Cardiac cough - symptoms

In most cases, cough is a signal that there is an alien body in the respiratory tract - sputum, dust particles, microorganisms, etc. And, as a rule, such a symptom is perceived as a manifestation of colds or diseases of the respiratory system. But do you know that there is a so-called cardiac cough, which is practically not different from other types of cough, but has a completely different origin?

What causes a heart cough?

Cardiac cough is a cough of cardiac origin, i.e. associated with diseases of the cardiovascular system. Namely, it can be the manifestation of the following pathologies:

• heart failure (acute, chronic);
• violation of the heart valve;
• heart disease;
• myocardial infarction;
• pericarditis;
• ischemic heart disease, etc.

The emergence of cough with heart failure and other diseases of the cardiovascular system has a complex development mechanism, the main stages of which are as follows:

1. Pathological processes in the left ventricle of the heart lead to a decrease in its contractility, and therefore blood that comes through the pulmonary veins can not be pumped into the aorta. A consequence of this is increased pressure in the small circle of the circulation (in the lungs).
2. Because of the slowing of blood flow in the lungs, venous pressure increases, tissues lack oxygen.
3. Blood that lingers in the lungs causes swelling of the mucous membrane, irritation of the receptors on the alveoli and reflex cough. In the future, the development of pulmonary edema of one degree or another.

Thus, the main cause of heart cough is stagnation of blood in the lungs, which leads to irritation of the cough center.

How to determine a heart cough?

Symptoms of heart cough are very similar to manifestations of coughing with respiratory diseases, and sometimes it is very difficult to determine. Cardiac cough can be characterized by the following symptoms:

• cough dry, debilitating;
• long-term attacks with cardiac cough accompanied by difficulty breathing;
• increased coughing in the prone position, forcing the patient to stand up, and at night - to wake up from suffocation;
• the appearance of brownish sputum or blood upon coughing (in severe cases).

Cardiac cough is also accompanied by other symptoms indicative of diseases of the cardiovascular system:

• heartache;
• dyspnea;
• cardiopalmus;
• cyanosis;
• swelling;
• swelling of the cervical veins;
• fainting , etc.

Diagnosis and treatment of cardiac cough

Treatment is not cough itself, but the pathology that caused its development. First of all, a thorough diagnosis should be carried out to establish an accurate diagnosis. As a rule, medication is prescribed, which may include taking the following drugs:

• diuretics (to remove fluid from the body and reduce the load on the circulatory system);
• vasodilators (vasodilators);
• antitussive drugs with anesthetic effect.

If the cough is accompanied by hemoptysis, a check is performed to localize the bleeding and sputum bacillus, which is able to identify siderophages - "heart defect cells".

During treatment, patients should always adhere to the following recommendations related to lifestyle:

1. Set up a normal mode of rest and sleep.
2. Refuse from drinking and smoking.
3. Adhere to a rational diet.
4. Reduce the intake of table salt.
5. Avoid stressful situations.
6. Regularly engage in physical exercise.