take lightly. It can cause reduced productivity and curtail meaningful interactions. It can also interfere with sleep, cause accidental leakage of urine and stool, strain the muscles involved in producing the cause (those of the chest and abdomen) causing pain and cause fainting, development of hernias, vomiting and bleeding into the 'skin' of the eyeball.

One of the most common causes of an acute cough is infection. Possible infections include the common cold, pneumonia, whooping cough, acute bronchitis, and acute sinusitis. Other causes of an acute cough include flare-up of asthma, environmental allergies and emphysema. Coughing is often the first, and may be the only, symptom that an asthmatic has. The cough of an asthmatic is usually during the evenings and nights and is often unproductive. A foreign body in the airway can also cause coughing.

CAUSES OF CHRONIC COUGHS

Chronic cough may also have several causes. Environmental pollution is an important cause such as smoke, irritant gases, and moulds. GERD is another important cause of cough, which may be the only symptom. Some hypertension medications can also cause a chronic cough, such as enalapril and lisinopril (ACE inhibitors). Congestive cardiac failure can also cause a chronic cough.

The best way to treat a cough is to control or eliminate the cause as, unfortunately, cough medicines don't give as much relief as we would like. They usually contain one of or a combination of cough suppressant and expectorant (which loosens the mucus). Some remedies that can be used at home include drinking extra fluids, honey in warm water and/or lemon juice, and elevating your head with a pillow or two.

Dr Douglas Street is a general practitioner and has private practices at Trinity Medical Centre, Trinity Mall at 3 Barnett Street in Montego Bay, and Omega Medical Centre at Plaza de Negril, Negril. Send feedback to drdougstreet@yahoo.com.