Health
Ask a doc: 'When is a cough something to worry about?'
As respiratory illnesses surge this winter, there’s one symptom many patients hope will just go away: the dreaded cough.
“At this time of year, many people suffer from minor coughs due to common colds, allergies or sinus irritation with post-nasal drip,” Dr. Whitney Hardy, family medicine physician at Ochsner Health in New Orleans, Louisiana, told Fox News Digital.
One of the most common causes of a nagging cough is known as post-nasal drip, which occurs when the insides of the nasal passages become congested.
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Often, this stems from a viral infection or an allergy trigger, according to the American Lung Association’s website.
Eventually, the nasal discharge drips to the back of the throat, causing the body to cough reflexively.
One of the most common causes of a nagging cough is known as post-nasal drip, which occurs when the insides of the nasal passages become congested. (iStock)
In some cases, coughs can be very debilitating, but in other cases they can resolve on their own without affecting daily activities — so it’s not always easy to know when to seek medical attention.
Here’s what the experts say you should know.
Why do we cough?
“A cough is a natural reflex in response to things like excess moisture in the lungs, foreign objects and mucus-producing infections,” Hardy told Fox News Digital.
After the irritant tickles the throat or airways, it sends a message to the brain that there is something in the body that shouldn’t be there, according to Mayo Clinic’s website.
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The brain then sends a message to the chest muscles to cough in order to get the irritant out of the body.
It’s natural for people to cough from time to time — but if the symptom becomes severe or persists for too long, it can irritate the lung and induce even more coughing.
Too much coughing can lead to trouble sleeping, dizziness, headaches, vomiting, fainting, chest pain and even broken ribs, Mayo Clinic noted.
Too much coughing can lead to trouble sleeping, dizziness, headaches, vomiting, fainting, chest pain and even broken ribs, Mayo Clinic noted. (iStock)
“This mechanism is important when we have an active infection and need to remove pus or fluid that will create further damage in the lung if it persists,” Dr. Baljinder S. Sidhu, a pulmonologist and sleep specialist who is the partner of Pacific Coast Critical Care Group in Southern California, told Fox News Digital.
“Lingering cough is often caused by irritated lung mucosa with minimal triggers.”
What are the different types of coughs?
A cough that lasts less than three weeks is known as an acute cough, per Mayo Clinic.
“An acute cough typically occurs with a viral or bacterial infection, such as the flu or pneumonia,” Hardy said.
“Sometimes, this type of cough can last up to three weeks, even after infection symptoms clear,” she added.
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“Acute coughs are dry and get worse during the day, but almost completely stop at night.”
Lung irritants such as smoke, dust and chemicals are also common causes of an acute cough.
A subacute cough lasts between three and eight weeks, and often occurs after a lingering respiratory infection, experts say.
Always see a doctor if your cough lasts for more than eight weeks, as it may be necessary to get a chest X-ray to help diagnose the cause, according to the American Lung Association. (iStock)
A cough lasting for more than eight weeks is known as a chronic cough, according to the American Lung Association.
Asthma, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and a blood pressure medication known as lisinopril can all lead to a chronic cough.
Some life-threatening conditions, such as lung cancer and heart failure (where fluid from the heart backs up into the lung), may also cause a chronic cough, experts warned.
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“Most coughs associated with a recent cold or viral illness will resolve on their own without additional treatment,” Liz Husted, M.D., a family medicine physician at Mayo Clinic Health System in La Crosse, Wisconsin, told Fox News Digital.
“A cough after a viral illness can commonly last up to six weeks; typically, no additional treatment is needed.”
When does a cough become worrisome?
“A cough is always a concern when accompanied by shortness of breath or chest pain,” Husted said.
“This is to be evaluated by a physician right away.”
Always see a doctor if your cough lasts for more than eight weeks, as it may be necessary to get a chest X-ray to help diagnose the cause, the American Lung Association states on its website.
