Cough for a month in an adult what to do. Causes of dry cough in adults and home remedies. Dry cough without fever

– little symptom big diseases. Everyone has encountered it at least once in their life. Cough can be dry, wet, rare, frequent, suffocating - by nature, one can roughly guess the source of the disease. If the cough does not go away for a long time, it is necessary to look for the cause of the problem.

Cough with normal, and SARS is dry at the beginning of the disease and wet as it recovers.

Features of the treatment of dry cough:

1. Provide a person with bed or semi-bed rest. Physical activity and work are contraindicated - this will weaken the body, cause a decrease in immunity and increase the duration of the disease.
2. Diet - exclude spicy and heavy foods, food should be light and quickly digestible. You can eat cereals, soups in the second or third broth, boiled or steamed meat and fish. Provide enough water - fruit drinks are preferred and natural juices- they will provide the body with vitamins and act to protect the immune system.
3. We humidify the air and often ventilate the room - simple methods help reduce irritation of the mucous membrane, and soothe. Not every family has a humidifier, so you can use a little trick - hang the washed laundry around the room or wet a towel and hang it on the battery.
4. Have you taken all measures, but the cough does not go away? Recall a proven recipe: heat a glass of milk, add butter, soda and drink in small sips.
5. A forgotten way to deal with dry cough - and mustard foot baths. These methods can only be used when normal temperature body. Mustard plasters are applied for 5-10 minutes, depending on the sensitivity of the skin. The degree of warming is evaluated by the degree of skin irritation. Baths are even easier to make - 1 tablespoon of mustard in a small bowl of water. Feet warm for 10 to 20 minutes - a good distraction procedure that has helped many generations to do without the use of antibiotics.
6. If there is an inhaler at home, then inhalations with saline can be carried out, mineral water(Borjomi or Essentuki), Ambroxol or Rotokan.

Have you tried all the tricks, but the cough still does not go away? Feel free to start taking medications. Harmless drugs that can be used without a doctor's prescription:

Syrups and cough tablets:

Wet cough treatment

The person is on the mend, the body coped with the infection, but moist cough more than a week passes - it is necessary to take appropriate measures.

Inhaler at home indispensable assistant in the fight against wet cough. Inhalations are carried out using a huge range of drugs:

• Expectorants that loosen phlegm. Ambroxol - diluted with saline or mineral water (Borjomi, Essentuki) 1: 1, the procedure is done 2-3 times a day; Bromhexine is diluted 1:1 with saline, inhalation is carried out 2-3 r / d.
• Antibacterial and antiseptic preparations: widely used 0.5 (children's) and 1% (adult) solution, diluted with 0.9% sodium chloride 1:2 and 1:4. The procedure is carried out 2 times a day for 5-7 minutes.- everyone famous drug, approved for use even by pregnant women in the 2-3 trimester. It can not be diluted, but when inhaled, they monitor well-being. If you have a dry cough, sore throat, then you need to dilute in a ratio of 1:1 or 1:2. The procedure lasts 5-10 minutes.
• Bronchodilators - if more simple means do not help and the cough continues resort to . 20-25 drops per 4-5 ml of saline, inhalation is carried out for 5-10 minutes. The drug is effective, it is used even in young children, but a doctor's consultation is required before use.

Colds and viral infections often turn into inflammation of the larynx and trachea. Hoarseness of voice and dry agonizing cough. Similar symptoms also appear with an infectious disease, the main symptom of which is a paroxysmal spastic cough.

Often so strong that they provoke nausea, vomiting, hemoptysis upon rupture small vessels and capillaries.

