Cough is a natural reflexive response of the respiratory organs to irritation of sensitive mucous membranes. A sharp contraction of the muscles leads to a push and an uncontrolled release of air from the lungs.

This is not an independent disease, but just a symptom that helps the body cleanse airways from mucus, fluid and pathogenic microorganisms. To pick up optimal treatment underlying disease, you need to know how to distinguish from wet.

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Why is it more correct to say "productive" and "unproductive"?

The main task of cough is to relieve Airways from harmful elements that irritate the mucous membrane. Microbes, bacteria and dust particles get into the sputum that is secreted by the bronchi. If the reflex contraction of the muscles leads to the withdrawal of mucus, the body is cleansed and the cough is considered productive.

The difference between dry and wet cough is that the first type is characterized by inflammation, but the removal of mucus from the bronchi does not occur. The absence of sputum negatively affects the condition of the mucous membrane: constant spasms irritate the larynx. The process has no productivity and does not bring any benefit.

With a dry cough, various viral and infectious diseases. The inflammatory process develops quite quickly, and after a few days, mucus should begin to flow. Medicines for a productive cough are necessary for the rapid removal of mucus from the respiratory tract.

Unproductive cough is often caused by:

• allergies;

Wet cough can be constant or intermittent. The color of the discharge indicates the course of the disease. With proper treatment, it becomes transparent. If it is green or yellowish, this is a reason to see a doctor: perhaps inflammatory process worsened in the respiratory system.

Cough with sputum is caused by:

• inflammatory processes in the bronchi.

The severity of symptoms and the frequency of attacks depend on the nature and rate of development of the underlying disease.

"Unproductive" - ​​is it wet or not?

A wet cough is considered a productive form, as it is accompanied by active sputum production and helps the body fight viral inflammation. During it, particles of dirt and dust that a person inhales during the day are also removed. A non-productive cough is dry: it does not clear the airways, but irritates the larynx.

The mechanism of their formation distinguishes the types of cough. Dryness is often the first symptom of onset viral disease. First, the inflammatory process is based in the nasopharynx and larynx. When the infection enters the upper respiratory tract, bronchial tree mucus appears.

An intermediate option is an unproductive cough. It is possible if too viscous mucus appears in the airways, which cannot be coughed up. In this case, you need auxiliary drugs. They dilute sputum and contribute to its rapid removal from the body of the patient.

Without the withdrawal of sputum, the body is not able to get rid of pathogenic microorganisms, which is why coughing fits become hysterical and are accompanied by severe spasms chest, irritation of the nasopharynx and pharynx. The injured mucosa becomes defenseless against infections.

How to determine in an adult?

It is possible to determine whether the cough is dry or wet after an attack: when wet, the mucus is coughed up and remains in the patient's mouth. The process is not accompanied painful sensations, and the accumulation of sputum is felt even before the onset of coughing. During it, obvious wheezing is heard.

Knowing the main features of the unproductive reflex helps to distinguish a dry cough from a wet cough in an adult. These include:

1. Violent attacks without warning.
2. Breathing problems during coughing.
3. Pain in the chest.
4. There is no relief after coughing.
5. Barking sounds.
6. Burning and pain in throat.

Severe irritation and narrowing of the larynx leads to a reaction in the esophagus, which is why prolonged bouts of unproductive dry cough often lead to vomiting.

You need to know how a dry cough differs from a wet one in adults in order to choose proper treatment. If a dry cough persists for a long time and does not become productive, drugs containing codeine are prescribed. It suppresses the reflex. Medications with mild anesthetic effect: they reduce the sensitivity of the mucosa, relieving the patient of the desire to cough.

With a wet cough, reflex suppressors, with the exception of individual cases, are prohibited: they only complicate the process of cleansing the body. Suitable only, restoring the functions of the respiratory tract and eliminating sputum from the bronchi and lungs.

Differences in a child

Young children often cannot explain to their parents how they feel. Adults should know how to distinguish a dry cough from a wet cough in a child: you should press your ear to your chest and ask the baby to breathe through his mouth for a while. If you hear gurgling and wheezing, then the cough is wet.

