Allergic cough: symptoms, causes and treatment

A prolonged cough, observed for several weeks, is one of the symptoms of an allergic disease. It is caused by the body's reaction to the ingress of the allergen into the respiratory tract. In the role of irritant in this case can act a variety of substances and substances: washing powders and deodorants, poplar fluff and pollen, animal hair and indoor dust.

The main signs of an allergic cough are a prolonged manifestation of his symptoms, which can be observed for several weeks or even months. In this case, there are usually no other signs characteristic of respiratory disease: the patient has not fever, the throat is not hyperemic. Cough can be accompanied by a protracted runny nose, the appearance of which, in turn, is also caused by the body's reaction to one or another allergen. In the advanced stage, an allergic cough, the symptoms of which are not always easy to recognize, takes on a paroxysmal character and can be accompanied by a spasm of the larynx and even cramps, especially in young children. If these symptoms occur, seek medical help immediately, as choking may progress!

To determine the source of allergy, you should observe the condition of the patient in certain situations. Soon after contact with an allergen, a cough usually begins. If you can find out for yourself what exactly causes an allergic cough, you can not, you need to contact an allergist for specific tests. In addition to taking blood for analysis, he can recommend carrying out scarification tests, in which a small amount of an allergen is injected into the skin to check the reaction of the body to it.

This method has contraindications: thus, it can not be applied to children under five years old in order to avoid severe allergic reactions. In children under the age of five, an allergic cough, the symptoms of which are already pronounced at this age, will have to be treated on the basis of examination, a survey of parents and a blood test, in particular, indicators of the allergen-specific IgE immunoglobulin. Scarification tests are not performed during the period of an allergy exacerbation, as well as on the skin, modified due to this or that disease.

Allergic cough can be seasonal and manifest during the flowering period. In this case, the patient's condition worsens when leaving the house. In addition to cough, seasonal allergies are characterized by conjunctivitis, sneezing, and runny nose. In summer, the freshly mowed grass can be an allergen, in autumn there is smoke from the fires on which the fallen leaves are burnt. Allergic cough, the symptoms of which intensify in the room, is of a different nature. It can provoke houseplants, pets, feather pillows. If a cough occurs after eating, you should analyze what foods can cause it.

Treatment of an allergic cough begins with the removal of contact with the allergen. In addition, from the room in which there is a sick child or adult, you need to remove carpets, books and soft toys. It should also, if possible, take out of it soft furniture. Daily it is necessary to spend wet cleaning without application of means of household chemical goods. To significantly alleviate the condition of an infant or adult suffering from an allergic cough, a household air humidifier with an ionizer will help.

Allergic cough, the symptoms of which tend to come back again and again, require a comprehensive treatment aimed not only at eliminating it, but also cleaning up the body. Otherwise, it can resume after a while, but this time it will be another allergen. Patients are prescribed sorbents (for example, Enterosgel) and antihistamines (Claritin, Fenistil). Symptomatic treatment consists in taking antitussive drugs. Allergic cough in children, whose symptoms are pronounced, is facilitated by inhalation. Do not engage in self-medication, otherwise it is possible to develop asthmatic bronchitis, and in the future - and bronchial asthma.

To treat an allergic cough, do not use folk remedies, at least without consulting a doctor. Many of the plants used in folk medicine themselves can be powerful allergens and the patient's condition after receiving them will only worsen.