Unproductive cough: main symptoms. Productive and non-productive cough

Colds in adults and children rarely occur without a cough, this is an adequate reaction of the body to an irritant, so it gets rid of infection and bacteria. But sputum does not always come out, then such a cough is called unproductive, useless. Productive cough - wet, saturated, its consequence is the expectoration of mucus.

When a patient with a cold turns to a therapist, the task of the doctor is to turn a dry cough into a wet one. This can be done by using expectorants.

Dry (unproductive) cough - choking, tearing vocal cords, causing even more inflammation of the larynx and lower respiratory tract. Sputum that does not go away, accumulating in the bronchi, remains a focus of infection, it is difficult to cure such a disease. In young children, a dry cough is so hacking that it can cause vomiting and even fainting.

Each patient should take expectorant medicines prescribed by a doctor, the only way to really get rid of the disease as soon as possible. What you should not do is try to cough with all your might, you will only scratch your throat, and the mucus will continue to wander through the airways.

A prolonged cough worsens the condition of the ears and eyes, no one is immune from the formation of hemorrhages in the eye. Often, patients turn to the ENT with complaints of stuffy ears, while otitis media is not diagnosed.

Causes of a Productive Cough

Doctors identify the following main symptoms of a productive cough in children and adults:

• deep and wet;
• at the end of the cough reflex, mucus comes out of the lower respiratory tract.

A list of diseases can cause a productive cough:

• influenza, tonsillitis, sinusitis, bronchitis, pneumonia;
• tuberculosis;
• complications of other diseases affecting the lungs - emphysema, pleurisy;
• inflammatory processes of the nasopharynx, during which mucus accumulates;
• allergies also make you want to cough, and all because of the production of sputum;
• heavy smokers also suffer from it;
• if, due to dysfunction of the digestive tract, the contents of the stomach pass back into the esophagus.

When complications of a productive cough appear

If you have a productive cough, look out for accompanying symptoms. The following symptoms should alert you:

1. Convulsive character.
2. High body temperature that lasts for 3 days.
3. Pain in the chest.
4. Sensation as if there is not enough air.
5. Lost voice.
6. Green mucus with a bad smell comes out of the respiratory tract along with the cough.

If sputum comes out, you should not swallow it - be sure to spit, the only way the body can get rid of harmful microorganisms. If sputum travels through the respiratory tract and cannot get out in any way, try to lean forward a little at the next coughing attack, but do not hunch - the stoop "pinches" the lungs and bronchi.

Just because your cough is wet doesn't mean it will go away on its own. While the body gets rid of sputum, a favorable environment for the development of bacteria remains. Therefore, for a speedy recovery, doctors consider it appropriate to accelerate the expectoration of mucus by prescribing appropriate medications for adults and children.

What methods are effective in combating productive cough in children and adults

1. Plentiful warm drink - dissolves sputum, which means it is easier to separate. Load up on liquids, but avoid acidic and concentrated juices and carbonated drinks. Drinking plenty of water gives the patient strength, protects against dehydration, due to which, by the way, mucus can thicken. Together with liquids, toxic substances are excreted.
2. Keep an eye on air humidity. Ideal indicators of humidity in the room - in the range of 55-60%. Especially dry air is observed in the winter season, when central heating is working in the apartments. As a result, the nasopharynx dries up, and bacteria multiply many times faster. The problem can be solved by hanging wet bedding around the apartment and endless irrigation from a spray bottle, but it is much easier and more efficient to purchase a special air humidifier. Clean water is poured into a convenient device, after which the product is connected to a power outlet and independently irrigates square meters with the right amount of clean water. Breathing such air is not only pleasant, but also beneficial for health.
3. Inhalations - perfectly help adults and children with colds and SARS. If earlier patients were bending over a pot of boiled potatoes, from which steam emanated, today everything is much simpler - simple plastic devices intended for use at home are sold in pharmacies.

Using such a unit, do not forget that the throat should be pleasant from the incoming heat, if the larynx is too inflamed, it is better to refuse such therapy - it is fraught with burns, swelling of the mucous membrane and suffocation. Also, this method should be used with caution in children and adults prone to allergic reactions.