In children, as in adults, a non-productive cough is one of the initial signs viral diseases. Inflammation begins to develop in the larynx and pharynx. First, the baby feels a sore throat, followed by an anguished and painful attack.

A small organism is at the stage of its formation and reacts sharply to any stimuli. Under adverse conditions environment irritation respiratory system provoked by more harmless factors:

• dry air;
• pungent odors;
• chemical vapors;
• dust;
• plant pollen;

In this case, the elimination of the irritant helps to stop the attacks. specific therapy for similar phenomena not required. To quickly get rid of an unpleasant symptom, parents should know how a dry cough differs from a wet one in a child.

The baby should drink natural homemade fruit drinks, herbal tea with honey (if not available). allergic reaction for bee products). Thinning of viscous mucus is also facilitated by inhalation, for which a nebulizer is used. If it is not available, a deep bowl with a decoction of chamomile will do, over which the child should breathe for 5-10 minutes.

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How to recognize and cure different kinds cough:

conclusions

1. To distinguish a dry cough from a wet one, you need to pay attention to the sensations during attacks and the accompanying symptoms.
2. A productive (wet) cough is accompanied by active sputum production, and is a sign of respiratory disease or inflammation of the respiratory system.
3. Unproductive (dry) is caused by viruses, it leads to irritation and damage to the respiratory tract.

You are a fairly active person who cares and thinks about your respiratory system and health in general, continue to play sports, healthy lifestyle life and your body will delight you throughout your life. But do not forget to undergo examinations on time, maintain your immunity, this is very important, do not overcool, avoid severe physical and severe emotional overload. Try to minimize contact with sick people, in case of forced contact, do not forget about protective equipment (mask, washing hands and face, cleaning the respiratory tract).

cough, which is defensive reaction human body to any irritants, it can be either dry or wet. It is very important to distinguish between these two varieties, since each of them indicates various diseases and requires a special approach in treatment.

How to distinguish a dry cough from a wet one? To do this, it is enough to know the main signs of a particular condition. For example, dry cough is characterized by such features:

• suddenness and paroxysmal character;
• lack of relief after a coughing fit;
• occurrence pain in the chest associated with overstrain of muscles and respiratory organs;
• complete absence of mucus. Dry cough is also called unproductive, as it does not contribute to the removal of sputum from the body;
• in some cases, prolonged coughing attacks are accompanied by vomiting.

The main causes of dry cough are an allergic reaction to any irritant, as well as:

• diseases such as laryngitis, bronchitis or tracheitis at their initial stage;
• bronchial asthma. Very dangerous state in which it is necessary to carefully monitor the patient's condition. Otherwise, a coughing attack can lead to difficulty breathing and even death;
• smoking, unfavorable environmental conditions, inhalation of substances harmful to health;
• entry into the respiratory tract of foreign bodies;
• lung cancer or the presence of a benign tumor.

Timely detection and treatment of dry cough makes it possible to cope with serious infectious diseases already at the first stage of their development, so we strongly recommend not to delay the visit to the doctor in order to avoid complications.

What is the difference between wet cough and dry cough

Wet cough - both in children and adults - is characterized by the excretion of sputum. That is why it is called productive. Its main feature is a significant relief of the patient's condition, the presence of quite real result. Basically, a wet cough occurs with the following diseases:

• tracheitis, laryngitis and bronchitis already mentioned above, the presence of an inflammatory process;
• inflammation of the lungs (pneumonia). This disease can be diagnosed by sputum, the color of which becomes orange-brown;
• lung abscess. In this case, the mucus contains purulent inclusions.

Sometimes a wet cough also indicates a sore throat or thyroid gland, therefore it is very important immediately after its occurrence to contact a specialist for staging accurate diagnosis. Ignoring given state can lead to disease progression to chronic form.

Now you know how to distinguish a dry cough from a wet one, so you can easily decide on one of the methods described below for treating a particular disease.

