Common Winter Coughs
Is the Cough an Allergy, Flu, a Cold, Bronchitis, or Something Else?
Oct 27, 2009
Fall and winter are usually flu season unless there is an atypical flu of summer. The cough of the atypical H1N1 influenza (swine flu) has a characteristic harsh persistent hack that can be quelled with medication such as Tessalon Perles rather than a narcotic.
Nasal Congestion and Cough
Sinus and upper respiratory congestion cause drips down the back of the throat. This irritates the throat, causing a moist-sounding cough in reaction. The person thinks they are coughing up something, but they actually are coughing out mucus from the head area or upper respiratory area.
Congestion in the Lung Passages and Bronchial Tubes
This is the situation where the cough is propelled upward. There is a moist, sometimes sputum-producing cough. This can be the cough of bronchitis. There may be wheezing as well or tightness in the chest.
The Cough of Allergy
Usually this cough comes from posterior nasal drainage down the back of the throat. Head congestion can be overwhelming. The cough is persistent. This isn’t a virus or a bacteria, yet the person can look (and feel) quite ill. The timing of the cough, the frequency, and the history is important in order to differentiate this cough from a cold cough.
Indigestion and Cough
A burning in the epigastric tube from the reflux of stomach acid is called GERD (Gastroesophageal Reflux Disorder/Disease). The cough may appear after eating or hours later. Cough medicine is of little help, but positioning and dietary changes may help. Medication and treatment are sometimes needed.
Hypertension and Cough
Medication for high blood pressure can cause cough. Usually it is an ACE (Angiotensin Converting Enzyme) inhibitor drug, e.g. Zestril, lisinopril, Altace. The cough may be dose-related to the medicine and simply changing the dose or the drug may help. This is done with medical assistance since maintaining a proper blood pressure is crucial.
Choking Cough
Swallowing food or liquid rapidly or talking and eating at the same time may cause food to go down the wrong “tube” if the trachea didn’t close off completely. The healthy system produces a cough to expel the item and protect the lungs. It may take a few coughs to do this.
Irritation Cough
This is the cough someone experiences when they inhale smoke (as opposed to the chronic cough of smokers, which isn’t just a winter cough). Smokers may come indoors to indulge due to the cold, causing others to cough and inhale the smoky air. Repeated incidents of inhaling second hand smoke can be harmful.
How to Stop a Cough
In order to stop a cough, the cause of the cough must be determined. Most coughs from colds stop on their own within a week. A new cough should not persist for more than a week without investigation. Coughs not only spread germs but also interrupt sleep, further depressing the immune system. A weakened immune system allows a secondary infection or symptom to develop.
Inhalers, X-rays, nasal sprays, cough medicines or behavior changes are geared to the particular cause of the cough. Winter coughs should not become all year coughs.
Sources
Thorax, November 1, 2006; 61(11): 975 - 979
Internal medicine,Jan.2007;Cough and Asthma, Current Opinion Pulm med.
American Heart Journal, Volume 153, Issue 6, p1064-1073
Suite 101,Using tesselon Perles,Bell, Barbara,1/31/2009.
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