Cough Asthma » Causes, Symptoms & Treatment

This article explains about Cough Asthma, causes of Cough Asthma, symptoms of Cough Asthma and treatment of Cough Asthma.

What is Cough asthma?

Cough-related asthma is a type of asthma in which the main symptom is a dry, sputum-free cough. (Cough without phlegm does not eliminate the mucus that accumulates in the airways.) People with a cough-type asthma usually do not have "classic" asthma symptoms, such as wheezing or shortness of breath.

Cough asthma is sometimes called a chronic cough, which can last from six to eight weeks. Coughing attacks can occur both during the day and at night. If you have nocturnal asthma, it can interfere with sleep. It happens that people with cough asthma complain that coughing is worse during physical exertion, asthma stress. Cough can also increase with close contact with asthma triggers or allergy-causing substances, such as dust or strong odors, or when walking in cold air.

Who is suffering from cough and asthma?

Absolutely, any person at any time can get cough-asthma, but still more often it occurs in children with a pediatric form of asthma. Coughing asthma can lead to the development of "classical" asthma, including symptoms such as shortness of breath and wheezing.

What Causes Cough Asthma?

As in the case of "classical" or "typical" asthma, it is not known exactly what causes the symptoms of cough asthma. However, cough may begin after close contact with allergens or after a walk in the cold air. Cough can also accompany upper respiratory tract disease. For example, asthmatics are often sick with sinusitis.

In addition, a cough that begins after taking beta-blockers may refer to cough asthma. Beta-adrenoblockers are medications that are used to treat high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, heart failure, migraine, heart palpitations and other diseases. Eye drops can cause asthma symptoms, in particular cough. Sensitivity to aspirin or similar medications can also cause exacerbation of cough asthma.

How is the diagnosis of cough asthma?

Cough-related asthma is a type of asthma that is poorly diagnosed, since coughing can be the only symptom in this case, and therefore coughing can be a sign, for example, of bronchitis or postnasal edema.

[caption id="attachment_296" align="aligncenter" width="536"] Cough Asthma[/caption]

The examination includes studying the history of your illnesses, examining and listening to the lungs. But, most often in people with cough asthma, all the physical indices of the body, lung X-rays and spirometry are normal. Spirometry is a test, during which the maximum volume of air is measured with a deep inspiration and the time during which all the air leaves the lungs. For this test, a special device is used - a spirometer.

A test with methacholine load detects asthma, but special equipment is required for this study. This test is only used if the symptoms and results of spirometry cannot confirm the presence of asthma. If there is asthma, then inhaling, methacholine will cause spasm and narrowing of the airways. During this test, you inhale the ever-increasing amount of methacholine through the aerosol before and after spirometry. The test result is considered positive (i.e., asthma really is), if the lung capacity drops to 20%. At the end of the test, you must always take a bronchodilator (a drug that expands the airways) to neutralize the effect of methacholine.

Another way to diagnose cough asthma is treated. The physician can choose a standard set of medications for the treatment of asthma. If they help cope with a cough, then you can diagnose coughing asthma.

How is coughing asthma treated?

Cough asthma is treated like the usual form of asthma. The doctor can prescribe an inhaler with albuterol, ipratropium and/or inhaled steroids (anti-inflammatory drugs). A marked improvement in the state of the body will already be noticeable in six to eight weeks.