Definition of disease: Cough is a kind of lung disease with the main symptom of coughing or expectoration. It is not only a common symptom of lung disease, but also an independent disease. When it comes to coughing, many friends will think of catching a cold, and then rush to take cold medicine. However, colds are not just a cough, but often accompanied by symptoms such as nasal congestion and runny nose. Cough is actually a kind of self-defense of the body, which is used to remove pathogenic factors such as sputum, foreign bodies and bacteria and viruses in the respiratory tract. When inhaling irritants, the airway cough receptor is activated, triggering the cough reflex, driving away the “invader” in time, in general, there is no need to be too nervous. But when the cough becomes too strong, too frequent or does not heal for a long time, we need to pay attention.
According to the etiology, it can be divided into infectious and non-infectious cough. The former is usually caused by the invasion of pathogens (such as bacteria, viruses, mycoplasma, etc.), which induces airway inflammation and causes cough. Winter and spring are high incidence periods, which can cause different degrees of epidemic. This process is often accompanied by symptoms related to infection, such as fever, fatigue and so on. The most common cause of the latter is allergic reactions, especially in people who are sensitive to pollen, dust and pet hair. In addition, environmental factors (cold air, smoke, chemical gases) and acid reflux are also common causes of cough.
Why is it easy to cough when the season changes? 1. Dry and cold air stimulation: After autumn, the temperature difference between day and night is large, the climate is dry, and the airway is more sensitive, which stimulates the throat, trachea and bronchial mucosa, and then leads to cough. Dry air can also slow down the movement of cilia in our Airways, reduce the purification capacity of the lungs, and make dust and dust mites in the air more likely to adhere to the mucosa and stimulate us to cough. 2. Increased allergens: When the season changes, the concentration of plant allergens in the air increases, which may cause allergic cough after contact with adults and children with allergic constitution. 3. Respiratory tract infection: The sudden change of climate can also reduce the immunity of the human body, causing viruses and bacteria to enter more easily, and then respiratory tract bacterial or viral infection occurs, and the incidence of cough after infection is higher, respiratory tract infection is easy to induce cough variant asthma.
Cough and pneumonia are different concepts. Cough is only a symptom of a disease, not a disease. Cough can be caused by various reasons. Cough itself does not cause pneumonia. When pathogens such as viruses and bacteria only involve the upper respiratory tract but not the lower respiratory tract, cough symptoms usually occur. When inflammation involves the lower respiratory tract, it may develop into pneumonia. Cough itself is one of the most common clinical signs of pneumonia.
Should I take medicine for my cough? Do not recommend the blind use of cough medicine to “suppress” cough, cough is a protective reflex, is the body’s protective reflex, to help remove foreign bodies and secretion in the respiratory tract, excessive inhibition of cough will cause difficulty in pathogen clearance, is not conducive to inflammation control. If the sputum is sticky and not easy to cough up, expectorants should be used preferentially to promote the discharge of sputum and avoid infection caused by sputum retention. When severe dry cough affects work and life, cough medicine can be used appropriately under the advice of doctors. Chronic cough (lasting more than 8 weeks) should seek medical treatment in time to find out the cause and solve the problem with targeted treatment.
How to relieve a long cough? 1. Keep the air moist: Generally speaking, the way to deal with cough depends on its cause, and the treatment of the cause can fundamentally solve the problem. However, when the cause is unknown or the treatment effect is not ideal, cough can also be relieved in the following ways: dryness and cold may irritate the respiratory tract, thus making cough more frequent. Therefore, it is recommended to use humidifier or steam inhalation, which can reduce respiratory tract irritation and relieve cough. If you go out, you can wear a mask to prevent the cold and dry air from entering your nose directly. 2. Drink plenty of warm water: Drinking plenty of warm water can help dilute sputum and relieve throat discomfort. In addition, adequate water intake helps prevent the immune system from releasing too much histamine, which reduces respiratory swelling and mucus production. 3. Adjust the sleeping posture: When sleeping, you can raise the pillow to keep the respiratory tract inclined to avoid mucus accumulation in the respiratory tract.
