Did you know chronic cough could be asthma?
Did You Know?
Persistent cough is an often overlooked sign of asthma according to a study by National Jewish Health in Denver, Colorado. Persistent, or better known as chronic cough, affects approximately 10% of the population and can be a symptom of many underlying causes, some of which are unexplained. Patients who are treated for their symptoms rather than their root cause often become frustrated and feel hopeless because they just can’t seem to get better. In reality, these root causes are not always obvious.
One of the most common root causes for unexplained chronic cough is “cough reflex hypersensitivity.” Cough reflex hypersensitivity refers to the complex interplay of anatomic, neurogenic, inflammatory and behavioral factors. In plain English, that basically means people, typically women, with cough reflex hypersensitivity are “hot wired” to cough. The result is it takes a lot less to cough. And since cough begets more cough, a repetitive coughing fit is often the result.
Chronic cough can be debilitating and can cause major side effects such as:
- depression
- anxiety
- urinary incontinence
- social isolation
- fatigue
- and other personal and professional relationship issues
Concerned family members or colleagues don’t always know how to help someone struggling with this challenging medical condition. One could look at side effects that may seem unrelated and incorrectly conclude those symptoms are the actual problem.
For example, acid reflux, asthma, post-nasal drip, allergies, upper-respiratory viral infection, and lung inflammation could all trigger coughing but not actually be the root cause of your unique cough. Instead of jumping to the wrong conclusion and prolonging their symptoms, see a cough specialist to get to the root cause more quickly. We don’t want people to suffer unnecessarily, as I’m sure neither do you.
Dr. Mandel Sher is a Cough Specialist who will diagnose the root cause and triggers of a chronic cough and outline an individualized non-invasive treatment plan. If you or someone you know may be show similar symptoms and cannot find a solution, give our “all-in-one-service” Center for Cough a call today at 727-393-8067.
