Most of us believe that a prolonged cough is the result of some kind of viral infection, and you can get rid of it only with the help of medical devices or inhalations. However, few people know that very often there is a cough with a thyroid gland. Under the influence of a variety of reasons, the thyroid gland is able to increase in size, as well as strongly press on the trachea. For this reason, a person begins to feel a constant urge to cough, he wants to clear his throat.
Cough with a thyroid gland is successfully treated, it is only necessary to seek medical help on time. However, not everyone goes to a medical institution when this alarming symptom appears.
In our article, you can learn in more detail what other symptoms accompany a cough with a thyroid gland, as well as how to get rid of this ailment.
Signs of thyroid enlargement
Our thyroid gland in the body has a very important purpose. It produces special hormones necessary for the implementation of metabolic processes, the normal functioning of the nervous and cardiovascular systems. When pathological changes occur in it, the thyroid gland increases in size, a swelling gradually develops in the patient’s neck area, which is commonly called goiter.
An enlargement of the thyroid gland is accompanied by rather unpleasant symptoms, which are as follows:
- Squeezing in throat while swallowing food.
- Difficulty swallowing saliva.
- Discomfort in the neck.
- Coming and lump in the throat.
- Cough with thyroid gland, which is worse when lying down.
Other symptoms
In addition, a person feels constant weakness, he suddenly becomes irritable for no reason. The patient's performance is significantly reduced, sleep is disturbed, memory is deteriorating, other unpleasant symptoms are observed. Excessive sweating, muscle pain, and increased heart rate accompany coughing with the thyroid gland.
A characteristic sign of organ dysfunction is that cough is not amenable to treatment. But how can you get rid of cough with thyroid gland? The symptom is eliminated after warming, taking medications and inhalations. If the thyroid gland is deformed slightly, then the patient’s cough disturbs only periodically. Over time, its intensity increases. A dry cough with a thyroid gland begins to torment a person already on an ongoing basis, because an enlarged organ strongly presses on the trachea, prevents breathing, drinking, and swallowing normally.
Diagnostic Features
A suffocating reflex cough that occurs against a background of concomitant causes is a significant reason for visiting an endocrinologist. If the thyroid gland causes a cough, diagnose an increase in this organ as soon as possible. Thus, you will be much more likely to normalize its functioning without surgical intervention.
How is the diagnosis carried out in a medical facility? To do this, the specialist carefully examines the throat, palpates the thyroid gland and determines whether the thyroid gland can cause a cough. After this, a blood test is prescribed, the level of cholesterol and hormones is found out.
To clarify the diagnosis, as well as answer the question of whether there can be a cough from the thyroid gland, the doctor prescribes the patient to do an ultrasound scan. If the progression of the disease is revealed, with the development of which the thyroid gland enlarges, then the necessary therapy is prescribed, corresponding to the degree of damage to this organ.
In no case should you start self-medication, this can aggravate the situation, no matter what the cough with the thyroid gland. Any violation of the functioning of the thyroid gland is very dangerous for human health, so you should carefully follow the treatment plan prescribed by your doctor.
Test
We continue to consider the features of coughing, sore throat with a thyroid gland. Such pathological processes in the thyroid gland can also be caused by a genetic predisposition. In addition, this often happens due to poor absorption of iodine by the human body or insufficient intake of this trace element with food. If you want to check whether your body receives enough iodine, then you can independently conduct a simple test at home.
To do this, a cotton swab should be dipped in iodine, and before going to bed, put three lines on the wrist on the delicate skin. One strip is drawn very thin, the second should be slightly thicker, and the third is made wide and very bright. After that, go to bed, and in the morning carefully examine your wrist. If all the drawn lines disappeared from him, then you should urgently go to the hospital to check the condition of your endocrine system.
If two lines have disappeared, then the state of your body should be given special attention, as well as take tests and consult a doctor. If only one thin line has disappeared, while the others are clearly visible, then do not worry about iodine deficiency in your body.
Please note that this symptom is absolutely not a reason for the independent use of iodine-containing drugs. If you do this without an overall clinical picture, then this can become very dangerous to health. It must be remembered that an excess of this element is extremely undesirable. The fact is that a high iodine content in the body can develop into hyperthyroidism. This disease is characterized by an increase in thyroid hormone production.
All drugs are used only as directed by your doctor. A qualified specialist can correctly calculate the dosage of medicines, which will help restore the body.
Treatment features
So, we examined the main signs and symptoms of cough from the thyroid gland. But how to cure him? If you see a doctor with a similar problem in time, you can successfully get rid of cough, throat constriction, suffocation, perspiration.