The main goals of treating a dry cough are to slightly restrain the reflex in order to significantly alleviate the patient's condition. In addition, it is required to transfer it to a productive stage, to achieve the removal of sputum from the body. All this is achieved by taking the following medications:

• Codeine or ethylmorphine. Enough strong medicines that suppress the cough center. They should only be taken for severe attacks;
• Tusuprex, Stoptussin or Libexin. They have a calming effect directly on the mucous membrane, relieve swelling and gradually eliminate coughing;
• antihistamines, which must be taken if the cough is a symptom of an allergic reaction;
• Ambroxol. A mucolytic agent that thins mucus and turns a dry cough into a wet one.

What medicines should be taken if sputum is expelled when coughing? The answer to this question depends on what exactly caused the occurrence. given symptom. For example, if it is a consequence of a cold, then you can be treated folk remedies using tea with honey, milk with butter, various herbal decoctions. Inhalations with soda also help very well, essential oils eucalyptus or citrus.

If a wet cough is caused by infectious diseases, you will need to take medical preparations, the most common of which are:

• all the same Ambroxol, which accelerates the process of removing excess sputum from the body;
• Prospan. Very efficient and relatively safe drug, which is often prescribed even to young children;
• Herbion. The medicine is made in plant-based and does an excellent job with the treatment of wet cough;
• antibiotics to help treat pathogenic bacteria, to defeat not only the symptom itself, but also the disease that causes it.

Causes of cough. Does coughing always mean respiratory problems?

Indeed, in most cases, coughing indicates the defeat of the respiratory tract by some kind of disease. In this case, often, coughing is the symptom of the disease that makes the patient see a doctor. The question: is cough always a symptom of a disease of the respiratory system, is very interesting for a more detailed consideration. This is especially true for chronic cough. Before considering the list of diseases that can cause cough, we will describe some of the characteristics of cough in order to subsequently describe the different types of cough in various diseases. Knowledge of the elementary features of cough in various diseases can be extremely important not only for medical professionals, but for all people who are faced with this problem.

In order to determine the type of cough and its belonging to any disease, you need to pay attention to its main characteristics: the duration, strength of the cough, the moment of the day when the cough is the strongest, the cough is wet or dry, the nature of the sputum that is released during coughing, the timbre of the cough , the presence of other symptoms of the disease.

How long does the cough last?
From point of view clinical development distinguish between acute, lingering and chronic cough.
Acute cough - present for up to 3 weeks. Acute cough is characterized by the constancy of symptoms, that is, the cough is present almost all the time. Acute cough is characteristic of most SARS (influenza, parainfluenza, RS infection, adenovirus infection), acute bronchitis, pneumonia, pharyngitis. Acute cough, as a rule, is exclusively protective in nature and helps to cleanse the body of germs and sputum.
lingering cough. Unlike acute cough, persistent cough lasts from 3 weeks to 3 months. A persistent cough is less persistent than an acute one. It is quite possible that the cough develops in waves (appearance and disappearance of cough after a few days) or its appearance only in certain time days (for example, in the morning or at night). A lingering cough also most often indicates a lesion of the respiratory tract, however, unlike an acute cough, a lingering cough indicates a slow course of the disease and the possibility of its transition to a chronic form.
chronic cough. The diagnosis of chronic cough is established when the cough lasts more than 3 months. Immediately, we note that chronic cough can be a sign of very dangerous diseases: chronic bronchitis, bronchial asthma, heart failure, tumors of the lungs and respiratory tract, tuberculosis. Therefore, patients with chronic cough need the most careful examination and treatment. In some cases, chronic cough can occur in nervously ill people (without certain diseases of the respiratory system), as well as in people susceptible to adverse factors environment: dust, smoke, corrosive gases. Smokers have a chronic cough - it can be a sign of prolonged irritation of the bronchi tobacco smoke, and a sign of one of the complications of smoking (bronchitis, lung cancer).
Chronic cough is usually intermittent. Chronic cough is characterized by periods of exacerbation and remission, as well as cough fixation, that is, the occurrence of cough at a certain time of the day. Exacerbations of chronic cough are associated with an exacerbation of the disease that caused it or with the impact on the body of any irritating factors (cold air, dust, allergens).
Chronic cough, as a phenomenon, loses its protective role and may be the cause of the development of some disorders of the respiratory system: emphysema, bronchiectasis, spontaneous pneumothorax, disruption of the heart, the formation of a hernia internal organs etc.