What can help:

• Oil drops in the nose - drip 3-4 drops 4-5 r / d, preferably in a warm form.
• Vinylin - antimicrobial, wound healing drug with good anti-inflammatory effect. Apply 2 times a day to the tonsils and take 1/2 teaspoon at night. The taste of the "magician" is unpleasant, but it relieves cough quickly and effectively.
• Preparations, Sinekod, Tussin-plus - take 1 scoop 4-5 times a day an hour after meals. They have a good antitussive effect.
• Antihistamines - it is best to use 1st generation drugs (Diazolin, Suprastin, Tavegil) 1 tablet 3 times a day. Despite the pronounced hypnotic effect, have an excellent anti-edematous, anti-inflammatory effect, reduce the excitability of the nervous system.
• Inhalations with mineral water - Essentuki 17 - procedures are carried out every 2-3 hours.
• Antibacterial drugs: 875/125 mg TB 2 times a day for 7-10 days. Clarithromycin 0.5 tablet 2 times a day for 7 days. AT severe cases resort to Levofloxacin 0.5 tb 2 times a day for 7-10 days. For severe coughing attacks, use Ceftriaxone 2.0 intravenously for physiological saline 1-2 times a day for a week.

It should be remembered that antibiotics cause intestinal dysbacteriosis, which also provokes a cough. Therefore, together with antibacterial drugs it is advisable to use lactobacterin - Acipol capsule 3r / day half an hour before meals for 1 month, Bifidumbacterin 1 powder 3r / d 30 minutes before meals. Bifidumbacterin is stored in the refrigerator, otherwise the drug loses its strength.

Long cough - examine the intestines

Cough can be a symptom of bowel disease - stomach ulcers and duodenum, pancreatitis, esophagitis (inflammation of the esophagus).

Here, treatment is carried out only after consulting a gastroenterologist, but you can alleviate your well-being with simple tricks:

1. Compliance with a sparing diet: exclude spicy, fried, smoked, fruits and vegetables only boiled and baked.
2. Omeprazole 20 mg capsule 2-3 times a day 20 minutes before meals.
3. Vinylin 1 teaspoon at night for 7-14 days.
4. Pancreatin for TB 3 times a day orally with food.

Useful video: effective remedy for dry cough

If the cough does not go away for more than three weeks, you should consult a doctor and get tested. A large number of oncological diseases manifests itself as a slight cough or prolonged cough.

For example: cancer of the nasopharynx, larynx, trachea, esophagus, lungs; sliding hernia esophagus, intestinal dysbacteriosis. Especially, coughing should alert men over 40 who have a long history of smoking. A consultation with an otolaryngologist will help rule out oncology of the larynx. If necessary, MRI and CT of the neck are performed.

When a cough does not go away for a long time, it is always unpleasant. Moreover, more often attacks torment people at night. And this means that a person is deprived of normal rest, the larynx is constantly irritated and serious diseases develop over time. Ways to get rid of it depend on the underlying cause, which is the first priority for doctors and the patient to determine. So if you've been coughing for three weeks or more, it's time to take urgent action.

Main reasons

There are many reasons why a cough does not go away for a long time. It is not always easy to find them quickly. Especially when the cough lasts for more than a month, but obvious accompanying symptoms no. If you do not pay attention to it, gradually develop serious broncho-pulmonary diseases. Therefore, it is desirable to find out as soon as possible what is happening in the body, and why a prolonged cough in adults does not go away.

Leading among the main reasons are:

• allergic reaction;
• occupational cough;
• chronic diseases;
• infectious diseases.

Residual cough is considered the most harmless of all the above causes. It occurs after suffering a cold, acute respiratory disease or SARS and disappears without any treatment in about 2 weeks. If the cough does not go away for a month or more, then this is already a reason for a second visit to the doctor. This may be a sign of reduced immunity or sluggish inflammation. In any case, it is better to take additional treatment.

When a severe allergic reaction occurs copious excretion mucus and paroxysmal cough, which is easily recognizable. But if the effect of the allergen is weak, then slight coughing may be present. for a long time- 2 months or more. This is how tuberculosis begins, a dangerous lung disease that is easy to see at an early stage.

Therefore, when you continue to cough, for which there seems to be no visible reasons better to get tested.

The first is an x-ray of the lungs. If he does not reveal any pathologies, consult an allergist. He appoints several laboratory tests to help identify the allergen, and antihistamines to relieve cough. Other reasons will have to be discussed in more detail.

Smoker's cough

One of the most common causes of a persistent cough in an adult is smoking. And we are talking not only about tobacco products, but also considered harmless electronic cigarettes Oh. Irritation from tobacco is stronger, as cigarette smoke contains nicotine, carcinogens and harmful resins, which clog the lungs and bronchi and settle on them in dense clots. The body tries to get rid of them with the help of a cough, which can last for years.

