COUGH, NONPRODUCTIVE, PERSISTENT, UNRELATED TO PHYSICAL ACTIVITY: DESCRIPTION AND POSSIBLE MEDICAL PROBLEMS
April 9th, 2009 | Posted by admin | Category: General healthNo Comments
Sometimes you develop a hacking cough that wants to stay around for a while. You should first determine if it’s due to a new item that’s recently been introduced into your home. This could be a new piece of furniture, a different brand of floor wax, or a new pet. It’s not unusual for adults to develop a new sensitivity to a substance or chemical. In the presence of a new irritant, the only symptom will likely be a nonproductive, persistent cough.
If, however, you can’t trace your cough to a likely irritant, there are a number of other possibilities. If you’re under fifty, a nonproductive persistent cough can be caused by a scratchy throat or by an infection of the trachea; many times, this type of infection is caused by a virus. If this is the case, you might also have a low-grade fever, swollen glands, or a sinus infection. I have seen a chronic cough develop in people who tend to be very anxious; occasionally, they can develop a cough that can last for many months.
This type of cough can also occur in people who are taking the class of medications known as ACE inhibitors, such as Capoten, Accupril, or Zestril, for high blood pressure or heart failure.
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