The information in the article is provided for informational purposes and is not a guide for self-diagnosis or treatment. If symptoms of a disease appear, you should consult a doctor.

With a dry cough, sputum does not come out. It may be a response to irritation of the respiratory mucosa by smoke, dust, or hot air. In such a situation, a person will stop coughing once the bronchi are cleared. There is also a pathological type. It develops in response to various diseases: pneumonia, laryngitis, whooping cough, or bronchitis. It is important to consider diseases that are accompanied by this symptom.

Dry cough in different diseases

This symptom develops in respiratory diseases and in some other situations: in allergies, whooping cough, and as a side effect of medications.

Diseases of the upper respiratory tract

A dry cough may develop in the following conditions:

  • Pharyngitis – inflammation of the pharynx. In the first 2 days, a person may cough without sputum expectoration.

  • Laryngitis – inflammation of the larynx. Most often occurs in children. The disease is characterized by a persistent, dry barking cough in a child, which does not stop even at night. In severe cases, laryngospasm occurs – the airways narrow sharply, which limits the supply of oxygen to the lungs.

  • Epiglottitis – inflammation of the epiglottis. Rarely occurs as an independent disease, more often it is a complication of other pathologies: pharyngitis, laryngitis, or tracheitis.

Less commonly, a cough may also appear with other diseases: tonsillitis, paresis of the recurrent laryngeal nerve, thyroid tumors.

Diseases of the lower respiratory tract

The lower respiratory tract includes the trachea, bronchi, and lungs. The following diseases may occur here:

  • Tracheitis – inflammation of the trachea. Rarely develops as an independent disease – more often the infection gets here from the bronchi or upper respiratory tract.

  • Bronchitis – inflammation of the bronchi. Bronchitis may develop if the infection enters the bronchi from the upper respiratory tract or as an independent disease. Almost all smokers and workers of enterprises who inhale a lot of dust suffer from bronchitis: miners, builders, metalworkers.

  • Pneumonia – inflammation of the lungs. Often develops together with bronchitis. In the first days of the disease, a dry cough prevails, which later becomes wet.

Almost all inflammatory processes are accompanied by fever, general weakness, joint and muscle pain.

Other causes

A dry cough may also occur for other reasons:

  • Whooping cough – an infectious disease.

  • Allergy. Plant pollen, animal hair, and household dust can cause allergies, which manifest as a dry cough.

  • Side effect of medications. For example, when taking some drugs for high blood pressure, a dry cough may occur. The problem is solved by changing the therapy.

It is important to quickly understand the cause of a dry cough and to begin proper treatment of the underlying disease.

How is dry cough treated?

The treatment strategy for a dry cough depends on the cause that provoked this symptom. First of all, the underlying disease should be treated – pneumonia, whooping cough, or pharyngitis.

A dry cough in inflammatory processes indicates that the sputum is too thick and cannot come out on its own. It needs to be softened. For this, expectorants are used – for adults they are produced in tablets, and for children – in the form of tasty syrups and mixtures.

It is important to ensure that the air in the patient’s room is fresh and humid. To do this, you need to ventilate the room. If you have a humidifier, turn it on. Inhalations over water vapor will also help increase humidity.

For a person without medical education, it is difficult to determine the cause of a dry cough. Symptomatic therapy will not help here: without eliminating the source of the disease, complete recovery is impossible. Doctors at Oxford Medical can help with diagnosis and proper treatment.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does a dry cough occur?

There are quite a lot of causes of dry cough. It may appear when the mucous membrane is irritated by smoke, dust, or hot air. A dry cough is also a symptom of various throat (laryngitis, pharyngitis) and respiratory tract (tracheitis, bronchitis, pneumonia) diseases. In some cases, it appears with allergies and as a result of drug side effects.

Why is a dry cough dangerous?

If a dry cough persists for a long time, you should see a therapist or pulmonologist and undergo diagnostics. It may be a symptom of serious diseases of the respiratory system (pneumonia, bronchial asthma, and others), as well as whooping cough.

What to do with a dry cough?

A dry cough may be a symptom of various diseases, allergies, or irritation of the throat mucosa. First, you can eliminate irritants (smoke, dust) and assess the likelihood of an allergic reaction. If the cough persists for a long time, you need to see a doctor and undergo diagnostics. It is impossible to determine the cause of the cough and choose treatment on your own, since this symptom is nonspecific – it can occur in different diseases.

How to treat a dry cough?

The treatment strategy for a dry cough depends on the underlying disease that provokes it. If it is an inflammatory pathology, expectorants are used, which facilitate sputum discharge, as well as drugs for treating the underlying disease. Sometimes cough lozenges are also prescribed, which soothe the mucous membrane of the throat. Additionally, inhalations and air humidification in the room are recommended.

What medications should be taken for a dry cough?

What medications should be taken to treat a dry cough is decided by the doctor only after making a diagnosis. In some cases, mucolytics are prescribed, which thin the sputum and facilitate its discharge. In other diseases (for example, asthma), bronchodilator drugs are prescribed, which relieve bronchial spasm and reduce coughing. Depending on the disease, the doctor may also prescribe anti-inflammatory drugs or antibiotics.

Sources:

US National Library of Medicine
NCBI
ResearchGate