Usually a cough appears due to a cold. But it's not always the case. Often, pathology occurs due to a slowdown in blood flow in the lungs, which is associated with ischemia of the heart muscle. This symptom is dangerous. How to treat heart cough, described in the article.
Concept and symptoms
What is heart cough? This concept is called a syndrome that occurs with cardiological ailments. What is heart cough in simpler words? This is a condition that may be evidence of severe heart failure. And in children, what is heart cough? They have such a term means the same as in adults.
If we talk about the signs, what is a heart cough? Symptoms of this condition are different. Usually a sign of such an ailment is increasing shortness of breath. If there is no timely treatment, then cardiac asthma develops - a complex ailment in which cardiac and respiratory disorders are observed.
There are also other signs of heart cough. What is this all about? This is a condition in which:
- shortness of breath appears;
- there is a lack of oxygen;
- dizziness and fainting occurs;
- swelling of the limbs;
- heart pain is felt;
- the frequency of heartbeats is disturbed.
At first, coughing has one feature: it is dry, that is, it is not accompanied by sputum production. Hemoptysis appears later. Attacks occur in the evening and torment at night. A person cannot lie, because in this position the symptoms intensify.
Classification
Cough can have several types. The form depends on the causes and symptoms of the condition. There are several types:
- Short unproductive cough. Pain occurs in the area of the projection of the heart, but the entire chest can be covered. Appear with rheumatic pericarditis.
- Dry paroxysmal. There is a lack of air, a little bronchial secretion is being separated. The patient feels weak, complains of severe sweating, temperature.
- Dry annoying. Sputum is not formed. If there is no cure, coughing becomes productive.
- Productive with bloody sputum. Appears with pulmonary congestion, which occurs with right ventricular failure.
- Evening symptom. The strength of the cough increases by the end of the day, because of which a person walks and sits more, but can not sleep and rest. Usually appears with chronic left ventricular failure.
The presence of symptoms of cardiac cough during the day indicates that the condition worsens by night. The patient does not get enough sleep, loses strength, acquires nervous disorders. Whatever form of cough appears, effective treatment is required.
Causes
A person can be under the supervision of a pulmonologist for a long time due to prolonged coughing and be treated with inappropriate means. Then the pathology progresses, it becomes a factor in the appearance of irreversible consequences of the myocardium.
Causes of heart cough may be associated with:
- myocardial inflammation;
- valvular defect;
- ischemic damage;
- cardiomyopathy.
Organic heart defects in the future lead to a violation of the blood supply to the heart. Because of this, there are stagnant processes in the circulatory system of the lungs. For this reason, edema appears in the tissue of the organ, which leads to spasms.
Atherosclerosis is considered a common cause for heart failure. Due to vascular blockage, ischemic damage to the heart is observed. Over time, sclerotic changes occur in the myocardium, which lead to a disorder of the heart.
Considering the topic of heart cough, symptoms and treatment of this disease, the appearance of high blood pressure should be noted. Due to insufficient blood supply to the lungs, cramping appears. There is a dry angry cough. Shortness of breath develops, which arises from the appearance of pulses in the pulmonary parenchyma.
Symptoms of cardiac cough in adults and children include pulmonary edema. Hemodynamic discharge of blood from left to right is performed due to its stagnation in the organ tissue and high pressure in the lumen of the pulmonary artery.
A symptom of heart cough in an adult and a child may be a congenital heart disease. In adolescents, it is able to intensify and manifest with shortness of breath during physical exertion. The appearance of lethargy and fatigue is still likely. Such children are noticeably weaker than their peers.
In older people, heart disease often occurs in a chronic form, so coughing is common. When an attack occurs, choking and lack of air during coughing appear. Night cough occurs with infectious endocarditis. The temperature rises as a reaction to stagnation of blood in the lung tissue.
Features
Heart cough in a child and an adult is often mistaken for a cold. But he has his own characteristics. The differences are as follows:
- With a cold form of cough, a high fever, runny nose, severe sweating appears. And with cardiac data there are no signs.
- During a cold, the cough is wet, sputum clears its throat without difficulty. And with cardiac pathologies, it is dry. Sputum can occur only in the last stages of heart failure.
- When coughing, shortness of breath appears. First, it occurs during physical exertion.
- There is a blueness of the skin, swelling of the legs. With a cold, there are no signs.
- A cold cough disappears during recovery. Cardiac without special treatment does not disappear and manifests itself, regardless of condition.
- During a cold, a cough can occur at any time of the day. With heart disease, it worsens by night. It's hard to fall asleep with him.
Heart cough differs from other forms in its symptoms. Therefore, his treatment will be markedly different. In any case, it is important to conduct therapy after consulting a doctor.
Diagnostics
Symptoms and treatment of heart cough are interconnected, so it is important to identify the diagnosis so that effective therapy is prescribed. With constant dry tearing cough, which is especially manifested at night, you need to see a doctor. Diagnosis allows you to determine the causes and prescribe treatment. To establish an accurate diagnosis:
- An X-ray of the lungs that helps identify likely congestive processes in the lung tissue.
- An electrocardiogram that tracks the rhythm of the heart.
- Ultrasound of the heart, with the help of which changes in the structure of the organ are detected.
- Transesophageal echocardiography - to determine the presence of intracardiac blood clots.
- Coronary angiography, which reveals atherosclerosis of the coronary vessels.
