Viral cough: treatment and causes

Respiratory and viral infections exhaust the body - immunity decreases, defenses are lost. Therefore, in most cases, even after recovery, residual effects are observed. For example, a cough after an acute respiratory viral infection. It is considered normal, because after an illness the respiratory tract needs to be cleared of pathogenic sputum. However, we should not forget that this symptom may indicate the development of a pathological process in the body. Where is the line after which a cough turns from an attribute of health into an alarm signal? Let's try to figure it out.

How to treat cough with ARVI

A cough is only the body’s response to the work of the virus, so it is useless to suppress the symptom itself.
The body will cope with the disease, and then the cough will disappear. That is, if all other symptoms - fever, runny nose, sore throat - no longer bother you, the cough may remain. And that's completely normal. Don’t panic and buy half of the drugs at the pharmacy.

It is clear that it is almost impossible to sit and wait for the prescribed weeks to pass. I would like to alleviate the condition at least a little, and here’s how to do it.

Drink more fluids

The best remedy for a cold cough is rest and drinking plenty of fluids. It is necessary that the sputum that accumulates in the bronchi be liquid. This makes it easier to remove it from the respiratory tract by coughing. The cough will be easier to bear and will end faster.

But if we drink little, there is not enough fluid in the body and the phlegm becomes thick. It is more difficult to expectorate, the cough becomes painful, and the sputum itself turns into a breeding ground for bacteria, increasing the risk of complications and bacterial infections.

In most cases, drinking plenty of warm fluids is enough to prevent complications. Even children do not need any cough suppressants, expectorant syrups, mucolytics or herbs. Acute respiratory viral infection (ARVI) in children.

How much to drink so that you drink plenty? Think about how many cups of tea, water and other liquids you drink every day. Add to this norm another 3-5 large mugs of tea with honey and lemon (if there are no allergies).

Eat a spoonful of honey

A spoonful of honey at night is a proven remedy that really is Honey: An effective cough remedy? Helps calm cough and get a good night's sleep.

Just don't give honey to small children. Honey is prohibited for at least one year: due to the characteristics of the intestinal microflora, babies can develop a severe form of botulism.

Help your breathing

Another way to relieve a cough is to take care of what kind of air the sick person breathes. If the room is a lot of dust, too stuffy or dry, then the inhaled air will further irritate the mucous membranes.

Clean often. Clean the floors and keep your house clean.
Ventilate. Fresh air is better than stale room air.
Remove dust accumulations such as carpets and soft toys from the room where the coughing person sleeps.
Take warm baths or showers. Contrary to popular belief, they do not increase the symptoms of ARVI, but help First A > fight cough thanks to moist air.
Buy or make a humidifier. It will help maintain optimal relative air humidity - 40–60%.

Use lollipops

Regular lollipops can help against a cough - both pharmacy cough suppressants and just candy. The fact is that an irritated throat is also the cause of a cough, especially a dry one, in which phlegm does not come out. When we suck on a lollipop, we often swallow and moisten the mucous membrane of the throat, which means that the cough is no longer so bad.

Place saline solution in your nose

Sodium chloride solution is salt water. It’s easy to prepare: you need to dissolve a teaspoon of salt (without a slide) in a liter of water. This solution should be instilled into the nose quite often during acute respiratory viral infections. This is the simplest and most affordable remedy for treating a runny nose. And when there is no runny nose, there is no extra irritating mucus, which means there is no cough because of it.

Use vasoconstrictor drops

In some cases, mucus from the nose irritates the throat because the nose is blocked and the patient simply cannot blow his nose properly. Then vasoconstrictor drops with oxymetazoline, phenylephrine, xylometazoline will help.

How to treat a cough with coronavirus

Immediately after the patient is diagnosed, he is prescribed conservative therapy. Its goal is to eliminate coronavirus infection, localize the inflammatory process and prevent its development in other parts of the respiratory system.

Attention! There is no direct treatment for coronavirus yet. Complications of coronavirus infection need to be treated.

Medications are very diverse. There are many pharmaceutical products that help relieve symptoms, in particular, in the treatment of wet cough and dry airways.

Mucolytics (Ambroxol, Bromhexine, Gerbion) are drugs that help thin sputum and facilitate its rapid coughing.
Mucokinetics (syrup with marshmallow and licorice, Fluimucil, Fluifort) are medications that promote the opening of the alveoli. In addition, they help produce more sputum to quickly clear the respiratory system of coronaviruses.
Antitussive drugs are drugs that suppress cough syndrome.

Important! Before using any of the listed medications, be sure to consult your doctor!

Do antibiotics help?

Expert opinion

Lapinskaya Lyudmila Alekseevna

Pulmonologist of the highest category at the Moscow Health Clinic on Tretyakovskaya

It is very important to remember that there is no point in using antibiotics for viral infections. The fact is that these drugs have a strong effect on the microflora of the body, destroying not only harmful, but also necessary microorganisms. As a result, a sharp decrease in immunity occurs, and the body loses its ability to resist various infections, including coronaviruses. Antibacterial agents are prescribed only in case of complications. Such complications include concomitant bacterial infections. In such situations, cephalosporins are prescribed. Their admission must be a course course. The latest generation of cephalosporins prescribed for the treatment of complications of coronavirus include: Clarithromycin, Azithromycin, Amoxiclav.

The course of treatment for coronavirus depends on the severity of the disease, the presence of complications and the condition of the patient.

