The irritating cough occurs in contrast to the normal wet cough mostly without sputum (cough mucus) and is therefore also considered a so-called “dry cough”. The coughing fits that frequently occur in this case usually sound barking and hard. The dry irritating cough usually occurs at the beginning of a cold, but then changes in the course of a normal cough with sputum. But the irritating cough can also cause discomfort as a symptom of various lung diseases.
What is a chesty cough (dry cough)?
Irritative cough is a dry cough without sputum. It is characteristic of many different diseases and may also occur as a side effect of drug treatment. Irritable cough varies in its severity: some affected patients merely cough, experiencing no pain, while others cough day and night, causing not only breathing difficulties but also sleep disturbances.
Causes
Irritative cough is in most cases disease-related and may be characteristic of the underlying disease. Smoker’s cough, for example, involves a strong irritating cough that becomes a cough with sputum only at certain times of the day. It can also occur in asthma and, among other things, cause the typical breathing difficulties. In the most harmless case, the irritating cough is merely due to the onset of a cold – no sputum has yet formed as a result of the infection, but the mucous membranes are already irritated by the foreign invaders and want to get rid of them, which is why the cough is triggered. In some cases, irritable cough may also develop after the cold, because the mucous membranes do not yet realize that the disease is over, or are still irritated and try to get rid of any pathogen immediately. At worst, the irritating cough may also be a serious condition such as whooping cough or a medication-induced phenomenon – ACE inhibitors are known to cause this.
Symptoms, complaints, and signs
A chesty cough usually has fairly distinct symptoms that are perceived as very painful by the affected person. Probably the most common symptom in an existing irritable cough is a strong and persistent scratching in the throat area. The coughing up of an irritable cough is very difficult and occurs more frequently at night. Therefore, under certain circumstances, it can lead to considerable sleep disturbances. In addition, there is a strong formation of mucus, so that it is extremely difficult for affected persons to catch their breath. Chest pain is also one of the clear and typical symptoms that can occur in connection with an irritable cough. Anyone who forgoes medical and drug treatment for a permanently existing irritable cough exposes themselves to a great risk. The symptoms already described will worsen considerably, so that inflammation in the lungs may even occur. However, those who decide early on appropriate treatment can expect a quick and smooth recovery. The symptoms will subside after a few days and the affected person will find it much easier to cough up. A chesty cough is often a protracted affair accompanied by typical symptoms. These are usually painful symptoms that can only be eliminated by appropriate medication.
Complications
In most cases, the irritating cough subsides after a few days and goes away along with the other cold symptoms. However, in some patients, dry cough can take a chronic course, increasing the risk of complications. Smokers are particularly at risk for sequelae. If tobacco consumption is the cause of the irritable cough, treatment is usually considerably more difficult. The most common complications of the irritable cough include stabbing pain in the chest and headaches. Sometimes the dry cough is also responsible for the development of nosebleeds. Even bleeding into the skin and mucous membrane is within the realm of possibility. It is not uncommon for the irritating cough to be accompanied by hoarseness or pharyngitis. In some patients, these complaints are also triggered by the cough in the first place. The voice sounds soft, pressed and rough. Sometimes it even stops completely. Urinary incontinence is a feared complication in women. In this case, the affected person passes urine when coughing without wanting to.In severe cases, dry cough is responsible for hernia or diaphragmatic hernia. Another sequelae is cough syncope, which leads to fainting due to coughing fits in sufferers. This is caused by cramping of the diaphragm, which results in obstruction of the return flow of blood toward the heart. For this reason, the brain temporarily receives too little sugar and oxygen, which in turn can cause brief unconsciousness.
When should you see a doctor?
A chesty cough is a very dry cough that is very difficult to cough up. However, a cough is often not a disease in its own right, but rather a symptom of an existing disease. If there is no clear improvement after three to four days, an appropriate doctor should always be consulted. A specialist can identify the cause of the irritating cough and initiate appropriate treatment. For example, a green thick mucus is a sign of inflammation in the respiratory tract. In such a case, medical and drug treatment is necessary. Anti-inflammatory drugs can be used to combat the irritating cough quickly and effectively. If the patient does not receive such treatment, the symptoms may worsen or last a few days longer. In some circumstances, pneumonia may even develop.
Treatment and therapy
In order to effectively treat the irritable cough, it must first be clarified where its causes lie. If it is a legacy of a survived cold, a mild antitussive is usually prescribed to counteract the irritating cough and provide the patient with long-term relief. Even in asthma, treating the symptom of irritable cough only helps to provide for the improvement of quality of life during difficult seasons. The treatment of other forms of irritable cough is more complicated – the prime example is the form induced by long-term cigarette smoking. When the irritable cough occurs, the condition is already chronic and the only thing that can be done is to try to improve the patient’s quality of life despite the chronicity. On the other hand, if the development of the irritable cough is due to medication, an alternative to medication that is less symptomatic and more comfortable for the patient should be sought in some circumstances.