Oils, soda, medicinal plants are added to steam inhalations.

Medical treatment

For the treatment of productive cough in children and adults, different drugs are used:

1. Effectively fighting the cause of the disease. Caused by a bacterial infection is treated with antibiotics. The presence of a virus requires antiviral therapy.
2. The liquidating signs of a productive cough are expectorant. It is better to use herbal medicines, they are effective and have fewer contraindications. In the course are licorice root, ivy syrup, plantain syrup, Dr. MOM. Each plant differs in both healing and side effects. To prevent this from happening, carefully read the instructions before taking the medicine.
3. Preparations for the treatment of allergic cough. The task of an allergic person is to exclude contact with an irritant, otherwise no medicines will give a long-term effect, the body will get used to the active substance, and, therefore, it will be possible to help the patient only in a hospital setting. Together with antitussive drugs, antihistamines are used.

As for smokers, they do not need to treat their cough - just quit smoking is enough. If a wet cough does not leave within six months, this becomes a serious reason for a full medical examination of the condition of the lungs.

Physiotherapy at home

It is not possible to get rid of a cough for a long time - traditional healers offer to visit a steam room with birch brooms. Warm air perfectly warms up the respiratory tract, and in just a couple of sessions you will forget about bronchitis and any type of cough.

Who should beware of this procedure is those who suffer from low or high blood pressure, vegetovascular dystonia.

During the examination, the specialist will find out why the functions of the mucous membrane of the respiratory system have been disturbed and how the body reacts to certain types of irritants.

It is clear that the reflex process in the respiratory tract causes a lot of inconvenience to the patient. But before the question arises, how to treat an unproductive cough, it is important to figure out what type of inflammation you have: productive and wet, or, conversely, dry and unproductive? We will write the main symptoms of each form of the disease and tell you what medications you can use in this article.

Types of cough

The reflex process in the throat is formed against the background of irritation of the mucous membrane by various harmful elements. These include particles of dust or dirt, allergens, viruses, infections, fungi or bacteria.

How to cure an allergic process is written here.

When diagnosing inflammation, it is important to establish the type of cough. It is of two types:

• wet and productive;
• dry and unproductive.

Let us examine in more detail what a productive cough is, as well as the main symptoms of a dry and debilitating cough.

Wet

A wet cough, which is also called a productive form, is accompanied by the removal of mucus from the bronchi or lungs. It is believed that such inflammation is much easier to cure, as it helps in the fight against viral inflammation.

In addition, with the help of sputum particles of dust and dirt that the patient inhales throughout the day are eliminated. The elimination of unwanted objects occurs with the help of cilia of the epithelium.

The cause of the formation of a wet cough lies in the following diseases:

• acute respiratory inflammation;
• SARS;
• acute sinusitis;
• pneumonia;
• tuberculosis;
• inflammation of the bronchial mucosa;
• chronic inflammation in the lungs;
• congenital anatomical features in the respiratory organs;
• heartburn;
• a sharp change in ambient temperature;
• cold or flu;
• bad habits.

A wet cough can be intermittent or constant. Depending on the nature of the formations, the severity of the symptoms depends. During inflammation and its treatment, the patient must monitor the discharge. If they are transparent or white, the treatment is correct. But as soon as the sputum becomes yellow, green or black, you should undergo a second consultation. Probably, a more dangerous inflammatory process occurs in the respiratory system.

Important! When treating a cough with phlegm, do not try to suppress the process. Otherwise, there is a risk of recurrence of the disease and complications in the treatment of the disease.

The yellow color of the discharge indicates an increased level of eosinophils, which is typical for inflammation of bronchial asthma. Brown mucus indicates inflammation of the lungs. If the sputum has acquired a black color, inflammation of pneumoconiosis occurs in the patient's body. During the period of activation of respiratory inflammation, sputum is usually white or slightly yellow.

In especially dangerous cases, the discharge may have blood clots. Hemoptysis can be accompanied by inflammation of tuberculosis, thromboembolism of a pulmonary disease, or other equally dangerous forms of the disease.

