What causes cough?

• April 27, 2024

The cough is the sudden contraction of the thoracic cavity, which is sometimes repetitive and annoying, resulting in a violent release of air from the lungs producing a characteristic sound "COF, COF". It can be initiated voluntarily or as a mechanism defensive reflex .

There are 4 factors that can originate cough : inflammatory, mechanical, chemical or thermal stimulation:

1. Inflammatory stimulation is initiated by an inflammation or congestion of the respiratory mucous membranes, as occurs in the bronchitis caused by bacteria or a virus, the common cold and excessive tobacco use. Also, it can be caused by the irritation produced by the nasal drip that originates behind the nose and gastric reflux. These stimuli may arise in the larynx, trachea, bronchi and pulmonary abscesses

2. The mechanical stimuli they are produced by the inhalation of particles that are found in the environment, such as dust and by the contraction of the muscles that surround the respiratory tract. This type of cough it can cause secondary lesions of extra or intramural type. Extra injuries can be caused by an abnormal widening of an artery (aneurysms of the aorta ), tumors or lung cancer . The intramural lesions include a type of foreign bodies, involvement inside the bronchi and the concentration of the smooth muscles of the airways that are the ones that produce the asthma

3. The chemical stimuli can be produced from the inhalation of irritating gases , among which are the smoke of tobacco and the chemical vapors (smog) Many other drugs can exert adverse effects on the respiratory system and through them cause cough

4.  Thermal stimuli may be due to inhalation of air, very hot or very cold. This almost always happens when people have temperature changes in the environment: leaving a hot place, a cold one.

In this regard, the doctor Miguel D'Urzo , member of the Mexican Federation of Otolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery (FESORMEX), explains that the cough It is not a disease, but a defense mechanism that alerts us to the possibility of suffering.

He also explains that when cough change sound, you can say that it is no longer normal and gives an example: "The cough that is associated with a hiss or secondary episodic wheezing, may eventually become a chronic cough and be the only manifestation of a bronchial asthma , that is, a asthmatic cough ”.

The mechanisms of cough can cause complications, the most common are two: "coughing fits " that trigger a certain kind of loss of knowledge and the exhausting cough (repetitive) that causes rib fractures. The cough , says D 'Urzo, should disappear on its own, but if it persists or falls on a chronic cough or abnormal , a treatment is required to avoid complications (asthma , bronchitis , etc.)

Video Medicine: Cold & Flu Treatments : How to Treat a Cough Without Medicine (April 2024).