A severe cough in an adult does not go away. Why does the cough not go away for a long time and what to do to recover faster? A wet expectorant cough does not go away for a long time in an adult

About 30 percent of the population suffers from various types of cough. This condition not only reduces performance, but can also completely change a person’s lifestyle, causing insomnia, headaches and depression. It is especially painful. It can appear as a complication after a cold or other illness. If the cough does not go away for more than a month, then

You should be examined by a doctor, as this may be a symptom of asthma, cancer or heart problems. In this case, it cannot be cured without eliminating its cause.

What are the causes of a persistent cough?

It is believed that a long-lasting cough mainly affects smokers. It is impossible to get rid of it completely. But also people who do not have this bad habit, sometimes suffer from a lingering cough.

1. Most often it remains after colds or viral diseases. If done correctly, it goes away after a while.

2. One of the most common causes of persistent cough is asthma. This disease now occurs in every twentieth person. In this case, the cough can be episodic or constant. Sometimes it is the only symptom of the disease. It is necessary to treat it if you have asthma, because it can lead to suffocation.

3. appears due to irritation of the throat by nasal discharge. In this case, it intensifies at night or in the morning.

4. A cough that does not go away for a long time may indicate incipient tuberculosis, lung cancer or pleurisy.

5. Sometimes a prolonged cough occurs as an allergic reaction to various irritants.

6. For some diseases gastrointestinal tract A cough that does not go away for a long time is also possible. This happens when rotavirus infection, reflux, dysbacteriosis or helminthic infestation.

Treatment of persistent cough

First of all, you need to eliminate its causes and cure the underlying disease. But there are also special medications to suppress the cough reflex, as well as various mucolytic drugs. Modern medicines often have complex effects and treat different types cough. The most effective are Bromhexine and Ambroxol. They are produced not only in the form of tablets, but also in the form of syrup for children.

If it doesn’t go away for a long time, you need to take medications that thin the mucus and help evacuate it from the lungs, for example, ACC. Additionally, it is recommended to use folk remedies.

Traditional medicine for cough

The most famous are inhalations made from a decoction of pine buds, eucalyptus leaves or mint essential oil. Warming the chest and back or mashed boiled potatoes are also useful. When a cough does not go away for a long time after a cold, it is good to drink currant or cabbage juice with sugar, a decoction linden color or cored apples. Lingonberry juice or

A cough that does not go away for a long time is debilitating and leads to decreased performance. Therefore, it is imperative to be examined and treated for it and the diseases that cause it.

Coughing is a pathological, defensive reaction - it should not exist. At acute diseases respiratory organs it passes quickly. If a cough does not go away for a month or more, then this is most often regarded by specialists as a symptom of a chronic respiratory disease.

Why does the cough not go away for a long time?

Any cold is almost always accompanied by a cough. But it happens that the main symptoms no longer appear, and the cough does not go away for a month.

What could be the cause of a persistent cough? Most likely, the body weakened by a cold penetrated new infection, affecting the respiratory tract.

The body copes with such microorganisms quickly, but under normal conditions immune status. Having cured one disease, sometimes you have to get sick with the next one, therefore, a cough does not go away for a month in an adult or in a child for so long (see). Specify the pathogen to select the appropriate one antibacterial drug, will help additional methods research.

Among the common microorganisms that can “attack” a weakened body:

  • mycoplasma;
  • pneumocystis;
  • mushrooms;
  • Koch's bacillus (the causative agent of tuberculosis)
  • mixed microflora, etc.

The above pathogens enter the human body by air - by drip. This means that you can become infected with them where there is a crowd of people who are the source of these infections. The lack of proper treatment will lead to the progression of these diseases. Therefore, if the cough does not go away for a month, you should immediately consult a specialist.

When a cough does not go away for two months, this may indicate an allergy, to which the bronchial tree reacts with a unique reaction in the form of bronchial asthma. A cough that lasts a long time can be dry, wet, daytime, nighttime, paroxysmal, etc.

The video in this article will tell you in detail about coughing as a symptom of various pathologies.

How to treat a cough that doesn't go away for a long time

What to do if the cough does not go away? There is only one answer - go to a specialist who will determine the cause and then prescribe adequate treatment.

If the cause of the cough is related to bacterial infection and there is an increase in temperature, then antibiotics are prescribed. If it is painful and provokes an attack of vomiting, then antitussive drugs are prescribed.

If, on the contrary, the cough is wet, then expectorants are prescribed. If there is an immunodeficiency, then immunomodulators are prescribed.

As a rule, the doctor prescribes taking them long time, alternating between each other. Treatment for chronic cough is not cheap. Not everything is expensive expensive drugs are considered best indicator their qualities.

Instead of expensive funds you can choose their non-patented analogues, the name of which you can ask a specialist. The instructions included with the medications will help you navigate the choice of dosage, taking into account your age and diagnosis.

Diseases that cause coughing for a long time

What to do when the cough does not go away and symptoms indicating a cold do not appear?

Attention! Cough and sputum do not always indicate diseases of the lungs and bronchial tree.

Cardiac asthma – accompanies ventricular failure. With it, blood stagnates in the circulatory system, the plasma of which sweats through the alveoli, which is accompanied by the release of foamy pink sputum. Along with a cough, patients experience acrocyanosis, that is, blue discoloration of certain areas of the skin.

What to do: the cough does not go away and is accompanied by bleeding (see)? Perhaps the doctor may suspect cancer. The following symptoms can confirm it: weight loss, loss of appetite, low-grade fever etc. Analysis of sputum for atypical cells will help clarify lung cancer. The photo shows sputum from lung cancer.


Blood streaks can also appear with tuberculosis. The patient coughs for a long time, loses weight, and feels weak. The diagnosis is confirmed by x-ray, and sputum is also examined.

Rarely, but still, if the cough does not go away for 2 months, this may indicate a helminthic infestation (see). Cough associated with life cycle roundworms, which, penetrating the body and before reaching a mature state, must pass through the circulatory respiratory system. At this time, it seems that the person is sick with bronchitis, but in fact it is a completely different pathology.

A cough can be acquired along with the disease if a person works for a long time in production associated with dust. For example, asbestosis is a chronic lung disease that occurs in people who inhale asbestos fibers for a long time.

As a result, they penetrate deeply into the lung tissue and thicken the pleura. All this is accompanied by a chronic, unproductive cough that bothers you for a long time.

Miners are characterized by a disease called silicosis. It, like asbestosis, is chronic and is accompanied by a cough. With a lung abscess, before it is opened, the cough can be long and unproductive, but after opening the cough is accompanied by copious discharge purulent sputum, sometimes a mouthful.

Chronic cough accompanies experienced smokers. Their bronchi, covered with soot, react by coughing not only to tobacco smoke, but also to changes in ambient temperature, physical activity, changes in body position, etc.


Now it’s clear how to answer the question: if an adult’s cough does not go away, what to do?

Do not wait until it goes away on its own, but contact a specialist (therapist), who can refer you for a consultation to other doctors (pulmonologist, allergist, cardiologist, immunologist, gastroenterologist, etc.). Since cough is not always a separate harmless symptom. Often it indicates a formidable pathology on the part of other organ systems.