Dry

With the formation of a strong tearing and debilitating process, patients are diagnosed with an unproductive form of inflammation. Before you start taking medication, find out what an unproductive cough is.

Dry cough is characterized as an inflammation in which mucus is not removed from the bronchi. Due to the lack of sputum, the functioning of the mucous membrane is disrupted, as it is subjected to daily irritation.

It is much more difficult to cure unproductive inflammation. In addition, this type of process signals dangerous inflammation in the respiratory system. It manifests itself in the course of the development of the following diseases:

• otitis externa;
• dry pleurisy;
• asthma;
• runny nose;
• laryngitis;
• sinusitis;
• pericarditis;
• acute respiratory ailments;
• a consequence of prolonged inflammation in the nasal cavity;
• allergic reaction;
• with narrowing of the airways due to spasm with improper treatment of flu or colds;
• in the presence of foreign objects in the respiratory system.

Dry or non-productive cough can last up to several months, so it is important to start treating it in a timely manner. If the cough is not treated, then it can go into a chronic phase and cause bronchial asthma, neurosis, heart failure.

Interesting! Dry cough is often formed as an allergic reaction to a certain medication. The side effect can be eliminated only by refusing the medicine.

Dry and reflex cough is often formed as a result of contact with pets or other types of allergens. Allergic cough is treated only after the elimination of the irritant from the patient's life.

Standard Therapies

To cure a cough, you need the help of a specialist, since many drugs are omitted only by prescription. In addition, self-treatment can cause the development of the disease and the formation of more serious processes.

To eliminate the signs of productive inflammation, expectorant drugs are prescribed to the patient. They will facilitate the removal of sputum, as well as restore the functions of the ciliated epithelium. In addition, drugs of this kind thin thick mucus, which alleviates coughing fits.

The course of complex treatment often includes methods from alternative medicine. How to cure a cough with folk recipes can be found here.

Keep in mind that in the treatment of a wet cough, the patient should not use drugs to suppress the cough reflex. Medicines of this group are prescribed only for prolonged dry cough.

To thin the sputum, the patient must drink plenty of clean water and follow all the rules of therapy.

Remember! If the cause of the cough lies in a viral infection of the respiratory system, antibacterial drugs are contraindicated for the patient. They will adversely affect the mucous membrane and the general condition of the patient. Viral infections can only be eliminated with the help of antiviral drugs.

Treatment of an unproductive process

To cure a dry and unproductive process, the patient is prescribed medications that suppress the cough reflex. For this, the patient needs drugs that include codeine. The active substance reduces the excitability of coughing and reduces signs of inflammation.

In addition, the course of treatment includes drugs that can have an anesthetic effect. Such medicines reduce the sensitivity of the mucous membrane. As a result, the patient feels a decrease in coughing attacks and an improvement in well-being.

To eliminate the inflammation completely, the patient should use decoctions of medicinal herbs, drink milk with butter or honey, as well as teas with the addition of viburnum jam.

In addition to the described method, you can cure an unproductive cough by turning it into a wet one. In this case, the question arises, how to make a cough productive? To do this, use the combined preparations - Stoptussin, Sinekod, Codelac, Bronchicum, Gerbion.

A dry unproductive cough in a child can be converted into a wet one with the help of the following drugs - Lazolvan, Ambrobene, Ambrohexal.

After removing the mucus, the patient is prescribed mucolytics and agents that can thin the sputum.

What and how to treat a productive cough

Expectorants are recognized as the most effective drugs for the treatment of a wet process. They allow you to eliminate sputum from the lungs or bronchi, as well as restore the functions of the respiratory tract.

Depending on the form and nature of inflammation, doctors prescribe the following medications - ACC, Fluimucil, Bromhexine, Bronchosan, Libexin Muco, Fluicort, Fluditek.

In addition, the course of treatment includes decoctions of medicinal herbs. The best herbs for treating children are described in this article.

On the way to healing, you can use steam inhalations based on eucalyptus, mint, raspberry roots, and also breathe in steam of boiled potatoes.