E-cigarettes do not inhale smoke, but water vapour. But the concentration of pure nicotine is increased. Nicotine causes capillary spasm and circulatory disorders, and also damages the hairy lining of the bronchi, making it impossible to expectorate accumulated mucus normally. Chronic bronchitis gradually develops, and carcinogens can provoke oncological diseases.

To get rid of smoker's cough once and for all, there is only one way - to give up this habit once and for all. Otherwise, any measures that will be taken will only have a temporary effect.

After quitting smoking, they will help clear the respiratory system and stop long cough expectorants. They perfectly thin the mucus and contribute to its active discharge.

Harmful work

Prolonged cough in an adult may have professional reasons. Moreover, it can appear not only among those who work in hazardous industries. Just this type of cough is easier to identify - that's it negative factors obvious. Moreover, for such people it is mandatory to undergo regular preventive examination. They also usually have personal protective equipment (respirators, special bandages, masks, etc.). Another thing is that many neglect them, violating elementary rules safety technology.

But often people who work with wood, fabrics, and iron begin to cough. When processing these materials, the smallest particles enter the lungs when inhaled, gradually accumulate there and provoke a constant incessant cough, which can last 3-4 months or more. If left unattended, bronchitis, bronchial asthma and other unpleasant diseases can develop.

At risk are also nail service masters, hairdressers, people working with paints and varnishes. Two ways will help get rid of the problem: change your profession or constantly use protective masks when working.

chronic diseases

First of all, an incessant cough, which periodically intensifies, is given by chronic respiratory diseases: pneumonia, bronchitis, tonsillitis, sinusitis, etc. During the remission period, which sometimes lasts a month or more, it can hardly manifest itself. During an exacerbation, frequent attacks occur, which are accompanied by suffocation, strong irritation larynx and spasms.

Depending on the diagnosis, the cough may be dry or wet and treatment is this case should not so much stop an attack as prevent its onset. Such people are usually under medical supervision. Self-medication in this case is ineffective.

But several folk remedies help to relieve the attack and relieve irritation of the throat. These are rinses, inhalations, homemade potions and syrups, warm drinks, and frequent gargling.

Other diseases that are not directly related to the respiratory system can also cause a constantly or periodically appearing cough:

A persistent cough can also be a symptom of the presence of neoplasms in the respiratory system. But in this case, the cough is usually dry, unproductive, and if the sputum is coughed up, there is a small amount of blood in it. The sooner they are identified, the more likely full recovery.

cure cough caused by chronic diseases it is forbidden. It will periodically decrease and then increase again at the stage of exacerbation. Sometimes periods of remission last up to six months, and sometimes - no more than a month.

Attacks can be removed with antitussive or expectorant drugs, depending on the underlying disease.

infectious diseases

If a persistent cough for the reasons listed above usually proceeds without a temperature, then when viruses or infections enter the body, it usually rises sharply. Some dangerous diseases they like to “hide”, so after 2-3 days the temperature may disappear by itself, but the cough remains.

In this situation, it is important to find out as soon as possible why the cough does not go away, and what kind of infection it is caused by. Otherwise, after a while, an exacerbation may occur again, and it will be much more difficult to cure the disease. You should immediately consult a doctor if any cough does not go away for a long time, it has a temperature (even a low one!) And is accompanied by other alarming symptoms:

• expectoration of yellow, orange or green sputum;
• strong wheezing, whistling in the lungs when breathing;
• traces or streaks of blood in expectorant mucus;
• shortness of breath even with minimal aerobic exercise (running, brisk walking etc.);
• pain in the chest area when inhaling;
• constant night attacks;
• cough dry, hacking, with sensation of suffocation.

If a persistent cough does not go away for a long time, then you definitely need to visit a doctor, take tests, and, if necessary, undergo a comprehensive diagnostic examination. These symptoms may indicate dangerous diseases: chronic bronchitis, pneumonia, tuberculosis, etc. And wrong, and even more so home treatment or lack thereof may lead to serious complications up to and including death.

