Although a cough is usually regarded as a mild health disturbance, it is often an indication that the body is fighting a serious infection which goes undetected until it reaches an advanced stage.
According to a World Health Organisation report, over 133,000 Nigerians die annually from tuberculosis, a silent killer with cough as a symptom.
Coughing is a reflex action that there is something in the respiratory system that shouldn't be there. It is actually one of the body's defence mechanisms against things like dust, liquid or other kinds of particles from entering the lungs such that the lungs constrict and force air out so that the disturbance can be expelled.
Normally, a case of cough should not exceed two to three weeks at the maximum. So when a person keeps coughing much longer than this time frame, it could be a sign that either the cough is not being properly managed or the cough is a symptom of a much more complicated illness that the patient and doctor do not know about.
While the patient battles with the illness, medical practitioners say that it is important to be vigilant in order to identify the relevant causes and avoid them as a preventive measure in future.
Citing some of the causative factors of cronic cough, most patients who have a common cold come down with a cough because the body is trying to get rid of the excess mucous lining the lungs. Other people could begin to cough as a result of some of the bad habits like smoking or sniffing drugs. It may also be due to a bacterial, viral or fungal infections which can be found in pneumonia, bronchitis or whooping cough patients.”
Sharing some of the symptoms of severe respiratory diseases, if a person who is suffering from a respiratory irritation or cough notices that the phlegm or mucous has a strange colour or it is blood-stained and foul smelling, when there is a presence of chest pain, wheezing, sudden weight loss and even fever, it is time to go to the nearest hospital for a sound check up because you might be carrying a communicable disease like tuberculosis or a non-communicable one like asthma.
If your cough doesn't go away, or if you tend to cough frequently, health professionals say it may be a sign of a more serious condition. Here are some severe cough diseases;
Tuberculosis
This is an infection, caused by bacteria called Mycobacterium tuberculosis. It is spread usually from person to person by breathing infected air during close contact.
TB can remain in an inactive (dormant) state for years without causing symptoms or spreading to other people. When the immune system of a patient with dormant TB is weakened, the TB can become active (reactivate) and cause infection in the lungs or other parts of the body.
Smoker's cough
This is medically known as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)and occurs when the airways and air sacs in the lungs become inflamed or damaged, most often due to smoking. In COPD, the lungs produce excess mucus, which the body reflexively tries to clear by coughing. The habit of smoking can lead to tissue damage making it particularly difficult to expel air from the lungs, after which you feel short of breath.
Respiratory tract infection
Coughing is one of the most common symptoms of colds and flu and other respiratory tract infections. The other symptoms that accompany colds and flu, such as stuffy nose and a fever, are tell-tale signs that a viral infection is causing your cough.
However, a cough can outlast all those other symptoms, perhaps because the air passages in your lungs remain sensitive and inflamed.When this occurs, it's called chronic upper airway cough syndrome.
Pneumonia
A more serious respiratory tract infection is pneumonia, which can be caused by bacteria or viruses. A cough, often producing greenish or rust-coloured mucus, is one of the characteristic symptoms of the illness, along with fever, chills, chest pain, weakness, fatigue, and nausea. These symptoms may present differently depending on your age; older adults may not experience a fever, for instance, or they may have a cough but no mucus.
Whooping cough
This disease which is also known as pertussis, is a bacterial disease with symptoms that include a slight fever, a runny nose, and, most notably, a violent cough that can make breathing difficult.
Most infants receive a pertussis vaccine, but its effectiveness subsides after about 10 years. Inadequate vaccination for whooping cough in most parts of Nigeria is one reason why the bacteria are making a huge comeback.Attempting to inhale air into the lungs between coughs can produce a distinctive, high-pitched whooping sound. After the initial stage, many people do not have a fever, but the chronic cough that accompanies pertussis can last for many weeks.
Asthma
Asthma is a chronic lung disease in which the airways in the lungs are prone to inflammation and swelling. Along with chest tightness, shortness of breath, and wheezing, coughing is a characteristic symptom of asthma, one which tends to intensify at night or in the early morning. When the symptoms of asthma flare up suddenly, it's known as an asthma attack.
Although it can begin at any age, asthma usually develops in childhood. Asthma triggers are different for everyone, and they can include exercise, colds, cigarette smoke and other airborne irritants, and certain foods. Asthmatics usually also have allergies.
Even in people without asthma, inhaling pollen, dust, pet dander, and other airborne irritants can trigger allergic rhinitis, an allergic reaction that can cause coughing, along with symptoms such as stuffy nose and sneezing.
You may be able to determine whether your cough is caused by allergies by keeping track of whether it comes and goes in certain situations. If your coughing magically stops when you step into an air-conditioned room on a dry, pollen-heavy day you probably have allergies. If you're not sure what's triggering your allergic cough, your doctor can give you a skin test or blood test to pinpoint the allergy.
Bronchitis
If you're on the verge of recovering from a cold and suddenly develop a hacking, mucus- releasing cough, you probably have acute bronchitis, a condition in which the passageways in your lungs become infected and inflamed.
In addition to coughing and chest congestion, bronchitis can produce fever, chills, aches, sore throat, and other flu-like symptoms. These symptoms usually disappear within a few days, but the cough can persist for weeks.
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