Symptomatic treatment
In most cases, endocrinologists use hormonal drugs to treat the thyroid gland that make the organ work properly. In some cases, medications are prescribed, which contain iodine. If nodes appear in the thyroid gland and they become large enough, then surgical treatment is performed for the treatment.
As for the specific names of medicines, here you will not find them. They are selected strictly by your doctor based on the individual characteristics of your body.
Root cause treatment
Everything will depend primarily on the nature of the development of the pathological process. If the thyroid gland grows in size, then therapy should be carried out aimed at inhibiting the production of thyroid-stimulating hormones. Most often, Metimazole or Propylthiouracil are prescribed for this.
As a rule, over time, these diffuse changes begin to regress.
Surgical intervention
The operation involves the removal of some part of the organ or completely. This event is prescribed if tumor growth, the occurrence of goiter or hyperplasia is detected. The need for surgical intervention also arises in cases where the use of medications did not give the expected result.
Depending on the abnormalities present in the human body, a specialist can prescribe a patient medical and surgical correction at the same time. This approach allows for replacement therapy in case of insufficient hormones. If the excision was complete, then the patient needs a lifelong replacement.
Folk remedies
If the doctor considers it appropriate, then along with drug therapy, recipes of alternative medicine can also be used. If alternative treatment is used in conjunction with the main one, then it will be very effective in combating this problem. Herbal preparations restore thyroid function quite well. Consider the most effective recipes.
Herbal fees
For cooking, you need to take one tablespoon of sage, three-colored violet, ordinary cuff, medicinal smoky, as well as goat's pharmacy. The components of the collection are mixed, then one tablespoon of the mixture is poured with two glasses of boiling water. All the remains of the grass are placed in a canvas bag and used for the next preparation of the broth. When the product has cooled, it should be filtered and drunk half a glass three times a day before meals.
It was examined above whether there is a cough with a thyroid gland. It was also noted that in combination with the main therapy, traditional medicine recipes can be used. If the cough was triggered by a growing goiter, then it can go away completely only after the thyroid gland normalizes, and also when it decreases in size.
The following recipe will help smooth out the symptoms, as well as improve the discharge of sputum, soften the throat.
To prepare the drug collection, you need 2 tablespoons of marshmallow rhizomes, 3 tablespoons of calamus root, 3 tablespoons of licorice, one tablespoon of coltsfoot, as well as 1 teaspoon of anise fruits and the same number of mullein flowers. All ingredients are mixed together, after which they are brewed once a day in the amount of 1 tablespoon per 250 ml of boiling water. The received dose is divided into 3 times, the broth is drunk before meals.
Black radish and honey
A useful and tasty medicine can be made on the basis of black radish and honey. To do this, black radish is thoroughly washed under cold water, peeled, then finely chopped and put into a glass jar. A few tablespoons of natural honey are added there, all mixed. Ingredients must be infused in a glass container for 6 hours. During this time, healing juice should form in the container. Use it one teaspoon every hour.
Inhalation
If you have bouts of severe suffocating cough, then it can be relieved by inhalation. To do this, heat water in a saucepan or in a teapot, add 10 drops of peppermint, fir, anise oil. This steam should be breathed for 10 minutes. A similar procedure quickly facilitates breathing and makes the mucus go away.
Preventative measures
If you do not want to allow deformations, disruptions in the thyroid gland, and also do not want to suffer from coughing with such an ailment, you need to pay special attention to your health. For this, it is very important to fully sleep and periodically take a walk in the fresh air. Some believe that in order to prevent the use of a large number of products, which contain iodine. But this is far from the case. The thyroid gland quite often suffers precisely from an excess of this element in the body.
In order to prevent, a balanced diet should be adhered to, foods included in the diet that contain a large amount of trace elements and vitamins necessary for the normal functioning of the body. You should also eat as often as possible sea kale, feijoa fruits, fresh herbs and fresh eggplant. For normal thyroid function, manganese, cobalt, and copper are needed. That is why you need to enrich your diet with cashews, hazelnuts, gooseberries and fresh blueberries.
A day, it will be quite useful to use a rosehip decoction - just one glass is enough. The fact is that this drink well strengthens the body's immune system, and also positively affects the work of the endocrine system as a whole.
Little conclusion
We found that coughing can cause thyroid problems. Such an ailment in itself is not dangerous. The main threat lies in its cause. That is why if you notice such an alarming sign, you should immediately undergo an examination in a medical institution. As you know, a disease that will be detected in the fetus is much easier to treat than a disease at a more advanced stage.