Differential diagnosis of some diseases that are accompanied by a prolonged cough:

Disease Character of the cough
Chronical bronchitis scanty mucous (sometimes purulent) sputum
Cardiac asthma Thin, frothy, pink sputum
Bronchial asthma Outside of an attack - no sputum or scanty, transparent. During an attack - thick, glassy. At the moment of resolution of the attack - in the form of lung casts.
Lungs' cancer Sputum (sometimes purulent) streaked or heavily mixed with blood
Pulmonary tuberculosis Mucopurulent sputum, sometimes streaked with blood
Asbestosis Scanty cough with mucous sputum
Lung abscess Purulent with unpleasant smell sputum

A frequent manifestation of many respiratory diseases is coughing. In most cases, after the disease is cured, the cough disappears. But sometimes a dry cough does not go away for a long time in an adult, and this becomes an alarming symptom that can lead to serious health problems.

This article will aim to explain the reasons why a cough can last for a long time, as well as advice on diagnosing possible diseases.

Cough that lasts for a long time

Coughing is a reflex aimed at cleansing respiratory tract from dust and sputum.

It comes in two types:

  • – without sputum production, exhausts the body with prolonged attacks and irritates the mucous membrane of the respiratory tract.
  • – with the separation of phlegm, is more productive, since during the process of removing phlegm the body heals itself.

And dry and moist cough can suddenly develop into, which will not allow the body to fully recover from the illness it has just suffered.

Diseases and conditions that can cause a persistent cough

The most common reason why a dry cough does not go away is considered to be an incorrect diagnosis, and as a result, treatment that is not suitable for the patient. in this case. It is not uncommon for a cough to persist after a long time due to self-medication.

Many people go to work with a cough, take their children to children's educational institutions, and do not even think about the fact that they need the help of a specialist. Instead, they prefer to buy the syrup that a friend recommended, or take several inhalations.

If the condition has improved slightly, then such dangerous self-medication is also stopped. None of the above is strictly forbidden! Only a doctor knows how to diagnose the disease and what medications to select to improve the condition and full recovery.

So:

  • If a dry cough does not go away after a cold, this indicates that the development of the disease has been delayed. Ideally, a dry cough appears during the first days of a cold. acute period illness, and then becomes wet, gradual discharge of sputum begins, the bronchi are cleared and the person gets better. If the dry cough still lasts and does not turn into a wet one, this indicates that the bronchi are unable to cope with the load, which means you need to consult a pulmonologist.
  • It happens that dry skin does not go away for a long time. Pharyngitis is a disease in which the mucous membrane of the pharynx becomes inflamed. Cough may wear different character: be dry, paroxysmal, throaty, tormenting only at night. Most often, a cough does not go away due to errors in treatment, namely, treatment for pharyngitis is stopped as soon as the cough disappears. And this is fundamentally wrong, because an interrupted course will lead to complications in the form of recurring coughing attacks.
  • – another reason why a dry cough does not go away for a long time. Most smokers may not even notice a cough, believing that it is nothing serious, and therefore there is no need to consult a doctor. However, such coughing may indicate chronic bronchitis, which has developed as a result of systematic exposure to nicotine and other toxic substances contained in cigarettes. Advanced chronic bronchitis in smokers eventually leads to emphysema, and then to pulmonary failure.
  • – if you have asked yourself the question – why a dry cough does not go away, perhaps you have become one of the many people with allergies. Allergic reactions to dust, wool, fluff, seasonal allergies for the flowering of various plants. Dry cough, sneezing, itchy nose - all these are symptoms that may accompany this disease.
  • If you are suffering from a dry, persistent cough and at this time you are taking any medications, there is a high probability that the cough is a reaction of the body caused by these medications. In 30% of patients with cardiovascular diseases, a dry cough occurs while taking medications to reduce blood pressure. After stopping the drug, the cough goes away on its own.
  • Tuberculosis– this serious diagnosis is worth thinking about if a dry cough has not gone away for a month (see). Koch's bacillus, which is the causative agent of this disease, is found in the body of almost every person by the age of 30, but thanks to the protective forces of the immune system, the disease does not develop. At sharp decline immunity, constant stress and nervous tension, as well as poor nutrition, tuberculosis can develop. Manifestations of tuberculosis are considered to be low-grade body temperature and increased sweating at night, obsessive coughing, which over time turns into a dry, unproductive cough.

  • Worm infestations– there are cases of ascariasis in which the larvae move through the pulmonary circulation and linger in the bronchi, trachea or lungs. The larvae irritate cough receptors and provoke a prolonged dry cough.
  • Cough caused by occupational hazards. When a dry cough in an adult does not go away, there is reason to think about working conditions. When working near toxic substances, household chemicals, in coal mines a dry cough can develop, and in some cases even respiratory failure. The simplest solution to this problem is to change your job and consult a pulmonologist. After all, no matter how high you are wage, the price of your health is much higher.

What diseases does the duration of cough indicate:

Causes of cough Duration Additional symptoms
Self-medication Up to 3 weeks
Allergy Up to a month or seasonally Runny nose, watery eyes
Smoking From 1 month and longer
Pharyngitis 2-3 weeks Sore throat
ARVI 1-2 weeks
Worm infestations 1-2 weeks while the larvae are in the respiratory system
Tuberculosis More than 1 month Temperature, sweating
Occupational hazards From 1 week and longer

How to improve your health with a dry cough?

If a dry cough does not go away for a long time, the main goal is to visit a doctor.

Note! Only a doctor will be able to check whether the diagnosis is correct and the treatment selected, adjust it if necessary and conduct a diagnosis.

You may need to have blood tests or chest x-rays. The instructions for completing this procedure are quite simple, you just need to take a certain position for a few minutes and not move while the device takes pictures.

Helpful Tips:

  1. Treatment of dry cough should be aimed at removing sputum, i.e. so that it turns into a wet cough.
  2. Drink more than 2 liters of liquid daily - teas, fruit drinks, herbal infusions, mineral water. Alternatively, you can drink warm milk, to which honey, figs, banana are added, as well as butter or mineral water. All these components soften cough, reduce the frequency of attacks and envelop the mucous membrane, protecting it from irritation.
  3. Include in your daily diet light foods rich in calories and reduce the consumption of fatty and fried foods, so as not to overload the body, which is fighting the disease.
  4. Conduct a course of inhalations. Inhalations can be done with potatoes, essential oils or medicinal herbs. IN hot water add a couple of drops of essential oil, or pre-brewed herbs - thyme, mint or eucalyptus are suitable, then lower your head over a container of water and inhale the steam. It is advisable to cover your head together with the container with a terry towel so that useful material from the steam entered only the respiratory tract, and did not disperse throughout the room. With the help of photos posted on the Internet, you can learn how to do it correctly.

Thanks to the video posted in this article, you can learn more about possible methods treatment, about the reasons why a dry cough does not go away for a long time in an adult, and what minimal interventions can be applied before visiting a doctor.

At proper treatment The cough should go away after 7–10 days. If a person is tormented by painful coughing attacks 2 weeks or even a month, it can be assumed that the disease has protracted or become chronic. Perhaps the patient is being treated incorrectly or the doctor has made an incorrect diagnosis. If the cough does not go away for a month, what should I do? An adult has some serious illness Or is everything okay with him?

What are the causes of a persistent cough?

