Congested Coughs
Causes
The obvious causes of coughing are colds, flu, bronchial
infections, sinus congestion, smoking, and the need to rid the
throat of foreign matter.
But did you know that heartburn is one of the leading causes?
For some unknown reason heartburn is the cause for about 10%
of chronic coughers. See our Heartburn section for suggestions
to relieve both the heartburn and coughing. Dust, pollen and
chemicals are other sources of irritants. Also, some drugs,
most notably ACE inhibitors used for high blood pressure, have
coughing as a side effect in 21% of the people using them.
Coughing is also a common symptom of asthma. The sound of your
cough may indicate its cause. Below is a list of the cough
sounds and what that may indicate:
-
A barking cough - bronchitis or croup
-
A high-pitched cough - your vocal cords are involved and the
airways have become narrowed
-
A wheezing cough - asthma and/or bronchitis
-
A loud, gasping cough with difficulty getting air - whooping
cough.
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