Treatment is prescribed individually depending on the diagnosis. These are usually antibiotics. a wide range actions, antihistamines, syrups or tablets, anti-inflammatory drugs.

Physiotherapeutic procedures help to quickly overcome a prolonged cough: UHF, electrophoresis, paraffin therapy, etc. They are prescribed already at the stage of recovery, when the body temperature has stabilized and does not rise above 37.2.

Prevention methods

Prevention measures persistent cough simple and familiar to everyone from childhood. But maybe that's why most people ignore them. And a frivolous attitude to one's own health does not remain without consequences. We allow ourselves to recall those measures that will not allow the disease to stay with you for a long time:

Important! If it doesn't pass residual cough 3 weeks or more, be sure to re-consult a doctor.

The disease is easier to prevent than to cure. And coughing is no exception. Therefore, be more attentive to your health and take care of your respiratory organs. After all, they supply the body with vital oxygen.

Any children's cough for the parent is a big problem and cause for serious concern. When a child has been coughing for more than a month, nothing helps, examinations do not bring results, and the next package of pills and mixtures only exacerbates the symptoms, the parents' head is spinning.

What is a cough

Cough is a kind defensive reaction organism. It is necessary for every person who breathes not the cleanest city air in order to cleanse the lungs from the accumulated "dirt".

When a person falls ill, in the nasopharynx, bronchi, and even in upper divisions mucus is formed in the lungs. It is necessary in order to neutralize bacteria and viruses. The body needs to remove this mucus, for this there is a cough.

Types of cough

According to the duration, doctors divide the following types of cough:

• Spicy. This type of dry cough usually stops after a few days. Instead, it appears wet, productive, with sputum discharge.
• A persistent cough lasts from two weeks to three months.
• A chronic cough is a type of cough that does not go away for more than three months.

As you might guess, it is not uncommon for a child to cough for more than a month. Nothing helps - also not an out of the ordinary situation. Let's figure out what can cause a protracted and chronic cough and how to treat it.

Why does the cough last for a long time?

Very often, parents cannot understand why the child coughs for so long. What can not be done and what are the main mistakes in treatment, due to which unpleasant symptoms diseases may not go away for a long time:

• Use of expectorants for treatment (very often on the advice of a pharmacist at a pharmacy or a friend). Such an error in the choice of drug causes over-education sputum in the lungs, from which the body does not have time to get rid of, and the child coughs non-stop. By the way, there is no evidence that such remedies are more effective than drinking plenty of water and washing the nose.

• Too dry and warm air in the room. Such a seemingly trifle can do a disservice in the treatment of any infection.
• Use of cough suppressants without acute indications. It is especially dangerous to take such drugs with a wet cough, because the body needs to get rid of the resulting sputum.
• Warming up, hot inhalations, rubbing (especially during acute period disease) should not be done. Firstly, not a single doctor will advise overheating a child who already has a temperature. Secondly, even if the temperature has long passed, the effectiveness of this treatment method raises many doubts. Instead of such procedures, doctors recommend using a nebulizer.

The child coughs for a month. Komarovsky answers

The doctor says that the main treatment should be plentiful drink room temperature, ventilation, air humidification and walks.

If a child coughs for a month without a fever, this is most likely the fault of the parents, who, for example, began to give mucolytics. Komarovsky always draws Special attention that drugs are no more effective than a normal climate and frequent drinking. For children under two or three years old, according to Oleg Evgenievich, it is simply dangerous to give such funds.

The doctor considers this type of cough to be “normal”: dry acute cough, turning in a couple of days into wet with sputum, which gradually fades away (maximum in three weeks). If after viral infection the child coughs without stopping, and against this background the temperature has risen again, an urgent consultation with a doctor is necessary. Komarovsky recalls that such symptoms may be characteristic of bacterial complication SARS.

Whooping cough

whooping cough is dangerous infection, which in unvaccinated children early stages appears like this:

• Elevated to 37-37.5 degrees temperature.
• Dry infrequent cough.
• Weakness.
• Mucus discharge from the nose.