Conclusion

It is important to understand that getting rid of an annoying dry cough, as well as from a productive process, is possible only with complex treatment. At the same time, it is important to drink drugs strictly according to the prescribed dosage, and not to violate the time of admission.

Moreover, you can predict the development of the disease. If you notice signs of the disease in the first days of its progression, use prophylactic drugs.

Directory of major ENT diseases and their treatment

All information on the site is for informational purposes only and does not claim to be absolutely accurate from a medical point of view. Treatment must be carried out by a qualified doctor. By self-medicating, you can harm yourself!

Productive and non-productive cough

Regardless of the time of year, we are worried about coughing. It can occur for no apparent reason and last quite a long time. And sometimes, in the absence of a visible irritant, it disappears in a matter of days. But in any case, a productive and unproductive cough is a protective mechanism of our body that protects the respiratory tract from the effects of various harmful factors.

Cough, like many other negative manifestations of our body, is a simple symptom that indicates a person has a disease. There are about 50 causes of cough, but there are only two types of it: productive and unproductive cough. Such a distinction speaks of the presence of secretions when coughing or not.

With a productive cough, sputum comes out of the bronchi, throat, nose, and even lungs. It is impossible to suppress such a cough. It is necessary to do everything possible to remove the remaining dead bacteria, and the excreted sputum is exactly them, and to cleanse the body of the disease.

A productive cough is the first sign that the patient has gone to recovery.

Causes of a productive cough include:

• chronic lung diseases, both congenital and acquired;
• viral infections and diseases;
• excess nasal content;
• constant passive smoking;
• gastroesophageal reflex disease.

A non-productive cough is any cough without sputum production. It is based on excessive irritability of the respiratory tract, as it has a reflex character. Rhinitis, sinusitis and laryngitis are diseases in which a dry cough can torment the patient from a couple of days to several weeks.

Other causes of unproductive cough include:

• allergies;
• viral diseases;
• side effects when taking various medications;
• blockage of the respiratory tract with careless inhalation of food;
• narrowing of the airways or bronchospasm;
• bronchiolitis;
• increased emotional irritability;
• infections spreading in the lower respiratory tract;
• croup;
• inhalation.

Productive and non-productive cough caused by a viral infection is not treated with antibiotics. Their use can not only exacerbate the situation, but also cause allergies with additional side effects. In addition, the incorrect use of antibiotics increases the resistance of pathogenic bacteria, which reduces the likelihood of a successful cure in the future.

To cure a productive cough, drugs that help to eliminate sputum are perfect. To facilitate expectoration, various expectorant syrups and marshmallows are suitable, diluting thick sputum that cannot independently separate from the ciliary epithelium and go outside. Only after the restoration of the proper functioning of the epithelium, you can be sure that sputum will be excreted faster, and the productive cough will soon completely disappear.

If you need to get rid of an unproductive cough, you should choose drugs that affect the suppression of the cough reflex. Quite effective in the fight against an unproductive cough are drugs of the so-called local anesthetic effect on the irritated mucous membrane. The main action is aimed at reducing its excitability, as well as facilitating the work of the upper respiratory tract, which affects the inhibition of the cough reflex itself. You can use preparations containing codeine, but they are less safe for the body. With an unproductive cough, the main thing is to make it productive. For this, "grandmother's" recipes are suitable. Tea with honey, raspberry jam and warm milk with a piece of melted butter or goat fat. These methods are safe, tasty and healthy.

A productive and unproductive cough is easy to cure if you start getting rid of it in a timely manner. And then in 2-3 days it will be possible to enjoy life again.

In any season, you can catch a cold, catch an infection and start coughing. And it's good if the cough is productive. Since it is possible to cough up mucus, it means that the body is actively overcoming the disease, healing is close. Much more annoying is the hacking, throat-tearing cough reflex without sputum. It accompanies various pathological conditions. It is always necessary to find out its cause, to carry out treatment in time in order to avoid more serious systemic disorders.