See a doctor, experts recommend, if you experience severe cough, fever, difficulty breathing or wheezing no matter how long your cough lasts. (iStock)
Regardless of how long your cough lasts, experts recommend seeing a doctor if you experience severe cough, fever, difficulty breathing or wheezing.
Phlegm with pus (thick green discharge) or blood, chills, night sweats and weight loss are other red flags that indicate the need for medical attention.
Should you use home remedies?
Over-the-counter (OTC) cough medicines are safe for adults to take for acute coughs, as long as the cough is not associated with any worrisome symptoms, according to experts. (Check with your doctor to be sure.)
“These over-the-counter medications are usually a combination of several medications, including dextromethorphan, guaifenesin, phenylephrine and/or Tylenol,” Sidhu said.
Dextromethorphan is a cough suppressant that acts directly on cough receptors, the doctor noted.
Over-the-counter cough medicines are safe to take for acute coughs, as long as the cough is not associated with any worrisome symptoms, experts say. (iStock)
Guaifenesin works by making mucus thinner and easier to bring up so that less irritant is left behind.
“Phenylephrine is a decongestant that helps treat nasal congestion and postnasal drip,” Sidhu said.
Parents or caregivers should check with their pediatrician first before administering cough medications to children, experts advise.
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Also, OTC medications only treat the symptoms — not the underlying cause.
Past research has shown that they are no more effective than placebo medications in treating coughs.
“To help with an ongoing cough, use of a humidifier is recommended to keep plenty of moisture in your immediate atmosphere,” Hardy added.
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Eating too much salt has long been linked to high blood pressure, but new research suggests it could trick the immune system into prematurely aging the blood vessels.
A preclinical study recently published in the Journal of the American Heart Association has identified a biological chain reaction that links a salty diet to cardiovascular decay.
Scientists at the University of South Alabama observed that mice on a high-salt diet experienced rapid deterioration in their blood vessel function.
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After just four weeks of high sodium intake, the small arteries responsible for regulating blood flow lost their ability to relax, according to a press release.
The team found that the cells lining these vessels had entered a state of cellular senescence, a form of premature cellular aging in which cells stop dividing and release a mix of inflammatory signals that can damage surrounding tissue.
Excess salt has long been linked to high blood pressure, but a new study goes deeper into its effects on the cardiovascular system. (iStock)
The researchers tried to replicate this damage by exposing blood vessel cells directly to salt in a laboratory dish, but the cells showed no harmful effects.
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This suggests that salt isn’t directly causing damage to the vascular lining but that the real culprit may be the body’s own defense mechanism, the researchers noted.
Excess salt may trigger the immune system to release a molecule called interleukin-16 (IL-16), which acts as a messenger that instructs blood vessel cells to grow old before their time, according to the study.
Excess salt may trigger the immune system to release a molecule called interleukin-16, which acts as a messenger that instructs blood vessel cells to grow old before their time, according to the study. (iStock)
Once these cells age, they fail to produce nitric oxide, the essential gas that tells arteries to dilate and stay flexible.
To test whether this process could be reversed, the team turned to a class of experimental drugs known as senolytics.
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Using a cancer medication called navitoclax, which selectively clears out aged and dysfunctional cells, the researchers were able to restore nearly normal blood vessel function in the salt-fed mice, the release stated.
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By removing the decaying cells created by the high-salt diet, the drug allowed the remaining healthy tissue to maintain its elasticity and respond correctly to blood flow demands.
Excess salt may trigger the immune system into stopping the cells from dividing, the study suggests. (iStock)
The study did have some limitations. The transition from mouse models to human treatment remains a significant hurdle, the team cautioned.
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Senolytic drugs like navitoclax are still being studied for safety, and the team emphasized that previous trials have shown mixed results regarding their impact on artery plaque.
Additionally, the researchers have not yet confirmed whether the same IL-16 pathway is the primary driver of vascular aging in humans.
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Eating a diet high in fruits and vegetables was found to have a surprising link to lung cancer among younger non-smokers, early research suggests.
