Some people are unstable before the onslaught of allergens, when the immune system begins to react sensitively to the penetration of foreign objects into the body, even in small quantities. Side effects appear in the form of dry cough, sore throat, lacrimation, runny nose.
Allergy cannot be considered a separate pathology. Rather, it is a sign of upper respiratory tract irritation. What is allergic pathogenesis? Why does a dry allergic cough bother an adult, how to treat it and how to protect yourself from it?
Allergy - what is it? Features
Allergy is the response of the immune system to the ingestion of foreign agents. The mediator of allergic reactions is histamine, which the body begins to produce in an enhanced mode, releasing from the cells.
The whole inflammatory process occurs in a chain, leading to different manifestations in patients. These may be physiological or biochemical manifestations.
Histamine is quickly activated, begins to bind in the bronchi (intestines) with H1 receptors. As a result, the lumen of the bronchi narrows. Mucus accumulates in the cavity. The mucous membrane of the bronchial tree begins to swell. Patients may have:
- shortness of breath;
- dry allergic cough.
If you do not take therapeutic measures, then the reaction described above, as new releases of histamine into the blood vessels, will periodically repeat again, and so - in a vicious circle.
Allergy cough: varieties
Dry allergic cough is one of the main symptoms, as a reaction from the immune system to the penetration of allergens into the body.
Do not confuse it with a viral cold. Features of the appearance - suddenness (more often at night) accompanied by itching on the skin, sore throat. However, there is no sputum production.
It happens by type:
- dry with early onset, no bronchial sputum;
- moist with phlegm when coughing.
What treatment is needed? It will depend entirely on the type of cough, since the symptoms of a dry allergic cough and a wet one are very specific.
Why does it occur in humans?
Allergy is not a disease, but only an excessive susceptibility of the body, a reaction to the ingress of foreign bodies. How does it manifest itself? Dry allergic cough is manifested by seizures, can be triggered by factors leading to negative reactionsin the respiratory organs. These could be:
- various household chemicals (washing powders, dish cleaners, air freshener);
- mold yeast-like fungi (spores) when people stay in humid places for a long time - they cause severe coughing fits in predisposed people;
- household dust, which is abundant in the house on the floor, cabinets, furniture, shelves;
- pollen during flowering plants (sunflower, wormwood, birch, ragweed, poplar);
- pets (wool, feed);
- some food products with dyes, additives and flavors in the composition (fruits, berries, vegetables, herbs);
- drug abuse;
- excessive sterility in the room (excessive hygiene) - babies under 1 year old often suffer from the efforts of mothers to clean up, the immune system weakens and the body stops fighting dangerous foreign bodies.
Diathesis, genetic predisposition, living in unfavorable contaminated areas, and drug abuse can provoke an allergic cough in children and adults.
To prevent the development of relapses, to get rid of the pathological condition when coughing is possible only after identifying the true pathogens. It is important to be able to distinguish between a cough and a cold (an onslaught of infection) in order to guide treatment in the right direction.
Why does the cough get worse at night?
At night, a person is in a lying position, so mucus begins to accumulate in the respiratoryorgans due to the impossibility of rapid resorption. As a result, sputum accumulates in the nasopharynx, preventing normal breathing, causing a cough reflex. Circulation is disturbed as sputum accumulates.
Air changes in the room can cause attacks: dryness during the day, coolness at night.
Additional features
Dry allergic cough usually begins to appear instantly (attacks), immediately after contact of the body with allergens (lasting up to five to six hours). It causes a lot of inconvenience to people.
Unlike a cold, an allergy cough can last more than three weeks in a row, usually does not lead to fever, aching bones.
What other symptoms does an allergic dry cough have? Additional possible signs to look out for:
- office of colorless sputum as it accumulates in the bronchi during long bouts of coughing, but without the presence of blood clots, pus;
- clear nasal discharge;
- sneeze;
- lacrimation;
- pressing pain in the forehead;
- rash on body;
- swelling of the bronchial mucosa (lungs as odors are inhaled);
- breathing difficulties;
- possible development of a gag reflex;
- chest pain.
