What is cough ?
When air passes through the voice box with force it creates a sound known as cough
A cough is your body’s way of responding when something irritates your throat or airway and helps clear mucus or foreign material from your airways
Coughing can propel air and particles out of your lungs and throat at speeds close to 50 miles per hour
What are some Lung Conditions with Cough ?
Chronic cough is a common association of respiratory diseases :
1.Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
Cough is common symptom
Main predictor of progression
Associated with production of excess phlegm and breathlessness.
Some also report dry cough.
2. Chronic Bronchitis
Known as smokers cough.
Excessive cough production with mucus
3. Bronchiectasis
Persistent cough that brings up a large amount of phlegm on a daily basis
“Dry” bronchiectasis can cause persistent cough
4. Pneumonia
Cough can be dry, or produce thick yellow, green, brown or blood-stained mucus (phlegm)
5. Interstitial Lung Disease (ILD)
Mostly exhibits dry cough
Sarcoidosis & idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) most common with dry cough
Pneumoconiosis is productive with black sputum
6. Tuberculosis
Excessive productive cough with mucus, sometimes even dry
7. Covid 19
Mostly produces dry cough
8. Lung cancer
Cough may arise as a consequence of the cancer itself, the treatment, or other co-existent disease
9. Asthma
Cough is a major symptom of asthma
Dry or minimally productive
Associated with hypersecretion of mucus
Categories of Cough
Based on Duration: Cough can be measured in days, weeks,months,or years.
Acute Cough (short-term)
Lasts less than 3 weeks
Benign and self limiting
Eg: Upper respiratory tract infections (common cold, allergic rhinitisetc.)
acute bronchitis etc
Sub-acute cough
Lasts 3 to 8 week Eg: post-infectious cough, asthma,sinusitis
Chronic cough (long-term)
Lasts more than 8 weeks
Associated with shortness of breath,wheeze and other symptoms
Eg:COPD,Chronic bronchitis, Asthma,ILD, smoking, heart failure and many others.
Based on Characteristics- Describes the nature of your cough.
Wet or Productive Cough
Expels sputum
mucus/saliva/phlegm/blood
Eg:ChronicBronchitis, Bronchiectasis etc
Dry cough
Does not expel any sputum.
Feels tingly, itchy, and/or tight
Eg : Asthma,hay fever, cold flu etc
SUMMARY
Cough is the body's mechanism to expel foreign particles from the airways
Cough is a major symptom of most of the chronic lung conditions but differs in characteristics according to the disease
Cough is categorised on basis of duration & characteristics
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