Treatment of long-term dry cough without fever in an adult
Cough is a protective reflex that helps clear the respiratory tract of irritants: mucus, foreign particles, microbes. A nagging cough usually indicates a disease. Many viruses and bacteria make you cough, which helps spread the disease to other people. In most cases, cough is caused by respiratory tract infections, smoking, polluted air, bronchial asthma, gastroesophageal reflux disease, chronic bronchitis, lung tumors, and heart failure. A nonproductive (dry) cough is a type of cough that does not produce sputum. We will talk about the causes of dry cough, methods of its treatment and whether it is possible to do inhalations with a nebulizer for dry cough.
Reasons due to which a dry paroxysmal cough does not go away for a long time
Cough often occurs when inhaling irritants (tobacco smoke, dust, some gases), when a foreign body, stomach contents or secretions of the upper respiratory tract are aspired.
Common causes of periodic dry cough:
- allergy, for example to tree and grass pollen;
- gastroesophageal reflux disease;
- taking some medicines, for example, antihypertensive drugs (ACE inhibitors).
A dry cough that does not stop for three or more weeks can be a manifestation of an underlying disease. Reasons for which a dry paroxysmal cough does not go away for a long time:
- bronchial asthma;
- diseases of the upper respiratory tract;
- heart failure;
- lung diseases (especially cancer);
- tuberculosis;
- aortic aneurysm;
- tumor of the mediastinum;
- whooping cough (how to quickly cure a dry barking cough with whooping cough, the doctor will tell you).
How to treat a constant dry cough in a child
Cough therapy begins with identifying and eliminating its cause, the main disease should be treated: GERD, respiratory tract infections, bronchial asthma, and so on. Effective drugs for dry cough of unclear etiology are antitussives of central action. They block the cough reflex at the level of the cough center of the brain. Some drugs contain codeine, which can depress the respiratory center. With long-term use, codeine-containing drugs can cause addiction. Narcotic antitussives are prescribed to children from 12 years of age.How to treat a constant dry cough in a child under 12 years old? Non-narcotic drugs of central action, such as Glycodin syrup, can be taken by children over the age of four. Medicines relieve the child's condition for 6-9 hours, that is, for the entire night's sleep. Therefore, if parents do not know how to save their child from attacks of a strong dry cough at night, they should consult a doctor about the feasibility of prescribing non-narcotic cough syrups. Some of these remedies can be prescribed to children from two months old, instead of children's dry cough syrup for children from one year old, the doctor will prescribe the same remedy in drops to the baby.
Peripherally acting drugs will help relieve a dry cough for a short time. Various lozenges, syrups, teas soften, envelop, partially relieve irritation, inflammation, swelling of the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract, reducing cough and easing the child's condition. A significant advantage of such drugs is their pleasant taste and smell. However, they help only with a mild form of the disease.
Important information: in 50% of cases, cough in children goes away without treatment after 10 days and in 90% - after 25 days. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, there is no reliable information on the effectiveness of the use of antitussives in pediatrics. Therefore, drug therapy is not recommended to relieve cough. The exception is vital signs. The use of antibiotics or inhaled corticosteroids is justified for the treatment of prolonged bacterial bronchitis or bronchial asthma.
Treatment of dry cough in adults
Treatment of a long dry cough without fever in an adult should also begin with determining its cause. So, bronchodilators are prescribed for bronchial asthma. What to do with a frequent dry cough? Symptomatic treatment is used for dry pertussis cough of unclear etiology, prescribing drugs that inhibit the cough center. It is important to know that you cannot suppress a cough with sputum. In this case, drugs that thin out sputum and improve its discharge are prescribed to relieve a pertussis cough.
How to relieve a dry cough that causes vomiting? In most cases, cough is a symptom of a specific disease. To find out which one, you need to undergo a serious examination. Only after that, the doctor will be able to prescribe adequate therapy. Treatment of the underlying disease will help to get rid of unpleasant symptoms, such as coughing up to vomiting.
Read about what antitussive drugs can be taken for dry cough during pregnancy on our website Dobrobut.com.
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