Noting the difference between allergic cough and a common or "normal" cough can be quite difficult. In general, allergic cough is usually dry, is not accompanied by fever, do not let the congested eyes and do not take away the appetite.
However, this is not enough to differentiate an allergic cough from another type of cough. The diagnosis should be made by a physician, who will take into consideration several factors, such as when and how the cough started, presence of allergies, what the person was doing when the cough began, whether the cough is more frequent in the morning or night, among others.
Allergic cough may be caused by the exposure of some agent present in the air. People who have some type of allergy may have persistent cough if they are exposed to the "trigger" element, which triggers the allergic crisis. Among the most common triggers are:
- Dust;
- Mites;
- Animals;
- Sudden temperature variations;
- Air pollution;
- Cigarette smoke.
The main and most common allergic causes of cough are: bronchial asthma, rhinitis and allergic sinusitis.
Coughing is a defense reaction of the body to expel foreign elements in contact with the respiratory tract. The cough serves to remove excess secretion, foreign bodies and infectious micro-organisms from the airways.
However, coughing requires attention and should be of concern if:
- Last for more than 3 weeks;
- Occur in infants less than 1 year of age;
- Vier accompanied by fever, difficulty breathing, body aches, headache, prostration, burning in the stomach;
- Persist after the person chokes;
- Do not cease and be exhaustive.
In any of these cases, consult a family doctor, a general practitioner, or go directly to a pulmonologist for appropriate diagnosis and treatment.
Read too:
What to do in case of a child's allergic cough?
Dry cough: what can it be and what to do?
Cough with catarrh: what to do?