Cough syrup

Medicines produced in the form of inhalation solutions, tablets and syrups will help to overcome cough due to coronavirus.

A person will recover faster if he regularly drinks a decoction infused with dried raspberries, cranberries or black currants. You can add mint leaves, a slice of lemon and 1-2 tablespoons of honey to it. This way the decoction will acquire even more medicinal properties and help to recover from pathology.
Another way to quickly cure a cough due to coronavirus is to drink rosehip infusions. It helps strengthen the body's defenses and activate sputum secretion.
Every day you need to take more natural berry and fruit juices. They contain vitamins that the body needs to fight coronavirus.

Diagnostics

It is possible to identify the exact cause of coughing only after a comprehensive study. It is necessary to undergo examination by a specialist as early as possible in order to avoid various serious exacerbations. For this reason, when the first symptoms occur, you should seek help from a doctor. To identify the cause of this pathology, it is necessary to undergo the following examinations:

fluorography;
clinical blood test;
blood chemistry;
X-ray of the lungs.

If any difficulties arise, more qualitative research may be required:

magnetic resonance imaging of the chest;
computed tomography of the chest;
analysis of mucous discharge.

If at the time of respiration the patient experiences pain in the chest, then in addition to the main methods, specific procedures such as percussion of the lungs and auscultation of the lungs can be performed. After completing all the necessary procedures, the specialist will be able to make an accurate diagnosis, according to which competent treatment will be prescribed.

Cough: is it harmful or beneficial?

The human body is designed in such a way that it reacts in a certain way to illness, as a result of which we suffer from the presence of certain symptoms. It should be understood that these are features of self-defense: for example, high temperature contributes to the death of viruses, and coughing clears the throat of harmful microorganisms.

However, at times the same cough becomes painful and harms health.

A cough with ARVI can be dry. The mechanism for the formation of this sore throat, which you want to get rid of as quickly as possible, is simple: all the receptors that are located in the respiratory tract are particularly sensitive. And they are triggered if foreign objects appear in the air channel (even if we are talking about dust).

It is possible for the receptors to “cycle”: the more a person coughs, the more their receptors are irritated. It turns out to be a kind of “vicious circle”.

Under standard conditions, by coughing we can free up the respiratory system so that air can flow freely into it. But in a patient with an acute respiratory viral infection, the respiratory tract is inflamed, and the cough only continues to damage it further.

In addition, where the epithelial tissue has been injured, a bacterial infection can develop. Air currents that come out of the throat only spread the virus further. Thus, other people become infected.

The main idea of the treatment process is related to accelerating the removal of sputum with the simultaneous restoration of the mucous membrane and local strengthening of the immune system.

For this purpose, mucolytics are used, due to which the sputum is diluted without increasing in volume. It is also recommended to drink plenty of fluids, which will also help remove phlegm. Before going to bed, it is advisable to humidify the air in the room (often, due to a sore throat, it is not possible to sleep properly, and this only worsens the immune system and provides “extra trump cards” to the disease).

And most importantly, this rule cannot be ignored! – you should not smoke. For long-term smokers, of course, it is difficult to immediately quit their bad habit - in this case, you need to at least minimize the number of cigarettes smoked. Tobacco is a very strong irritant to the throat: even passive smoking is dangerous.

It is worth considering that as a result of respiratory viral infections, the human body is greatly exhausted: the immune system weakens, and defenses are deactivated. Therefore, even after recovery, there is a possibility of encountering residual effects. The same dry cough can occur in an adult after an acute respiratory viral infection.

The body continues to clear the throat of phlegm accumulated in it. But by triggering such a symptom, you risk aggravating the pathological process.

How to cure a cough

Coughing is a reflex, a protective reaction of our body, a way to clear the airways.

Most often, cough appears due to viral infections, so-called colds. Due to the action of viruses on the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract, sputum is produced, which interferes with free breathing. Coughing helps get rid of it.

A cough also appears due to a runny nose. Mucus from the nose flows down the throat, irritating the nerves and making it difficult to breathe. The throat clearing mechanism turns on - the same cough.

Other causes of cough:

Smoking.
Allergy.
Respiratory tract infections: bronchitis, pneumonia, pharyngitis, whooping cough.
Asthma.
Other respiratory diseases: chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Reflux or heartburn.
Foreign body in the respiratory tract.

In all these cases, the cough is treated differently from a cold. Therefore, in this article we will only talk about the habitual cough that appeared due to ARVI.

How to understand that it is a cold cough

A cold cough is not a big deal. A cold cough occurs along with ARVI and is accompanied by other signs of a viral disease: runny nose, headache, and a slight increase in temperature. But it should not be confused with a cough that occurs for more serious reasons. To avoid causing the disease, consult a doctor if:

Cough is not the main symptom, and you are more worried about a very high temperature or a fever that does not go away for a long time, severe headache, weakness, or rash.
The cough lasts more than three weeks.
Over time, the cough was joined by other symptoms: repeated fever, weakness.
The cough gets worse, becomes worse, or is simply difficult to bear.
There was pain in the chest.
The throat became very sore or swollen.
It became difficult to breathe (including due to coughing attacks).
Sputum of an unusual color: brown, brown, green, or even bloody.
Suddenly my weight decreased.

If you experience severe chest pain, difficulty breathing, and unexpected blood in your sputum, call an ambulance.

