Cough
A cough is one of the most common symptoms, for which a patient goes to a doctor. There is not a single person in this universe who doesn’t cough in his/her lifetime. In most of the cases, cough is self-limiting and doesn’t cause much trouble. However, it might be the only manifestation of some serious underlying illness in our body; for example, lung cancer. A cough is not a disease itself, rather it just tells us that something going on in our body which is not right.
What is a cough?
In a simple way, cough is a short explosive expulsion of air. It is nothing but a protective mechanism which is set in our body by the Almighty. When some unwanted substances/objects come in contact with the respiratory tract or try to enter into the lungs, our body’s first response will be to expel out that intruders. This innate/inborn protective mechanism is called cough.
Why do we cough?
Though a cough is a respiratory system (lungs) phenomenon, other systemic diseases might manifest as a cough along with other symptoms. A shortlist of the common causes of cough:
- Any type of common infections in the respiratory tract (either upper part or lower). Maybe due either common bacteria or viruses
- Due to inhaled irritants, like fume, dust, smoke, or foreign body
- Some drugs
- Lung cancers
- Heart failure (mainly left-sided heart failure)
- Gastro-oesophagal reflux disease and hiatus hernia
- Psychogenic cough
When should we take a cough seriously?
In most of the cases, cough is self-limiting or cured with some commonly used medications. But in some instances, we should take it seriously. If these criteria/points are present, we should consult our doctors ASAP:
- Age more than 50 years (And cough is not cured with medications)
- Smoking or asbestos exposure history
- Associated with hemoptysis (coughing up blood)
- Associated with breathlessness (breathing difficulties)
- Persistent cough
- Exposure to known patients with communicating diseases like TB.
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