Causes of cough without cold in an adult: a list of possible problems

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Green Elena Stanislavovna

Otolaryngologist of the second category

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Possible causes and diseases

In addition to a debilitating cough, a person may suffer from heartburn, chest pain and shortness of breath. Often, asymptomatic coughing can be a sign of the following problems in the body:

the initial period of development of a certain disease;
the impact of external irritating factors on the body;
psychological problems;
presence of bad habits.

When an adult’s cough does not go away after a cold, several factors may be the cause. In this way, allergies or complex diseases such as whooping cough or tuberculosis can remind of themselves. Treatment for a dry cough due to a cold is impossible until you determine the clear cause of its occurrence. Many people are interested in what causes a cough without a cold. When you find out the true catalyst for this symptom, it will become easier to eliminate it.

Whooping cough. During its course, frequent coughing attacks occur, usually barking and debilitating. The disease begins with general weakness of the body, fever and dry cough. After 3-5 days, noticeable relief occurs, but the person continues to suffer from an exhausting cough. The attacks usually begin at night. Whooping cough is treated in a hospital setting, under the supervision of a doctor. Self-medication is fraught with dangerous consequences. In adults, the disease is milder than in children.
Allergic reaction. This cause of cough is the most common. When an allergen enters a person's respiratory tract, he begins to cough. With direct contact with the culprit of the attack, coughing intensifies. If you remove the allergen, the cough will immediately disappear. This type of allergy is the most insidious, as it can develop into bronchitis or bronchial asthma.
The presence of a foreign object in the respiratory system. A person suffers from a debilitating and frequent cough. At the same time, breathing deteriorates significantly. You need to call an ambulance and give the person first aid.
The presence of axarides or lamblia in the body.
Cough for no reason in adults, if there is no cold, may appear due to diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.
A cough without cold symptoms may be caused by a side effect of certain medications. This phenomenon is called hypersensitivity.

We recommend reading an article about the symptoms and treatment of cough with Giardia.

The following drugs have this side effect:

medications for hypertension;
aspirin;
antibiotics.

If you notice that you are coughing from taking any medications, you need to tell your doctor. Each person has a unique body, so medications must be selected individually.

A cough without a cold can be caused by worms. Most often, such parasites appear in children due to failure to comply with basic hygiene rules. Worm larvae can live in a patient’s body for a long time without symptoms. That is why people may not immediately notice their presence. Worms can travel to various organs, especially the human respiratory tract. They block access to air, and the patient begins to cough.

Good to know - Can parasites cause coughing?

Dry non-productive cough

Causes of a dry, non-productive cough without a cold:

Bronchospasm is most often a manifestation of an attack of bronchial asthma. A person is usually aware of the presence of asthma, and carries with him everywhere a can of salbutamol, or another short-acting bronchodilator. Sometimes bronchospasm of neurogenic origin occurs - as a reaction to stress or in the presence of psychiatric diseases. If bronchospasm occurs for you or a loved one for the first time, you should immediately consult a doctor to understand the cause and choose the right treatment.
Allergic diseases . Most often, a cough occurs with allergic rhinitis, since the mucus that is produced by the nasopharyngeal mucosa during the allergic process can flow into the larynx, bronchi and, reaching their bifurcation, irritate the cough receptors, thereby provoking a cough.
Taking ACE inhibitors (antihypertensive therapy), as a side effect, especially pronounced when taking a drug such as captopril.
Exposure to dust and other harmful substances at work (occupational diseases). These diseases are not uncommon among miners and workers at enterprises where the maximum permissible dust concentration in the workplace is exceeded. These chronic diseases often do not pose a catastrophic danger and proceed sluggishly for decades. It all depends on the composition of the dust and the size of the dust particles. Workers are most often aware of the presence of dust and harmful substances in the workplace.
Bronchial asthma, cough form . This form is not common. It is characterized by the fact that instead of classic attacks, a person has attacks of uncontrollable coughing.
Thyroid diseases. When the thyroid gland enlarges, it can compress the trachea and sometimes the bronchi, thereby irritating the cough receptors. To rule out this problem, contact an endocrinologist and undergo a high-quality ultrasound of the thyroid gland.

Don't forget that our health is in our hands! Don't ignore the presence of problems, believing that they will go away on their own. Timely diagnosis of a disease is 50% of success in its treatment.

Take care of yourself and be healthy!

Tags: cough, illness, treatment, illness, health, examination, alarming symptoms, medicine

Associated symptoms

A cough without signs of a cold occurs quite often in an adult. As a rule, no accompanying symptoms appear. Its appearance is provoked by a number of factors, from external causes to the presence of pathological processes in the body. If you have a dry cough after a cold, this may mean that you have not completed the course of treatment.