People with chronic diseases, especially those that weaken the immune system, should consult their doctors even if they have a normal cough. The immune system works worse in immunodeficiencies, diabetes, and after chemotherapy.

How to treat cough with ARVI

A cough is only the body’s response to the work of the virus, so it is useless to suppress the symptom itself. The body will cope with the disease, and then the cough will disappear.

A cold cough usually goes away on its own in a maximum of three weeks.

That is, if all other symptoms - fever, runny nose, sore throat - no longer bother you, the cough may remain. And that's completely normal. Don’t panic and buy half of the drugs at the pharmacy.

It is clear that it is almost impossible to sit and wait for the prescribed weeks to pass. I would like to alleviate the condition at least a little, and here’s how to do it.

Drink more fluids

Both dry and wet coughs during colds are treated in the same way.

In most cases, drinking plenty of warm fluids is enough to prevent complications. Even children do not need any cough suppressants, expectorant syrups, mucolytics or herbs.

Eat a spoonful of honey

A spoon of honey at night is a proven remedy that really helps to calm a cough and get a good night's sleep.

Just don't give honey to small children. Honey is prohibited for at least one year: due to the characteristics of the intestinal microflora, babies can develop a severe form of botulism.

Help your breathing

Clean often. Clean the floors and keep your house clean.
Ventilate. Fresh air is better than stale room air.
Remove dust accumulations such as carpets and soft toys from the room where the coughing person sleeps.
Take warm baths or showers. Contrary to popular belief, they do not increase the symptoms of ARVI, but help fight coughs due to moist air.
Buy or make a humidifier. It will help maintain optimal relative air humidity - 40–60%.

Use lollipops

Place saline solution in your nose

Use vasoconstrictor drops

What the doctor can prescribe

When a cough doesn't go away, your doctor may prescribe medications to help get rid of it faster.

Antitussives. These are medications that inhibit the cough center in the brain and suppress the reflex. Such drugs contain codeine, butamirate, dextromethorphan or other active ingredients (there are many of them). They are prescribed for dry coughs when there is no sputum.
Expectorants. They help thin mucus (mucolytics) and expectorate it, moving it along the respiratory tract. This group includes medicines with plant extracts, as well as ambroxol, bromhexine, acetylcysteine. They are prescribed for wet coughs, when there is sputum, but it is not possible to clear the throat completely.

Treatment

Treatment of cough during ARVI should be determined by a doctor, since it varies depending on its type. For dry and severe coughs, antitussives are usually prescribed, since too frequent attacks can seriously injure the mucous membrane of the upper respiratory tract. For the wet type, medications are prescribed that dilute the mucus and improve its discharge.

Drug treatment

Three groups of drugs are most often used for treatment:

Mucolytics - they make it easier to cough up sputum, making it less viscous. These drugs can be used for inhalation through a nebulizer. Such medications are more effective at the stage of wet cough during recovery, but are also used for dry cough.
Medicines that have an expectorant effect. Sputum is more easily exfoliated from the walls of the bronchus, which contributes to its faster release.
Antitussives - they are aimed at blocking the cough reflex. They are considered serious medications and are not always prescribed, but only for frequent attacks of annoying dry cough, which causes severe discomfort to the patient. If they are prescribed unreasonably, excessive accumulation of sputum may occur, which is not evacuated. This is fraught with complications including respiratory failure.

Folk remedies

In complex therapy, it would be advisable to use traditional medicine methods. All non-traditional treatments have their own indications and limitations, even if they are based on the use of exclusively natural products. Before using this or that product, you need to consult with a specialist who can tell you exactly whether it is necessary or not.

In the treatment of dry cough, heat compresses, mustard plasters, inhalations, various herbal decoctions and infusions are used:

Compresses - have a warming effect on the bronchopulmonary system, improving blood flow to the chest area. Compresses can be made from grated potatoes; mustard plasters, which are sold ready-made in pharmacies, are also popular. When applying a compress, it is undesirable to touch the area where the heart is located. After applying the compress, you should wrap yourself well to retain heat for a longer time. Avoid drinking cold drinks.
Gargling is a particularly effective method for sore throats. The damaged mucous membrane temporarily calms down, the throat and tonsils are cleared of unnecessary mucus, which helps reduce the frequency of coughing attacks. You can gargle with one glass of water with the addition of one teaspoon of salt and soda, and you can also add a couple of drops of iodine. You can also gargle with water and lemon juice or herbal infusions. Plants are mainly chosen those that have an anti-inflammatory effect: chamomile, calendula, eucalyptus. It must be remembered that when rinsing, the liquid should not be too cold or hot.
Decoctions and infusions have proven to be an excellent remedy for respiratory tract pathologies. They not only relieve coughs, but also have anti-inflammatory, tonic and restorative effects. The ideal solution would be a collection that includes chamomile, licorice roots, linden, and raspberries. This mixture should be poured with hot water, allowed to steep, and drunk a couple of hours after it has cooled, 2-3 times a day.

Features of cough treatment in children

In a child's body, the reactivity of the body is increased, so the child responds to infections more violently than an adult. Any harmless disease that begins with a dry cough can develop into a serious pathology in a child and even be fatal.

It is necessary to treat a cough due to ARVI in a child, but not all drugs are used due to side effects. Children prefer to be prescribed inhalations and compresses; syrups are very convenient to use.

We treat sore throat at home.

