Just like white blood cells play a protective role against illnesses in our body, similarly, cough is an inborn defence mechanism of our respiratory tract to get rid of mucus, dust, fumes, micro-organisms and other toxins.
A cough along with mucus production is the most efficient way to clear the airways. Quite often, cough also becomes a sign for airway disease. It is therefore not an abnormal symptom. Almost all conditions related to the respiratory tract are associated with pain or burning in the chest when you a cough.
About 18% of the US population is reported to have a persistent cough. A higher incidence was reported in females for chronic, non productive cough at night related to smoking, asthma, obesity and environmental factors.
India, on the other han,d has one of the largest percentages of tobacco consumers, beginning right from the adolescents.
For city dwellers, the duration and intensity of a cough and the amount of mucus produced depend upon the amount of exposure to irritants like chemicals, toxins, industrial fumes, cigarette smoke, vehicular emissions and dust. Whereas in rural areas dust, animal dander, hay and pollens are potential enough to cause a cough.
Acute Cough lasting for less than 3 weeks. Cough presents usually with fever and expectoration.
Chronic Cough lasting for more than 8 weeks. Cough is usually dry and without fever or any other symptoms.
Wet Cough with mucus production. Mucus production with a cough is seen in acute viral or bacterial infections and is associated with fever.
Dry Cough caused due to environmental factors like dust, fumes, vehicular and industrial emissions. Dry cough is usually chronic without other symptoms or fever.
Long lasting cough with or without expectoration and pain or burning in the chest can be seen in a number of respiratory tract conditions like:
Often, chronic and dry type of a cough do not present with fever or any other symptoms. This article will help you understand why your chest burns when you cough
Heart attack is the first most probably cause for pain in the chest. Chest pain during a cough should certainly not be ignored. You can have pain in the chest or burning in the chest without fever due to respiratory, muscular or gastric causes.
If you have Pain in Chest When you Cough, These Conditions may be Present:
An elaborate history taking along with a chest radiograph and occasionally additional blood tests may be required to find out the cause of pain in the chest or burning in the chest when you a cough.
When your chest burns while a cough, it means that a gastric condition could be an underlying cause. Gastric causes for chest pain are rarely associated with fever or expectoration. If you have burning in the chest while coughing, it could be due to the following reasons:
The possibility for a cardiac cause can be ruled out by careful history taking and by means of an ECG, ultrasound and/or chest x-ray to support the diagnosis. Gastric causes of burning in the chest while coughing could be equally serious. And it is advised to seek prompt medical attention for the same.
Management of a cough is primarily aimed at removing the cause. It is important to explain to the patients the importance of a healthy lifestyle. For the urban crowd, environmental dust and pollutants work as a maintaining factor but the similar logic can also be applied.
Since changing the place of residence is not possible for maximum individuals, adequate measures to build a good immune system can be undertaken. It is also not possible to take antibiotics, cough syrups or steroids each time you have an irritating cough. Therefore, apart from medications, some home remedies work naturally in treating cough.
If your Chest Burns While Coughing, There are Certain Measures to Follow so that Your Stomach Lining is not Irritated Further.
A cough due to viral infections is usually self-limiting. But a post-viral cough can be potentially irritating and long lasting. On the other hand, cough from bacterial causes usually responds well to antibiotics.
However, cough due to reflux or from allergic causes can cause a chronic, dry and unproductive cough. In spite of such a large variety of home remedies, if a cough doesn’t subside or it increases, or if it lasts longer than eight weeks, then it will be advisable to visit a clinician. In such cases, it becomes mandatory to evaluate the cause of a cough and manage it accordingly. None of the disease conditions should be underestimated and timely consultation should be sought.
Medically Reviewed By
Dr. Himanshi is a Homoeopathic consultant and currently working as a lecturer in Post-graduate faculty of Homeopathy, Parul University, Vadodara. Completed BHMS and MD in Homeopathy in January 2018 and also has a clinical experience of about 6 years. Personal interests include reading, spending time with family and traveling.
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