After about the second week of illness, spasmodic attacks intensify, the child coughs at night during sleep and during the day. Attacks can be so strong that they will be accompanied by vomiting. Cough during whooping cough can last up to three months. Treatment should take place in a hospital with mandatory application antibiotics.

In vaccinated children, whooping cough most often resolves in a very mild or erased form. Cough can only distinguish it by the fact that most of all the child coughs at night, which prevents him from sleeping. By the end of the second week, the cough intensifies, and then gradually disappears without treatment in about a month.

allergic cough

If a child has been coughing for more than a month, nothing helps, and does not get better, it is worth considering whether an allergic reaction is causing the attacks. Typical signs cough for allergies:

• It starts abruptly and has a paroxysmal character.
• allergic cough always dry and often accompanied by rhinitis (runny nose).
• The attack can last a very long time - up to several hours.
• Cough brings no relief.
• Sputum, if it is allocated, is transparent, without impurities of green or red color.
• Itching or sneezing may be present.

If your child is coughing, the reasons need to be investigated as soon as possible. allergic cough without timely treatment can cause asthma or bronchitis. And this is already fraught with serious consequences.

Bronchitis

Bronchitis - inflammation of the mucous membranes of the bronchi. This is enough serious illness, which today, with timely and proper treatment quite successfully and without consequences cured.

Cough with bronchitis in a child has a number of differences:

• Violent loose cough with sputum.
• A sharp rise in temperature.
• Weakness.
• Wheezing pulmonary rales.
• The presence of wet with a characteristic gurgling, which can often be heard without a phonendoscope.
• Hard breathing.

The maximum term for coughing with bronchitis is two weeks. In other cases, we can talk about complications or that the bronchi have not recovered from the disease, and physiotherapy is required.

Neurological cough

Very often, pediatricians forget about such a common cause of cough as neurological problems. Sometimes mothers complain that the child has been coughing for more than a month, nothing helps. All the medicines have already been tried, the tests have been passed not once, doctors have been bypassed in the third round, but there is no result. The cause of a cough may not be a physiological, but a psychological reason.

Here is a list of neurotic cough symptoms:

• Intrusive dry cough.
• No signs of SARS.
• The baby coughs only during the day.
• Attacks worse towards evening (from accumulated fatigue).
• No deterioration or improvement for a long time.
• Medicines don't help.
• There may be shortness of breath during coughing.
• It always shows up in times of stress.
• It is often loud, as if special.

During the diagnosis of such a psychogenic illness, it is necessary full examination at the pulmonologist, otolaryngologist, allergist, neuropathologist and psychotherapist. It is important to exclude all possible common causes cough (including bronchial asthma and tuberculosis), since psychogenic cough lasting more than three months is detected only in ten percent of all cases.

What to do?

So the child classic symptoms SARS:

• the temperature has risen;
• weakness appeared;
• suffers from a runny nose;
• tickle in the throat;
• worries about dry cough.

It makes sense to call a doctor and get treated for several days at home without pills: give the child more water, feed less, ventilate and humidify the room. In 90% of cases, a dry cough will pass in a day or two, and a wet one with sputum will appear. The temperature will begin to decrease, and all symptoms of SARS will gradually disappear. By the way, do not rush to immediately lead the child to Kindergarten or school, give the body a chance to recover properly.

If you observe non-standard symptoms in your baby, this is a sign urgent appeal to the doctor:

• cough without fever;
• no runny nose;
• chest pain;
• impurities in sputum (blood, pus);
• deterioration after a clear improvement in SARS;
• the temperature does not go astray (neither "Paracetamol" nor "Ibuprofen");
• pale skin color;
• dyspnea;
• sharp without stopping;
• suspicion of the presence of a foreign object in the respiratory tract;
• nocturnal coughing fits;
• inability to take a deep breath;
• wheezing;
• cough lasts more than three weeks.