Without the cough mechanism, the patency of the air ducts would be threatened by the slightest foreign particles, chemicals or other harmful factors. Due to this unconscious reaction, when dangerous agents enter the respiratory tract, the airways automatically narrow. Hazardous substances or objects act on cough receptors. In response, the muscles contract and abruptly expel air, along with secretions, particles, and everything in the passages, through the mouth opening.

As a rule, this is an involuntary reflex, but it can be provoked intentionally. It is a reliable mechanism that guarantees the safety and functionality of our vital respiratory system. Cough catalysts are dust particles, low air humidity, food residues, bronchial secretions, and purulent discharge. The leading place among the causes of this symptom is occupied by respiratory diseases, infection with viruses.

Varieties of cough symptom

It is customary to call a dry cough without mucus or with scanty secretions, coughed up with great effort. Wet cough is considered, in which sputum is easily separated from the walls of the mucous tissue and leaves the body.

Normally, the cough is unproductive without sputum for 2-3 days. A wet cough lasts up to two weeks with active coughing up of bronchial secretions. Almost two months after the illness, a person can still cough slightly.

The causes, course and mechanism of each type of cough are different. Cough can be physiological due to irritation of the respiratory tissues and passages by various chemical, mechanical factors. It can also be caused by all kinds of pathogenic bacteria, viruses, worms. It is important not to confuse them by choosing the right path to healing. Mistakes in therapy can significantly harm the body, especially when it comes to a child. Be sure to consult a doctor about the correct diagnosis and therapeutic appointments.

Wet cough

The productivity of coughing is expressed in the expectoration of mucus with a pathogenic environment. This is an important stage of recovery and cleansing of the air ducts. It is for this reason that it is impossible to suppress the cough reflex with a wet cough. But keep in mind that certain pathologies go through stages that are distinguished just by profuse coughing (pneumonia, tuberculosis).

Other characteristics of this condition: the frequency or constancy of attacks, the intensity of the discharge, which may be plentiful or meager. Mucus is viscous or liquefied. Its color can tell the doctor about the etiology of the disease process in the respiratory system. It can be colorless, yellowish, greenish, brown.

For example, the bright yellow color of mucus gives rise to leukocytes, the cause is bronchial asthma. Bilateral bacterial pneumonia will stain the discharge in shades of rust. And with constant inhalation of harmful dust, a person coughs up black mucus. Respiratory ailments cause green, yellow and whitish secretions. The appearance of blood in the discharge is a serious signal. The cause may be tuberculosis, autoimmune pathology of the capillaries of the lungs and kidneys, chronic inflammation in the bronchi.

The most common wet cough provocateurs are:

• virus damage;
• various infectious diseases (tuberculosis, inflammation of the sinuses, bronchi, lungs);
• chronic conditions in the lungs due to congenital malformations of the respiratory system;
• reflux;
• constant irritation of the mucous membrane with tobacco smoke from people who smoke nearby.

self help

Cough with your mouth open to allow mucus to come out. If you feel a lump of phlegm rising up your throat, take a deep breath for a couple of seconds. In this case, the muscles of the respiratory tract will contract, which in the next moment will cause a contraction of the abdominal muscles and a sharp exhalation.

To help yourself speed up the release of sputum, do this simple exercise. Sitting on a chair, legs slightly apart, put your elbows on them, lean forward. The back should be straight, brushes stretch in front of you. Don't strain your neck. Take ten deep breaths in through your nose.

Features of dry cough

Dry unproductive cough occurs involuntarily. My throat hurts, I constantly want to clear my throat, but it does not come out. Mucous dries up, irritated. Does not leave the feeling of constant discomfort in the throat. The main goal in this condition is to soften and discharge the discharge, changing the nature of the cough to a more humid one. Raw sensations, burning sensation and constant unsuccessful attempts to cough up negatively affect the respiratory system, cause pain.

The acute phase passes in three weeks, the chronicle develops after twenty-one days of painful coughing. Weekly unproductive coughing at night indicates asthma, an inflammatory process in the bronchi. Allergic exacerbation occurs at any time of the day and is accompanied by snot, sneezing, skin and eye irritations. Be sure to find out in the hospital the etiology of a debilitating cough that has not stopped for more than a couple of weeks.

