Definition
The cough that smokers develop after a certain period of tobacco consumption, often lasting for many years, is commonly known as “smoker’s cough”. It is not a technical term from conventional medicine. However, the term “smoker’s cough” implies in most cases a certain type of cough, which almost exclusively affects long-term smokers.
This cough is usually associated with a chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, COPD. COPD is a disease of the lungs that leads to functional impairment of the organ and destruction of the lung tissue. It affects almost exclusively smokers and leads to chronic bronchitis or emphysema. In this sense, the smoker’s cough is not an independent clinical picture, but rather a colloquial term for a symptom in the context of COPD in smokers.
Symptoms
The smoker’s cough is a cough that is most pronounced especially in the morning after getting up. It is usually accompanied by a brownish, tough sputum. This is produced by the lung mucosa as a result of the constant inflammatory stimulus associated with smoking.
The absence of sputum is rather untypical for a smoker’s cough and indicates other causes. If smoking is stopped, there is a possibility that the sputum will decrease over time. The sputum may contain blood admixtures.
This indicates an existing COPD. Blood admixtures can in principle also have other causes, such as a tumor of the lung, and should therefore be clarified by a doctor. The cough usually persists for months and years and is in many cases the first harbinger of a developing COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease).
A cough that persists for more than three weeks and is not directly related to an infection should also always be clarified by a physician. The smoker’s cough is usually more pronounced in winter and autumn than in spring and summer. In addition to coughing with sputum, most smokers experience a stress-related shortness of breath, also known as dyspnoea.
Smoker’s cough is typically accompanied by sputum. A dry cough is rather untypical for a smoker’s cough and indicates another cause of the cough. Sputum is one of the main features of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
In the course of the harmful substances that tobacco consumption brings with it, the lungs are damaged in such a way that they undergo certain restructuring processes. The intact mucosa changes and swells (hypertrophy). A chronic inflammation develops, which leads to increased mucus production by the lung mucosa.
The natural cleansing function of the lungs is impaired in such a way that the fine cilia, which would normally transport dirt, bacteria and pollutants out of the lungs towards the mouth, can no longer perform their task. This results in the formation of a tough brownish mucus, which is coughed up, especially in the morning. This can be up to 60 ml per day.
In the case of an advanced disease and a cough that has been going on for many years, the sputum may also contain blood admixtures. This is called haemoptysis. Since blood admixture can also be caused by another lung disease, e.g. lung cancer, it should always be clarified quickly by a doctor. If an infection occurs, the color of the sputum can change, so that it can appear greenish or yellowish.
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