What is the reason for a long-lasting cough?

Coughing is a very common symptom, and there are many reasons for coughing. If the cough persists for a long time, you must understand the specific cause. Common causes of cough include chronic pharyngitis, asthma and bronchitis. You must treat the primary disease in time. After all, long-term cough can cause great harm to your health, so patients must pay attention to this aspect.

What is the reason for a long-lasting cough?

In fact, there is a reason why you have a long-term cough. It is not because your treatment method is wrong, but because you have not found the right reason. It is not enough to just treat a simple cough. You may have other diseases, so only by curing the disease can you change the phenomenon of your long-term cough.

1. Chronic bronchitis

[Symptoms] Cough caused by chronic bronchitis is often accompanied by sputum, which often occurs after bacterial or viral infection and is closely related to smoking. The patient has the disease for at least 3 months per year for 3 years or longer. In cold seasons or when the climate changes suddenly, the disease is likely to worsen or develop acutely. People who have a dry cough without sputum and do not smoke can basically rule out this disease.

[Causes] People who are susceptible to upper respiratory tract infections, those who are exposed to long-term irritation from smoke and dust, those with low resistance, those with allergic constitutions, etc. Those with a family history of the disease are a high-risk group.

[Examination] Physical examination, chest X-ray, lung function test, blood test, sputum test, etc. should be conducted.

If you have a long-term cough and phlegm, you should be careful about chronic bronchitis. If you want to treat it well, you must find out what causes such symptoms, whether it is an infection or a bad habit. Only by finding the cause can you better treat it.

2. Bronchiectasis

[Symptoms] Bronchiectasis is a serious respiratory disease. Its pathological changes are irreversible and chronic cough is a common symptom. Patients usually cough up sputum, which is copious and thick.

[Cause] Local bronchiectasis is usually caused by sequelae of previous infection and inflammation in the area, while extensive bronchiectasis may be caused by congenital diseases or immune dysfunction.

[Examination] High-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) is the best diagnostic method.

3. Lung cancer causes persistent cough

[Symptoms] The cause of lung cancer (primary bronchogenic carcinoma) is not yet fully understood. It is generally believed that people who smoke for a long time, are exposed to occupational carcinogens, are in an air-polluted environment for a long time, and are exposed to excessive ionizing radiation have a higher risk of lung cancer.

[Cause] Some lung cancers present with cough in the early stages, and usually there is coughing up blood in the absence of airway infection. After 5-6 months, early traces of tumors in the bronchus of the lungs can be seen through X-rays.

[Examination] Combined with symptom analysis, sputum cytology examination, fiberoptic bronchoscopy and lung biopsy, carcinoembryonic antigen measurement, X-ray examination or CT examination can confirm lung cancer.

If you have a long-term cough that does not heal, be careful that you may have lung cancer. If a long-term cough is not cured, it is likely that there is a problem with the lungs. At this time, you should go to the hospital for a diagnosis. If it is lung cancer, you should treat your ears immediately.