Dry cough for one month without improvement: what's the cause and what should I do?
Nov 14, 2024
Source: Cainiu Health
Dr. Ren Yi
Introduction
In general, a persistent dry cough lasting for a month may be caused by environmental irritants, excessive use of the voice, gastroesophageal reflux, bronchitis, chronic pharyngitis, or other reasons, and treatment should be based on the specific cause. Patients with a prolonged dry cough should promptly seek medical evaluation and diagnosis at a hospital to identify the underlying cause and receive targeted treatment.
Generally, a persistent dry cough lasting for a month may be caused by environmental factors, excessive voice use, gastroesophageal reflux, bronchitis, chronic pharyngitis, or other reasons, and appropriate management depends on the specific situation.
1. Environmental irritation: Dry air can cause respiratory mucosa to lose moisture, leaving it dry and fragile, which can lead to dry coughing. It is recommended to use a humidifier to increase air humidity and maintain moist respiratory mucosa.
2. Excessive voice use: Frequent vocal vibrations can damage throat tissues, impair local blood circulation, and disrupt mucosal secretory function, thereby causing dry cough. Try to reduce the duration of continuous voice use, allow the vocal cords to rest sufficiently, and control the intensity and frequency of vocalization.
3. Gastroesophageal reflux: Acidic substances such as refluxed gastric acid and pepsin can irritate the mucosa of the esophagus and throat, causing inflammatory reactions that may lead to dry cough. It is recommended to take medications such as omeprazole enteric-coated capsules or lansoprazole enteric-coated tablets as directed by a physician to inhibit gastric acid secretion.
4. Bronchitis: Under inflammatory stimulation, bronchial mucosa becomes congested and edematous, with increased mucus secretion, and bronchial smooth muscle spasms can cause airway narrowing and impaired airflow, resulting in dry cough. It is recommended to take medications such as cefaclor capsules or levofloxacin tablets under medical guidance for treatment.
5. Chronic pharyngitis: The pharyngeal mucosa experiences long-term inflammatory stimulation, leading to pathological changes such as congestion, hypertrophy, and lymphoid follicle hyperplasia, resulting in symptoms of foreign body sensation, dryness, and dry cough in the throat. It is recommended to take medications such as pharyngitis tablets or amoxicillin tablets under medical guidance for treatment.
Patients with a dry cough persisting for a month should promptly visit a hospital for examination and diagnosis to identify the underlying cause and receive targeted treatment.