An unproductive cough in a child can be caused by compression of the bronchial spaces due to bronchitis or asthma, the ingress of foreign objects, food, liquids into the respiratory organs, exposure to allergens. Weak regular coughing can cause helminth eggs in the lung tissue.

Cough is a common companion of colds along with hyperthermia, muscle lethargy, loss of appetite, moodiness. Patients with laryngitis can be distinguished by a hoarse barking voice. Pharyngitis causes tickling and itching of the walls of the throat. Influenza virus leads to intense hacking cough.

The following can be added to the circumstances that cause this symptom:

• consequences after taking certain medications;
• inhalation of air polluted with dust or chemicals;
• infection of the small bronchi and respiratory system with viruses;
• acute inflammation of the larynx, pharynx, lungs, sinuses, external ear structures, subglottic laryngitis;
• reverse reflux of the acidic gastric environment into the throat, heartburn;
• whooping cough;
• tuberculosis;
• cardiac pathologies;
• cancerous growths in the sternum;
• severe emotional and physical stress (when the cough is nervous);
• response to inhalation.

Long bouts of dry cough are dangerous due to the likelihood of accumulation of air masses in the pleural region. The causes of this unpleasant symptom are very diverse. Only an examination by a specialist, a comprehensive analysis of the manifestations will help to identify the true root of the ailment, to effectively overcome it.

How to help yourself

Drinking plenty of fluids, frequent shallow breathing helps to alleviate well-being. Swallow saliva while holding your breath in several stages.

Some physical exercises help with a hacking dry cough. Try to fulfill them. Lean against the wall with your arms bent at the elbows, bowing your head on them. At the same time, with one leg bent at the knee, step forward. The back should remain straight. Inhale deeply through your nose 10 times.

Another exercise is effective in this condition. Sit on a chair facing the back. Lean on it with bent arms. Slightly lean forward with your body, keeping your back straight. Put your head on your hands and breathe intensively 10 times through your nose.

Diagnostic techniques

Determining the source of the cough, the doctor listens to the sternum with a special device, finds out the time and conditions for the onset of the symptom, its nature, features. The presence of other concomitant manifestations and ailments (temperature, pain syndrome, etc.) is also taken into account. Analyzing all these factors together, the doctor prescribes the appropriate treatment.

Wet cough treatment regimen

Treatment of a productive cough includes expectorant drugs that promote the fastest exit of bronchial secretions. These funds also contribute to the regeneration of the mucosa. Mucolytics will help make excessively thick mucus more mobile and liquid.

Successfully used herbal infusions of marshmallow, elecampane and licorice. Or do inhalations that dissolve viscous sputum. However, remember: before treating a productive cough in a child in non-traditional ways, you should find out the opinion of your attending pediatrician on the admissibility of treatment with traditional medicine prescriptions. Medicines with the effect of suppressing the cough reflex with this symptom are contraindicated. But it will be useful to drink plenty of warm liquids. Viral infections are not treated with antibiotic therapy. This can cause complications, but it will definitely not have a therapeutic effect.

Actions for dry cough

As a rule, if the patient coughs hysterically, painfully and exhaustingly, to the point of gagging, cannot sleep and eat normally, a drug against the cough reflex will be present in the list of therapeutic agents. They try to make an unproductive cough more wet, cause sputum production, help it come out with the help of mucolytic and expectorant drugs.

Combined drugs show themselves well, reducing intense coughing urges in the brain or in the mucous membrane and increasing expectoration of the secret. Adults usually take pills, while kids are treated with syrups or drops based on ivy extract and other medicinal plants. These medicines, in addition to affecting the secretions and the mechanism of coughing, fight inflammation, relieve bronchospasm.

From folk remedies, you can drink warm milk with a piece of butter or animal fat, tea with a slice of lemon, raspberry jam. The last drink will also appeal to children.

Soothes coughing fits freshly squeezed lemon juice mixed with a couple of large spoons of honey and a spoonful of liquid glycerin. Drink this mixture in a spoonful up to six times a day.