Cough attacks can occur due to irritation of the mucous membranes of the bronchi, larynx, throat, and lungs. Thanks to this reflex, the respiratory tract tries to clear itself of mucus, dangerous substances, foreign bodies, and dust. If a person coughs for a long time and painfully, it is not difficult to guess why the cough does not go away for a month. Most likely, the patient is being treated incorrectly or he is ignoring the problem and is irresponsible about his health.

Causes of prolonged cough:

  • poorly treated cold;
  • allergy;
  • bronchial asthma;
  • stress;
  • oncological diseases;
  • gastrointestinal diseases;
  • heart failure;
  • smoker's cough;
  • tuberculosis.

The main cause of prolonged cough is incorrect treatment colds. The cough can be dry or wet. Dry appears at the very beginning of influenza, ARVI, acute bronchitis, laryngitis, tracheitis or pharyngitis. The attacks cause painful spasms in the patient, but no sputum is produced. As a result, a person’s blood pressure increases, problems with heartbeat, and pain in the abdominal area arise. A dry cough should be suppressed with antitussive medications.

If the cough does not stop for a week, and unproductive attacks plague the patient on the 7th or 10th day from the onset of the disease, then most likely the mucus is too thick and cannot leave the respiratory tract on its own. In this case, you need to take medications that thin the mucus and speed up its evacuation from the bronchi.

Important! A dry cough needs to be turned into a wet one.

A wet cough occurs after a dry cough or 3 days after the onset of the disease. The attacks bring relief to the patient, each time phlegm leaves the bronchi. Antitussive medications are prohibited during this period, and the airways must be cleaned regularly. The patient must take mucolytic and expectorant medications.

If a dry or wet cough does not stop for a month, we can say that the patient has a serious illness and needs to see a pulmonologist. Probably, after suffering from a cold, a person’s immunity decreased, as a result of which the inflammation turned into a protracted, sluggish form.

A prolonged cough may also be caused by an incorrect diagnosis. If it is not determined in time which specific virus or bacteria caused bronchitis, pneumonia or influenza, then the antibiotics and other medications taken may not be beneficial. Because of this, mucus accumulates in the respiratory tract, does not clear for a long time, and the disease becomes chronic.

Another cause of persistent coughing attacks may be allergies. If a person’s immunity is weakened, then some foods, as well as plant pollen and animal hair, provoke sneezing, tearfulness, and coughing. The allergen, entering the patient’s body, causes nausea and sometimes even vomiting. It is necessary to identify and eliminate it as quickly as possible.

  1. Bronchial asthma is also characterized by frequent coughing attacks. A person suffers from a dry cough and cannot breathe. The disease occurs as a result of an allergy to some substance, after physical activity or during a cold.
  2. It happens that a completely healthy person suddenly begins to cough due to emotional overstrain. Anxiety and stress at work can lead to sudden attacks. In this case, you need to calm down, try not to take everything to heart, and seek help from a neurologist.
  3. With lung or throat cancer, a person coughs every now and then, sometimes to the point of vomiting. It often feels like bronchitis. It is necessary to go to the hospital as soon as possible and diagnose the disease. How cancer before will be discovered, the greater the person’s chances of recovery.
  4. Gastrointestinal problems can also lead to frequent coughing attacks. If the patient increased acidity, That gastric juice enters the esophagus and causes irritation. A person gets heartburn and starts coughing.
  5. In heart failure, blood stagnates in the lungs. The patient suddenly begins to cough. In a horizontal position, the cough intensifies. If a person sleeps half-sitting at night to avoid coughing, he needs to consult a cardiologist.
  6. Tobacco smoke, constantly entering the lungs, is the cause of chronic non-infectious bronchitis. Pathogenic flora penetrates the respiratory system, secondary bacterial inflammation develops. A person develops prolonged coughing attacks.

In people with low level immunity or living in poor sanitary conditions, tuberculosis may occur. During the active stage of the disease, prolonged coughing attacks with sputum production appear. This condition is very dangerous not only for the patient, but also for others. The person needs hospitalization. Treatment is carried out in an anti-tuberculosis dispensary.

Important! If the cough does not stop for a month, you need to see a doctor and get examined. It is not advisable to treat prolonged cough attacks on your own. After all, if the cause is heart failure or tuberculosis, there is no point in doing inhalations or steaming your legs.

Treatment of persistent cough in adults

Treatment for prolonged cough depends on its etiology. Only a doctor has the right to treat a patient. First, the specialist examines the patient to establish the cause of the disease and an accurate diagnosis. Each person is prescribed an individual drug treatment. You cannot fight the disease on your own, because due to ignorance of the root cause, home methods can lead to serious consequences or even death.

If the cause of a protracted illness is complications after acute respiratory infections, bronchitis, pneumonia, then, first of all, you need to drink as much warm liquid as possible to restore water balance. These can be herbal teas based on sage, chamomile, plantain, primrose, as well as rosehip decoctions and dried fruit compotes.

Drug treatment

Mucolytics and various expectorants (Mukaltin, Doctor Mom, Gerbion) are good for getting rid of dry cough. They are prescribed if a dry cough does not turn into a wet one. Using medicines the mucus thins and the process of its evacuation from the lungs accelerates. If the pathogen is identified, prolonged coughing attacks are treated with antiviral drugs, antibiotics, and antifungals.

Medicines for wet coughs help plant based(Pektusin, Chest collection) or synthetic drugs (ACC, Bromhexine, Lazolvan). Medicines help quickly get rid of mucus accumulated in the respiratory tract. The patient is prescribed antibiotics:

  • penicillins (Amoxiclav);
  • macrolides (Azithromycin, Clarithromycin);
  • cephalosporins (Ceftriaxone).

The main thing is to get rid of not only the symptom, but also the cause of the disease.

Prescribed for prolonged cough medical supplies, which activate immune system. These are medicines based on ginseng, Rhodiola rosea, and Eleutherococcus. They are prescribed after antibiotic therapy.

Physiotherapeutic procedures help cope with prolonged coughing attacks after a cold:

  • electrophoresis;
  • magnetic therapy;
  • inhalation;
  • massage.

Physiotherapy can be carried out if a person does not have high temperature and the disease is not in the acute stage. During this period, it is recommended to additionally apply warming compresses at home, visit a Russian bathhouse, take pine or salt baths, and engage in physical therapy.

If coughing attacks are triggered by allergies, then the patient should correctly identify the irritant. Food allergies It is treated primarily by following a diet. A person should give up smoked products, citrus fruits, chocolate, fatty foods, store-bought sauces, mayonnaise, mustard, horseradish, sparkling water. If you are allergic to dust, you need to do wet cleaning as often as possible. If the cause of the disease is animal fur, you should not keep cats or dogs in the apartment.

Allergy medications:

  • Suprastin;
  • Claritin;
  • Telfast;
  • Prednisolone.

Important! To find out the cause of your cough, you need to see a doctor. Based on tests, radiography, computer diagnostics The patient is diagnosed and medications are selected. Treatment of tuberculosis, whooping cough, asthma, cancer, heart failure is carried out according to individual schemes.

Folk remedies

You can treat a persistent cough at home folk remedies. If after a cold the attacks do not go away for a long time and there is no fever, you can do steam inhalations. To do this, brew in a saucepan with water medicinal herbs(sage, plantain, St. John's wort, coltsfoot) or simply add a spoonful of soda to boiling water and breathe in the steam for about 10 minutes.

