When a mouthful of water goes down the wrong pipe—heading toward a healthy person's lungs instead of their gut—they start coughing uncontrollably. That's because their upper airway senses the water and quickly signals ...
Apr 18, 2024
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Use of antibiotics provided no measurable impact on the severity or duration of coughs even if a bacterial infection was present, finds a large, prospective study of people who sought treatment in U.S. primary or urgent care ...
Apr 15, 2024
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Australia is facing a whooping cough outbreak. Some 2,799 cases were recorded in the first three months of 2024. Cases are highest in Queensland and New South Wales, with more than 1,000 recorded in each state.
Apr 5, 2024
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Researchers have made a breakthrough into how two chronic respiratory diseases in childhood affect the immune system, paving the way for better treatments.
Apr 4, 2024
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More than 3,000 Czechs have caught whooping cough so far this year, the highest figure since the 1960s, with teenagers the worst hit, health authorities said Friday.
Mar 15, 2024
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More than 80% of patients with tuberculosis, the world's most deadly infection, do not have a persistent cough, despite this being seen as a key symptom of the disease. The infection is predominantly transmitted by coughing, ...
Mar 12, 2024
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The validated Cough, Overweight/Obesity, Globus, Hiatal Hernia, Regurgitation, and Male Sex (COuGH RefluX) score can predict the likelihood of proven gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) in patients with chronic laryngeal ...
Mar 6, 2024
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Coughing after a respiratory infection is common and, in most cases, will resolve with time, according to an article in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).
Feb 12, 2024
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Children and young adults with allergies or eczema who have difficulty swallowing may have eosinophilic esophagitis. A review published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) provides guidance on how to diagnose and ...
Feb 5, 2024
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Eight lots of two kinds of Robitussin cough syrups have been recalled for "a microbial contamination." That's from the FDA-posted recall notice by manufacturer Haleon, which doesn't describe how the microbial contamination ...
Jan 25, 2024
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A cough ( pronunciation (help·info) Latin: tussis) is a sudden and often repetitively occurring reflex which helps to clear the large breathing passages from secretions, irritants, foreign particles and microbes. The cough reflex consists of three phases: an inhalation, a forced exhalation against a closed glottis, and a violent release of air from the lungs following opening of the glottis, usually accompanied by a distinctive sound. Coughing can happen voluntarily as well as involuntarily.
Frequent coughing usually indicates the presence of a disease. Many viruses and bacteria benefit evolutionarily by causing the host to cough, which helps to spread the disease to new hosts. Most of the time, coughing is caused by a respiratory tract infection but can be triggered by choking, smoking, air pollution, asthma, gastroesophageal reflux disease, post-nasal drip, chronic bronchitis, lung tumors, heart failure and medications such as ACE inhibitors.
Treatment should target the cause; for example, smoking cessation or discontinuing ACE inhibitors. Some people may be worried about serious illnesses, and reassurance may suffice. Cough suppressants such as codeine or dextromethorphan are frequently prescribed, but have been demonstrated to have little effect.[citation needed] Other treatment options may target airway inflammation or may promote mucus expectoration. As it is a natural protective reflex, suppressing the cough reflex might have damaging effects, especially if the cough is productive.
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