Strong or weak cough?
Usually, the strength of the cough depends on the severity of the disease: acute illnesses respiratory tract are accompanied by a strong, "hysterical" cough. Chronic diseases - are manifested by a mild cough (coughing). Especially coughing characteristic of respiratory diseases such as whooping cough (convulsive cough), acute tracheitis or acute bronchitis caused by influenza or other acute respiratory viral infections. Coughing is often observed in chronic smokers, patients with chronic bronchitis, tuberculosis, lung cancer. In chronic cough, the transition from coughing to hysterical cough always means an aggravation of the course of the disease.

What time of day does the cough appear?
The appearance of a cough at a certain time of the day can be a fairly characteristic sign of a particular disease. A cough that lasts all day is characteristic of acute respiratory infections(influenza, parainfluenza, whooping cough), as well as for acute laryngitis, acute tracheitis, acute bronchitis. Cough that occurs in the morning is typical for patients with chronic bronchitis, bronchiectasis, with a lung abscess. Night cough is typical for patients with heart failure, patients with lung cancer, patients with tuberculosis. Often night cough is the only symptom of gastroesophageal reflux, chronic sinusitis, or chronic rhinitis. Allergic cough occurs at any time upon contact with an allergen. For allergic cough and the cough of asthmatics is characterized by a seasonal appearance in spring or autumn.

Wet or dry cough? What kind of sputum?
The terms "dry" or "wet" cough require further clarification. It is customary to talk about dry cough in those cases when, when coughing, either no sputum is secreted at all, or very little is secreted. meager amounts sputum. Wet cough accompanied by copious sputum. Sputum is produced by the bronchi and trachea. Microbes and their poisons are excreted from the body along with sputum when coughing. During many diseases, there is often a transition from a dry cough to a wet one, as well as a change in the nature of sputum (for example, from watery to purulent). Such a change in the nature of cough, as well as a change in the nature of sputum, depends on the natural development of the disease. With many viral infections (influenza, parainfluenza, RS infection), the cough is initially dry; the appearance of purulent sputum suggests that a bacterial infection has joined the viral infection - this development is typical for most SARS.
Dry cough is also characteristic of chronic pharyngitis, initial stages inflammation of the lungs, lung cancer, initial forms of tuberculosis, gastroesophageal reflux (hit gastric juice from the stomach to the esophagus), chronic sinusitis, pleural diseases ( systemic diseases connective tissue, tumors), for patients with heart failure, for patients with allergies.
Important cough with abundant secretions is characteristic of the final stages of pneumonia ( lobar pneumonia), chronic bronchitis, tracheitis. Very copious excretion sputum observed in bronchiectasis.
The nature of the sputum also indicates the nature of the disease - watery sputum at the beginning of ARI indicates a "purely viral" infection, while purulent sputum is clear sign bacterial infection. In heart failure, scanty amounts of sputum produced by coughing are usually frothy and may be pink in color. Cough sick bronchial asthma, is also accompanied by the release of scanty viscous, vitreous sputum. The appearance of sputum with blood impurities (hemoptysis) is always an unfavorable sign. If there was bloody sputum only once or several times, then this is most likely the result of a cough that burst when coughing. blood vessel. Chronic cough with bloody sputum can be a sign of heart failure, pulmonary tuberculosis, lung cancer.

Timbre of cough
In some diseases, the timbre of coughing can be quite characteristic. In acute tracheitis, for example, a loud, chesty cough.
With whooping cough, the cough is painful, periodically interrupted by pauses with a sonorous sigh, which again turn into a cough.
Cough with laryngitis is rough, barking. Usually, along with a cough, patients with laryngitis also complain of hoarseness.
At chronic bronchitis cough deep, muffled.
Patients with bronchial asthma complain of a severe, muffled, suffocating cough.

All of the cough characteristics described above can change over the course of the disease.

Sometimes a person suffers from a cough, but cannot understand what he had to face: dry or wet. However, understanding the differences largely determines how effective the planned treatment can be.