  1. If you have a cough without sputum, you can make compresses from steamed cabbage leaves, smeared with honey, or put mustard plasters or jars.
  2. Massage helps remove stagnant mucus.
  3. You can go to the bathhouse and warm your lungs with wet steam. At the same time, you should avoid cold showers, because dousing with cold water can lead to bronchospasm.

Recipe for prolonged coughing attacks

The following ingredients will be required:

  • radish – 1 pc.;
  • honey – 1 tbsp. l.;
  • sugar – 1 tbsp. l.

Fresh radishes need to be washed and cut into two parts. Make a hole in each with a spoon, sprinkle with sugar and pour over honey. Draining juice is taken 1 tsp. every 3 hours.

The cause of a prolonged cough can be untreated colds or diseases of the heart, lungs, and gastrointestinal tract. The cause can only be determined through examination and testing.

The bronchi can react to even the smallest irritants, causing bouts of prolonged coughing that need to be quelled as soon as possible. Sometimes the respiratory system does not resist the disease at all. In this case, mucus stagnates, which needs to be liquefied and removed. Treatment is prescribed by a doctor based on his diagnosis. It is unacceptable to self-medicate a prolonged cough.

Coughing is a natural reflex that helps clear the airways. During illness, this reflex is necessary, but if an adult’s cough does not go away for a long time even after recovery, then this rightfully causes concern.

Cough for more than 2 weeks

If a cough after an acute respiratory infection or bronchitis does not go away for more than 2 weeks, this means that the body continues inflammatory process. The cause of this residual phenomenon may be the addition of a secondary infection.

A patient whose immunity is weakened by a previous respiratory infection can easily become infected again. The cause of infection may be its own opportunistic microflora, which healthy person suppressed by the immune system.

The cause of frequent coughing attacks may be an associated secondary external infection that occurs against a background of weakened immunity, for example:

  • bacteria streptococci, staphylococci;
  • mycoplasma;
  • chlamydia;
  • candida fungi;
  • tuberculosis bacillus.

Without visible reasons Attacks of dry coughing tremors may occur due to allergies. The allergic cough reflex is caused by the presence of an allergen; the duration of this phenomenon depends on the concentration of the allergen and the reactivity of the immune system.

An allergic cough occurs in adults without fever, which distinguishes it from a cold, does not go away for a long time, and, if you treat it yourself, using herbal inhalations, is very dangerous. Self-medication can cause severe allergic reaction- anaphylactic shock, Quincke's edema.

Cough for more than a month

If you have a cough that lasts more than a month, a visit to the doctor should definitely take place, and as soon as possible. Of course, prolonged coughing attacks most often cause diseases of the respiratory system.

However, quite often such attacks are caused by allergic sensitization of the body, disorders of the heart, lungs, and nervous system.

Cough reflex in lung diseases

The reasons why coughing attacks do not go away in an adult for a particularly long time may include the following disorders: respiratory system:

  • obstructive bronchitis;
  • COPD;
  • smokers' bronchitis;
  • pulmonary tuberculosis;
  • bronchial asthma.

A particularly obsessive dry cough is observed when bronchial asthma. In 50% of patients, this disease begins before the age of 10 years. But in about a third of asthmatics, the disease manifests itself after 40 years.

And if such a cough in an adult does not go away for more than a month and it is not treated correctly, but make tinctures according to folk recipes, drink decoctions, the patient will only get worse, which may manifest as suffocation.

Bronchial asthma often has an infectious-allergic origin, and the allergens are pollen from various flowering plants. Without knowing the cause of asthma, self-medication can provoke a severe attack.

Possible reasons

The causes of a cough in an adult that does not go away for more than 3-4 weeks may include:

For a long time, much more than 2-3 months, the cough caused by work in hazardous work in adults does not go away, and it needs to be treated with expectorants. This is necessary so that the constant dry, unproductive cough turns into a wet cough.

Fine dust is removed from the lungs along with sputum, clogging the lungs of workers Agriculture, workers in the coal, construction, and metallurgical industries. For occupational dust bronchitis, inhalations with soda and expectorants of natural origin, such as thermopsis, marshmallow, and licorice, are effective.

It is more difficult to cope with attacks caused by work in chemical industry, household services. Allergic cough, which occurs in nail service workers and hairdressers, is treated antihistamines or change of specialty.

Neurogenic cough reflex

The cause of the attacks may not be an organic disease of the respiratory system, but neurosis. Painful attacks caused by the formation of a persistent cough reflex involving the cerebral cortex occur in both children and adults.

Such attacks appear when there is increased nervous tension caused by anxiety, anticipation, and excitement. The first thing to do in case of a neurogenic cough that does not go away in an adult for more than two weeks is to give the patient a sedative and switch attention to reduce nervous tension.

The reasons for this phenomenon lie in the characteristics of the human psyche. Treatment of attacks should be carried out with the participation of a psychotherapist. A peculiarity of the manifestation of the reflex is the weakening and even cessation of the attack when the patient is sure that he is not being watched.

Heart and pulmonary failure

The work of the heart and lungs is interconnected. Decreased lung function causes oxygen starvation of all organs, impairs the contractility of the heart, leading to stagnation of blood in the pulmonary circulation.

In case of heart pathology, cough is accompanied by:

  • confused, rapid breathing;
  • bluish coloration of the hands (acrocyanosis).

On pulmonary failure caused by stagnation of blood in the pulmonary circulation, indicate:

  • visible pulsation of the veins in the neck - positive venous pulse;
  • cyanosis of the skin, mucous membranes.

Read Heart Cough.

ENT diseases

Chronic inflammation of the ENT organs can also cause a long-lasting cough, such diseases include:

  • sinusitis – sinusitis, ethmoiditis;
  • adenoiditis.

Cough with adenoiditis, caused by an enlarged pharyngeal tonsil, is rare in adulthood. However, if a cough without fever does not go away in an adult for more than a month, an adenotomy may have to be done, which will improve the outflow of mucus from the maxillary sinuses and relieve seizures.

Oncological diseases

May cause prolonged cough oncological diseases larynx, trachea or lungs, the signs of which are:

  • enlarged The lymph nodes neck;
  • special shape of fingers, reminiscent appearance Drumsticks;
  • sudden weight loss not related to diet.

The cough in cancer patients is dry and bothers the patient both during the day and at night. Coughing attacks are not necessarily severe, but if they do not go away for 2-3 months, the cause may be cancer, and this disease is diagnosed today not only in older people, but also in adults just over 40 years old.

Prevention

To prevent chronic cough, you need to treat acute respiratory infections under the supervision of a doctor, do not self-medicate. Useful for strengthening the lungs, hardening the body, strengthening the immune system, performing breathing exercises on fresh air.

How to perform breathing exercises You can learn more about what to do if you have a cough that does not go away for more than 2 weeks in the article “Breathing exercises.”

You might be interested in:

An adult has a dry cough without fever - causes;

Why does pain occur in chest when coughing;

Antitussive drugs.

If a person has been ill viral disease or a common cold, a cough may remain as a residual effect for a long time. The patient seems to have already recovered, but periodically, often at night, he is tormented by paroxysmal coughing.