With the help of simple and accessible traditional medicine recipes, you can reliably protect yourself and get rid of colds, runny nose and cough. Moreover, the components of such recipes for treating colds are found in almost every home.

Garlic An excellent folk remedy for treating colds and coughs. If you place a clove of garlic behind your cheek and do not chew it, you can recover in literally a matter of hours.

Cranberry juice For flu or acute respiratory infections, mix it with potato juice in equal proportions and drink a quarter glass three times a day. The disease will quickly subside.

Dried apple leaf An excellent cough remedy for colds. Brew 1 tablespoon of dried leaves with two glasses of boiling water, and then drink half a glass every two hours.

Herbal teas Cause increased sweating and thereby remove toxins from the body during colds. Take equal parts of mint leaves, elderberry and linden flowers. Pour one tablespoon of the mixture into 2 cups of boiling water, boil for 10 minutes, strain and drink the broth hot overnight.

Lemon oil Place 1 lemon in hot water for 1 minute, then pass through a meat grinder along with the zest, mix with 100 g of butter and 1-2 tablespoons of honey. Store and use as regular oil.

Milk with black tea and honey. Decoction of tangerine peels. It is equally useful to drink 1/2 glass a day of sweetened, heated beer. Warm birch sap with milk 1\1 quickly relieves coughs.

Kalanchoe juice half and half with water and gargle with this solution several times a day. fresh onion juice orally, 1 teaspoon 3-4 times a day. Finely chop the garlic, pour a glass of lukewarm boiled water for 1 hour, strain the infusion and gargle several times a day. A decoction of dried blueberries is good for colds and coughs, as a gargle.

Types of cough

Cough can be classified according to its productivity, which depends on the nature of the disease, its phase and the severity of the inflammatory process. Divided into two large groups:

Dry or unproductive. It is a symptom of an incipient disease, when the sputum is either too viscous or there is simply not enough of it. This cough is often accompanied by very severe pain. Due to its constant nature, insufficient hydration of the mucous membrane of the throat occurs, as a result of which it is injured. A vicious circle is formed: dry mucous membrane provokes a cough reflex, which again has a damaging effect due to sudden movements of air flow. With the further development of a viral infection, in case of proper treatment, a dry cough turns into a wet one.
Wet, in other words, productive cough. Appears already on the road to recovery. The pain when coughing subsides, and after removing sputum the patient feels better.

Cough is also divided into constant and periodic. Constantly bothers the patient, without ceasing, significantly worsening his quality of life. Periodic occurs at certain hours - for example, at night. It may also depend on the position of the body: in a lying position it usually tends to intensify.

According to the duration of cough, the following types are distinguished:

acute – its duration is no more than two weeks;
protracted – this type of cough can last up to a month;
subacute – lasts up to two months;
chronic cough lasts more than two months.

Why does cough occur during ARVI?

As the inflammatory process develops during ARVI, the mucous membranes of the nasopharynx and oral cavity are first affected, then the trachea and bronchi. Irritation of special cough receptors located along the respiratory tract (in the nasopharynx, larynx, vocal cords, bronchi) causes an unconditioned reflex - cough. This is a forced exhalation through the mouth, provoked by muscle contraction.

Cough is a protective mechanism, the main function of which is to cleanse the airway to ensure normal breathing, and remove excess pathological secretions (mucus) from the body during inflammation of the respiratory system. The cough reaction is a reflex defense of the body against the penetration of foreign particles and microorganisms, aimed at restoring respiratory function.

Causes

Doctors classify a group of viral inflammations that affect the mucous membranes of the upper respiratory tract as acute respiratory viral infections (ARVI). These diseases are morphologically and clinically similar; their causative agents are pneumotropic parainfluenza viruses, rhinoviruses, adenoviruses and about 200 other subtypes of harmful microorganisms.

The source of spread of the ARVI virus is the infected person, from the end of the incubation period until the end of the fever. The main route of transmission of diseases is airborne droplets during communication, sneezing and coughing of a virus carrier. There is a small probability of contact-household infection, through everyday objects, through a handshake or a hug.

Accompanying symptoms

Clinical signs of ARVI may vary depending on the type of infectious agent. In all cases, a cough develops, catarrhal symptoms (associated with inflammation of the mucous membranes), the following characteristic symptoms:

short-term dryness in the nose, which is first replaced by abundant weaving, and then by congestion caused by swelling of the mucous membranes;
enlarged lymph nodes (cervical and submandibular);
pain in the eyes, lacrimation;
sore and sore throat;
sleep disturbance;
symptoms of general intoxication - muscle pain, aching sensation in the joints, lack of appetite, feeling of weakness, weakness, lethargy, chills, headache;
febrile syndrome, increased body temperature.

Symptoms

A cough with a cold usually occurs against the background of other symptoms:

weaknesses;
headache;
fever;
runny nose;
sore throat and sore throat.

A symptom such as a severe cough after a cold is not typical for pharyngitis. Coughing appears due to irritation of the mucous membrane of the pharynx by mucous or mucopurulent secretion flowing from the nasal cavity.

With laryngitis, there is hoarseness of the voice up to aphonia, and a painful barking cough. At first it is dry, after some time it is accompanied by the release of viscous mucous or mucopurulent sputum.

