Coughing is an important way to keep your throat and airways clear.

However, excessive
coughing may mean you have an underlying disease or disorder.

Some coughs are dry, while others are considered productive. A productive cough is one that
brings up mucus. Mucus is also called phlegm or sputum.

Coughs can be either acute or chronic:

 Acute coughs usually begin suddenly. They are often due to a cold, flu, or sinus infection.
They usually go away after 2 to 3 weeks.
 Chronic coughs last longer than 2 to 3 weeks.

Common Causes

Besides recent upper airways infections, such as the common cold and flu, other common causes
of coughs include:

 Allergies and asthma

 Lung infections such as pneumonia or acute bronchitis
 Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (emphysema or chronic bronchitis)
 Sinusitis leading to postnasal drip
 Lung disease such as bronchiectasis, interstitial lung disease, or tumors
 Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
 Cigarette smoking
 Exposure to secondhand smoke
 Exposure to air pollutants
 ACE inhibitors (medications used to control blood pressure)

Home Care

Although coughing can be a troubling symptom, it is usually your body's way of healing. Here
are some tips to help ease your cough:

 If you have a dry, tickling cough, try cough drops or hard candy. NEVER give these to a
child under age 3, because they can cause choking.
 Use a vaporizer or take a steamy shower. Both these things increase the moisture in the
air and can help soothe a dry throat.
 Drink plenty of fluids. Liquids help thin the mucus in your throat and make it easier to
cough it up.

NOTE: Medical experts have recommended against using cough and cold drugs in children
under age 6. Talk to your doctor before your child takes any type of over-the-counter cough
medicine, even if it is labeled for children. These medicines likely will not work for children, and
they may have serious side effects.
Medications available without a prescription include:

 Guaifensin helps break up mucus. Drink lots of fluids if you take this medicine.
 Decongestants help clear a runny nose and relieve postnasal drip. Do NOT give children
under age 6 an over-the-counter decongestant unless specifically told to do so by your
doctor. You should not take decongestants if you have high blood pressure.

Do not expect a doctor to prescribe antibiotics for viral infections like colds or flu. Antibiotics do
not work on viruses. Antibiotics also will not help coughs from allergies.

Call your health care provider if

 Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing

 Hives or swollen face or throat with difficulty swallowing

Call your doctor right away if you have:

 Violent cough that begins suddenly

 High-pitched sound (called stridor) when inhaling
 Cough that produces blood
 Fever (may indicate a bacterial infection requiring antibiotics)
 Thick, foul-smelling, yellowish-green phlegm (may indicate a bacterial infection)
 A history of heart disease, swelling in your legs, or a cough that worsens when you lie
down (may indicate congestive heart failure)
 Exposure to someone with tuberculosis
 Unintentional weight loss or night sweats (may also indicate tuberculosis)
 Cough longer than 10-14 days
 Cough in an infant younger than 3 months old

The common cold (also called viral rhinitis) is a viral infection, characterized by nasal
congestion, a clear, runny nose, sneezing, scratchy throat and general malaise.

Risk Factors of Common Cold

There are many misconceptions about how people get a cold. A handshake is an effective way to
give someone your cold. It's easy for a child with a cold to pick the virus up on his hands. All he
has to do is touch his nose or eyes, and he has the virus on his hands, and anyone who touches
his hands, can pick up the virus. If the recipient touches his eyes or nose, the virus can set up
shop and cause a cold. Rhinovirus can survive for about three hours on a doorknob or Formica
surface.
Symptoms of Common Cold
Headache, nasal congestion, a clear runny nose, sneezing, scratchy throat, and general malaise
may all be symptoms of the common cold. A typical common cold will last three to four days; a
mild secondary bacterial infection often prolongs this to a week or longer.

Treatment of Common Cold

There is no proven specific treatment for a cold, but supportive measures may be helpful.

Home Care: Infants and Preschool-aged Children

There are several steps that can be taken to make an infant or a small child with a cold more
comfortable:

 The nose can be cleared with a bulb syringe (ask your pediatrician).
 Saltwater nose drops (made from a teaspoon of salt and eight ounces of warm water) may
be soothing every few hours.
 Warm humidified air can alleviate congestion.
 Increase fluid intake.

Home Care: Adolescents and Adults

 Drink about eight glasses of fluid daily.

 Get plenty of bed rest

Medications: (check with your physician first)

Most cold sufferers experience nasal congestion, caused by swelling of the mucous membranes
in the nose. Decongestants can ease that problem. They constrict dilated blood vessels, shrinking
the swollen tissue and opening nasal passages. The result is freer breathing, better drainage and a
reduced feeling of stuffiness.