A dry cough does not go away after a cold due to phlegm remaining in the lungs. The patient may also have a runny nose and weakness in the body. It is necessary to take mucolytics so that the accumulated mucus begins to come out naturally. A cough after a cold can last up to 3 weeks. In a situation where this symptom has not gone away by this time, you need to consult a doctor and undergo the necessary examination. Most likely, the treatment for the disease was ineffective or incorrectly selected. Usually the patient feels a tickling in the throat, which causes a cough without a cold. This illness occurs at any time of the day. People often suffer from coughing in their sleep.

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Asthma and allergies

A dry cough without a cold is often the only symptom of asthma. The patient's condition worsens when inhaling strong odors, cold air, pollen or smoke. In addition to colds, constant coughing accompanies allergic rhinitis. This disease causes a rash, watery eyes, nasal congestion, sneezing, and often a headache.

The most dangerous allergens:

Food;
plant pollen;
animal hair;
book dust.

It is quite easy to distinguish allergies. Attacks occur exclusively at the moment of close proximity to the allergen. Getting rid of symptoms involves consulting a doctor and taking antihistamines.

The causes of a cough without a cold in an adult may be the following: heart failure, which is accompanied by tingling in the chest, swelling of the extremities. In this case, a visit to a cardiologist cannot be postponed. One of the symptoms of sinusitis or chronic rhinitis, in addition to headache and high fever, is a lingering cough.

Cough treatment

It is necessary to treat not the causeless cough itself, but the factor that led to its occurrence. You can relieve this ailment that is causing you discomfort. For a barking, dry cough, mucus thinners will be effective. Drinking frequently will also help achieve the desired result. You should not suppress a coughing attack - it happens as a reflex aimed at eliminating the irritating factor. If you try to disturb it, mucus will accumulate in the lungs. A cold cough is treated by gargling with sea or table salt. If you smoke, you need to quit this bad habit. Use a humidifier, as dry oxygen can cause coughing attacks. Inhalations with essential oils will help eliminate this symptom. A cough without signs of a cold does not always require an immediate visit to the doctor. Perhaps this illness is caused by the presence of allergies. In such cases, a runny nose often appears along with a cough without a cold.

What reasons can trigger a cough?

Modern medicine knows the following causes of cough without a cold:

lung diseases (chronic);
irritation of the esophagus or throat;
reflux disease (gastroesophageal);
after a viral illness (an example is the flu without a runny nose and cough), a stagnant process is observed in the lungs;
an allergic reaction of the body to some irritants;
bronchospasm;
the body's reaction to taking medications (especially those that lower blood pressure);
bronchial asthma, etc.

A cough without a cold should be considered not as a disease, but as a symptom. It can be productive and accompanied by the release of mucus and sputum (see), or it can be dry.

Advice! without signs of a cold, it can be a symptom of such deadly diseases as tuberculosis or lung cancer. Also, a cough for no apparent reason may indicate the development of diseases of the nervous system, heart failure, or pleurisy.

How to treat a cough without a cold

Use herbal medicines, as well as some mucolytic agents. For example, "Ambraxol", "Bromhexine", "ACC".
The Almag device will help with coughs and colds. This device has a physiological and therapeutic effect on the body due to low-frequency magnetic field pulses. This device has a number of contraindications for use. It should not be used during pregnancy or if a person has a malignant tumor.
Brew linden blossom for coughs for children. This remedy will also help adults. Linden blossom has a soothing effect on the throat and eliminates coughing attacks.
When an adult has a cold, a decoction of sage leaves, potatoes and pine buds can be used as a cough treatment.
A bath for colds and coughs has a positive effect on the body. This procedure improves health and removes infection from the lungs.
A hot bath with essential oils for colds and coughs will help destroy the virus in the body and can warm the airways.
If a cough for no reason in adults or children appears due to the presence of worms, you need to conduct a thorough examination of stool, skin and mucus samples. Complex treatment is selected individually for each patient. Doctors prescribe anthelmintic medications and hepatoprotectors. It is also necessary to adhere to a special diet and hygiene regimen.

In order to identify the cause of an unreasonable cough due to problems with the gastrointestinal tract, you need to undergo a series of tests. An individual and comprehensive approach is used as therapeutic therapy. Diet plays a significant role in the outcome of therapy. Consume foods that promote normal bowel movements to remove toxins from the body.

Cough without cold symptoms is considered a fairly common occurrence that occurs in people of all ages. Particular attention should be paid to process diagnostics. Depending on its results, treatment will be prescribed. It may take a long time, but you shouldn’t give up. A cough without a cold cannot last forever.

Causes of cough without cold in adults and children: what causes it, what diseases cause it

A cough without a cold is a phenomenon that indicates diseases of the internal organs and systems of the body: the heart and blood vessels, respiratory organs and gastrointestinal tract. Sometimes it indicates an allergy or the presence of foreign bodies in the respiratory system. Depending on the cause, the cough can be either dry or with sputum.

