Cold, damp, wind - and here it is, a cough! Shelves in pharmacies are full of a variety of means: potions, syrups, tablets ... But is it worth treating a cough and what?
The physiological role of coughing is to clear the airways of secretions and substances that enter them from the outside. But his action is twofold. On the one hand, this is an important reflex act that promotes the removal of pathogenic bacteria, on the other hand, cough itself contributes to the spread of microorganisms.
Experts share a cough according to several parameters: productivity, nature of the course and duration. So, it can be dry (unproductive) and wet with sputum production (productive), by its nature permanent, short-term or paroxysmal, and by duration acute (less than 3 weeks), prolonged (3 to 8 weeks) or chronic (2 months) and more).
Before getting rid of painful and intrusive coughs, it is necessary to understand their nature. After all, not being an independent disease, cough is an important symptom of other diseases, often very serious (chronic bronchitis, diseases of the lungs, heart, paranasal sinuses, gastrointestinal tract). In 90% of cases, it occurs due to an infection that enters the respiratory tract and provokes inflammatory processes. In the remaining cases, its cause is - allergy, irritation of the nasopharyngeal mucosa (including due to active and passive smoking).
An infectious cough usually develops as follows: a virus, entering the mucous membrane of the oropharynx, damages the epithelium and causes irritation. During this period, the cough is dry, superficial and does not provide relief. At the initial stage of acute respiratory viral infections, one must try to "keep" the infection below in the trachea, bronchi and lungs and focus on bactericidal agents that inhibit the reproduction of microbes. You can use folk recipes (lemon, onion, ginger, red berries, honey, chamomile, linden, collection based on rosemary), make cold inhalations with eucalyptus, mineral water or saline. Until the cough has passed, you can not use anything that irritates the mucous membrane of the larynx. Drugs that inhibit the cough reflex are recommended, but they are indicated when the cough is unproductive and severely debilitating and even disrupts sleep.
At the second stage of the disease, cough is accompanied by sputum removal - in this way the body cleans the airways from germs. To get rid of sputum, thinning preparations (mucolytic and expectorant agents on a chemical or plant basis) are used, the mechanism of action of which is based on the removal of bronchial secretion from the respiratory tract by reducing its viscosity and increasing volume (as a result, the speed of movement of mucus is increased and it is more difficult for microbes to penetrate into mucous membrane). The group of mucolytics includes drugs based on bromhexine, ambroxol and acetylcysteine (with their use it is recommended to drink more liquids),expectorants include licorice and marshmallow root syrups, mucaltin, pertussin, breast gathers, as well as medicinal plants: plantain, rosemary, oregano, coltsfoot, sundew, thyme, thermopsis, thyme, anise.
Today, universal products have already appeared on the pharmaceutical market that affect both dry and wet coughs, helping primarily those who are difficult to uniquely determine its nature. However, it is worth remembering that if you do not know the cause of the cough, which lasts more than two weeks or even intensifies, and even more so is accompanied by the release of blood, muscle pain, vomiting (which indicates a serious illness), be sure to contact a specialist to determine the nature of its origin.
It is worth considering a number of important points in the treatment of any cough. So, not all "home" remedies can be used. It is recommended to gargle with sea water or infusions of eucalyptus, calendula, chamomile with honey, but do not gargle with soda - it dries the mucous membrane, thereby irritating it even more. According to the doctor's prescription, inhalations can be used using modern inhalers or a nebulizer, but it is not recommended to breathe on hot steam - in some cases this can cause bronchial edema.
With a dry cough, it is very important not to take drugs intended for the treatment of wet, and vice versa - this will only worsen the situation. When using drugs, it is necessary to take into account the presence of allergies, cardiovascular diseases, individual intolerance of their individual components, pulmonary tuberculosis and a number of other factors that should be clarified by a specialist.
In the case of an infectious cause of cough, it must be treated comprehensively along with the therapy of the underlying disease with antiviral and anti-inflammatory drugs.
If you are periodically tormented by a cough that comes back some time after treatment, you should undergo a comprehensive examination of the body for possible hidden diseases.
Photo: PR.
