Years ago, a “lasting cough” was indicative of tuberculosis until proven otherwise. TB has almost disappeared, but the fear of a lingering cough has not, and it motivates many unnecessary antibiotic prescriptions.
The mechanism of a persistent cough is twofold. Either Jimmy has a strain of a virus that induces a long-lasting cough (several weeks, in some cases), or he has suffered from a string of recurrent colds, each of them with a new onset. In either case, the cough, which becomes dry with time, gains momentum at night when the mucus drips down the airway. To make matters worse, the constant forceful expulsion of air (the cough) becomes an irritant itself, which triggers additional coughing. The cycle becomes self-perpetuating.
Three or four days into a viral illness, the cough is no longer contagious, but you may have a hard time convincing the parents of Jimmy’s classmates of this fact.
If Jimmy has a persistent fever
If he has lost weight
If he is significantly less active
If his breathing is labored
If Jimmy has any of these symptoms, a doctor should listen to his chest and decide whether a lung infection is at work.
If the cough persists for a long time without any other symptoms (duration is not indicative of severity)
If Jimmy maintains normal activity, even if he seems a little tired from his disturbed sleep
“Cough in the Head”
As with any symptom that produces parental attention and anxiety, coughs can become psychogenic. In other words, when Jimmy has been hacking away for a while, he notices that two heads turn in his direction every time he coughs. This attention can reinforce the cough and turn it into a tic. In order to prevent or break this cycle, try to avoid displaying too much concern for your child’s barking, even if it’s painful to ignore.
Treatment of a Lingering Cough
A persistent cough results from an irritation, not an infection; therefore antibiotics are not useful in such cases. If you insist strenuously enough, you’re likely to get one, but I guarantee it won’t make a difference, and it will expose Jimmy to possible side effects. Other medications prescribed needlessly in these cases include asthma medications (these coughs are rarely related to asthma) and steroids (which can weaken the immune system). Once you’ve established that the problem is simply a lingering cough with no underlying illness, administer cough suppressants only if the cough becomes unbearable to Jimmy, and wait patiently for the resolution.
A lingering cough without any other symptoms does not turn into something worse. It just lingers. The chief symptoms of pneumonia are not coughing but high fever and a very sickly, pale, weak child. In that case, the condition is worse to start with. As far as bronchitis, any time Jimmy coughs, he has bronchitis, which is a catchall term that simply describes an irritated airway [See: Bronchitis].
Why do I hear it in the chest?
The sound is amplified by the air in the lungs.
Could it be an allergy?
Lingering coughs are rarely allergies. Nasal allergies can produce persistent coughs, but they are also associated with sneezing, tearing eyes, and skin rashes. Also, most nasal allergies are usually pollen-related and occur in summer, while lingering coughs are most common in the winter.
When will it get better?
It could take a while. A winter cough could be caused by a succession of colds, and it could last all winter.
In summary, as frustrating as it can be to hear your child hacking for long periods, a cough rarely represents a serious illness, nor will it turn into one. Your best option is to wait patiently until the irritation of the airway settles, avoid unnecessary medications or overt attention, and hide your anxiety to prevent the cough from moving out of the chest and into the head.
In summary, as frustrating as it can be to hear your child hacking for long periods, a cough rarely represents a serious illness, nor will it turn into one. Your best option is to wait patiently until the irritation of the airway settles, avoid unnecessary medications or overt attention, and hide your anxiety to prevent the cough from moving out the chest and into the head.