The same softening effect on the throat will have carrot juice, to which sugar syrup is added in equal parts. Adults take a large spoon five times a day, and kids take a teaspoon.

In the treatment of an unproductive cough, birch sap and burnt sugar will also come to your aid. The latter is obtained by making a lollipop out of granulated sugar by holding a spoon with it over a flame. Dissolved sugar is quickly placed in milk and absorbed. Then they drink the juice.

Children can be offered another delicious recipe: a couple of figs are boiled in a glass of milk and the crumbs are drunk before bedtime, the medicine is heated.

If you sugar nettle roots, eat this mixture on a spoon several times a day, drinking warm liquid, the cough will also soften.

Timely and correct treatment will act quite quickly on a productive and unproductive cough, most importantly, do not start and do not ignore poor health and body signals.

Cough is a defensive reaction of the body. The mucous membrane of the respiratory tract reacts in this way to irritating factors. Any cough gives the patient considerable discomfort. There are two types of cough: productive and unproductive. What are the significant differences between these species? How can you help your child recover faster?

Productive

Wet cough, otherwise it is also called productive, is characterized by the removal of sputum from the bronchi. It helps in the fight against viruses. We breathe air that contains dust, germs and bacteria. All this enters through the respiratory tract into the sputum, the cilia of the epithelium push it back. A person has difficulty breathing if there is a lot of sputum. This happens due to atmospheric phenomena, colds or smoking. The body reacts to the accumulation of sputum.

After a dry cough (two days later) a wet cough appears. This fact indicates that the person has moved to the stage of recovery. But there are cases when it characterizes other ailments - it can be pneumonia or tuberculosis.

Cough (productive or wet) may be intermittent or permanent, flow weakly or vice versa strongly, and sputum is liquid or thick. The color of the secreted sputum is different: white, transparent, green, yellow or brown. The color determines at what stage the disease process.

With a bright yellow color in the body, the level of eosinophils is increased, this happens with bronchial asthma. And with croupous pneumonia, sputum comes out brown or rusty. In pneumoconiosis, sputum is black in color. During normal respiratory diseases, mucus is colorless, yellowish or greenish in color.

Dangerous diseases when sputum contains blood clots. The patient may develop Goodpasture's syndrome, tuberculosis, bronchoecstatic disease, or thromboembolism of a pulmonary disease. Don't try to suppress a wet cough! It removes mucus from the bronchi and prevents the development of harmful bacteria.

Unproductive

Dry or non-productive cough - one in which nothing comes out of the airways. Mucosa due to the lack of sputum is irritated even more. Unproductive is much more serious than productive. It appears in diseases: laryngitis, sinusitis, rhinitis, cardiac asthma, dry pleurisy, otitis externa, pericarditis. After the disease, influenza can stay with the patient for up to several weeks.

Reflex

It occurs as a result of pathological actions in the human nasopharynx. If it is not treated, it will develop into a chronic form and its symptoms will resemble bronchial asthma. Reflex cough is a sign of serious illness. Signs can be: arterial hypertension, chronic neurosis, heart failure, etc.

A reflex cough in a child can occur when interacting with allergens. It is enough for one child to smell the allergen, and for another it is necessary to touch or eat it. Gastroesophageal reflux also provokes the appearance of a reflex cough in a child. The provocateur of the appearance also becomes a lack of iodine in the body and an enlarged thyroid gland.

With excessive excitability of the child, a reflex cough may appear. Frequent neurosis causes an attack in which the child does not have enough air, he begins to suffocate and it becomes difficult for him to breathe.

Causes

Dry cough

Productive

• ARI and SARS;
• infections (bronchitis, sinusitis, pneumonia or tuberculosis);
• chronic lung diseases, with congenital malformations of the respiratory system;
• gastroesophageal reflux disease or heartburn;
• smoking (passive).

Diagnostics

The onset of a cough indicates that an inflammatory process has begun in the human body. Impaired function of the upper respiratory tract. To get the right treatment, you need to consult a specialist.

He will prescribe a treatment that depends on the symptoms and underlying causes.

