Today is

By: Ikedi Ani-okoye.

Cough introduction

There is nothing more irritating to have than a reoccurring cough. It can be the cause of much embarrassment and appear when we would least like it to. With the amount of pollutants now present in the air, the possible causes of the cough are wide ranging.

Throughout the day, people are exposed to numerous particles of dust, fumes and germs. Our living space can be polluted with tobacco smoke, car exhaust fumes and airborne infections. With all of these pollutants, it is a wonder that we are not continually coughing 24 hours a day.

How coughing occurs

When nerves, called cough receptors, in the airways are aggravated by a respiratory irritants, the brain sends a signal to the respiratory system. This causes the lungs to expand and deeply inhale. The closed glottis causes a the pressure within the lungs to increase. When the glottis opens, the air within the lungs is forced out through the respiratory tract, expelling any mucus, particles or objects within the airways.

Coughing reasons

Coughing is the body's way of removing foreign material or mucous from the lungs and throat. Patients seek medical treatment for cough more than any other complaint and treatment costs exceed $1 billion dollars annually in the U.S. The two general classifications of cough are productive coughs (producing phlegm or mucous from the lungs) and nonproductive coughs (dry and not producing any mucous or phlegm). Coughs are also divided into acute (less than 3 weeks' duration) and chronic (more than three weeks' duration).

The doctor for your cough

If you have had a cough for more than 3 weeks, it may be chronic. When something is "chronic" it means it lasts for a long time. The following are some questions to help you decide whether you should see your doctor about your cough:

Are you coughing up thick yellow or green phlegm? Are you wheezing (making a whistling sound when you breathe in)? Are you running a temperature higher than 101°F? Are you losing weight without trying? Are you having drenching sweats in bed at night (the sheets and your pajamas get soaking wet)? Are you coughing up blood?

CONCLUSION

The treatment of a cough will depend largely on its severity and underlying cause. A productive cough should not be suppressed except in special circumstances (eg, when it exhausts the patient or prevents rest and sleep) and generally not until the cause has been identified. An acute infection such as pneumonia may require antibiotics, an asthma-induced