shippingposition
  • Home
  • News
  • Editorial
    • Vox Pop
  • Maritime safety
  • Oil and Gas
  • Personality
  • Health
No Result
View All Result
shippingposition

Home » THE ABC OF COUGHING

THE ABC OF COUGHING

by Joshua
November 27, 2009
in Uncategorized

Some people have posited that coughing is seasonal; that it is more rampant with the coming of certain crops. This (Nigerian) school of medical thought may be right as more cases of coughing are being reported and treated by health personnel these days in both private and public health facilities. You probably have a case in your home or office. In most cases, when one member of the family starts coughing, it may spread if not treated at once. And when treating, please, treat everyone.

Coughing is a reflex action started by stimulation of sensory nerves in the lining of the respiratory passages, that is, the tubes which we use to breathe.

When a person coughs, there is a short intake of breath and the larynx (the voice box) closes momentarily. The abdominal and chest muscles used for breathing contract, which in turn increases the pressure needed to drive air out the lungs when the larynx re-opens.

The resulting blast of air comes out at high speed, scrubbing and clearing the airway of dust, dirt or excessive secretions. Coughing is a common symptom when the airways are ‘tight’, as in asthma.

The cough reflex is a vital part of the body’s defence mechanisms. Normally, the lungs and the lower respiratory passages are sterile. If dust or dirt get into the lungs, they could become a breeding ground for bacteria and cause pneumonia or infection in the breathing tubes.

What causes coughing?

Coughing usually means there is something in the respiratory passages that should not be there. This can be caused by breathing in dust particles in the air or when a piece of food goes down the wrong way.

It could also be a sign that an infection in the lungs is making the respiratory passages produce phlegm.

Coughing can be provoked by:
• The common cold, which is a frequent cause of acute cough that usually settles in less than three weeks.
• Sucking material into the breathing tubes from your mouth.
• More severe illnesses, such as pneumonia, acute heart failure or pulmonary embolism (a clot in the blood vessels of the lung).
• Smoking, which often causes chronic cough (smoker’s lung).
• Asthma – particularly in children who may only cough and show no wheezing.
• Stomach acid coming back up the gullet and spilling over into the windpipe (gastro-oesophageal reflux).
• Medicines used in heart disease called ACE inhibitors.
• bacterial or viral infections in the lungs, e.g. acute bronchitis, pneumonia, whooping cough, croup in children
• rarely coughing can be provoked by psychological illness
• Damage to the nerves that supply the vocal chords (known as vocal chordpalsy) and chronic cough can occur.
Coughing is more efficient when preceded by a full intake of air.

For this reason, patients with weak muscles, poor coordination of airway closure and re-opening, or who have airflow obstruction will have a poor cough and be susceptible to complications including infection in the lower respiratory tract and pneumonia.

How can coughing be treated?

Coughing is a symptom, not a disease. It is the underlying cause of the cough that needs to be treated.

You should consult your doctor if any of the following symptoms accompany a cough, so that possible underlying causes can be investigated and treated where necessary:
• coughing up phlegm that is green, rusty brown, yellow, blood-stained or foul smelling
• chest pain
• shortness of breath or wheezing
• pain and swelling in the calf
• recurrent night-time cough
• whooping cough or croup
• worsening smoker’s cough
• sudden weight loss
• fever and sweating
• hoarseness of the voice with a chronic cough that doesn’t clear up spontaneously.
If you can’t cough but need to, problems soon arise. Equally, when coughing is painful (for example, because of a broken rib), patients try not to cough and this can be dangerous.

Ineffective clearance of the airway can lead to a chest infection and possible pneumonia. In these circumstances, pain-relieving medicine can be useful to permit an efficient cough.
Airways infection
Infections in the breathing tubes can be caused by both bacteria and viruses, although the most common cause in children is a virus. Bacterial infections can be treated with antibiotics, but viral infections cannot.

Vaccination has greatly diminished the incidence of whooping cough (pertussis), but if this is the diagnosis, antibiotic treatment with a macrolide antibiotic such as erythromycin decreases the severity of this illness within the first week of treatment.
Asthma

Asthma may cause coughing without wheeziness. This tends to be worst through the night, disturbing sleep. It may be the first sign of asthma in children, or a warning sign that asthma is worsening or not controlled properly. Conventional asthma treatment with inhaled anti-inflammatory preventative medicines and relievers will usually relieve a cough that is due to asthma.

However, a metered-dose inhaler may itself induce cough, and you may need to use a large volume spacer device or a dry powder inhaler instead.

Smoking

Giving up cigarettes will lessen or abolish smokers’ cough in 94 per cent of people within four weeks.

How effective are the cough medicines?

In cases where a cough is particularly annoying, but not life-threatening, a simple cough mixture may be useful. There are a range of over-the-counter medicines that can be helpful in such circumstances.

Taking these can be justified when there is no special reason to suspect any serious underlying disease, such as the symptoms listed above. You should ask your care giver for advice on which of the many available over-the-counter cough remedies are suitable for you.

