A friend told Huazi that he kept coughing after catching a cold. Is there still inflammation that has not subsided? What medicine should he take? Huazi told him that you don’t have to rush to take medicine first. After a cold, you often experience irritating dry cough. It is not that the inflammation has not yet subsided, but that it is a self-limiting disease , which can heal itself after a period of time.
Dry cough after a cold is a common phenomenon called coughing after infection. The mechanism of its occurrence is related to respiratory mucosa damage, and it needs to wait for the mucosa to be repaired before it can be relieved.
1. Why do you cough when you have a cold
There are two reasons for cough when you have a cold. The first reason is when you have a cold. The virus infected respiratory mucosa cells. The human immune cell will fight it, engulf the virus and infected cells, and at the same time stimulate the increase of mucus secretion. The dead cells mix with toxins and respiratory mucus to form sputum, and stimulates the cough reflex, which expels the sputum from .
The second reason is after a cold occurs, because when immune cells clear infected cells, they will also cause certain accidental damage to nearby cells, causing defects in respiratory mucosa. nerve endings will be oversensitive when exposed, and a slight stimulation will cause dry cough. needs to wait for the respiratory mucosa to regenerate before relieving. This time is usually 3 to 8 weeks .
2. The reasons for other diseases need to be ruled out
Cough after infection usually can heal itself within 3 to 8 weeks. If the cough is not severe, there is no need to treat . However, when coughing occurs, it is recommended not to passively wait for self-healing. It is best to go to the hospital for for check-up , because other diseases can also cause cough symptoms. Do not mistakenly think that it is a cough after infection, which leads to delayed condition.
If the cough has not yet been relieved for more than 8 weeks, it is a chronic cough . It is not a cough after infection, and you need to actively find the cause.
It is recommended to check blood routine and lung CT to check whether a cold causes secondary infection of lungs ; COPD in the elderly, cough variant asthma in children, is also a common cause of cough; gastroesophageal reflux formed by acid mist will irritate the throat and also cause cough; taking pril antihypertensive drugs has adverse reactions to cause dry cough; nervous, psychogenic and other causes may cause cough.
3. Do you need medication for cough that can heal itself?
If cough caused by other diseases is ruled out, and there is a clear respiratory infection before the cough, it is very likely that it is a cough that can heal itself.
If the cough symptoms are not serious and does not affect normal speech, eating and sleep, it is not recommended to treat . After all, drugs cannot help mucosal cells regenerate. Just need a regular schedule, a balanced diet, drink more water, and rest more.
If the cough symptoms are serious and it will cause interference to daily life, you can also use cough medicine to relieve symptoms and help yourself to spend this time comfortably.
It should be noted that can only use cough relieving medication if it is dry cough without sputum. If the amount of sputum is large, it is not recommended to use cough reflex, otherwise the cough reflex will be suppressed and the sputum cannot be excreted, which may cause more serious lung infection .
When relieving cough, you can choose central cough-relieving drugs, such as phenyperin (high cough-relieving intensity, suitable for severe dry cough); dextromethorphan (acting for a long time, taking it before going to bed to avoid cough affecting sleep); codeine (high cough-relieving intensity, but addictive, use with caution).
Histamine will aggravate airway sensitivity. You can also choose antihistamine drugs in such as chlorphenamine maleate , ketotinophenol and other in combination with cough-relieving drugs to increase the effect. You can also take Chinese medicine cough syrup . Be careful not to drink water immediately after taking it. You can use the viscosity of the syrup to cover the mucosa of the throat for as long as possible to exert longer effects.
To sum up, the dry cough that occurs after a cold is likely not because the inflammation has not subsided, but because of the cough after infection. This is a disease of self-limiting . It takes 3 to 8 weeks to wait. After the respiratory mucosa is repaired, the cough will disappear. If the cough is too severe, you can also use cough medicine to make yourself comfortable to spend this time.
medicines need to be used under the guidance of a doctor. If you have any questions about the medication, please consult your doctor or pharmacist. I am Huazi, pharmacist. Welcome to follow me and share more health knowledge.
