What does coughing do to your body

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Search Submit. Important information about Robitussin This product contains acetaminophen; do not take it with other medicines that also contain acetaminophen. Anatomy of the Cough. Figure 1. Anatomical features of cough reflex. People who have a history of smoking, chronic lung diseases such as COPD , asthma , seasonal allergies, acid reflux disease called gastroesophageal reflux disease , lung cancer , and chronic infections such as tuberculosis, have chronic cough.

Cough is seen in many medical conditions. This information will be helpful to your health care provider when he or she looks for the cause of your cough and determines the most appropriate treatment. Cough is a symptom. Cough can be the only symptom of an illness, or it can happen with other symptoms in diseases of the lung, heart, stomach, and nervous system. Common symptoms of cough include:. Your health care provider will work with you to find the reason for your cough and determine the best treatment.

Your provider will ask you about your medical history and perform a physical exam. You may need to have tests to help your provider find the cause of your cough and start treatment. Your health care provider will give you information about how to treat the cause of your cough. If you have questions about treatment options, ask your health care team. Remember that you blow out droplets of saliva every time you cough. So, the risk of infecting others is high when you cough. Your health care team wants to help you and will give you the information you need.

Many times, you may need a health care team made up of different specialists to help you deal with your persistent cough. Ask them questions. Join local support groups. When your health care team has found the reason for your cough, learn more about the specific disease that is causing you to cough. Here are useful links to more information:. About Cough Key facts about Cough. We look at some potential causes in the next section. In most cases, the infection is in the upper respiratory tract and affects the throat, this is known as a URTI or URI upper respiratory tract infection.

Examples include:. An acute cough can also be caused by hay fever. Chronic coughs in children are most often caused by asthma, but can also be from conditions like post-nasal drip or GERD. Less common causes of chronic cough in adults include TB tuberculosis , fungal infections of the lung, and lung cancer. In most cases, there will not be anything serious underlying the cough, but in rare cases, a long-term cough can be a sign of something that needs treating, such as lung cancer or heart failure.

If a doctor decides that a cough is caused by the common cold or flu, the general advice will be to rest, drink plenty of fluids, and let it run its course.

In the majority of cases, such coughs clear up after 1—2 weeks. A cough caused by a viral infection that persists for more than a couple of weeks will probably require medical attention.

The doctor may order some diagnostic tests, such as a chest X-ray; a sample of phlegm may be sent to a laboratory for analysis to determine what is causing the infection. The patient may be asked to breathe in and out of a tube attached to a machine; this helps the doctor determine whether the airways have an obstruction this test is called spirometry , which is common in asthma or emphysema.

The best way to treat a cough caused by a viral infection is to let the immune system deal with it — generally, such coughs clear up on their own. If a doctor is treating a cough, they will focus on the cause; for example, if it is due to an ACE inhibitor, it may be discontinued.

However, there is not much research into cough medicines and how much they can actually reduce symptoms. Treatments are mostly aimed at making the patient feel a little bit better but generally do not decrease the length of the cough. A persistent cough that lasts more than eight weeks is a chronic cough. Coughing is a standard way of clearing your throat. When your airways become clogged with mucus or foreign particles such as smoke or dust, a cough is a reflex reaction that attempts to clear the particles and make breathing easier.

Usually, this type of coughing is relatively infrequent, but coughing will increase with exposure to irritants such as smoke.

The most common cause of a cough is a respiratory tract infection , such as a cold or flu. Respiratory tract infections are usually caused by a virus and may last from a few days to a week. Infections caused by the flu may take a little longer to clear up and can sometimes require antibiotics.

Smoking is a common cause of coughing. A cough caused by smoking is almost always a chronic cough with a distinctive sound. A common cause of coughing in young children is asthma. Typically, asthmatic coughing involves wheezing , making it easy to identify. Asthma exacerbations should receive treatment using an inhaler. Some medications will cause coughing, although this is generally a rare side effect.

Angiotensin-converting enzyme ACE inhibitors , commonly used to treat high blood pressure and heart conditions, can cause coughing.