The primary manifestations of acute banal tracheitis are characterized by the absence or scanty amount of sputum, painful bouts of loud coughing, sore throat and chest pain. Patients try to limit the depth of breathing. Soon the volume of sputum increases and its separation becomes easier. The cough intensifies at night and in the morning - this can be explained by the accumulation of sputum and an increase in the sensitivity of the nerve endings of the vagus nerve, which is responsible for the implementation of the cough reflex.

At the onset of bronchitis after a cold, a dry cough is observed, which is often called a “chest cough.” It is loud and pronounced during the day and intensifies at night. Patients complain of a “scratching” sensation behind the sternum, between the shoulder blades, which disappears only with the appearance of copious sputum.

Cough with pneumonia of bacterial etiology is characterized by the following symptoms:

Productive nature (sputum production).
Presence of shortness of breath.
Having chest pain.

Painful sensations are provoked by coughing and taking deep breaths.

Home treatment

Folk remedies tested by many generations of grandmothers help to easily cope with post-infectious symptoms.

Treatment with fat

In ancient times, when people did not know what diseases were called, all pathologies associated with the respiratory system were treated with fat. They tried to find a badger one, and if it was not available, then they took a goat one. They gave warm compresses. To do this, they lubricated the chest and back, except for the area of the heart, with waxed paper on top, put on a warm sweater and wrapped themselves up. Or they took the fat orally with hot milk (a teaspoon per glass). If a spoonful of honey was added, then the milk was taken warm. The fat was placed in decoctions of medicinal herbs.

These procedures cleared the airways very well and treated a long cough. Or rather, the residual phenomenon that accompanied it. This ancient method is recognized by official medicine and, in parallel with taking medications, can be used to treat post-infectious cough.

Herbal decoctions

Viburnum, raspberry, linden - these plants in the arsenal of traditional medicine are designed to overcome cough.
They have a strong expectorant effect. But marshmallow root is especially effective. You need to cook it (2 tablespoons per liter of water) over low heat until mucus forms. When warm, this decoction is taken one tablespoon every two hours. Elecampane helps a lot. They used to treat whooping cough. A teaspoon of flowers (a tablespoon for adults) is poured into a glass of boiling water, infused and drunk like tea throughout the day. Here are a few modern home remedies for treating cough after ARVI in an adult:

anise, cinnamon and thyme on the tip of a knife, brewed in a glass of boiling water, promote good expectoration;
hot beer with milk in a ratio of 1:3 provides easy coughing;
the effect will be the same if you take alkaline mineral water instead of beer.

If there is no improvement within 2-3 days, then you should not continue to treat your cough at home on your own. This should be a reason to go to the clinic. Everything indicates that a person requires more specialized treatment, which only a doctor can prescribe.

Inhalations

Inhalations with medicinal herbs: wild rosemary, eucalyptus, yarrow, string, mint, raspberry, sage, plantain, coltsfoot or soda give a good effect in the treatment of residual effects after ARVI. The composition of the mixture may vary. But when coughing, the following are recommended:

Raspberry, sage, peppermint.
Raspberries, coltsfoot, linden flowers.
3 tablespoons of soda in a liter of water.
Chlorophyllipt and saline in a ratio of 1:2 - through a nebulizer.

The herbs are poured with boiling water, infused, cooled to 40 degrees and the vapors are inhaled for about 5 minutes, for children 3 minutes.

You can add a few drops of essential oil of pine, eucalyptus, anise, lime, fir, calamus, and rosemary to the inhalation solution. But only if the patient is not prone to allergic reactions. You can check this using a test. Add nine drops of vegetable oil to three drops of essential oil. Rub the mixture into the crook of your arm. See the reaction in a few hours. If tolerated well, there should be no redness.

What does this procedure give to the body:

mucus is removed from the respiratory tract more effectively;
dry cough turns into wet;
swelling of the mucous membrane of the upper respiratory tract is relieved;
spasmodic cough, especially at night, is relieved;
the mucous membrane becomes less irritated, it is moisturized, and it is easier for a person to breathe.

To get the expected effect from the procedure, you need to follow some rules:

do it an hour and a half after eating;
during the procedure, concentrate on breathing: inhale and exhale through your mouth, deeply, after inhaling, hold the air for 1-2 seconds;
do not talk during inhalation and an hour after it;
do not drink, do not eat, do not smoke for the same amount of time;
go outside no earlier than an hour and a half later.

It is recommended to do inhalations three times a day.

A cough after an acute respiratory viral infection should not be scary, because it is the only possible mechanism for clearing the respiratory tract. However, it's worth keeping an eye on. After all, its presence indicates that the body has not yet fully coped with the problem. You should also not ignore drug treatment and the help of folk remedies - at the rehabilitation stage there is still a high probability of developing complications.

Be healthy, don't get sick! But if the disease has overcome you, use our advice.

How to quickly cure a cough due to a cold at home

A cold or acute respiratory infection is almost always accompanied by such an unpleasant symptom as a cough. This is a natural reaction to the inflammatory process in the mucous membrane of the respiratory tract.

In this way, the body tries to get rid of the mucus and pathogenic microbes that have appeared.

At first, with a cold, the patient experiences a sore, burning and dry throat, and then these symptoms develop into a cough.

The cough can be dry or wet, depending on the amount of phlegm present in the throat and respiratory tract.

Proven and reliable helpers in treating coughs at home are MED2000 nebulizers, which are non-steam inhalers designed specifically for adults and children. With their help, you can effectively treat both dry and wet coughs.