As a result, night rest is disrupted. In addition, the throat and larynx are constantly irritated, which provokes the appearance of more complex diseases.

Possible reasons

There are many factors that can cause a person to cough for a long time. Sometimes this takes a lot of time. If a person has been coughing for more than a month and there are no symptoms of the disease, it becomes more difficult to find out the cause.

If you do not pay the necessary attention to the problem, complications may develop in the form of chronic bronchitis and pulmonary diseases. It is better to quickly determine the reasons why the cough lasts for a long time and begin treatment.

The main causes of prolonged cough in adults:

  • appears due to smoking;
  • manifestation of a reaction to an irritant, allergen;
  • a symptom that is associated with the characteristics of the profession;
  • chronic cough (read how to treat it in a child);
  • infectious diseases.

A safe cough is a residual phenomenon after a cold. It disappears after a couple of weeks and does not lead to complications. If 30 days have passed and the cough still does not go away, you need to go to the doctor.

If the cause is an allergic reaction, then the cough is paroxysmal in nature. A lot of mucus is produced, which contributes to coughing. With allergies, coughing continues for up to two months. There is no need to wait long in such a situation and put off going to the doctor, because similar symptoms appear with tuberculosis.

Cough, which appears due to constant smoking, is a common problem among smokers. Smoking tobacco causes severe lung irritation. Harmful substances (tar, nicotine) accumulate in the lungs and bronchi in the form of thick, dense lumps.

A cough is the result of the body’s defensive reaction to an irritant. With its help, the lungs are cleared a little. A smoker may cough for the rest of his life.

Prolonged cough may be caused by harmful substances, which a person inhales every day at work. But this fact applies not only to hazardous industries, but also to working with fabrics, wood and metal.

When such materials are processed, workers inhale small particles that reach the lungs and accumulate in them. As a result, a person develops a persistent cough. Over time, it becomes chronic with negative impact working environment.

The coughing symptom may continue for weeks due to exacerbation chronic diseases: heart failure, pneumonia, bronchitis, etc.

In children

To find out the reasons children's cough, the child should be shown to the pediatrician. The doctor should listen carefully to the child to see if he has any complex diseases. In addition to the examination, you must pass general analysis blood. Among the main causes of prolonged cough in children are:

  • infectious diseases;
  • allergy;
  • reaction of the respiratory tract to cold;
  • objects of foreign origin in the respiratory system;
  • influence of stimuli external environment(exhaust gases, cigarette smoke, dust);
  • mental reasons (stress, nervousness).

If the cause of the cough is an infection, then timely treatment will give quick results and the attack will pass.

If allergic reactions occur in children, it is necessary to find out what the irritant is and exclude all contact with it.

If a child is too active outside in frosty or windy weather and breathes quickly, coughing occurs due to hyperreactivity of breathing.

Little children put everything in their mouths. If an object enters the respiratory system, it can cause coughing attacks.

Children have immature nervous system. Due to severe overexcitement or frustration, the child may cough.

If the cough does not go away for 1-3 months in an adult

If the symptom continues to bother you for a long period of time (from two weeks to a month), then the following diseases may develop: tuberculosis, asthma, bronchitis and other diseases.

Month

What to do if coughing does not go away for a month? If you're worried long cough, which does not go away within four weeks, you need to undergo an examination, determine the disease and listen to the symptoms.

The doctor will examine your throat and listen to your lungs. It would be a good idea to take tests to confirm the diagnosis.

To quickly get rid of a long cough, you need to consume a large number of liquids, eat a lot of fruits, do inhalations, take medications prescribed by the doctor.

A cough without fever for a month does not disappear with smoking, as it complicates the healing process.

If a symptom does not disappear for 3 months in an adult after suffering from a cold, the following reasons are possible:

  • the person has a weakened immune system;
  • recovery is hindered external factors: smoking, indoor air dried out by heating devices, drinking alcohol, dehydration due to low consumption of water and liquids;
  • after an illness, another infection may occur, which leads to the development of pneumonia or bronchitis;
  • in the worst case, a prolonged attack may cause the development malignant tumors respiratory tract.

Before treating a cough that does not go away for up to 3 months, it is necessary to establish the cause of its occurrence. If these are residual consequences of acute respiratory infections or acute respiratory viral infections, you should eat foods rich in vitamins, do inhalations, or ask your doctor to prescribe physiotherapeutic procedures.

Prolonged coughing may be due to heart disease. For an accurate diagnosis, you need to consult a cardiologist.

With pneumonia, the patient’s condition improves for several days, then the temperature rises and a severe attack begins with sensations of chest pain. An X-ray of the lungs will help diagnose the disease.

2 months

Why has the cough not gone away for 2 months? Coughing lasting more than 3 weeks can be called chronic. The cause of this cough may be a runny nose.

Mucus flows down the nasopharynx and provokes a cough. If the patient has not treated the symptom for the entire time, then it will be more difficult to get rid of it.

Most common cause A cough that does not go away for a long time is asthma. Symptoms of asthma include:

  • severe shortness of breath;
  • feeling of congestion in the thoracic region;
  • coughing with wheezing.

Read how to treat coughing with wheezing in an adult.

What not to do

It is forbidden to self-medicate and put off going to the doctor. You cannot take medicine without a precisely defined course and prescribed dosage. It is also prohibited to attend physical procedures with elevated temperature. If you are coughing, you should not go outside during severe frost, rain or snow, so as not to aggravate the disease.

Conclusion

If a person has been bothered by a cough for several weeks, then he should immediately seek help from a specialist. It is best not to start the problem to avoid complications. After determining the cause of a prolonged cough, you must follow your doctor’s recommendations and monitor your health.

If the cough does not go away, there is a possibility that pathogens will re-enter the body due to a weakened immune system after suffering from a respiratory illness. Developing as a residual phenomenon, the symptom can bother a person during the recovery period. During this time, the lungs and bronchi are completely cleared of accumulated mucus. If the cough syndrome does not go away after 2 weeks, there is a reason to consult a doctor again. An unpleasant illness often indicates a serious pathology in the body. Your doctor will tell you what to do if your cough does not go away for a long time after an individual consultation.

Features of a persistent cough

A prolonged cough without fever is an involuntary reflex that occurs in response to a certain irritant. The development of such an unpleasant symptom often signals that an infection of a bacterial, viral or allergic nature has entered the body. A cough that does not go away for a long time is also due to the fact that a foreign object or substance has gotten into the respiratory tract.

When coughing, the bronchi are cleared of mucus containing a pathogenic agent. Having gotten rid of the accumulated phlegm, the symptom stops, but not for long. This condition indicates a wet cough syndrome, when the body is already on the road to recovery. It's much worse when you can't clear your throat. In this case, a dry cough develops in an adult or child. Getting rid of it is quite problematic. It often drags on for a long period of time, during which the body becomes significantly weakened and depleted.

Why does the cough of adults and children not go away? A persistent cough often signals the development of a complication after the underlying disease or due to the addition of a secondary infection. In the first case, the causes of such an unpleasant symptom develop as a result of an uncured respiratory disease, as well as due to ill-prescribed therapy. In the second, the causes of the disease may signal the entry of pathogenic agents into the body against the background of weakened immunity after an illness.

