Cough is the body's response to the presence of irritants in the lungs. When your child gets something in his lungs, he needs to cough to rid his body of the substance. If you have given him an over-the-counter cough medication with no relief, he...
Elegant may not be the first word that comes to mind when you think of a cough. From a biological perspective, however, the cough reflex is one of your body's most elegant defenses. Through a complex, coordinated series of actions involving your...
If you are suffering from a cough, it may be the cause of another illness, like the common cold, flu, allergies, bronchitis, sinusitis, croup or postnasal drip. In some cases, a cough may be the sign of a more serious illness, like lung cancer or...
Coughing occasionally is the body's natural reaction to clearing out the throat, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. But severe coughs can creep up for a number of different reasons. Whether you have a scratchy throat,...
A cough from the chest is a common symptom of a chest cold, or bronchitis, according to the Centers for Disease Control. A chest cold is inflammation in the airways, commonly from a viral infection. The infection causes the airways to become...
Incessant coughing in young children can be distressing to parents. While an occasional cough does not always indicate an underlying health condition, a persistent cough may require medical intervention. Milder forms of cough can be treated at...
A dry cough is one that does not produce mucus. Instead, the throat is often dry and sore and the chest becomes painful from coughing, explains the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A number of illnesses and health concerns can cause...
Coughing is common in childhood illnesses and helps to clear airways and the throat. Coughs can range from mild to serious and be a nuisance or frightening. Typically, a cough accompanies a cold or viral infection. A cough can be productive, such...
A night cough could have several causes, from an illness, such as bronchitis, to environmental irritants and allergens. Airway obstructions, such as croup, can cause a night cough from overnight temperature changes that can cause the vocal cords...
Cough drops come in medicated or nonmedicated forms. One medication included may be menthol. Natural cough drops may contain citrus extract, honey or herbs said to sooth the throat or lubricate it. A discrete cough drop can provide a quick fix to...
The nose and throat are lined with mucus membranes that help to protect the body from irritants and allergens by trapping the substances. When an allergen enters the airways, the body responds by increasing mucus production, which leads to the...
Having a cough while you swim can interfere with your performance and endurance. Exposure to pool chemicals; chronic conditions such as allergies or asthma; or respiratory infections can all cause you to cough as you swim. Fortunately, you can...
A wet cough is also called a productive cough because each cough produces mucus from the respiratory tract. Wet coughs are often seen in people who have asthma, bronchitis or other conditions that cause mucus and other fluids to settle in their...
Coughing is a common childhood ailment considered chronic when it lasts for more than two weeks, according to the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. Most of the time the cause of a chronic cough in kids can be pinpointed, and...
Infant coughs can be very distressing for parents, but they are usually normal and do not require medication, according to KidsHealth. Infants may cough for a number of reasons, from an irritated airway to a common cold to allergies, asthma or...
If your child has a deep cough, it is most likely caused by the flu or a common cold, but it may also be caused by a more serious illness, according to MayoClinic.com in the article "Cough." Your doctor will determine the best treatment for your...
Coughing is a common occurrence in children. Coughing clears the airways of mucous and other substances, according to the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. A child can cough several times day without it being a sign of a...
The most common cause of an uncontrollable cough in children is whooping cough or pertussis. Whooping cough is a bacterial infection that causes between 5,000 and 10,000 deaths a year, according to KidsHealth.org. Whooping cough is common among...
Coughs are typically broken down into two categories: productive and non-productive. Productive coughs help bring up mucus while non-productive coughs are dry and occur when the throat has become inflamed, according to Steady Health. Causes of dry...
We often hear about cold and cough medicine recalls and safety warnings, such as the 2009 safety warning issued by the Food and Drug Administration for prescription cough medicines containing hydrocodone. Because of concerns about the potential...
A cough is generally an indication that you have an irritant in your bronchial airways. Coughing is an important and generally healthy reflex that protects your lungs from outside contaminants. With children, repeated coughing can be an indication...
Children can develop a cough with a number of illnesses. Some of these can be serious while others are mild. Regardless of the cause, a cough is usually just a symptom of the illness and it can be remedied. Soothing a cough doesn't necessarily...
A cough may cause symptoms of a tight chest, chest congestion, throat irritation and pain in the chest. If you are suffering from a cough, it may be caused by the flu or the common cold, the croup, bronchitis, allergies, or by a more serious...
Coughing can be a voluntary or involuntary action. It is the body's way of freeing the airways of obstructions and irritations. While coughing is an important way of maintaining lung health, chronic coughing can lead to problems staying asleep,...
Coughs can be painful, annoying and seem to last forever. They're a common symptom of the common cold, and most children will be troubled by coughing at some point. If you're a parent, it's hard to watch your child going through the agony of a...
Coughing is a reflex mechanism triggered by inhaled irritants or mucus stimulating nerves in the respiratory tract. Many conditions and diseases produce a cough as a symptom, making cough one of the most common reasons people seek medical care,...
A hacking cough may be a sign of an underlying health problem in your respiratory system. A hacking cough often develops in long-term cigarette smokers. FamilyDoctor.org states that there are many possible causes of cough, including cold, flu,...
If you have bronchitis, you know that hacking cough is one of the worst parts of the illness. And if you have viral bronchitis, you have got to wait out the illness until the virus clears up. A bronchitis cough can give you a headache and keep you...
A productive cough may be caused by an illness that requires no treatment and will usually go away by itself, like the common cold or the flu. A productive cough may also be caused by more serious conditions, like bronchitis, lung cancer, asthma...