How to quickly cure a cough due to a cold? To do this, there is a whole range of effective folk remedies that will help cure this disease at home.

Glycerin, honey, lemon

The following recipe with glycerin, lemon and honey gives a good effect in treating cough: you need to take a medium lemon, pierce it in several places with a fork and throw it into boiling water for 5 minutes. Cool the lemon, cut it in half and squeeze it into a 250 gram container. Take 25 gr. pharmaceutical glycerin and add to juice. Then, add uncandied honey to the top (if the honey is candied, you can melt it in a water bath). Mix everything well. Use 1 tbsp. spoon 3 times a day for 20 minutes. before meals, or after meals 2 hours later. This recipe is also suitable for children, in which case the dose should be halved.

Black radish

A recipe with black radish and honey will help you quickly cure coughs in children and adults: take a larger black radish and cut off the top of it (don’t throw it away, it will come in handy). Then you need to cut a hole of suitable size inside and fill it with 2-3 tablespoons of uncandied honey (in extreme cases, use sugar). This “product” needs to be placed with the bottom part in a cup of cold water and covered with a previously cut “lid” on top. After two hours the medicine is ready. Adults take 1 tablespoon, children 1 teaspoon.

Potato

Potatoes will help you quickly get rid of coughs and colds. It can be used as inhalations and as warm compresses. For inhalation, you need to boil potatoes with skins in a saucepan, place it on the table, cover your head with a wide towel and inhale the steam from the potatoes for 5-7 minutes. The same potatoes can be used in the form of warm compresses when coughing.

Burnt sugar

Burnt sugar with milk will help cure a dry cough: take a tablespoon of sugar “not to the brim”, hold it over a gas burner, when the sugar melts and turns brown, pour it into a saucer with milk. The resulting “caramel” must be kept in the mouth until completely dissolved.

Oat decoction

For a dry cough that turns into bronchitis, a decoction of oats will have a softening and expectorant effect. To prepare it you need 2 tbsp. Mix tablespoons of unpeeled oats with the same amount of raisins and pour in 1.5 liters of water. Cook over low heat, covered, or simmer in the oven until half the liquid has evaporated. Add 1 tbsp to the strained broth. a spoonful of natural honey. Take several times a day.

Inhalation

Inhalation with eucalyptus oil and soda is an effective remedy for treating cough. Take a kettle half filled with water, add a few drops of eucalyptus oil and a teaspoon of baking soda, and bring to a boil. Place the kettle on the table and wrap the spout with a bandage or paper napkin. Inhale the steam from the kettle for 5-7 minutes.

To quickly cure a cough, it is advisable to use the above recipes in a comprehensive manner, for example, use a cough remedy made from glycerin or radish during the day, and inhale it at night. Be sure to drink a warm drink: for example, rosehip infusion or linden tea.

You can gargle with decoctions of sage and chamomile herbs. If the cough is dry, use coltsfoot decoction as an expectorant.

If this illness does not stop for two weeks or more, and is accompanied by fever, you should consult a doctor. To prevent the disease from becoming chronic, it may be necessary to treat the cough with antibiotics.

Why does a cough after a cold not go away for a long time?

Coughing is a reflex accompanied by a quick, strong exhalation. After a bacterial or viral infection, it can last from 1 to 8 weeks, in isolated cases – more than 2 months. Depending on the duration, post-infectious cough can be:

acute – up to 3 weeks;
subacute – more than 3 but less than 8 weeks;
chronic – from 8 weeks.

Causes of cough attacks after ARVI:

Damage to the ciliated epithelium. If treatment is incorrect or delayed, viruses damage the mucous membrane, which disrupts its secretory function.
Hypersensitivity of cough receptors. Due to inflammation, the sensitivity of receptors in the hypopharynx increases. Therefore, the urge to cough occurs at the slightest change in temperature, inhalation of dust, allergens, etc.
Violation of the evacuation function. If the functioning of the mucociliary system deteriorates, the cilia of the epithelium stop pushing mucus out of the respiratory tract. Therefore, it flows down the walls of the respiratory tract, irritating the cough receptors.

There are several serious misconceptions regarding cough due to ARVI, which often cause complications:

Cough is an independent disease. The act of coughing occurs in response to irritation of receptors in the respiratory tract during infectious, allergic and non-infectious diseases. Therefore, it is not the inflammation that needs to be treated, but the inflammation in the ENT organs.
From the first days of ARVI, you need to take mucolytics. In fact, the need to take mucus thinners arises only 3-4 days after the onset of a cold. An excessive decrease in the viscosity of mucus is dangerous due to its reverse inhalation during a cough attack.
Cough attacks for more than 3 weeks are a sign of complications after ARVI. A lingering cough after a runny nose indicates a disruption in the functioning of the cilia, which is reversible. It can last for more than 1 month, but does not pose a serious threat to health.

Only in 10-15% of cases, the persistence of coughing attacks after ARVI indicates complications:

pneumonia;
pharynx neurosis;
false croup;
bronchitis;
meningitis;
postnasal drip syndrome.

Factors that provoke coughing after ARVI:

improper treatment of a viral infection;
violation of bed rest;
addition of a bacterial infection;
smoking;
abuse of certain medications.

Therapy and causes of illness in ARVI

Cough during ARVI appears due to the progression of viruses, as a result of which a large amount of mucus develops in the bronchial tree. Then a cough reflex is developed, calling for a sharp exhalation of air due to irritation of the bronchial walls with mucous secretion.