An examination by a pediatrician is necessary for any disease of the child. But if you find at least one of the above symptoms in your baby, you should see a doctor as soon as possible (depending on the condition, you may even need to call an ambulance).

doctor for accurate diagnosis disease may recommend one or more tests:

• Clinical analysis of blood and urine to identify the nature of the disease (bacterium or virus).
• Sputum examination is prescribed, if necessary, by an ENT doctor (microbiological examination).
• Chest x-ray - in the presence of wheezing.
• Allergy test or analysis of the level of immunoglobulins in the blood (determines the presence allergic cause cough).
• Whooping cough blood test bacterial culture or detection of antibodies).

There can be only one conclusion: a cough cannot be treated without a doctor. Self-medication is dangerous and can lead to chronic diseases.

Among the many symptoms of disease, cough is a complex and unpleasant manifestation. Therefore, if it does not go away after a week or a month, then the patient begins to worry and suspect the presence of serious illnesses.

Sometimes after a leak colds remains a cough that never ends long time. At the same time, they tried various means and methods of treatment. In that case, for medical care it is necessary to apply if the cough does not go away for more than 15 days.

But why does this symptom not disappear quickly? Perhaps the body was exhausted during the course of a cold and at this inopportune time an infection or virus entered it.

The body can overcome viruses on its own, but only if it is not weakened. Therefore, in order to successfully cure a prolonged cough, it is necessary to find out which microorganism provoked its appearance, therefore, all necessary studies must be carried out.

Prolonged cough: causes

If the cough does not go away for a long time, for example, the cough does not go away for a month, then the following infections and diseases contribute to it:

1. pneumocystis;
2. mycoplasma;
3. fungal microflora (chlamydia, candida);
4. tuberculosis.

In addition, the infection can be mixed. This option is the worst, because the course of such diseases is quite severe. At the same time, the patient experiences weakness, his temperature rises strongly and sweat is plentiful.

It is worth noting that an incorrect, defective or untimely treatment of such diseases leads to their progression.

All of the above microorganisms can enter the body by airborne droplets when an infected person sneezes or coughs.

The chances of infection are doubled if the body of an adult is weakened or he is under heavy stress at work.

Therefore, it is necessary to strengthen immune system, eat plenty of vegetables and fruits, get enough sleep and exercise.

What to do if the cough does not stop for a week?

Cough is an involuntary expiratory reflex that occurs as a result of irritation of the mucous membrane of the larynx, bronchi or throat and lung tissues. Thanks to this symptom, the airways are cleared of foreign bodies, harmful microorganisms, mucus, dust and sputum.

Causes of a prolonged cough include:

• colds;
• allergy;
• emotional stress.

Moreover, a cough can be wet or dry, nocturnal, daytime, periodic, paroxysmal, and so on.

If the cause of a weekly cough has become, then the doctor prescribes antitussive drugs, while antibiotics should not be taken, since they only affect bacteria. But antibacterial agents may be appropriate for bronchitis and pneumonia that are accompanied by symptoms such as fever and severe cough syndrome.

In addition to antibiotics, if a severe cough does not go away for a week, expectorant preparations based on medicinal plants are prescribed. In addition, the doctor may prescribe immunomodulating agents that activate protective functions organism and send out the action of antiviral drugs.

It is worth noting if the cough not only does not go away for more than a week, but is also accompanied by pain in the chest, high temperature(38 or more), and when expectorating, bloody, green or yellow sputum is released, then you can not self-medicate, but you need to quickly consult a doctor.

There are some recommendations that are important to follow when treating a prolonged cough in an adult. So that the throat does not dry out, you need to drink plenty of fluids. To this end, every evening you can drink warm milk with honey.

Fruit drinks and juices are no less useful. In addition, if a dry cough does not go away for more than a week, you should drink Fresh Juice from black radish (three times a day, 1 tablespoon).

What to do if the cough does not stop within a month?

Why does a persistent cough occur and what can be done to eliminate it? If this symptom does not go away for a month, then the following factors may be to blame:

1. congenital pathologies of the lungs;
2. bronchitis;
3. foreign body in the airways;
4. pneumonia;
5. tuberculosis;
6. bronchial asthma.

For successful treatment prolonged cough it is important to know whether this symptom was the root cause of the disease or whether it developed in the course of its course. In addition, it is necessary to determine its nature - productive or unproductive, frequent or rare, spastic or paroxysmal, and so on.

