What Are the Long-Term Effects of Cough?

A chronic cough is more than just an annoyance, it can actually cause long-term complications such as passing out or dizziness. A chronic cough is classified as a cough that lasts at least two months or more for adults, or one month for children.

An extended period of continuous coughing can prevent you from sleeping properly, leaving you feeling exhausted. Severe cases of chronic cough can even cause rib fractures, light-headedness, and vomiting.

While it’s not always easy to determine what’s triggering a chronic cough that’s lingering longer than it should, the most common causes are acid reflux, asthma, postnasal drip, allergies, and smoking.

Fortunately, once the cause of a person’s chronic cough has been identified by a healthcare provider, it will typically go away once treatment has started. Keep reading to learn more about the effects of long-term coughing and how to treat it.

Effects of Chronic and Long-Term Coughing

Having a lingering cough can have very disruptive consequences for your daily life, one major consequence is sleeping – or lack of it to be more exact. It’s pretty hard to sleep when you’re coughing uncontrollably or if you’re constantly feeling that tickle in your throat and are using all your energy to NOT cough. Coughing nonstop can also make your muscles hurt, making it hard to sleep.

You can also develop:

•           Headache

•           Dizziness.

•           Incontinence.

•           Subconjunctival haemorrhage (minor bleeding in your eye).

•           Hernia.

•           Broken ribs.

•           Fainting.

TREATMENT

Treatment for chronic cough depends on what’s causing it. Possible chronic cough treatments may include:

Decongestants

Cold cough & flu decongestant such as Covonia Dry Cough S/Free 150ML and Buttercup Bronchostop Syrup 200ML can be helpful in stopping postnasal drip.

Steroidinhalators

Inhalers can reduce asthma-induced airway inflammation that can cause a tickly, dry cough.

Antibiotics

If you have a lung infection like bronchitis, sinusitis, or bacterial pneumonia then antibiotics can cure the infection.

Avoiding certain foods

If acid reflux (GERD) is causing your chronic cough, avoiding foods that trigger your condition is the best treatment.

Lozenges

Herbal or medicated cough medicine lozenges like Buttercup Bronchostop Pastilles 10S can be helpful for instant relief of coughing.

To prevent complications from long-term coughing, come into Pearl Chemist Group to consult with any of our helpful pharmacists to get the advice you need to treat your chronic cough.

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