There are two kinds of decongestants: topical (sprays and drops) and oral (tablets and caplets).
Each has advantages and drawbacks.

Topical decongestants may be more effective than oral decongestants. One study showed that
the topical ingredient, oxymetazoline, produced four times the decongestion as the oral use of
pseudoephedrine (the ingredient in Sudafed and several other oral products). The topical remedy
also worked faster, producing improvement within five minutes versus 30 to 60 minutes for the
oral decongestant. Most standard topical decongestants, such as Dristan and Neo-Synephrine, use
phenylephrine hydrochloride as their active ingredient. Other, longer-acting products (such as
Afrin) contain oxymetazoline.
The drawback of topical decongestants is that overuse can lead to "rebound congestion" -
stuffiness worse than the original problem. Each application produces an initial decongestant
effect and some irritation and inflammation, which tends to go unnoticed, but if the drug is used
frequently, the delayed effects begin to predominate. The more you use the product, the more
irritated, inflamed and blocked up your nasal passages become. Eventually, treatment may
require the use of oral or topical steroid drugs to break the cycle. Accordingly, topical
decongestants should be used sparingly and only for a few days. Probably the best time to use a
topical decongestant is before bed, to help ensure a good night's sleep. Another good time is the
first thing in the morning, when nasal passages tend to be the stuffiest.

In contrast to topical decongestants, oral decongestants can be taken daily, for up to a week.
They can be used alone or along with a topical product, serving as maintenance therapy to reduce
the need for the topical decongestant. Oral decongestants do not generally produce rebound
congestion, but they can cause other side effects, such as mouth dryness or interference with
sleep (if taken shortly before bedtime). Potentially more serious are blood-pressure elevations
that can occur with their use. The oral decongestant that may raise blood pressure is
phenylpropanolamine (PPA), which is widely used in cold remedies.

About 25 percent of all people with colds get headaches; 10 percent have muscle pain; and 1
percent run mild fevers. All these symptoms respond well to the three standard nonprescription
pain relievers: aspirin, acetaminophen or ibuprofen. Aspirin and acetaminophen can be found in
many cold remedies, however, it is cheaper to buy the straight pain reliever. Children must not
be given aspirin because of association with Reye’s syndrome.

A sore throat is often the first symptom of a cold. It affects about half of all cold sufferers. You
can choose from a legion of lozenges, sprays and mouthwashes to soothe the pain. The FDA
considers at least seven ingredients effective in relieving or dulling sore-throat irritation. These
sore-throat medications include: benzocaine, benzyl alcohol, dyclonine hydrochloride,
hexylresorcinol, menthol, phenol compounds and salicyl alcohol. Brands with these ingredients
include Chloraseptic Sore Throat Lozenges and Spray, Oracin, Spec-T Sore Throat Anesthetic
Lozenges and Sucrets.

When You Have More Than A Cold

Seek medical help when any of the following occur:

1. A fever greater than 101 degrees F (38.3 degrees C), accompanied by shaking, chills and
coughing up thick phlegm (especially if greenish or foul-smelling)

2. Sharp chest pain when you take a deep breath

3. Cold-like symptoms that do not improve after five days

4. Coughing up blood

5. Any significant throat pain in a child

6. A painful throat, in addition to any of the following:

 pus (yellowish-white spots) on the tonsils or the throat

 fever greater than 101 degrees F or 38.3 degrees C
 swollen or tender glands or bumps in the front of the neck
 exposure to someone who has a documented case of "strep" throat
 a rash during or after a sore throat
 a history of rheumatic fever, rheumatic heart disease, kidney disease or chronic lung
disease, such as emphysema or chronic bronchitis

Prevention of Common Cold

Avoidance: Keep your distance from people who have colds, especially when they cough or
sneeze. Additionally, avoid touching your nose or eyes. Viruses usually invade through the nasal
mucous membranes, but if deposited in the eyes, they can also travel down through the tear
ducts.

Diet: A U.S. Department of Agriculture study revealed that Americans are deficient in many of
the nutrients necessary for optimal functioning of the immune system - the same system that
helps ward off colds and flus! At least 33 percent of all Americans consume less than 70 percent
of the government's Recommend Dietary Allowances for vitamins A, C, B1, B2, B3, B12 and
pantothenic acid, as well as the minerals calcium, iron, magnesium and zinc. Stay well hydrated.
Drink lots of non-alcoholic fluids to help keep the mucous membranes moist.

Rest: Try not to get overly stressed or overly tired.

Good Hygiene: Wash your hands often, especially before eating and after going to the bathroom
or being in contact with individuals with colds.