Since the symptoms and treatment of heart cough in adults is interconnected, it is important to make an accurate diagnosis. Additionally, blood and urine tests may be required. This will eliminate possible non-cardiac causes.
Treatment features
Treatment for heart cough in adults and children should be prescribed by a doctor. For severe lesions that result in such a symptom, surgery is appropriate. But sometimes, for example, in old age, it is considered undesirable and can lead to serious consequences. Then a gentle treatment method is chosen. In the early stages and in old age, medicines are selected.
Prompt
This treatment method is prescribed for complex organ lesions:
- Stenosis or valve insufficiency.
- Atherosclerotic and thrombotic processes in the coronary vessels.
- Cardiomyopathy
Surgical treatment should only be prescribed by a qualified doctor. He also provides recommendations for the restoration and improvement of the patient's condition, which must be followed.
Medicines
Drug treatment should be performed under medical supervision. When some medicine is not suitable, the doctor uses a more effective one. Usually prescribe a complex of drugs whose action is aimed at improving the condition. After therapy, you can get rid of the main syndrome of heart failure - cough.
Treatment is performed:
- diuretics;
- preparations for vasodilatation;
- anesthetizing and expectorant drugs.
From diuretics prescribed:
- "Indapamide" - has a lasting effect.
- Veroshpiron is a hormonal potassium-sparing agent that eliminates the excess of sodium, potassium and water ions.
Vasodilators are also used:
- "Losartan" (reduces pressure in the pulmonary pulmonary circle).
- “Atakand” (inhibits the formation of angiotesin and reduces pressure).
In the symptomatic treatment of cough, mucolytics are used:
- "Codeine". It is able to stop the irritation of the cough center due to a mild narcotic effect.
- Glaucin. It has a sedative effect, which quickly stops cough syndrome.
Although these drugs are effective, they should not be taken without a doctor’s prescription. After all, each person's body has its own characteristics, therefore only an expert is able to prescribe an effective drug. You also need to familiarize yourself with the instructions attached to the medicine. It is important to observe the treatment period, dosage and other nuances of therapy.
Folk remedies
To improve the condition, you can use folk remedies. But without consulting a doctor, they should not be used. Treatment should be performed with medication.
The following folk recipes are used:
- A decoction of oat grains. Grains (100 g) are poured into a jar (0.5 liters) and poured with boiling water. Exposure in a water bath is equal to an hour. After preparing the broth, 1/3 cup of the roots of elecampane is added. The resulting product is cooled to a warm state, after which 1 tablespoon of honey is added to it. Filtering required. It is necessary to consume ½ cup 3 times a day. The course of therapy is 2 weeks.
- Viburnum water. In boiling water (1 cup) add viburnum clusters. Berries must be crushed. After cooling the infusion, honey (1 tsp) is added. Take ½ cup 2 times a day. All treatment takes 1 month.
- Homemade medicine with herbs helps restore heart rate and myocardial function. You will need to mix yarrow, lemon balm and valerian (1 spoon each). The mixture (1 spoon) is steamed in boiling water (1 cup). Insisting is performed before cooling. It is necessary to drink the product warm in ½ cup 3 times a day. The duration of admission is 3 weeks.
- Pumpkin pulp. From 200 g of raw pumpkin you need to make mashed potatoes. It must be taken daily for 2-3 tablespoons.
- A cough is treated with this mixture: 5 liter heads of garlic, juice of 5 lemons and honey (500 g) are added to a liter dish. Insisting is performed 10 days in a dark place. It should be taken 4 times a day for 1 tsp. Until the remedy is over. It defeats arrhythmia at the initial stage, and also strengthens the walls of blood vessels.
- To strengthen the heart and treat arrhythmias, you need a remedy: grind dill seeds (1 cup), add Valerian root (2 tsp) and May honey (2 cups). Insisting is performed for several days in a dark place. Use should be a spoonful before meals. The treatment lasts 3 months.
Folk remedies are effective, but usually they are recommended to be used in combination with other means. This increases the effectiveness of such treatment.
Prevention
Prevent pathology by using preventive measures:
- To improve heart function, you need a healthy active lifestyle. You should be more in the fresh air, swim, ride a bike and go skiing, jogging. Useful walking, fitness.
- Need to adjust habits. You should get rid of smoking, alcohol, reduce salt intake. It is better to eat healthy foods that are rich in vitamins and minerals valuable to the heart. It is important to limit the intake of fast food, fatty meat, coffee, soda.
- Fresh juices, decoctions, infusions based on herbs and fruits of hawthorn, viburnum, chokeberry, valerian, lemon balm, and nettle are useful. Sometimes you can drink a glass of dry red wine, in which there are components that are useful for the cardiovascular system - resveratrol, antioxidants, chromium.
- Need rest, it is important to get enough sleep. The duration of sleep should be at least 8-10 hours a day. If possible, you need to relax in the middle of the day.
Forecast
If treatment is started in a timely manner and correctly selected, then the prognosis is positive. Clinical symptoms of heart failure level, coughing becomes less intense and disappears.
To exclude relapses, it is required to follow the doctor's recommendations, regularly perform diagnostics, and monitor the cardiovascular system. You can still perform medical procedures to protect against exacerbation of heart failure and complications, including heart cough.
A severe dry cough, which is especially evident in the evening and at night, is a sign of heart problems. Do not ignore this phenomenon, as this can lead to negative consequences in the myocardium. It is necessary to go to the doctor, who will diagnose and prescribe effective treatment.