A productive, chesty cough, in which phlegm is coughed up, should be treated with an expectorant cough mixture to help loosen the phlegm and make it easier to cough up from the airways. Expectorants contain ingredients such as guaifenesin, ipecachuana or ammonium citrate.

A non-productive, dry, tickly or irritating cough, in which no phlegm is coughed up can, be treated with a cough suppressant to reduce the cough reflex. Cough suppressants include pholcodine, dextromethorphan and codeine. Other cough suppressants include simple linctus, glycerine and lemon and honey, which coat and soothe the back of the throat.

Antihistamines such as diphenhydramine and promethazine reduce the cough reflex and also dry up nasal secretions, which can be useful for coughs that are caused by a postnasal drip (mucus running down the back of the throat), or are associated with a cold.

Ipratropium bromide nasal spray also reduces watery nasal secretions that can cause postnasal drip and contribute to a cough.

Some cough remedies also contain sympathomimetics such as ephedrine, for their airway relaxing and decongestant effects, and can be useful if you have a blocked nose as well as a cough.

Patients should not treat themselves with cough mixture for any longer than two weeks. If the cough persists, a visit to the doctor is definitely required – informed medical assessment will help identify the underlying cause and allow treatment.

 

 


Related Posts

Customs Seize Contraband, Destroy Raw Donkey Skin In Adamawa

FG To Shutdown Adeniji/Adekunle Third Mainland Bridge Ramps For Repairs On Monday

November 18, 2023
FG Rakes in N4.3trn From Oil In 2021, N2.3trn In 2023 — Report

FG Rakes in N4.3trn From Oil In 2021, N2.3trn In 2023 — Report

September 25, 2023
Oil Theft: Security Agencies Accuse Mdas, Oil Coys, Communities, Others Of Collusion

ANLCA Elects Emenike Nwokeoji As National President, Promises Unity and Progress

September 8, 2023
International Shipping Companies Threaten To Stop Trading In Nigeria Over Backlog Of Tax Claims

FG Targets N553bn From Unremitted Shipping Taxes

July 6, 2023

Discussion about this post

Latest News

Navy Hands Over 14 Crew Members To Department Of Fisheries, Others

Navy Acquires 12 UAVs To Improve Fight Against Maritime Crime

December 9, 2023

Tanita Securities Threatens To Release Video Of Naval Officers’ Shady Deal

Navy Hands Over 14 Crew Members To Department Of Fisheries, Others

Vessels Expected At Lagos Ports As At 8th December, 2023

Vessels Expected At Lagos Ports As At 6th December, 2023

Vessels Expected At Lagos Port As At 5th December, 2023

Crude Oil Theft: Navy Nabs Oil Vessel With 17 Crew

For The 3rd Time, FG Increases Import Duty Rate

NIMASA DG Calls For Contributory Pension  For Dockworkers 

Smugglers Using Fake Presidential Number Plates, Others, Laments Customs Comptroller

Stakeholders Urges Nigeria To Harness Blue Economy Potentials, Urge Disbursement of CVFF

MWUN Lament Poor State Of Port Access Road Calls For Urgent Rehabilitation   

kindly like our Facebook page

Health

Frequently Asked Questions About Suicide
Health

Frequently Asked Questions About Suicide

November 7, 2023

Suicide is a major public health concern. When a person dies by suicide, the effects are felt by family, friends,...

Some Facts You Need to Know About Stroke

November 2, 2023
Cervical Cancer:  HPV Vaccine Is Safe, Serves As Lifelong Prevention — Minister

Cervical Cancer:  HPV Vaccine Is Safe, Serves As Lifelong Prevention — Minister

November 2, 2023
Blood Pressure, Blood Sugar Tests Critical To Eye Health Care – Optometrist

Blood Pressure, Blood Sugar Tests Critical To Eye Health Care – Optometrist

October 25, 2023
Sex-Enhancing Drugs May Trigger Heart Diseases – Gynaecologist

Sex-Enhancing Drugs May Trigger Heart Diseases – Gynaecologist

October 23, 2023
Depression Alerts To Watch Out For By Everyone

Depression Alerts To Watch Out For By Everyone

October 23, 2023
The ‘Ordeal’ Called Fibroid

The ‘Ordeal’ Called Fibroid

October 17, 2023
ABC Of Mental Health?

ABC Of Mental Health?

October 17, 2023
World Mental Health Day 2023: De-Criminalise Mental Health, Says Minister

World Mental Health Day 2023: De-Criminalise Mental Health, Says Minister

October 17, 2023
The Usefulness In Watermelon Seeds You May Not Know

The Usefulness In Watermelon Seeds You May Not Know

October 9, 2023

© 2021 Shippingposition

Navigate Site

  • Home
  • About Us
  • Contact us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Sitemap
  • Terms

Follow Us

No Result
View All Result
  • News
  • Coast To Coast
  • Oil and Gas
  • Maritime Education
  • The Terminals
  • Maritime safety

© 2021 Shippingposition