Prevention
The best prevention of irritable cough and dry cough is to stay away from cigarettes and other similar stimulants, and also not to passively inhale smoke. In this way, it is already possible to avoid a chronic irritating cough that appears one day and never goes away, but in the worst case only increases in severity. However, a cold or asthma can always cause an irritating cough – the only effective way to prevent it is to protect yourself effectively against colds and, if you already have asthma, to seek the help of your doctor if an irritating cough occurs for the first time or recurs. As a general rule, the doctor should be consulted immediately if a chesty cough occurs – this is especially true if you are currently taking medication and the symptom was not present before or has not manifested itself in the same severity. To prevent worse irritable cough, medication should be adjusted and better optimized to the patient’s needs.
Follow-up
A cold is often accompanied by an irritating cough in addition to a cold. However, dry cough can also be a disease entity in its own right. As long as symptoms do not persist for more than one to two weeks or worsen significantly, a dry cough does not require further follow-up. Nevertheless, the symptoms must be treated medically, since a pronounced irritable cough can be very stressful for the patient, especially during the night’s rest. Herbal medicines such as lozenges made from sage, cough tea and cough syrup offer relief to the affected person. Taking cough-suppressing medicines before bedtime is also an appropriate treatment method. If the irritating cough persists beyond a two-week period, follow-up care is advisable to prevent the disease from becoming chronic. If medication has been prescribed beforehand and there is still no improvement, further examinations are necessary to get to the bottom of the actual cause.If the symptoms are due to bronchitis, for example, it is treated as part of the aftercare and the healing process is monitored by the family doctor. The only aftercare that patients can do themselves when they have a chesty cough is to avoid damp cold and to keep their throat warm with the help of scarves or shawls.
Home remedies and herbs for irritating cough.
- Aniseed helps against flatulence, cough mucus, asthma and white flux, and provides a good night’s sleep.
- Prepare cough tea as follows: 5 grams each of ribwort, lungwort, coltsfoot, woolly flower, anise seeds, licorice, hibiscus roots and 10 grams of Icelandic moss.
- Another cough tea they make from half a tablespoon of licorice, half a tablespoon of violet roots, a tablespoon of marshmallow roots, half a tablespoon of coltsfoot leaves, half a tablespoon of woolly flowers and as much anise seeds. From this mixture, they then make a cup of tea from a teaspoon. It is best to sweeten with honey.
- Against irritating cough helps regular consumption of apple cider: boil the juice of sour apples with sugar and fennel and take slowly.
- For coughs, honey milk works very well in mild cases. You dissolve a tablespoon of honey or fennel honey in a cup of hot milk. Drink one cup each morning and evening as hot as possible.
- Spruce needle honey is a good expectorant cough remedy. The flowers of the spruce are prepared for this purpose with sugar.
- Lilac flowers are very diaphoretic, antipyretic and are effective against irritable cough and cold.
- Mallow tea is a good remedy for colds and irritating cough.
- Coltsfoot has an appetizing effect and helps with irritable cough, phlegm and hoarseness.
- For persistent irritating cough, boiled marjoram tea sweetened with honey and drink in sips in the morning, at noon and in the evening. This is especially suitable for children.
What you can do yourself
Dry irritating cough is very annoying and negatively affects the restful night’s sleep. Accompanying drug therapy, there are various self-help strategies and home remedies that can relieve dry cough and support healing:
Sucking cough drops and pastilles stimulates salivation. They often contain Iceland moss or marshmallow extracts, whose mucilage lays down protectively over the irritated mucous membranes, thereby relieving the scratching in the throat. Warm milk with honey or fennel honey has the same effect. These can be taken shortly before going to bed. An important self-help measure for irritable cough is an increased intake of fluids. About 2 – 3 liters of fluid, preferably water or tea (not chamomile tea, which further dries out the mucous membranes), should be consumed to prevent the mucous membranes from drying out and to support the secretion of the protective fluid film in the airways. During the night’s rest, increased humidity should also be provided. Special humidifiers can be used for this purpose or damp cloths can be hung up. In heavily heated rooms, bowls with water can be placed on the radiators. In addition to steam baths and inhalation with, for example, common salt or thyme, warm potato compresses for the upper body have proven to be effective as home remedies for an irritating cough. Smoking and excessive physical exertion should be avoided at all costs when suffering from a chesty cough.