Determining a possible illness by the nature of coughing

A qualified doctor can establish the correct diagnosis not only based on test results, but also on the timbre of sound, duration, and also the painful sensations experienced by the patient during an attack. The main differences between coughs are:

Silent - manifests itself with affected ligaments, and a barking sound - with inflammation of the larynx;
With obstructive bronchitis and emphysema, it can be paroxysmal and dull;
If there is damage to the pleura, the cough is very painful, unproductive, dry;
Tumors of the respiratory organs are characterized by a hysterical, prolonged, dry cough;
Acute inflammation of the lungs and bronchi may be accompanied by a productive attack and an abundance of sputum;
In asthma, COPD, tracheitis, it is often unproductive, the sputum is scanty and viscous;
Severe persistent cough is accompanied by tuberculosis and cancer;
If the mucous secretion released during coughing has a greenish appearance, streaked with blood, this indicates pneumonia, lung abscess or tuberculosis;
Hemoptysis during coughing is characteristic of tuberculosis, pulmonary infarction, or manifestations of oncology;
If signs of digested food are found in the mucous secretion, it means there is an ulcer in the esophagus;
Acute cough (before vomiting) is characterized by inhalation of foreign particles, as well as the initial degree of infectious diseases of the respiratory tract;
The attack is prolonged, with suffocation, and also with nasal congestion is inherent in rhinitis, sinusitis, and inflammatory process in the adenoids;
Smoker's bronchitis is indicated by a chronic morning productive cough, when sputum production brings significant relief;
An attack of the psychogenic type is distinguished by a high timbre of sound, occurs during stress, excitability, and ends during eating;
The hidden cause of cough is inflammatory focal processes of the nasopharynx, when mucus from the nose begins to flow along the surface of the pharynx from behind into the tracheobronchial tree. With nasal drip, a dry, persistent cough and allergic or vasomotor rhinitis is observed;
Attacks can appear during pathological diseases of the ears: otitis media of the inner or middle ear, as well as with cerumen impaction. The cough is dry and incessant. Associated symptoms: the ear is leaking, hearing is partially impaired;
Taking medications causes a reflex paroxysmal cough. This is how tablets to reduce high blood pressure work, as well as some anti-asthma drugs;
Helminthic infestation can serve as a provoking factor causing coughing due to the entry of parasite larvae into the lung tissue. This is how the body tries to get rid of irritating foreign organisms;

In an elderly adult, a cough may occur due to insufficient fluid intake to digest food. And also in case of stroke, Parkinson's disease, dementia, due to insufficient contraction of the muscular tissues of the larynx (aspiration).

Cough without fever

An adult may constantly cough due to viral tracheitis. The attacks torment me day and night, my throat is constantly sore. You can alleviate the symptom with hot milk and medications; antibiotics, as a rule, do not help. But for such a dangerous bacterial complication as pneumonia, antibiotics are used.

Such a cough without signs of a cold can occur with whooping cough; the precursors of the onset of the disease are sore throat and weakness. Over time, the condition only gets worse; a person is simply choked by a dry cough and covered with a wave, mainly at night. Treatment is carried out exclusively in a hospital setting and under the supervision of the attending physician. Otherwise, serious consequences cannot be avoided.

There is no fever, but the cough is quite long-lasting; only a blood test and a nasopharyngeal swab can probably refute or confirm the diagnosis.

Today it is very difficult to find a person who has never coughed once during the day. The reason for everything is the environmental situation, a lot of different infections - living in a metropolis, one can only dream of clean air.

When infectious agents enter the lungs or bronchi, the respiratory tract receptors are irritated and a cough occurs, which warns of mechanical obstacles and the clearing of the respiratory tract from sputum, mucus and other substances.

Cough arising due to the development of serious diseases

Cough is a characteristic symptom not only of a cold. This sign is a concomitant symptom with the development of bronchitis, tuberculosis, tracheitis, laryngitis, and whooping cough in a child. You can independently find out the main reason for its appearance using other accompanying signs, however, to exclude complications, it is better to seek help from experienced doctors in a timely manner.

Whooping cough in a child can be determined by the following signs:

dry cough of paroxysmal and barking character;
general malaise, weakness;
not in the first stage of disease development, a slight increase in temperature is observed;
coughing attacks often occur at night;
breathing disorder.

Treatment of cough due to whooping cough should be done only as prescribed by a doctor, in an inpatient setting at a medical institution.

When a disease caused by viral infections is complicated, a dry cough cannot be ruled out, indicating the development of an inflammatory process in the lower parts of the respiratory system. This symptom is often detected with bronchitis, laryngitis and tracheitis. Symptoms of these diseases:

severe cough, often paroxysmal in nature, lasting for a long time;
when the cough intensifies, the patient feels pain in the throat and sternum;
Coughing attacks often occur during a night's rest;
Body temperature may rise and other symptoms characteristic of colds may appear.

