A cough is considered a necessary phenomenon by which the airways are cleared of unnecessary elements, such as sputum or dust. But most often, the symptom in question indicates the presence of serious pathologies in a person. Bronchospasm is a sign of the presence of harmful substances in the body and a method of getting rid of them through the respiratory system. What if you suffocate when coughing, there is a feeling of lack of air? This symptom directly indicates the presence of respiratory pathologies. In addition, in such a situation, other disorders in the body are possible. In this material, we will consider in more detail the causes of the ailment and the ways to get rid of it.
Why does choking occur?
“Choking on coughing,” smokers often say. And this is not surprising, because the tar contained in cigarettes enters the respiratory tract and irritates the mucous membrane. Tobacco smoking over time leads to the appearance of smoker's bronchitis, when coughing attacks torment the patient daily. A chronic process in the lungs develops, as a result of which the appearance of tuberculosis is possible.
Why are suffocating when coughing? The following reasons are distinguished:
- bronchial asthma, which is allergic or infectious in origin;
- respiratory pathologies resulting from inflammatory processes - laryngitis, bronchitis, tracheitis, as well as heart failure;
- swelling in the lungs, the formation of benign and malignant tumors, variability in blood pressure;
- nervous breakdowns, emotional stress, stress, abnormal psychological state.
If we talk about children, the key causes of endless coughing are rickets, lack of salts in the body or birth trauma.
Classification
A person feels a lack of air with an unproductive cough. The symptom can be either pathological or physiological. The first option is due to the presence of various kinds of diseases. The second case indicates irritation of the mucous membranes of the respiratory system.
Cough is divided by duration:
- Acute. Often observed with colds and viral diseases. The patient feels weak in the body, his temperature rises, a runny nose appears. In this case, a person suffocates during a cough for about three hours.
- Protracted. Its peculiarity is the presence for two weeks. It does not always go away on its own, so if there is a symptom, it is better to consult a doctor.
- Recurrent. The cough is repeated every month, along with attacks, nausea and vomiting are observed.
- Chronic. As you know, this kind of disease is constantly present. It is impossible to get rid of it without eliminating the root cause.
Choking on coughing. Symptoms
Cough as such is a sign of many pathologies. If there is a feeling of shortness of breath and suffocation, the clinical picture should be analyzed. Let's try to do this:
- Cough of this kind in most cases occurs in smokers with experience. The best method of therapy will be giving up a bad habit.
- When suffocation occurs mainly in the morning, we can talk about chronic bronchitis. Here you can’t do without the help of a specialist.
- Dry persistent cough, coupled with fever and sputum indicates the presence of laryngitis.
- Bronchial asthma is characterized by intense bouts of bursting cough. Among the symptoms, pain in the chest, shortness of breath can be distinguished, sputum leaves in large quantities.
- Choking on coughing patients with benign or malignant tumors in the lungs or bronchi. It seems to the patient that everything inside him will now be torn.
Intense cough in children
As you know, babies endure most of the diseases much harder, because an unformed organism is more susceptible to attack by viruses and infections. If a child suffocates from coughing, parents should carefully address this issue. In most situations, the symptom in question is associated with respiratory diseases. However, there are exceptions: coughing may indicate problems of the gastrointestinal tract or cardiovascular system disorders. A convulsive exhalation with wheezing occurs when a foreign body enters.
Additional symptoms will help determine the cause. For example, weakness in the body and weight loss occur with a dry cough. A child may suffocate even in the presence of tuberculosis and tumor damage. As for the treatment of the symptom, it is better to let the doctor decide this question. First, he will make a diagnosis, and then form the most effective treatment in this situation. Often, a specialist recommends taking expectorant drugs and antitussive medications.
Diagnostics
If you do not identify the cause of the cough in time and do not start treatment, complications are possible. Bronchospasm, for example, causes the air in the lungs to linger, which causes a malfunction in the respiratory rhythm. A lack of oxygen leads to an increase in the amount of carbon dioxide in the blood, the brain cannot function, and a person loses consciousness. Oxygen starvation is the basis for the development of a large number of disorders in the body.
The doctor diagnoses with laboratory tests. Among the mandatory, a general analysis of feces and blood, as well as allergy tests are distinguished. To make the prognosis more accurate, the doctor can additionally prescribe computed tomography, electrocardiogram and chest X-ray.