It is necessary to quickly consult a doctor if a cough with sputum does not go away for more than a month and is accompanied by such signs as:

• severe swelling;
• sweating;
• nausea;
• weight loss;
• colorless, thick discharge or sputum with blood impurities;
• lack of appetite;
• dyspnea;
• heat;
• fast fatiguability;
• chest pain.

In addition, a persistent cough can become chronic. To prevent this from happening, you need to go to the doctor if the cough reflex does not stop within five days. Many do not pay due attention to this symptom, and even more so if it is not accompanied by weakness, runny nose and elevated temperature, but in case of no treatment, time will be irretrievably lost.

When the cough does not stop for about four weeks, you need to make an appointment with an ENT specialist, a general practitioner, an allergist, a phthisiatrician, and possibly a pulmonologist. After the examination, doctors will be able to determine why the cough does not stop for so long and what to do to cure it.

So, a cough that lasts for a month may indicate the presence of:

1. pneumonitis;
2. chronic bronchitis;
3. heart failure;
4. bronchial asthma;
5. cancerous metastases or lung cancer;
6. sinusitis;
7. asbestosis;
8. tuberculosis;
9. whooping cough;
10. pleurisy;
11. silicosis.

But in order to finally determine the cause of a prolonged cough, it will be necessary to conduct additional research. This can be a blood test, sputum culture for flora, a blood test for the presence of mycoplasma and chlamydia, a Mantoux test and an X-ray of the lungs.

In addition, a cough that does not subside for more than 4 weeks is typical for smokers and people working for harmful production where they constantly inhale mold and dust.

So, silicosis often develops in miners, asbestosis in builders, and pneumonitis in agricultural workers.

Treating a cough that lasts longer than a month

It is worth noting that it is not advisable to treat a prolonged cough without medical advice. After all, depending on the cause, a certain method of treatment is necessary, for example, in case of heart failure, it is pointless to drink antitussive syrups, swallow pills or inhale.

So, for successful treatment persistent cough in an adult it is important to restore water balance so the patient needs to drink plenty of fluids. At the same time, the patient's diet should not be too high in calories, it is best to enrich it with fruits and vegetables.

In addition, carrying out with the addition of pine oil, coltsfoot, baking soda, thyme, sage and chamomile.

At productive cough With viscous secretions, you need to use drugs that thin the sputum. These drugs include mucolytics and expectorants.

Moreover, it is better if such funds are based on medicinal plants. And when a small amount secretions, expectorant syrups and tablets are prescribed.

But it is worth noting that such drugs should not be taken together with antitussive drugs.

Prolonged cough

A persistent cough is one that does not go away for 4-8 weeks. Therefore, a two-week cough is considered only a suspicion of a long-term symptom.

So, if a cough does not go away for a long time, then its causes may lie in the presence of such diseases:

• bronchial asthma;
• left ventricular failure;
• HIV infection;
• tuberculosis;
• lungs' cancer.

In addition, it is necessary to conduct a thorough diagnosis of the patient, which allows to identify the causes of a long-lasting cough. So, rapid and confused breathing is characteristic of cardiac (acrocyanosis) and lung failure. If you suspect bronchiectasis and lung cancer, the ENT performs an examination called "drumsticks".

It is also necessary to examine the mucous membrane of the nasopharynx or pharynx. At the same time, the doctor examines nasal discharge, confirms or excludes the presence of polyps in the nasal cavity and sinusitis, which manifests itself painful sensations in the projection of the paranasal sinuses.

It is worth noting that the temperature with a prolonged cough may not always be elevated. It accompanies only some diseases, such as sinusitis, tuberculosis and pneumonia.

In addition, the doctor must examine the patient's neck. During the study, manifestations such as a positive venous pulse can be detected, which indicates pulmonary insufficiency.

With an increase in the rear or front cervical lymph nodes and nodes of the supraclavicular region, there is a suspicion of cancer of the larynx or lungs. And when listening, signs such as noise, local or scattered dry rales can be detected.