At the same time, the main harmful microorganisms speakers:

  1. Viruses.
  2. Bacteria (for example, Pneumocystis, tuberculosis bacteria).
  3. Fungi (candida, chlamydia).

Often, a prolonged cough in adults indicates the occurrence of allergic disease, the source of development of which is a wide variety of pathogens:

  • wool, saliva or dander of domestic and wild animals;
  • dust mites;
  • bird feather (down);
  • pollen flowering plants(indoor and garden);
  • Food;
  • materials made from artificial fabrics;
  • household and decorative cosmetics, etc.

The situation becomes significantly more complicated if two to several pathogens enter the body. In this case, the symptom can drag on for a long time, while the treatment lasts much longer than usual. How to treat a lingering cough in case of allergies, the doctor will tell you based on the results of diagnostic measures.

Test: Is your lifestyle causing lung disease?

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Since almost all of us live in cities with very unfavorable health conditions, and in addition to this we correct image life, this topic is very relevant in this moment. We carry out many actions or, on the contrary, remain inactive, without thinking at all about the consequences for our body. Our life is in breathing, without it we cannot live even a few minutes. This test will allow you to determine whether your lifestyle can provoke lung diseases, and will also help you think about your health of the respiratory system and correct your mistakes.

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  • You lead the right lifestyle

    You are a fairly active person who cares and thinks about your respiratory system and health in general, continue to play sports, lead healthy image life and your body will delight you throughout your life. But do not forget to undergo examinations on time, maintain your immunity, this is very important, do not overcool, avoid severe physical and strong emotional overload. Try to minimize contact with sick people; if forced contact, do not forget about protective equipment (mask, washing your hands and face, clearing your respiratory tract).

  • It's time to think about what you are doing wrong...

    You are at risk, you should think about your lifestyle and start taking care of yourself. Physical education is required, or even better, start playing sports, choose the sport that you like most and turn it into a hobby (dancing, cycling, Gym or just try to walk more). Do not forget to treat colds and flu promptly, they can lead to complications in the lungs. Be sure to work on your immunity, strengthen yourself, and be in nature and fresh air as often as possible. Don't forget to go through your scheduled annual examinations, treat lung diseases initial stages much easier than in neglected form. Avoid emotional and physical overload; if possible, eliminate or minimize smoking or contact with smokers.

  • It's time to sound the alarm!

    You are completely irresponsible about your health, thereby destroying the functioning of your lungs and bronchi, have pity on them! If you want to live a long time, you need to radically change your entire attitude towards your body. First of all, get examined by specialists such as a therapist and a pulmonologist; you need to take radical measures, otherwise everything may end badly for you. Follow all the doctors’ recommendations, radically change your life, perhaps you should change your job or even your place of residence, completely eliminate smoking and alcohol from your life, and reduce contact with people who have such bad habits to a minimum, toughen up, strengthen your immunity as much as possible spend more time in the fresh air. Avoid emotional and physical overload. Completely eliminate all aggressive products from everyday use and replace them with natural, natural remedies. Do not forget to do wet cleaning and ventilation of the room at home.

  1. With answer
  2. With a viewing mark

    Task 1 of 20

    Does your lifestyle involve heavy physical activity?

    • Yes, daily
    • Sometimes
    • Seasonal (eg vegetable garden)
  1. Task 2 of 20

    How often do you undergo a lung examination (eg fluorogram)?

    • I don’t even remember when was the last time
    • Every year, without fail
    • Once every couple of years
  2. Task 3 of 20

    Do you play sports?

    • Yes, professionally and regularly
    • It happened in the past
    • Yes, amateur
  3. Task 4 of 20

    • When I'm sick
    • Sometimes
  4. Task 5 of 20

    Do you treat acute respiratory infections, acute respiratory viral infections, influenza and other inflammatory or infectious diseases?

    • Yes, at the doctor's
    • No, it goes away on its own after some time
    • Yes, I self-medicate
    • Only if it's really bad
  5. Task 6 of 20

    Do you carefully observe personal hygiene (shower, hands before eating and after walking, etc.)?

    • Yes, I wash my hands all the time
    • No, I don't follow this at all
    • I try, but sometimes I forget
  6. Task 7 of 20

    Do you take care of your immunity?

    • Only when sick
    • I find it difficult to answer
  7. Task 8 of 20

    Have any relatives or family members suffered from serious lung diseases (tuberculosis, asthma, pneumonia)?

    • Yes, parents
    • Yes, close relatives
    • I can not say for sure
  8. Task 9 of 20

    Do you live or work in an unfavorable environment(gas, smoke, chemical emissions from enterprises)?

    • Yes, I live permanently
    • Yes, I work in such conditions
    • Previously lived or worked
  9. Task 10 of 20

    Do you or your household use sources of strong odors (aroma candles, incense, etc.)?

    • Often
    • Rarely
    • Almost daily
  10. Task 11 of 20

    Do you have heart disease?

    • Yes, chronic
    • Rarely, but it does happen
    • If you have any doubts, you need an examination
  11. Task 12 of 20

    How often are you in damp, dusty or moldy environments?

    • Constantly
    • I'm not there
    • Previously was
    • Rarely, but it happens
  12. Task 13 of 20

    Do you often get sick with acute respiratory infections or acute respiratory viral infections?

    • I'm constantly sick
    • Rarely, no more than once a year
    • Often, more than 2 times a year
    • I never get sick or once every five years
  13. Task 14 of 20

    Do you or any of your relatives have diabetes?

    • Yes, I have
    • I find it difficult to answer
    • Yes, with close relatives
  14. Task 15 of 20

    Do you have any allergic diseases?

    • Yes, one
    • Not sure, needs testing
    • Yes, even a few
  15. Task 16 of 20

    What kind of lifestyle do you lead?

    • Sedentary
    • Active, constantly on the move
    • Sedentary
  16. Task 17 of 20

    Does anyone in your family smoke?

    • Happens sometimes
    • Used to smoke
  17. Task 18 of 20

    Do you smoke?

    • Yes, I smoke regularly
    • No and never smoked
    • Rarely, but it happens
    • Previously smoked, but quit
  18. Task 19 of 20

    Do you have air purification devices in your home?

    • Yes, I change filters all the time
    • Yes, we use it sometimes
    • Yes, but we don’t monitor the devices
  19. Task 20 of 20

    Do you often use household chemicals (cleaning products, aerosols, etc.)?

    • Often
    • Rarely, when necessary
    • Constantly, that's the job
    • I don't use it at all

Varieties of symptoms

A long-lasting cough in an adult is a symptom of some pathology. Its main manifestations are a regular pattern of coughing throughout the day, as well as an attack of prolonged coughing with the removal of mucus.

What is the treatment for persistent cough in an adult? Treatment of the pathology depends on the type of symptom.

By nature, there are two main types of cough reflex:

  1. Prolonged dry cough.
  2. Wet cough.

Dry cough syndrome, in turn, is divided according to duration into the following types:

  • acute (persistent cough for more than one week);
  • protracted (cannot pass for a long time - a month no more);
  • subacute (severe cough that has not gone away for 1-2 months);
  • chronic (protracted cough in adults and children, lasting more than 2 months).

It is much more difficult to cure a lingering cough in an adult than an acute symptom. That is why experts do not recommend delaying treatment of the disease.