Causes of dry cough

Dry cough most often becomes a symptom of some unpleasant and specific disease. There are no regularities as to who can become its owner. At the same time, you need to know and understand the causes that lead to the appearance of a dry cough.

1. Laryngitis. At the beginning of the disease, the cough promises to be very dry, as the mucous membrane of the throat is faced with pronounced irritation. A sick person complains of frequent and constant sore throat, tends to clear his throat. Despite this, cough products will not go away.
2. Tracheitis. This disease leads to frequent painful attacks coughs that are not as easy to stop as we would like. Each new attack can lead to an even greater manifestation unpleasant symptoms, feelings. It seems that the cough comes from the inside and turns everything out.
3. Bronchitis is one of the most common diseases. The reaction to inflammation of the bronchi will be a dry and debilitating cough.
4. Asthma- This chronic illness, which leads to serious problems with respiratory passages. The patient may suffer from a cough that tends to provoke real suffocation.
5. Inhalation of harmful components. In many situations, you can see what inhalation can lead to chemical substances. Even the emissions of waste from steel plants operating within the city limits cause a strong and debilitating dry-type cough. A person seems to strive to get rid of small, but terribly unpleasant particles of chemical dust, despite the fact that he cannot cope with the task.
6. A foreign body can enter the respiratory tract, after which it can interfere with the full supply of oxygen. As a result, the body does its best to get rid of the unwanted foreign body.
7. Infection, which leads to severe inflammation mucous membranes of the throat and nose. With such an ailment, a person suffers from a strong dry cough and sore throat.
8. benign or malignant neoplasm in the lung.

Dry cough is the main reason why you need to promptly contact an experienced doctor for a mandatory treatment course. Only with such an approach can one count on a successful restoration of health status.

What are the features of dry cough?

In most cases, at the onset of the disease, a dry cough appears, which can gradually turn into sputum. More often similar situation becomes possible if there is no treatment.

What features of dry cough should be noted?

1. The character in most cases is paroxysmal. Supposed abrupt start and completion. The cough may sound like a dog barking.
2. The attack develops suddenly. There is a risk that the impression will appear as foreign body got into the respiratory tract.
3. The duration of an attack of dry cough is several minutes. During all this time, a person experiences serious difficulties with the breathing process, since he cannot inhale the optimal amount of oxygen.
4. Dry cough interferes with night sleep. In some cases, a person loses the opportunity for a good rest.
5. Often a coughing fit provokes vomiting. This is explained by the following aspect: cough and vomiting reflex any person has a slight relationship.
6. With a dry cough, mucus is not expected.
7. Even after a bout of coughing, the desired relief does not come.
8. After an attack, you can suffer from pain in the entire chest. Such pain syndrome due to the following aspect: bronchi and muscles long time and continuously contracted, after which they overstrained.

Focusing on the above features, it can be understood that the cough is dry.

Causes of wet cough

Numerous reasons can lead to the appearance of a wet cough, which may indicate the very beginning of recovery. At the same time, one should not deceive oneself with the supposed recovery.

1. Laryngitis. If a person wants to cough up, and he can separate the mucus, you can expect an improvement in health. Passing mucus or sputum may be important if the person has previously suffered from a hoarse voice.
2. Bronchitis. A dry cough must turn into a wet one in order to speak of an improvement in health. If the attacks cease to be debilitating, you can count on alleviating the state of health.
3. Pneumonia. In this case, the patient initially suffers from a wet (wet) cough, and brown-orange sputum is expected.
4. Lung abscess. With this disease, sputum acquires pus.

Wet cough features

1. It is supposed to be productive in the form of mucus or sputum.
2. An attack brings relief to a person.
3. After the attack ends, a person may feel a lump of mucus from the bronchi, despite the absence of pain. Before an attack, there is an accumulation of mucus, which must be urgently coughed up.
4. There are wheezing, which can sometimes turn into shortness of breath.

Dry and wet cough: differences.

1. Dry cough develops under the influence of inflammation of the nasopharynx and larynx, wet cough is manifested due to sputum in the bronchial tree.
2. A dry cough can turn into a wet one. At the same time, a wet cough never turns into a dry one.

Treatment is mandatory in every case.