A wet or moist cough often occurs during allergic reactions. If timely measures are not taken to eliminate it, this symptom can trigger the development of bronchial asthma. This diagnosis is characterized by signs of suffocation and profuse soreness in the throat area.

During attacks, a person’s breathing is disrupted, wheezing occurs in the bronchi, and pale skin may also be observed. If an asthmatic symptom occurs, the patient needs urgent medical assistance.

Special instant-acting medications will eliminate the attack, which is very dangerous for human life.

A wet cough in a child that does not go away for a long time may indicate the presence of worms in the body. Additional sign of invasive infection: copious sputum production. The attending physician will help confirm or exclude this diagnosis, based on the patient’s tests.

A cough that occurs without colds or other symptoms can also occur for other reasons:

characteristic coughing often occurs in smokers, as well as in people who have given up this addiction;
due to insufficient air humidity in the room;
in a child, this symptom may manifest itself against the background of a psychological reason (severe stress, anxiety, etc.);
in the presence of serious disorders in the digestive organs, which allows food particles to easily pass into the organs of the respiratory system;
in case of accidental entry of a foreign body into the respiratory tract;
in an infant, this sign can be observed due to physiological factors characteristic of children in the first year of life.

If a person has a cough without cold symptoms, first of all you need to determine the cause of its occurrence, which a competent specialist will help to do.

Further, adequate treatment will be required to prevent the development of complications and other negative consequences that are dangerous to human life and health.

The sooner the patient seeks help from doctors, the more successful the results of recovery will be!

Drug treatment of dry cough

Effective therapy for dry, causeless cough begins with a comprehensive diagnosis to determine the pathology that provokes it. Further, depending on the expert’s opinion, the following measures are taken:

Mucolytic drugs for dry cough

Source: https://bugmk.ru/lor-zabolevaniya/kashel-bez-prichiny.html

When to see a doctor

Cough after acute respiratory viral infection can be either a residual phenomenon or the result of the development of complications. For effective treatment of the disease, it is important to find out the cause of its occurrence.

If the residual cough is not associated with infection or other complications, it usually goes away without treatment.

Residual cough is easy to recognize. Its features:

It appears periodically, and its main purpose is to remove residual mucus accumulated in the respiratory tract.
There is little sputum production.
Over time, the attacks become weaker and weaker.

It continues, although the treatment prescribed by the doctor completely stopped all the symptoms of the cold. Body temperature is normal, general condition is good, appetite has been restored.

No specialist can say how long a residual cough can last. It all depends on the individual characteristics of the body. But most often after 2-4 weeks all signs disappear.

However, in some cases the process takes several months. In this case, the patient can lead a normal life, since this cough is not contagious.

However, there are a number of conditions that require mandatory medical intervention. They are usually accompanied by the following symptoms:

Deterioration of the condition, accompanied by an increase in temperature, the appearance of a large amount of sputum with pus or blood, or other manifestations of complications.
The cough continues for more than a month without any visible improvement.

The specialist will diagnose the condition and determine the cause of the pathology. Based on the examination, treatment will be prescribed.

Causes of colds

Acute respiratory infections and acute respiratory viral infections occur when a person is infected with bacterial or viral agents. The pathology is transmitted by airborne droplets from a sick person. Young children and elderly people with weak immune systems are most often affected. Seasonal outbreaks are typical in the autumn-winter period, in large groups, for example, in kindergartens or schools, offices.

Provoking factors for cough during colds:

deficiency of vitamins in the body;
hypothermia;
immunodeficiency states;
frequent stress, overwork;
poor personal hygiene;
dry, hot air in an unventilated area;
the presence of concomitant diseases of internal organs.

An immunodeficiency state is one of the causes of cough during colds.
The causative agents of ARVI are rhinoviruses, enteroviruses, influenza and parainfluenza viruses, and adenoviruses. The cause of illness and the development of cough during a cold can be:

Pseudomonas aeruginosa;
staphylococci;
streptococci;
legionella;
mycoplasma;
chlamydia;
pneumococci or meningococci.

But not in all cases, the penetration of pathogenic microorganisms onto the surface of the epithelium of the mouth and nose causes symptoms of the disease. The soft tissues of the respiratory tract contain a large number of cilia, which constantly move and remove foreign objects. Mucus is produced in the nose, which promotes the rapid elimination of pathological agents so that they cannot penetrate the bronchi and lungs.

If for any reason the barrier protection is not enough, additional cleaning mechanisms are triggered - cold cough, sneezing, rhinitis. When body temperature rises, vomiting may occur and intestinal function may be disrupted.