If you make a diagnosis in time and begin treatment for the pathology, you can get rid of a lingering cough in the shortest possible time.

Dry cough

It often develops on the first day of ARVI (acute respiratory viral infection), as well as during the recovery period. A prolonged cough is a contraction of the smooth muscles of the bronchi caused by severe irritation of the mucous membrane of the nasopharynx, bronchial tract or trachea.

A dry cough does not go away for a long time in an adult, at most various reasons. It begins to bother a person immediately after the infection enters the bronchopulmonary tract. On the first day, the patient experiences a sore throat, which leads to coughing. After a few days, the patient begins to cough up, which indicates a speedy recovery. However, this does not always happen. If the cough does not go away for a long time with tracheitis, there may be a prolonged dry cough that does not cough up.

If a dry cough does not go away a few days after the onset of a respiratory illness, as well as after recovery, it becomes protracted.

As a result of an overly prolonged symptom, the body weakens significantly, which increases the risk of recurrent infection.

Treatment of persistent cough in adults and children should be given Special attention. Therapy of the pathological process consists of the use of mucolytic medicines. The action of their main components promotes the rapid production of sputum.

Moist cough

A wet cough is characterized by the discharge of sputum from the bronchi with the development of pathology of the bronchopulmonary system. During the process of coughing, the body tries to clear itself of accumulated mucus in the nasopharynx, as well as the bronchial tract. A wet cough allows you to remove a huge amount of phlegm. This process is called expectoration. It can be very difficult for young children to cough because the sticky mucus makes breathing difficult and can get stuck in the throat.

A wet, continuous cough is most often observed as a result of an advanced cold or infectious disease.

The color and consistency of mucus can reveal the nature of the pathological process:

  1. Transparent mucus of normal consistency signals a cold.
  2. Prolonged cough Brown often indicates the development of pneumonia - infectious inflammation of the lungs.
  3. Transparent wet cough thick (but not normal) consistency in most cases is a consequence of the development of bronchial asthma.
  4. An expectorant cough with an unpleasant, pungent odor, coupled with the discharge of purulent contents from the bronchi, may signal the progression of tuberculosis, lung abscess or bronchitis chronic form.

Situations are often observed when, during recovery from an infectious disease, a wet cough without fever is present in an adult or child. An incessant cough is possibly a consequence of the removal of residual mucus from the bronchi, when the disease has practically passed, while the symptom still bothers the person due to the flow of residual mucus down the back wall nasopharynx.

It is possible to treat a prolonged cough with the help of special expectorants and antibiotic medications. In the latter case potent drugs prescribed when a bacterial infection occurs.

Cough that doesn't go away for a week

If the cough does not stop for a week, this process should not cause much concern. With properly prescribed treatment, approximately this amount of time is needed for complete recovery from a respiratory disease. In case of infectious pathology of the bronchopulmonary system, it may take some more time (usually several days) to rid the bronchial tract of residual effects.

When the cough does not go away for about a week or two, you should consult your doctor again. In this case, a complication or secondary infection is likely to develop.

Why does the cough not go away for two weeks or a little more?

Experts include the following main provoking factors for this phenomenon:

  1. A cold or infectious disease.
  2. Increased allergic reaction.
  3. Reduced stress resistance of the body.

The above reasons can lead to the progression of symptoms regardless of whether the cough is wet or dry.

How to cure a persistent cough if it does not go away for a long time?

In this case, therapy will be prescribed depending on the underlying disease:

  • at persistent symptom caused by colds, the patient is prescribed special antiviral drugs, and in addition, plant-based products that have an expectorant effect. According to indications, immunomodulatory medications can be taken;
  • when an adult’s paroxysmal cough does not go away, and the body temperature rises to febrile levels, there is a risk of contracting pneumonia or acute bronchitis. The doctor will decide how to treat a lingering cough, but the main group medications antibiotics will be used - potent drugs aimed at destroying the bacterial pathogen;
  • when a persistent cough is a persistent manifestation of bronchial asthma, antiallergic drugs come to the aid of the patient. They allow you to stop the body’s reaction to an external or internal stimulus.

In some cases, the reason why a long dry cough does not go away for about several weeks is that a foreign object has entered the respiratory system.

The main recommendation in such a situation is also to consult a doctor. As a rule, there is no need to treat a prolonged cough. This is due to the fact that after removing the foreign object from the bronchial tract, the symptom goes away on its own.

Cough does not go away for a month

Why can a cough bother a person for a month? Cough with sputum does not go away for a month as a result of severe infectious diseases. In this case, the symptom is often accompanied by other clinical manifestations pathology of the bronchopulmonary system.

The main ones are:

  1. Increased sweating.
  2. Swelling of the upper and lower extremities.
  3. Feeling of nausea, vomiting.
  4. A sharp decrease in body weight.
  5. Discharge of mucus that is clear or mixed with blood.
  6. Complete or partial loss of appetite.
  7. Trouble breathing, as if physical activity, and at rest.
  8. Increase in body temperature to febrile levels.
  9. Deterioration general condition(lethargy, irritability, weakness).
  10. The patient feels pain in the chest, etc.

What to do if the cough does not go away for a month?

A wet cough may indicate the following serious pathologies:

  • chronic lung disease (for example, tuberculosis);
  • malignant neoplasm (for example, sarcoidosis or lung cancer);
  • breakthrough of liver abscesses (in this case, a wet cough especially often bothers a person at night);
  • illness caused by work in hazardous work;
  • chronic inflammation of the pleura, bronchi or lungs;
  • chronicity of nasopharyngeal pathologies (for example, sinusitis);
  • severe cardiac dysfunction;
  • asthma of bronchial type.

When a dry cough does not go away for about a month, there is a risk of developing a chronic form of serious damage to the bronchopulmonary area (for example, chronic tracheitis).

Also, a dry cough that lasts a long time develops as a result of smoking abuse over a long period of time.

What to do if the cough does not go away for a long time? Treatment of persistent cough depends on the nature of the underlying disease. If the cough syndrome does not go away for a long time, the patient is prescribed medications aimed at destroying the causative agent of the pathology.

When a cough does not go away for more than a month, there is a possibility of developing cardiac, pulmonary, gastric failure, as well as malignant neoplasms in the pulmonary area. A wet or dry cough that does not go away for more than a month is also due to immunodeficiency, tuberculosis or bronchial asthma. Protracted cough in an adult - how to treat it? In addition to the main group of medications, the patient is prescribed immunomodulatory drugs that increase the body's defenses.

A persistent cough is a reason to immediately consult a doctor. Self-medication can only make things worse pathological process and lead to the development of serious complications.

Test: Which cough medicine is best for you?

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A test that will allow you to determine which cough medicine is best for you.

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  • Syrups:

    Bronholitin syrup - perfect for treating dry cough in children (Average cost in a pharmacy is 100 rubles)
    Paxeladin syrup is an analogue of the above product, but in a different price category (Average cost in a pharmacy is 250 rubles)

    Pills:

    Stoptussin - excellent and inexpensive tablets cough medicine for children (Average price in a pharmacy is 110 rubles)
    Sinekod - excellent tablets for dry cough for children (Average price in pharmacies 200 rubles)
    Glauvent - also very good pills for the treatment of cough (Average price in pharmacies 250 rubles)
    We also recommend that you read the article on choosing cough tablets for children.