An important step in the formation of the diagnosis is the anamnesis, that is, the collection of information about the disease from the words of the patient. The doctor pays special attention to the intensity, duration and frequency of seizures. After a comprehensive diagnosis, the specialist prescribes a course of therapy.
General principles of treatment
What to do if you are choking on coughing? Do not rush to resolve the issue yourself, it is better to follow the advice and recommendations of your doctor. Medications must be taken strictly according to the instructions. The doctor prescribes specific drugs, but if a mild form of cough is found, you can recover at home.
To achieve a positive result, the following recommendations should be followed:
- correctly determine the causes of the symptom;
- the patient needs to be provided with comfortable conditions;
- ensure that external exposure to dust or other irritating factors is minimized;
- prescribe therapy, the purpose of which will be to combat the underlying ailment;
- during treatment, avoid getting into stressful situations.
Therapy depending on the cause
When a person begins to suffocate when coughing, it is necessary to determine the cause of this symptom. Based on this, treatment is prescribed. When it comes to bronchial asthma, the doctor recommends the use of inhalations to prevent the occurrence of spasm. Expectorants and antibiotics are sometimes prescribed.
Cough may be caused by heart failure. With this diagnosis, it is necessary to eliminate the spasm and expand the vessels. Antitussive drugs will not interfere. Heart problems often lead to accumulation of fluid in the airways, it needs to be pumped out. Then the cough will most likely recede.
Choking cramps directly indicate the presence of malignant tumors. Patients are in serious condition and are treated only under the supervision of a doctor. If the reason lies in the infection, it is recommended to use anti-inflammatory drugs, and drugs for expanding the bronchi will not interfere.
Smoker's bronchitis develops in every second person suffering from addiction. There is only one way to deal with it - a complete cessation of smoking.
At night, people with ARVI (acute respiratory viral infection) choke from coughing. Curing the disease is quite simple, because there are many effective drugs. Complex therapy, including massage and compresses, is effective here.
Drug treatment
Often, doctors prescribe it is traditional therapy, because drugs show a good result in the fight against pathologies of this type. The most common categories of drugs are:
- antibiotics and antiviral agents that kill the infection;
- expectorant medicines aimed at eliminating cough;
- lozenges are indicated for sore throats;
- antihistamines that help cope with edema of the respiratory system and inflammatory processes.
In addition to the above medicines, inhalations with a nebulizer are perfect. This device will alleviate the symptom ("suffocating when coughing") and relieve swelling. Depending on the type of cough, you should choose a good saline or medicine.
Alternative methods of therapy
In addition to drugs, unconventional methods of treatment are used to combat convulsive exhalation with wheezing. This is about folk methods.
Consider those recipes that will alleviate the condition of the patient:
- Vegetable decoction. For cooking, you will need the fruits of mallow, rosemary and anise. You need to take all the ingredients equally, about one teaspoon and mix with a glass of boiling water. Let the broth infuse for a day, then you should take fifty milliliters several times a day.
- Radish juice with honey. This composition perfectly copes with the manifestations of any cough. The recipe is very simple: you only need to mix the ingredients in equal amounts. Take orally three times a day for half a large spoon.
Prevention
What to do if you are choking on coughing? The best option would be to prevent this condition. To do this, eliminate the provoking factors. These include mold, tobacco smoke, dust and animal hair. Do not forget to periodically ventilate the room. It is necessary to carry out wet cleaning, to consume the liquid in the right quantities.
In addition, strengthen immunity, monitor the regimen of the day. An important aspect is the diet, it should be adjusted to a healthier one. As you know, sport is the best cure for all diseases. If you exercise daily, the chance of a symptom is significantly reduced.
Try to spend more time outdoors. This should be done before a sore throat appears. This symptom is the first alarm bell. If this happens, you need to think about visiting a doctor.
Conclusion
It is worth noting that a pronounced cough indicates a variety of pathologies. To accurately determine the cause of an unpleasant symptom, you need to seek help from a specialist. The latter will conduct a comprehensive diagnosis, and then prescribe the most effective treatment in this situation. The prognosis in most cases is positive if all medical recommendations are followed and preventive measures are followed.