Wet cough therapy

Productive cough is treated expectorant medicines. When they are taken, the functions of the ciliated epithelium are restored and the properties of sputum change. Supplement can be recipes for folk remedies.

Do not take drugs to suppress the cough reflex. To thin the sputum, you need to drink more liquid, do steam inhalations. Be sure to consult a doctor to properly start treatment.

If the cause is a viral infection, then antibiotics should not be used in this case., they may have a side effect and the patient's condition will become worse. Pathogenic bacteria develop resistance to antibiotics and an allergic reaction can still occur.

dry cough therapy

Unproductive is treated by suppression of the cough reflex. Medications that contain codeine are prescribed. It reduces the excitability of the cough center in the medulla oblongata. And also drugs with a local anesthetic effect are used, they reduce the excitability of the mucous membrane. The cough reflex decreases and the treatment becomes effective. The patient is given warm milk with butter, tea with raspberry jam or lemon.

Unproductive cough: treatment in two ways

1. By translation into a productive cough.
2. Stop treatment with antitussives.

After examining the doctor, the necessary treatment is prescribed. This cough is treated with folk remedies. Productive and non-productive coughs can be cured quickly if treatment is started in the early stages of the disease.

Unproductive cough in a child

The child's body does not have a strong immune system that could itself resist the disease.

Causes of symptoms in a child

Treatment of the disease is carried out with drugs that strengthen the immune system, and folk remedies are used. Antivirals and antibiotics are prescribed in extreme cases.

They try to translate a dry cough into a wet one as soon as possible. The sputum, with the bacteria it contains, begins to leave the body, and the disease subsides. Antitussives are prescribed so that there is no irritation to the respiratory organs. But more often prescribed combined drugs, they have antitussive and expectorant effects. These are the means: "Stoptussin", "Sinekod", "Codelac", "Bronhikum", "Gerbion". The preparations form a wet expectoration.

After their use, mucolytic agents are prescribed. They thin the mucus and allow it to come out faster.

Prevention

• To prevent the disease from appearing, it is necessary to regularly strengthen the immune system, for this, the Derinat remedy is used. If you give your child this drug regularly, then the cough will bypass him.
• Watch your personal hygiene, wash your hands often, especially after walking with your child.
• Constantly ventilate the child's room, the air temperature in it should not exceed 24 ° C, then treatment is not required at all.

Our airways are lined with a mucous membrane that produces mucus. She, in turn, performs useful functions - maintains humidity, is a trap for germs and dust. Excessive secretion of mucus is a consequence of inflammation in the respiratory system. With a large amount of mucus, the receptors are irritated, and a cough occurs.

The main function of a cough is to clear the airways. Tiny mucosal villi guide mucus out of the airways, clearing the lungs. Many respiratory infections begin with, which gradually becomes wet, productive. This type of cough can also be called "good", as it brings relief to the body.

The color of the sputum can determine the disease. If the sputum is yellow or green, then the body is in the process of fighting the infection. Brown or gray color indicates the presence of tar in the lungs as a result of smoking or inhaling large amounts of dust. Allergic conditions cause the secretion of clear mucus.

The reasons

There are many causes of a productive cough such as:

• viral diseases in the stage of resolution occur with a wet cough;
• infections of the lungs and upper respiratory tract (pneumonia, bronchitis, sinusitis or tuberculosis);
• chronic lung diseases;
• movement of gastric contents into the esophagus or symptom (GERD);
• drainage of secretions from the nasal passages into the lungs leads to a productive cough or a feeling that you constantly need to clear your throat;
• allergy causes the production of clear mucus;
• smoking or other use of tobacco damages the lungs or irritates the throat.

Productive cough treatment

If you have a productive cough you should:

• drink plenty of fluids;
• take a hot steamy shower or do steam inhalations, they help thin the mucus and make it easier to remove;
• never suppress drugs such as codelac, libexin, etc., as this leads to accumulation in the lungs and increases the risk of infection;
• take expectorants and thinners to help expel mucus from the lungs;
• yellow and green sputum needs antibiotic treatment;
• do not take antihistamines, as they dry the mucous membranes.