Cough, a precious sign

Like fever or pain, cough is a symptom, the sign that the body is reacting to an abuser.
This is a fast flow, reflex or voluntary expiry.

Coughing is a respiratory protection reflex that comes into play when they are irritated or congested .

She is the witness according to the associated signs, of benign or more serious affections ...

Why do we cough?

It is a reaction of the body to an irritation of the respiratory mucosa triggered not by a foreign body, or by a viral or bacterial infection, or not a gastro-oesophageal reflux.

Passive or persistent , cough is a symptom that can be a sign of call isolated or associated with other symptoms of a disease or condition usually ENT (a cold, bronchitis, otitis), bronchopulmonary , even gastric.
In most cases , this is a sign accompanying an acute seasonal infection .

The persistence of a cough beyond 6 weeks defines chronic cough.

Dry or irritative cough

Not productive, it does not evacuate secretions . It is induced by irritation of the respiratory tract . Most often, it is an acute (short-term) cough . She is often embarrassing and exhausting.

How to take charge?
In the event of an acute dry cough with no signs of seriousness, a central action antitussive treatment, acting directly on the cough reflex and administered over a short period, relieves the patient.

Fat or productive cough

The fat cough, called productive, is caused by overproduction of respiratory mucus . The latter is a viscous fluid produced by the bronchi that traps germs and dead cells. This cough is useful. The cough fat must be respected, it allows the evacuation of sputum secretions resulting from inflammation.

How to take charge?
Symptomatic treatment is intended to facilitate the expectoration or expectoration of the abundant mucus that obstructs the bronchi and reduces sputum.

The acute cough

Most often, the cough is transient : it is an acute cough. Lasting less than 3 weeks , it is an "occasional" cough that is most often part of a series of signs accompanying a seasonal infection such as rhino-pharyngitis or bronchitis.

It can sometimes be due to a more severe condition : asthma, pneumonia, chronic bronchitis ...

Chronic cough

If the cough persists beyond 6 weeks , it is described as chronic . Faced with a chronic cough, a search for a diagnosis by a doctor is necessary. This is a common symptom , and its prevalence in non-smoking adults is around 15%.

A huge thank you to Laboratoires Mayoly Splinder for all this information!