7. Postnasal Drainage (PND) - an irritating trickling of mucous from the nasal passage into the throat caused by nasal allergies.
8. Asthma - an inflammatory condition of the lungs airways.
9. Gastroesophageal Reflux (GERD) - a condition where stomach acid backs up into the oesophagus and upper throat, causing irritation especially when the patient is lying down.
10. Side effects of medications - such as beta-blockers and ACE inhibitors, drugs used to treat high blood pressure.
Complications
Most people think of cough only as an inconvenience. However, prolonged violent chronic cough can bring about complications as a result of the constant intra-thoracic and intra-abdominal pressure to the body system.
These may include headaches, cardiac dysrhythmias (irregular heart beat), insomnia, subconjunctival haemorrhage (red eye), cough-induced vomiting, inguinal herniation, and gastroesophageal reflux.
Hence, do see a doctor if:
- Your cough lasts for more than three weeks.
- You are experiencing shortness of breath, severe pain or fainting.
- You are coughing up blood.
- Your cough is so severe you cannot sleep at night.
- You have concerns about the cause of the cough.
The writer is a consultant paediatrician and paediatric chest physician.
How to prevent coughs
- Avoid direct contact with those with colds and flu, and quarantine yourself if you have similar conditions to avoid passing the germs around.
- Wash your hands frequently during the cough and colds season.
- Wear a mask when the level of air pollutants is high such as during a haze.
- Avoid smoking and smoke-infested places.
- Ensure you meet your children's vaccination schedule to help reduce the risk of diseases such as whooping cough or tuberculosis.
-New Straits Times/Asia News Network
This story was first published in the New Straits Times on Oct 27, 2008.
| 