With this disease there are many types of this symptom. First, a dry cough appears during ARVI, characterized by the absence of sputum.

If it does not bother the child or cause discomfort, then, as a rule, treatment is not required. Also, during an acute respiratory viral infection, a barking form may begin, which should alert the patient.

This type is painful, it is more acute, it manifests itself as a result of exposure to bacteria; if it is not stopped in a timely manner, this threatens the development of laryngitis or laryngotracheitis. Therapeutic actions should be carried out in a hospital setting due to the likelihood of complications.

Subsequently, a productive appearance develops, indicating that the patient is on the mend, since, in this way, the infection leaves the body and the respiratory tract is cleared of pathogenic microorganisms. People are often interested in the question of how long the cough reflex lasts during ARVI. It should take place over 3 weeks. If it lasts more than 1 month, then we are talking about the chronic course of the disease.

If the cough reflex does not cause significant discomfort, then you should not start drug therapy. A viral type of disease, accompanied by deterioration of well-being, requires consultation with a doctor. Therapy is usually prescribed in 2 areas:

To suppress the cough reflex.
Liquefaction of sputum.

It is dangerous to use antitussive drugs on your own, since they can harm the self-cleansing of the body. These are drugs such as:

Libexin.
Sinekod.
Tusuprex.

The respiratory virus that causes the disease needs to be carefully removed from the respiratory tract; for this purpose, cough thinners are used, for example:

ACC.
Lazolvan.
Mukaltin.
Ambroxol.

Signs of viral bronchitis

Viral cough in children appears quite often if the viral infection is acquired by airborne droplets from other patients or moves from already affected areas of the body due to rhinitis, pharyngitis, and sinusitis. To do this, at the first signs of illness caused by the virus, you need to consult a doctor. When conducting an examination, the doctor determines the viral etiology based on the following criteria:

Severe coughing attacks with clear discharge;
Shortness of breath appears, which is caused by coughing, and the patient cannot clear his throat completely;
High temperature rises;
The patient is shivering;
When inhaling, wheezing is heard and discomfort appears in the chest;
Obvious weakness and lethargy caused by the virus.

For such symptoms, comprehensive treatment and laboratory tests are prescribed to determine exactly what is causing the cough, as well as to exclude complications caused by strains of influenza and other diseases.

If your baby is coughing

In almost every second case after an acute respiratory viral infection, a child experiences a phenomenon called residual cough. Based on the presence of sputum, it can be dry or wet, based on intensity - strong or light coughing, and based on the time of appearance - during wakefulness or at night. If a cough does not go away for a long time, it exhausts the child and parents and does not allow them to fully recover and disrupts the usual rhythm of life.

Important! Residual cough is, as a rule, a consequence of bronchitis, tracheitis, or pneumonia that was added to or followed by ARVI. As a rule, doctors warn that this symptom can persist for up to 3 weeks. If a child develops such a cough, it should never be ignored, since it can eventually develop into bronchitis or some other bacterial complication

If a child develops such a cough, it should never be ignored, as it may eventually develop into bronchitis or some other bacterial complication.

Therefore, if the cough does not go away more than 5 days after the end of the main episode of the disease, you should suspect a complication and contact your pediatrician with this complaint.

On the other hand, a cough after an acute respiratory viral infection in a child does not always serve as a signal of an incompletely defeated disease.

It is important to monitor the general condition of the child. The doctor can give such a cough a head start of 10-20 days

On a note! As you know, any inflammatory process lasts three weeks. Therefore, the doctor’s tactics will depend on how long the cough lasts.

If after recovery the cough persists, but other symptoms (intoxication, fever, runny nose) do not return, this phenomenon will most likely disappear. If any additional symptoms appear, you need to consult a doctor - the cause may be an incipient complication.

There are cases when two symptoms in a child (a strong barking cough without sputum and a high temperature of 38 or higher) occur simultaneously and at the same time mislead doctors and parents.

The cause of cough may also be inadequately prescribed treatment. ARVI is an infection that affects the upper respiratory tract, and a common mistake in medical prescriptions is the prescription of mucolytics (such as ACC, ambroxol, lazolvan), which provoke the glands of the lower respiratory tract. Therefore, when prescribing these drugs, there must be serious reasons, confirmed by laboratory tests, as well as a “second opinion” of a pediatrician.

How to finish the treatment

Treatment of residual cough always depends on its nature, the child’s complaints and the results of his examination. Therefore, only a doctor can tell how to treat a residual cough. He may recommend physical therapy at a clinic or show you exercises you can do at home.

Important! Keeping your nasal passages clean and avoiding dry mucous membranes is an important condition in getting rid of a cough.

After an illness, the immune system is in a state of combat readiness and a strong cough can provoke a sharp rise in temperature, and the temperature will not allow the cough to calm down. This phenomenon requires symptomatic drug therapy, since the body begins to exhaust itself in an already unnecessary fight.

To break this vicious circle, you can use antipyretics, as well as any herbs, lozenges or lozenges that soothe the throat. It usually takes 2-3 days to calm the baby's immune system.

Further tactics are to ensure proper conditions for caring for the baby:

provide plenty of fluids,
maintain fresh, cool, moist air.