The observational study, led by Jorge Nieva, M.D., of the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center at Keck Medicine, was presented this month at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) annual meeting in San Diego. It has not yet been peer-reviewed.
Researchers looked at dietary, smoking and demographic data for 187 patients who were diagnosed with lung cancer at age 50 or younger.
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They found that among non-smokers, there was a link between healthier-than-average diets – rich in fruits, vegetables and whole grains – and the chance of lung cancer development.
Young lung cancer patients ate more servings of dark green vegetables, legumes and whole grains compared to the average U.S. adult, the researchers found.
Eating a diet high in fruits and vegetables was found to have a surprising link to lung cancer among younger non-smokers, early research suggests. (iStock)
The researchers hypothesized that pesticides applied to conventionally grown produce could be a possible factor in the disease association.
“Commercially produced (non-organic) fruits, vegetables and whole grains are more likely to be associated with a higher residue of pesticides than dairy, meat and many processed foods,” according to Nieva. He also noted that agricultural workers exposed to pesticides tend to have higher rates of lung cancer.
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“There is a large subset of lung cancer patients whose disease is not caused by smoking,” Nieva told Fox News Digital.
The disease is becoming more common in non-smokers 50 and younger, especially women – despite the fact that smoking rates have been falling for decades, the researcher noted.
The researchers hypothesized that pesticides applied to conventionally grown produce could be a possible factor in the disease association. (iStock)
“These patients tend to have eaten much healthier diets before their diagnosis than the average American,” he went on. “We need to support research into understanding why Americans – and women in particular – who no longer smoke very much are still having lung cancer,” he said.
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The study did have some limitations, Nieva acknowledged, primarily that it relied on survey data and was limited by the participants’ memories of their food intake.
“Also, the survey participants were self-selected, and this could have biased the findings,” he told Fox News Digital.
“There is a large subset of lung cancer patients whose disease is not caused by smoking.”
The researchers did not test specific foods for pesticides, relying instead on average pesticide levels for certain types of food. Looking ahead, they plan to test patients’ blood and urine samples to directly measure pesticide levels, Nieva said.
Although the study shows only an association and does not prove that pesticides caused lung cancer, Nieva recommends that people wash their produce before eating and choose organic foods whenever possible.
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“This work represents a critical step toward identifying modifiable environmental factors that may contribute to lung cancer in young adults,” said Nieva. “Our hope is that these insights can guide both public health recommendations and future investigation into lung cancer prevention.”
“It is possible that the increased lung cancer risk could be due to pesticide exposure in whole farmed foods, but is by no means certain,” a doctor said. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
Dr. Marc Siegel, Fox News senior medical analyst, said the study is “interesting,” but that it “raises far more questions than it answers.”
“It is a small study (around 150) and observational, so no proof,” the doctor, who was not involved in the research, told Fox News Digital.
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“It is possible that the increased lung cancer risk could be due to pesticide exposure in whole farmed foods, but it is by no means certain,” Siegel went on. “How much exposure is needed? How much of it gets into food and in which areas? This requires much further study.”
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Kayla Nichols, communications director for Pesticide Action & Agroecology Network, a distributed global network, said the organization agrees with the study’s conclusion that more research should be done on the rise in lung cancer, particularly in individuals eating diets higher in produce and fiber.
“There is a large subset of lung cancer patients whose disease is not caused by smoking,” the researcher told Fox News Digital. (iStock)
“There is a bounty of existing research that already links pesticide exposure to increased risk of multiple types of cancers,” Nichols, who was also not involved in the study, told Fox News Digital. She called for more research on chronic, low-level exposures to pesticides, as well as more effective policies to protect the public from pesticide residues on food.
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The study was supported by the National Institutes of Health and the National Cancer Institute, as well as industry partners including AstraZeneca and Genentech, among others.
Fox News Digital reached out to several pesticide companies and trade groups for comment.
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