Breathing difficulties cause long-standing cough

January 24, 2012 By

DEAR DR. GOTT: My wife has COPD/emphysema. She is under the care of a well-respected pulmonologist. He told her when she was first diagnosed that coughing would be a forever symptom of the disease. However, when she coughs, many times during the course of the day, she will cough for several minutes at a time while trying to loosen and bring up phlegm. We’ve discussed this issue with the pulmonologist and he recommended a decongestant/cough medicine like Robitussin DM. It doesn’t seem to help so I was wondering if you know of any home remedies that can better help loosen the phlegm and allow her to expel it. Thank you.

DEAR READER: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a term to describe a group of lung conditions such as emphysema and chronic bronchitis.
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Alternative causes of chronic cough

March 13, 2011 By

DEAR DR. GOTT: In January 2011, your column responded to a 19-year-old who had a chronic cough for 16 months. I, too, had a chronic cough whenever I sat, stood, laughed, was around smoke or after exercising. It lasted more than 15 months. My other symptom was hoarseness with a sensation of something in the back of my throat. I had been put on prescription cough syrups and pills. I had also tried some of the same medicines that were mentioned in your column, including those for asthma, acid reflux and allergies. I was asked about acid reflux but hadn’t had the usual symptoms for it. I saw an allergist and a pulmonologist. I had a chest X-ray, allergy tests, CT scans of my sinuses, breathing tests and a bronchial scope.

While awaiting an appointment with yet another doctor about the cough, I had my yearly pap test, and blood was also found in my stool. [Read more...]

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Two-year cough plagues reader

January 18, 2011 By

DEAR DR. GOTT: I have had a cough for a couple of years. I’ve had chest X-rays, been to different doctors, tried cough medicine, cough drops and all sorts of things, but I just keep on coughing. After I cough, I usually have to blow my nose to stop; it’s embarrassing, to say the least.

I had a blood mass removed from my chest that was attached to my thyroid, heart, vocal cords and lung, but that did not help. I am tired of it, as are my family and friends. Help!
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Chronic cough usually benign

January 9, 2011 By

DEAR DR. GOTT: I am a 19-year-old female and have had a nonproductive cough for 16 months without any other symptoms other than some slight drainage down the back of my throat. I have kept food and cough diaries and cannot find anything that triggers it. I cough when I sit, stand, laugh, after strenuous exercise and around smoke; it seems that I cough all the time.

I have seen my family physician, a nurse practitioner, an ENT, his PA, a pulmonologist and his PA. I have been diagnosed with bronchitis, hiatal hernia, asthma and heartburn. None of the medication given for these diagnoses has worked. I’ve been on Symbicort, Spiriva, codeine, Prilosec, Zantac and one other that I can’t remember the name of. I had to take it for five days for what they thought was bronchitis. I had a chest X-ray done in July 2009 without abnormalities. There is nothing wrong with my vocal chords, either.
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Chronic cough, lupus need specialist care

July 1, 2010 By

DEAR DR. GOTT: I’ve been diagnosed with asthma, bronchiectasis, lupus and fibromyalgia. I’ve had a chronic cough, and no one can find out where it’s coming from. I have no energy. I just want to take a nap all the time and eat. I’ve gained weight and can say I’m getting closer to being depressed as opposed to being just unhappy. Any ideas for me to check out?

DEAR READER: Yes. Initially, you should request a referral to a rheumatologist. Lupus, a serious inflammatory autoimmune disorder, can affect the joints, kidneys, lungs and several other parts of the body. Many of the symptoms, such as fatigue, joint pain, anxiety, depression and variations in weight, cross over to those of fibromyalgia. Therefore, you should confirm that you do suffer from both conditions.

You should also be under the care of a pulmonologist for control of your chronic cough, asthma and bronchiectasis. The cough could be medication-induced or a result of your asthma. In order to determine what triggers your attacks, it may be necessary for you to undergo testing and to see several other specialists. This may appear daunting but once your textbook complaints of fibromyalgia are better controlled, you will then be able to lift your veil of depression and get on with your life. There is help. The fact that you have written to me is a genuine indication you are ready to get to the bottom of things.

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Chronic cough could have uncommon cause

March 3, 2010 By

DEAR DR. GOTT: I read your response to the reader whose sister complained of a chronic, choking cough. You failed to mention idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, which could be the cause of her symptoms. Individuals with this condition can have a chronic cough that does not respond to medications that are otherwise effective in treating chronic bronchitis or asthma. Unfortunately, there are no effective treatments, and life expectancy is between two to five years after diagnosis. More information on this condition can be found at www.coalitionforpf.org.

DEAR READER: When responding to readers’ questions, I may be guilty of generalizing, hitting on the most common yet overlooked possibilities. Many coughs are tied to irritants or pollutants, postnasal drip, reflux, COPD, medication reactions and a host of other reasons. [Read more...]

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