    Sprays:

    Inhalipt is an excellent and inexpensive cough spray for children (Average price in a pharmacy is 60 rubles)
    Faringosept is also a very good cough spray (Average price in a pharmacy is 110 rubles)

  • Syrups and drops:

    Stoptussin syrup - perfect for treating dry cough in adolescents and adults (Average cost in a pharmacy is 150 rubles)
    Sinekod drops - the same excellent remedy, but in a different price category (Average cost in a pharmacy is 350 rubles)
    We also recommend that you read the article on choosing cough syrup.

    Pills:

    Mucaltin - excellent and inexpensive cough tablets (Average price in a pharmacy is 50 rubles)
    Sinekod - this excellent drug is also sold in tablet form (Average price in pharmacies is 150 rubles)
    Solutan is also a very good cough tablet (Average price in pharmacies is 200 rubles)
    We also recommend that you read the article on choosing cough tablets.

    Sprays:

    Inhalipt is an excellent and inexpensive cough spray (Average price in a pharmacy is 60 rubles)
    Hexoral is also a very good cough spray (Average price in a pharmacy is 170 rubles)
    Tantum Verde is an excellent drug in the form of a spray, in a high price category (Average price in pharmacies is 300 rubles)

  1. With answer
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    Task 1 of 6

    Please indicate your age (your child's age)

    • From 6 to 12 years
    • From 12 to 18 years old
    • Over 18
  1. Task 2 of 6

    • Up to 100 rubles
    • From 100 to 200 rubles
    • Over 200 rubles
  2. Task 3 of 6

    In what form do you prefer to take your cough medicine?

    • Pills
    • Syrup
    • Spray
  3. Task 4 of 6

    What type of cough is bothering you?

    • Wet
    • Dry
    • Barking
  4. Task 6 of 6

    Whose product would you prefer?

    • Domestic
    • Foreign

Coughing is a natural reflex that helps clear the airways. During illness, this reflex is necessary, but if an adult’s cough does not go away for a long time even after recovery, then this rightfully causes concern.

If a cough after an acute respiratory infection or bronchitis does not go away for more than 2 weeks, this means that the inflammatory process continues in the body. The cause of this residual phenomenon may be the addition of a secondary infection.

A patient whose immunity is weakened by a previous respiratory infection can easily become infected again. The cause of infection may be one’s own opportunistic microflora, which is suppressed by the immune system in a healthy person.

The cause of frequent coughing attacks may be an associated secondary external infection that occurs against a background of weakened immunity, for example:

  • bacteria streptococci, staphylococci;
  • mycoplasma;
  • chlamydia;
  • candida fungi;
  • tuberculosis bacillus.

For no apparent reason, attacks of dry coughing tremors may occur due to allergies. The allergic cough reflex is caused by the presence of an allergen; the duration of this phenomenon depends on the concentration of the allergen and the reactivity of the immune system.

An allergic cough occurs in adults without fever, which distinguishes it from a cold, does not go away for a long time, and, if you treat it yourself, using herbal inhalations, is very dangerous. Self-medication can cause a powerful allergic reaction - anaphylactic shock, Quincke's edema.

Cough for more than a month

If you have a cough that lasts more than a month, a visit to the doctor should definitely take place, and as soon as possible. Of course, prolonged coughing attacks most often cause diseases of the respiratory system.

However, quite often such attacks are caused by allergic sensitization of the body, disorders of the heart, lungs, and nervous system.

Cough reflex in lung diseases

The reasons why coughing attacks do not go away in an adult for a particularly long time may include the following disorders of the respiratory system:

  • COPD;
  • pulmonary tuberculosis;

A particularly obsessive dry cough is observed in bronchial asthma. In 50% of patients, this disease begins before the age of 10 years. But in about a third of asthmatics, the disease manifests itself after 40 years.

And if such a cough in an adult does not go away for more than a month and is not treated correctly, but by making tinctures according to folk recipes, drinking decoctions, then the patient will only get worse, which can manifest as suffocation.

Bronchial asthma often has an infectious-allergic origin, and the allergens are pollen from various flowering plants. Without knowing the cause of asthma, self-medication can provoke a severe attack.

Possible reasons

The causes of a cough in an adult that does not go away for more than 3-4 weeks may include:

For a long time, much more than 2-3 months, the cough caused by working in hazardous work in adults does not go away, and it needs to be treated. This is necessary so that the constant dry, unproductive cough turns into a wet cough.

Together with sputum, fine dust is removed from the lungs, clogging the lungs of agricultural workers, workers in the coal, construction, and metallurgical industries. For occupational dust bronchitis, expectorants of natural origin, such as thermopsis, marshmallow, and licorice, are effective.

It is more difficult to cope with attacks caused by work in the chemical industry or household services. , which occurs in nail service workers and hairdressers, is treated with antihistamines or a change in specialty.

Neurogenic cough reflex

The cause of the attacks may not be an organic disease of the respiratory system, but neurosis. Painful attacks caused by the formation of a persistent cough reflex involving the cerebral cortex occur in both children and adults.

Such attacks appear when there is increased nervous tension caused by anxiety, anticipation, and excitement. The first thing to do in case of a neurogenic cough that does not go away in an adult for more than two weeks is to give the patient a sedative and switch attention to reduce nervous tension.

The reasons for this phenomenon lie in the characteristics of the human psyche. Treatment of attacks should be carried out with the participation of a psychotherapist. A peculiarity of the manifestation of the reflex is the weakening and even cessation of the attack when the patient is sure that he is not being watched.

Heart and pulmonary failure

The work of the heart and lungs is interconnected. A decrease in lung function causes oxygen starvation of all organs, impairs the contractility of the heart, and leads to stagnation of blood in the pulmonary circulation.

In case of heart pathology, cough is accompanied by:

  • confused, rapid breathing;
  • bluish coloration of the hands (acrocyanosis).

Pulmonary failure caused by stagnation of blood in the pulmonary circulation is indicated by:

  • visible pulsation of the veins in the neck - positive venous pulse;
  • cyanosis of the skin, mucous membranes.

Read Heart Cough.

ENT diseases

Chronic inflammation of the ENT organs can also cause a long-lasting cough, such diseases include:

  • – , ;

Cough with adenoiditis, caused by an enlarged pharyngeal tonsil, is rare in adulthood. However, if a cough without fever does not go away in an adult for more than a month, an adenotomy may have to be performed, which will improve the outflow of mucus from the maxillary sinuses and relieve attacks.

Oncological diseases

Oncological diseases of the larynx, trachea or lungs can cause a prolonged cough, the signs of which are:

  • enlarged lymph nodes in the neck;
  • a special shape of the fingers, reminiscent in appearance of drumsticks;
  • sudden weight loss not related to diet.

The cough associated with cancer is dry and bothers the patient both during the day and during the day. Coughing attacks are not necessarily severe, but if they do not go away for 2-3 months, the cause may be cancer, and this disease is diagnosed today not only in older people, but also in adults just over 40 years old.

Prevention

To prevent chronic cough, you need to treat acute respiratory infections under the supervision of a doctor, and do not self-medicate. It is useful to strengthen the lungs by hardening the body, strengthening the immune system, and performing breathing exercises in the fresh air.

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