Dry or irritative cough: symptoms, causes and treatment

Whoever has suffered a coughing attack at some point in their lives knows from experience that there is nothing more annoying and uncomfortable. But depending on its cause and especially the type of cough we have it will tend to be more or less annoying. This is what happens, for example, with dry cough. But before talking about it, we are going to ask a little about what cough is and what it consists of.

It is common to think that cough is a problem, and we tend to see it in a rather negative way. But in reality we are facing a natural mechanism that our own body uses in order to keep our airways clean.

That is to say, the cough appears before an allergic reaction or by the presence of substances or strange elements. It also arises as a result of inflammation or irritation that appears anywhere in our airways (for example in the pharynx, in the larynx ...).

But if at some point you have had a cough, and this has been without mucus and dry, surely you will be with me if I tell you that there is nothing more uncomfortable than suffering a dry or irritative cough.

What is dry cough? What does it consist of?

Dry cough is a type of strong cough, without expectoration, in which no type of phlegm is produced or secreted. Given that it does not secrete any type of mucus (something that happens with productive cough), it tends to cause irritation, which can get worse every time we cough and if especially the cough is too intense and frequent.

For this reason it is also known as unproductive cough, because it does not produce or secrete phlegm or mucus.

Causes of dry cough

Dry cough appears especially when there is some irritation in the respiratory tract. That is, the cause is any condition or element that causes irritation of our airways, either by an inflammation or by the presence of a foreign element.

It usually appears due to different inflammations such as, for example, laryngitis or inflammation of the bronchial mucosa (bronchitis). Or for the existence of an incipient cold or in short for many other lung diseases.

When the cause is related to a respiratory or pulmonary condition may appear other discomfort and symptoms, such as: sneezing (especially when it is an allergic condition), sore throat, fever, dyspnea or hoarseness.

It can also arise as a result of an allergic reaction, or by the penetration as indicated above of different foreign bodies.

We can summarize below the main causes that cause the appearance of the annoying dry cough:

Irritation of the respiratory tract: due to a cold, flu, laryngitis or bronchitis.
Allergic reactions.
Gastric reflux disease.
External elements:as presence of dust, chemical or environmental factors ...
Climatic elements:like air conditioning or very dry air.
Medicines:some drugs can cause the appearance of irritative cough as a side effect.

Symptoms of dry or irritative cough

The main and characteristic symptom is the appearance of a cough without expectoration of mucus or phlegm. That is, it is a type of cough in which no type of mucus is secreted. In addition, a characteristic sound of dry cough appears, similar to the barking of a dog, when it sounds hard and strong.

As a result, it is very common that the chest is actually clear, without nasal congestion or beeps. Fundamentally because the cause of the cough is not the mucus but the irritation.

It is also common for an annoying and uncomfortable continuous itching to arise both in the throat and in the nose.

How irritative or dry cough is treated

The medical treatment of dry cough depends directly on the cause that caused its appearance. Therefore, it is common that in treating the underlying disease when it disappears should also disappear cough.

As we have already commented at some other time, in reality since cough is a mechanism of natural expulsion of our body should not be suppressed with medication, unless the cough is intense and frequent, given that if this is the case, it could cause damage to the mucosa.

From a medical point of view, antitussive syrups they are tremendously useful, since they inhibit the cough reflex by calming the irritative cough, acting directly on the central nervous system.

It is also possible calm cough naturally, opting for different natural remedies that are easy to make at home and that are tremendously useful, helping to relieve coughing attacks, especially when it appears at night and does not allow us to rest well.This article is published for informational purposes only. It can not and should not replace the consultation with a Physician. We advise you to consult your Trusted Doctor. ThemesRespiratory infections