The expert gave advice on cough treatment
Many seasonal diseases worsen in the spring, and one of them is cough. It can be painful, and if treated incorrectly, it can lead to pneumonia, an inflammation of the lung tissue. Olga Shuppo, founder and scientific director of the Grand Clinic network of immunorehabilitation, adaptive and preventive medicine clinics, told Izvestia on April 27.
"The nature of a cough may not always be associated with some kind of infectious disease. Cardiac cough occurs in adults and the elderly while taking blood pressure medications. It occurs with reflux, when the contents of the stomach are thrown into the esophagus and begin to irritate the larynx. In children and adults, coughing can be caused by nasopharyngitis, when mucus flows into the larynx, irritates and reflexively causes coughing," the expert noted.
According to her, inflammation of the respiratory tract can produce various symptoms. Spreading through the mucous membranes gradually, viruses and bacteria have the ability to cause inflammation in different parts of the respiratory tract at once. Pharyngitis in the throat causes scratching and frequent coughing, laryngitis — a rough, frequent, "barking" cough, tracheitis — a dry, difficult-to-stop cough. Shuppo stressed that the nature of cough in bronchitis and pneumonia can be different, in such cases, patients will need a doctor's examination to determine the localization of the inflammatory process and prescribe treatment.
She clarified that in the early days of the disease, most often no special treatment is required. A rare, wet cough, when sputum clears well and does not require medical treatment without a paroxysmal night cough.
"It will be enough to provide a comfortable indoor microclimate for the respiratory tract, in which the resulting sputum will easily separate when coughing. To do this, you will need to monitor the air temperature, humidity, and observe an adequate drinking regime. The optimal temperature in the room will be +23 degrees, and the air humidity will be 40-60%," Shuppo explained.
However, if the mucus begins to irritate the pharynx — this happens when it cannot be expectorated or swallowed — to relieve the condition, you can drink warm sugary drinks and dissolve medicinal lozenges for sore throat, the expert advised. With such symptoms, the last meal before bedtime should be at least three hours in advance, and the headboard should be raised to ensure that mucus flows down the throat.
"If it is difficult to clear your throat, you can use inhalation medications at home that can penetrate deeply into different parts of the bronchi and will work well locally. After two or three days of inhalation, the condition may improve significantly, the nature of the cough will change, and sputum will begin to recede. Mucolytic cough remedies in the form of liquid are also effective, but they pass through the intestines and may be less effective due to such a longer path," she added.
When visiting a doctor, depending on the point of application of the cough, the doctor will prescribe antitussive drugs that will affect the sensitive endings in the mucous membrane of the respiratory tract, having a softening and anesthetic effect, reducing "cough stimuli" in the larynx, trachea and bronchi.
"Taking medications is most likely required for a dry cough with a small amount of sputum, which does not bring relief, if there is no positive dynamics for five days, fever has joined the cough, with a strong, paroxysmal cough, pain in the head or abdomen," Shuppo said.
Acute fever, chills, chest pain associated with breathing or coughing — these symptoms are characteristic of pneumonia, so if they occur, you should immediately consult a doctor, the expert emphasized.
Earlier, on March 5, Elena Aleksentseva, a pediatrician at Invitro-Voronezh, said that following the daily routine is a key factor in maintaining a person's physical and mental health. A balanced diet and adequate water regime are also important.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