Miaka mingi iliyopita, "kikohozi cha kudumu" kilionyesha kifua kikuu hadi ilipothibitishwa kinyume chake. Ugonjwa wa kifua kikuu umepungua, lakini hofu ya kukohoa kwa muda mrefu haijapotea, na hiyo ndiyo sababu ya kuagiza dawa nyingi zisizohitajika. Utaratibu wa kikohozi cha kudumu ni wa njia mbili. Ama Jimmy ana aina ya virusi vinavyosababisha kikohozi cha muda mrefu (siku kadhaa, katika baadhi ya kesi), au ameteseka kutokana na mfululizo wa homa za kawaida, kila moja ikiwa na mwanzo mpya. Katika visa vyote viwili, kikohozi, ambacho huwa kavu kadiri wakati unavyopita, huongezeka usiku wakati umajimaji unapotiririka kwenye njia za kupumua. Jambo jingine ni kwamba, hewa inayotokezwa kwa nguvu daima (kikohozi) huwa yenyewe yenye kuchochea, na hilo husababisha kikohozi kingine. Mzunguko huo huendelea kwa muda mrefu. Baada ya siku tatu au nne za ugonjwa wa virusi, kikohozi hakina maambukizi tena, lakini huenda ukawa na ugumu wa kuwasadikisha wazazi wa wanafunzi wenzako wa darasa hilo jambo hilo. Ikiwa Jimmy ana homa ya kudumu, ikiwa amepoteza uzito, ikiwa ana shughuli chache sana, ikiwa anapumua kwa bidii, ikiwa Jimmy ana dalili yoyote ya dalili hizi, daktari anapaswa kusikiliza kifua chake na kuamua ikiwa kuna maambukizo ya mapafu. Kama kikohozi kinaendelea kwa muda mrefu bila dalili nyingine yoyote (kiwango cha muda si kiashiria cha ukali) Kama Jimmy anaendelea shughuli ya kawaida, hata kama yeye inaonekana kidogo uchovu kutoka usingizi wake kusumbuliwa <unk> Kikohozi katika kichwa <unk> Kama na dalili yoyote ambayo inazalisha wazazi makini na wasiwasi, kikohozi inaweza kuwa psychogenic. "Kwa maneno mengine, wakati Jimmy amekuwa akicheka kwa muda, anaona kwamba vichwa viwili vinageuka kuelekea kwake kila wakati anapokohoa. """ Uangalifu huo waweza kuimarisha kikohozi na kukigeuza kuwa tiki. Ili kuzuia au kuvunja mzunguko huu, jaribu kuepuka kuonyesha wasiwasi sana juu ya kupiga kelele kwa mtoto wako, hata kama ni chungu kupuuza. Ugonjwa wa kikohozi cha muda mrefu ni ugonjwa wa kukasirisha, si maambukizo, kwa hiyo dawa za kuua viini hazifai katika hali kama hizo. Kama wewe kusisitiza kwa bidii ya kutosha, wewe ni uwezekano wa kupata moja, lakini mimi kuhakikisha itakuwa si kufanya tofauti, na itakuwa kufunua Jimmy kwa athari zinazowezekana upande. Dawa nyingine zinazopendekezwa bila sababu katika visa hivi ni pamoja na dawa za pumu (kibofu hiki ni nadra kuhusiana na pumu) na steroids (ambayo inaweza kudhoofisha mfumo wa kinga). Mara tu unapokuwa umethibitisha kwamba tatizo ni kikohozi cha muda mrefu bila ugonjwa wa msingi, tumia dawa za kuzuia kikohozi tu ikiwa kikohozi kinakuwa kisichoweza kuvumilika kwa Jimmy, na subiri kwa subira kwa ajili ya azimio. Kikohozi chenye kuendelea bila dalili nyingine yoyote hakibadiliki kuwa jambo baya zaidi. Inabaki tu. Dalili kuu za nimonia si kikohozi bali ni homa ya juu na mtoto mgonjwa sana, mweupe, dhaifu. Katika hali hiyo, hali ni mbaya zaidi kuanzia mwanzo. "Kama ilivyoelezwa hapo juu, ""bronchitis"" ni ugonjwa wa kawaida wa hewa ambao unatokana na kukasirika kwa njia ya hewa." Kwa nini nasikia hivyo katika kifua? Sauti hiyo huimarishwa na hewa iliyo katika mapafu. Je, inaweza kuwa mzio? Kikohozi chenye kuendelea ni nadra sana kuwa kisababishi cha mzio. Madhara ya pua yanaweza kusababisha kikohozi cha kudumu, lakini pia huhusianishwa na kupiga chafya, macho yanayotiririka, na maambukizo ya ngozi. Pia, mzio mwingi wa pua kwa kawaida huhusiana na chavua ya maua na hutokea wakati wa kiangazi, huku kikohozi cha muda mrefu kikiwa cha kawaida wakati wa majira ya baridi kali. Ni lini itakapoboreshwa? Inaweza kuchukua muda. Kikohozi cha majira ya baridi kali chaweza kusababishwa na homa za baridi kali, na kinaweza kudumu wakati wote wa majira ya baridi kali. Kwa ufupi, kama inavyoweza kuwa ya kukatisha tamaa kusikia mtoto wako akipiga kwa muda mrefu, kikohozi mara chache huwakilisha ugonjwa mbaya, wala hakitakuwa ugonjwa mbaya. Chaguo bora ni kusubiri kwa subira mpaka uchungu wa njia za hewa utakapopungua, kuepuka dawa zisizohitajika au uangalifu wa wazi, na kuficha wasiwasi wako ili kuzuia kikohozi kutoka nje ya kifua na kuingia kichwani. Kwa ufupi, kama inavyoweza kuwa ya kukatisha tamaa kusikia mtoto wako akipiga kwa muda mrefu, kikohozi mara chache huwakilisha ugonjwa mbaya, wala hakitakuwa ugonjwa mbaya. Chaguo bora ni kusubiri kwa subira mpaka uchungu wa njia za hewa utakapopungua, kuepuka dawa zisizohitajika au uangalifu wa wazi, na kuficha wasiwasi wako ili kuzuia kikohozi kutoka nje ya kifua na kuingia kichwani.