Often, a dry allergic cough in an adult takes a protracted character. It can last up to several months. This is the dangersince the pathology becomes chronic, it can cause the development of pharyngitis, chronic rhinitis, stenosis of the larynx, uncontrolled urination, loss of consciousness, swelling of the throat mucosa.
How to understand what bothers allergic cough?
It is impossible to identify allergens on your own, because a cough is similar to the symptoms of a cold. It is also observed in the case of the development of an inflammatory process in the respiratory organs.
It is important for allergy sufferers to constantly monitor situations as they stay in that other place, write in a diary at what hours attacks appear and after what contacts.
Only allergy tests, a phased examination will help identify the problem.
The difference between an allergic reaction and a cold cough
Allergens, when they enter and accumulate in the body, lead to severe irritation of the bronchial mucosa, the appearance of debilitating paroxysmal coughing. The main differences between an allergic cough and a cold:
- Seizures accompanied by panic attacks.
- Seasonality, since exacerbations and unpleasant symptoms of allergic dry cough often appear in the off-season (spring-autumn), less often in winter.
- Increased cough on contact with allergens, sources of irritation.
Can allergies appear spontaneously?
The peculiarity of cough with allergies is a spontaneous manifestation, immediately after contact with irritants, when the immune system begins to react instantly. The person coughs as he inhales. These can be smells of perfume, cosmetics, carpet productsshopping.
Cough in children
Allergies do not depend on age. Violent reactions often occur in infants when:
- dry cough;
- transparent snot;
- rash on body;
- lacrimation.
What to do if a child has a dry allergic cough? Experts give the following answer. If a child is worried about a dry allergic cough, the main treatment is antihistamines, taking into account the weight and age of the child. Additionally, vitamins are needed to stimulate the immune system. In severe allergies - saline with glucose (intravenous administration) to cleanse the blood of accumulations of allergens.
Antihistamines are prescribed only with the permission of specialists and in small courses. Long-term use is addictive, side effects.
It is important for mothers to monitor the well-being of babies. At the first manifestations of diathesis on the cheeks, a rash on the body, one should consult a pediatrician, an allergist.
If a child is allergic, then you need to know the rules that are extremely important to follow:
- wet clean the room daily;
- ventilate the room the child is in;
- isolate from contact with animals in case of increased coughing at night as wool is inhaled;
- wash the nasal mucosa immediately after accidental contact with allergens.
Reduce the level of histamine, relieve swelling and cough will help the following drugs:
- "Fenistil" with the use of children from one month.
- "Tavegil", "Suprastin", although they can cause weakness, drowsiness.
- Expectorants, mucolytics ("Muk altin", "Bromhexine", "Ambroxol", "Lazolvan") for thinning sputum, bringing it out.
- Natural preparations (syrups) based on medicinal herbs.
Diagnostic measures
For doctors, it is not difficult to identify an allergic cough when patients have swelling of the mucous membrane of the larynx, lacrimation, and sore throat.
You can talk about the allergic nature of cough if patients have already been previously diagnosed with asthmatic bronchitis, obstructive tracheitis, rhinitis, hay fever, bronchial asthma.
Diagnostics - differential, to exclude other diseases of the ENT organs. It is based on scarification tests with the application of an allergen to damaged areas of the skin, to identify further reactions.
Allergy tests have contraindications: pregnancy, SARS, colds, flu.
Additional examination procedures:
- blood test for biochemistry;
- urinalysis;
- scarification test with 2-3 scratches on the skin;
- prick test.
When choosing a diagnostic technique, the doctor takes into account the degree of manifestation of the disease, the seasonality of the year, the duration and nature of the symptoms. If the allergen is identified, the allergist will advise:
- how to act in emergency cases during exacerbations;
- what measures to take to relieve an attack.
