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What Causes Persistent Cough And Constant Headache?
Posted on
Fri, 13 Nov 2015
Medically reviewed by
Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team
Fri, 13 Nov 2015
Answered on
Thu, 3 Dec 2015
Last reviewed on
Question : kindly advise on dry cough situation from 10 days. I have been trying cough syrups but nothing has relieved. Also due to this having headache all day.
Brief Answer:
depends on the cause
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
dealing with cough depends on its cause. Judging from your age and the duration of the symptoms, it seems more likely that your cough is of infectious etiology. In cases like this, your doctor has to make sure that you don't have a treatable condition like pneumonia or sinusitis. Most cases are viral, so no treatment may help.
If your doctor believes that bacteria may have caused your cough then antibiotic treatment will help. Cough syrup can be tried but they rarely help significantly. Your doctor can also detect signs of bronchospasm (transient airway narrowing) in your lungs which is something like an asthmatic attack and may also cause cough in susceptible individuals. If the infection has already subsided but you still have cough then it could be what we call "post-infectious cough". Sometimes antibiotics are given for this condition but we usually wait until a couple of weeks have passed before initiating them. In cases where the antibiotics won't help, inhaled ipratropium can be tried. Post-infectious cough won't last for more than 2 months.
So in conclusion, you should visit your doctor for clinical examination because some treatable conditions can be diagnosed. If no such condition is diagnosed then only the cough syrup and perhaps an antibiotic course and ipratropium after a few days may help.
I hope you find my comments helpful!
You can contact me again, if you'd like any clarification or further information.
Kind Regards!
depends on the cause
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
dealing with cough depends on its cause. Judging from your age and the duration of the symptoms, it seems more likely that your cough is of infectious etiology. In cases like this, your doctor has to make sure that you don't have a treatable condition like pneumonia or sinusitis. Most cases are viral, so no treatment may help.
If your doctor believes that bacteria may have caused your cough then antibiotic treatment will help. Cough syrup can be tried but they rarely help significantly. Your doctor can also detect signs of bronchospasm (transient airway narrowing) in your lungs which is something like an asthmatic attack and may also cause cough in susceptible individuals. If the infection has already subsided but you still have cough then it could be what we call "post-infectious cough". Sometimes antibiotics are given for this condition but we usually wait until a couple of weeks have passed before initiating them. In cases where the antibiotics won't help, inhaled ipratropium can be tried. Post-infectious cough won't last for more than 2 months.
So in conclusion, you should visit your doctor for clinical examination because some treatable conditions can be diagnosed. If no such condition is diagnosed then only the cough syrup and perhaps an antibiotic course and ipratropium after a few days may help.
I hope you find my comments helpful!
You can contact me again, if you'd like any clarification or further information.
Kind Regards!
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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