To get rid of a prolonged cough, drugs that activate the immune system are most often prescribed. For this purpose, the patient should take funds based on Rhodiola rosea, ginseng, eleutherococcus. They are usually used after antibiotic therapy. in the video in this article, the specialist will tell. what to do with a persistent cough.

Prolonged cough is when more than four weeks. Such a cough can be caused by bronchial asthma, infection, as well as oncological pathologies. To establish exact reason required x-ray examination for the purpose of setting accurate diagnosis and choosing the right treatment.

Causes of a persistent cough

With the development of a prolonged cough, it is first necessary to establish the causes of its occurrence. These may be the following:

• chronic form of bronchitis;
• bronchial asthma;
• cough provoked by pathology connective tissue and her treatment
• sarcoidosis;
• silicosis;
• various side effects exposure to certain drugs and their components;
• malignant tumor of the lung;
• pleurisy;
• heart failure.

It often happens that a month does not pass a cough, especially after curing some types infection, for example, whooping cough, pneumonia, etc. In an adult, with a sudden cough, the use of antibiotic drugs does not give any results. A prolonged cough develops simultaneously with the manifestations of infection of the body with an infection. protracted respiratory infection or early stages development of bronchial asthma is common causes provocative.

Treatment for a persistent cough

Most people ask doctors if what to do. Unproductive or should be alleviated by eliminating the irritant and softening the mucous surface of the respiratory tract. A quick but short-lived effect for the treatment of dry cough is provided by gargling with alkaline mineral water or saline.

More sustainable results come from exposure medicines, which help relieve irritation, have an enveloping effect, antiseptic effect and relieve inflammation. If the cough does not go away in an adult, then one of the most suitable medicines is considered to be with plantain syrup, since it contains the following components:

1. psyllium extract to help protect the mucosal surface respiratory tract from exposure to irritants, and it also resists infection well;
2. mallow flower extract, which softens and soothes the throat;
3. vitamin C, which helps to improve the functioning of the immune system, improves the body's resistance to infection, resists the spread of infection and helps to quickly treat a cough.

This drug produces only a local effect on the body and does not affect brain activity, can be used for treatment various types dry cough for adults and even for children over the age of two years.

Use drugs to treat cough that can suppress cough reflexes in the brain, you can only on the testimony of a doctor. But to use such medicines is not always allowed. Since they have large quantity contraindications and may cause negative consequences.

To alleviate the condition with the development of a wet cough, agents should be used that help thin the mucus, remove it from the respiratory tract, if necessary, can increase the volume and have an antimicrobial effect.

If a person is concerned about the question of why a productive cough or otherwise wet cough does not go away for a long time, then he should visit a specialist.

Most often, in such a situation, the doctor may prescribe the drug Gerbion with primrose syrup, which includes the following components:

• plant extract of the roots of primrose, which helps to reduce the viscosity of sputum and simplify its removal from the respiratory tract;
• thyme extract, which helps relieve spasms in the respiratory tract, improves the expectoration process and produces an antibacterial effect;
• levomenthol, which has an antiseptic function and a cooling effect.

If , and this process drags on for a long time, then initial stages medical process are as follows:

• organization of sinusitis treatment;
• sinus lavage;
• intranasal use of vasoconstrictor drugs;
• the use of antibiotic drugs - for patients in whom cough accompanies discharge purulent sputum and feverish condition.

Treatment of a persistent cough without fever and sputum is to take bronchodilators at the same time as antitussive medicines. When taking into account the degree of damage, the need to use antibiotic agents for each specific case is established on an individual basis by the attending physician.

Ways to prevent a persistent cough

You can prevent the development of a lingering cough, that is, not eating a regular cough to transform into a lingering one, with the help of enhanced therapy subject to the following mandatory rules:

• stop smoking or being near people who smoke;
• constantly monitor the humidity in the apartment, especially during the heating season;
• try to prevent the evaporation of chemicals;
• try to avoid hypothermia or a sharp change in temperature in the room;
• during an epidemic of a viral infection, refuse to go to public places.

If the cough has already begun to turn into a protracted one, then you should start taking effective medicines as soon as possible, it is better if they are made on plant-based. Under this condition, recovery will come faster, and the person will not complain about feeling unwell.