Those who experience a persistent or recurring cough can feel helpless and almost normalize the coughing after an extended period. In the beginning, the cough may cause a person to feel worried about their health, embarrassed from the constant need to cough, and exhausted from the strain put on their body. While it may seem like a harmless symptom, it can illude to something else happening. Those who live with a persistent or recurring cough should speak to a medical professional so that they can free themselves from the strain it brings onto their life.
What is a Persistent or Recurrent Cough?
A persistent cough is a cough that lasts more than 3-8 weeks. Typically, during the change of seasons or during an illness many people develop some kind of cough. However, should that cough persist for months to years, it is recurrent and should be observed and treated by a medical professional.
How Does a Recurrent Cough Develop?
Recurrent coughs can develop due to a variety of causes. Many smokers, for example, develop a recurrent cough due to their habit. The most common causes of a persistent or recurring cough are:
- Chemical irritation
- Asthma
- Gastroesophageal reflux disease
- Chronic bronchitis
- Postnasal drip
- Treatment with ACE inhibitors
While these are the typical and most common causes of a persistent or recurring cough, there could be other more serious causes that contribute to the annoying coughing. Some of these more serious causes include:
- Environmental irritants
- Heart failure
- Lung infection, cancer, and other diseases
- Psychological disorders
- Aspiration when swallowing
It is likely that those who experience a nagging cough will have a more common cause, however, a persistent cough can allude to something much more serious going on. This is why it is ideal for those who have a recurring cough to speak to their doctor about it.
What a Recurrent Cough Can Cause
While many people believe the only thing that a recurrent cough can cause is a daily annoyance, it was found that having a chronic cough can cause other aspects of your health to decline. Chronic coughing can disrupt sleep and make a patient tired, directly impairing their ability to work efficiently. It can also cause anxiety for the patient as well as for people around them as new illnesses arise. Frequent and aggressive coughing can also cause cracked or broken ribs. The effect that coughing could have on your health is potentially expensive, which is why seeking treatment as soon as possible is advised.
How We Can Help
When you come to the medical professionals at Allergy Associates, we will put forth all of our efforts into understanding what may be triggering your recurrent or persistent cough and how to move forward with your treatment. Our goal is to provide you with the best comprehensive treatment for your case. This could be either with medication or topical treatments. We will also take into consideration your opinion and your thoughts on your treatment plan. We are willing to collaborate with you on your health in order to make this process as easy and comfortable for you as possible.
Why Choose Us
Our experts take great care in performing tests to understand your chronic cough to the fullest extent. It is important to us that we understand your specific case so that we can create the most beneficial treatment possible so that you can go back to living normally. We understand that these issues can be difficult, which is why the professionals at Allergy Associates will go the extra mile to give you the best care possible.