How to understand that it is a cold cough

Cough is not the main symptom, and you are more worried about a very high temperature or a fever that does not go away for a long time, severe headache, weakness, or rash.
The cough lasts more than three weeks.
Over time, the cough was joined by other symptoms: repeated fever, weakness.
The cough gets worse, becomes worse, or is simply difficult to bear.
There was pain in the chest.
The throat became very sore or swollen.
It became difficult to breathe (including due to coughing attacks).
Sputum of an unusual color: brown, brown, green, or even bloody.
Suddenly my weight decreased.

If you experience severe chest pain, difficulty breathing, and unexpected blood in your sputum, call an ambulance.

People with chronic diseases, especially those that weaken the immune system, should consult their doctors even if they have a normal cough. The immune system works worse in immunodeficiencies, diabetes, and after chemotherapy.

One of the first signs of a cold is a cough. It is a reaction of the body at the reflex level, aimed at eliminating irritation of the bronchial mucosa. A cold cough can be dry or wet, short-term or prolonged. It must be treated without fail, otherwise the problem may develop into a chronic one.

Before choosing one of the common folk recipes, you should consult with your doctor about the rationality of supplementing therapy with such actions. Many recipes are based on the use of natural resources. If there is a danger of allergies, the use of popular remedies is not advisable.

What to drink when you have a cold can only be determined by a doctor; self-medication in this case is unacceptable. Along with prescribed medications, it is effective to use folk remedies for coughs and colds. They help to quickly cure a cough and also prevent its occurrence. The selection of medications depends on the nature of the cough. Treatment of coughs and colds in adults and children should be carried out under the supervision of a doctor.

A dry cough during a cold is also characterized as unproductive. Most often, it does not alleviate the condition, but irritates the mucous membrane even more.

Types of cough due to viral infections

Cough during a viral infection belongs to the category of catarrhal (inflammatory) manifestations of ARVI. Its character depends on several factors:

type of pathogen;
virus reproduction rates;
immune status;
presence of chronic diseases.

At the initial stage of ARVI, the cough is unproductive, that is, during coughing, sputum is not separated from the ENT organs. When taking mucolytic drugs, it becomes moist (productive), which ensures the cleansing of the airways from bronchopulmonary mucus (sputum).

Dry

An unproductive cough, a burning sensation in the throat and nasal cavity are the first symptoms of ARVI in adults. They arise as a result of non-purulent inflammation of the ciliated epithelium, which covers the surface of the nasopharynx and hypopharynx. To make the patient feel better, antitussives are prescribed.

A non-productive cough during ARVI in an adult is accompanied by a feeling of sore and sore throat. When coughing, sputum does not come out, but a deep chest sound occurs. Its appearance is associated with an increase in the sensitivity of cough receptors against the background of inflammation of the laryngopharyngeal mucosa.

A dry cough during ARVI is sometimes accompanied by a paroxysmal course. If his productivity does not increase within 2-3 days, the patient is prescribed mucolytics. They dilute bronchopulmonary mucus, which accelerates its removal from the ENT organs.

Wet

A productive cough during a cold indicates the beginning of recovery. In uncomplicated ARVI, sputum viscosity decreases 3-4 days after infection. A wet cough speeds up the clearing of viscous mucus from the respiratory system and also prevents its accumulation in the bronchi.

With non-purulent inflammation, the amount of mucus in the respiratory tract increases 7-10 times. If cough productivity does not increase within 3 days, the patient is prescribed mucolytics. Their untimely intake is fraught not only with the accumulation of sputum in the bronchi, but also with the addition of a bacterial infection. To speed up the coughing up of mucus during ARVI, take expectorant medications. They thin the mucus, increasing the amount of water in it. This helps to quickly remove mucus from the lungs.

Suffocating

If coughing attacks are accompanied by suffocation, this indicates complications of ARVI. The symptom occurs against the background of such diseases:

bronchial asthma;
pulmonary tuberculosis;
laryngitis;
pathologies of the nervous system;
Chronical bronchitis;
obstructive pulmonary disease.

A suffocating cough during ARVI in young children becomes a manifestation of false croup, tracheobronchitis, and whooping cough. The appearance of foamy sputum indicates esophageal-bronchial fistulas.

Difficulty breathing indicates insufficient airway patency, that is, swelling of the mucous membranes. Similar manifestations of ARVI occur with severe complications - bronchitis, pneumonia.

Causes of cough and its course

This symptom can occur for two reasons - due to the flu or a common ARVI. It would seem nothing special, since these diseases often plague most of the population. And this is because the virus of such diseases is easily transmitted by airborne droplets and it can always start suddenly even for the second time. So, for example, if a disease virus appears in an apartment, then all family members can easily get sick. If not immediately, then after a while.

To prevent this from happening, it is recommended to ventilate the room more often and do wet cleaning in the house. This will more or less control the disease and may even prevent it from spreading to a healthy child or adult.

An acute respiratory viral infection or influenza virus enters the respiratory tract and settles on epithelial cells. Accordingly, destroyed epithelial cells are allowed to enter the bloodstream over time and spread throughout the body. It is after this that the disease begins to progress in full swing. Then the child or adult gradually begins to develop fever, runny nose, cough and many other signs of a cold. As a rule, we begin treatment precisely at this time, when the virus has already begun to progress in full swing in the blood. It would be more correct to start treatment only during the incubation period, but this is impossible to do, since the disease virus does not yet manifest itself in any way at that time. This is precisely why cough, fever and all other symptoms appear with ARVI.