Principles of cough treatment
You should not delay treatment and self-medicate in order to avoid deterioration of he alth. The main goal is to stop the course of allergic reactions, since the allergy is not completely eliminated. It happens that the cough becomes protracted up to several months. And even strong medications do not help to eliminate it. What is the treatment for dry allergic cough in an adult?
Guidelines:
- Detect, eliminate allergens.
- Take a course of treatment with antihistamines, glucocorticoids.
- Take measures to remove sputum. To help - hardware techniques, folk recipes, desensitization.
Medication treatment
It is important to find effective medicines for dry allergic cough. But first of all you need:
- Eliminate all contact with dust, animal hair, flowering plants, pollen.
- Reconsider eating when reacting to certain foods.
Here's how to cure a dry allergic cough. At the heart of therapy:
- antihistamines ("Loratadin", "Suprastin", "Claritin", "Zirtek", "Cetrin") with anti-allergic action;
- steam inhalations with the addition of medicines ("Sinekod", "Libexin", "Codelac", "Dexamethasone");
- enterosorbents("Polysorb", "Polifepan", "Enterosgel");
- glucocorticoids ("Ingacort", "Benacort");
- cough remedies, prevention of stenosis (swelling of the larynx).
How to suppress an allergic dry cough? Treatment can be done by inhalation with soda vapor inhalation, for which warm soda solution can be added to nebulizers. Medicinal herbs in the composition with azulene will also help: yarrow, eucalyptus, chamomile, St. John's wort.
Relieve coughing fits by washing, rinsing the mouth and nose with s alt to strengthen the mucosa.
Desensitization
This method of influencing allergic cough is used by doctors in a clinic. A course of desensitization with the introduction of an allergen into the body in small doses helps to minimize the manifestation of negative reactions.
The following hardware techniques are applicable:
- plasmapheresis to partially remove allergens from blood plasma;
- hemosorption - a technique for removing allergens from the blood with a special apparatus.
Folk recipes
It is important to eliminate all contact with allergens, to stop even passive smoking (especially for children if their parents smoke). When a cough appears, it is good to immediately start washing the nasal cavity (throat) with a non-concentrated saline solution or a decoction of chamomile. Other effective folk recipes:
- Bay leaf (prepare a decoction). Brew a few leaves with boiling water (one glass), insist,take four glasses three times a day.
- Black radish. Squeeze out fresh juice or insist with the addition of honey. Take one teaspoon three times daily.
- Prepare the collection: licorice (root 30 grams), calendula (flowers 50 grams each), dill (ten grams) pour boiling water (half a liter of liquid is enough). Boil for 10-15 minutes on fire, strain. Take 50-60 grams per session after meals.
- Thyme to minimize dry cough symptoms. Brew one teaspoon to one glass of boiling water. Drink the infusion fresh.
At the time of treatment, it is important to drink more clean water, because without it you will not be able to quickly recover.
Prevention
If you follow simple preventive measures, it is quite possible to prevent the manifestation of an allergic cough. Worth:
- give up bad habits (smoking);
- revise the diet to include natural products without dyes (flavors);
- refuse to use abrasive household chemicals, artificial cosmetics;
- walk more in nature;
- do sports;
- wet cleaning two or three times a week;
- take antihistamines in case of spontaneous cough;
- visit ecologically clean areas, sanatoriums more often.
Conclusion
Allergy is a chronic disease that often haunts patients throughout their lives. Dry allergic cough in an adult and a child is the mostcommon symptom. Following the simple recommendations of doctors, maintaining a he althy lifestyle will help muffle the symptoms, achieve a stable remission.
If attacks appear, then predisposed people need to understand how to treat a dry allergic cough or reduce unpleasant symptoms at home. It is important to know how to protect yourself, because ongoing negative reactions in the body for a long time can lead to chronic complications (it could be rhinitis or asthma).
