Coughing itself is a protective mechanism and it is also because of this reflex that it facilitates the expulsion of phlegm, but we definitely need to intervene for violent coughing that affects sleep, affects quality of life and even causes side effects that are hazardous to health.
There are many causes of cough, and we divide them into infectious and non-infectious coughs.
1. Infectious cough (1) includes viral infections, bacterial infections, specific pathogenic infections, etc.; (2) tests: this can be clarified by blood tests, respiratory pathogens, chest X-rays, etc.; (3) treatment options: antiviral, bacterial, specific pathogens, etc., as well as some symptomatic treatment for coughing are given at this time.
2. Non-infectious cough (1) includes cough variant asthma, lung cancer, upper airway cough syndrome (with nasal symptoms), gastroesophageal reflux cough, etc.; (2) tests: pulmonary function, peak flow rate variability (cough variant asthma), chest CT, PET-CT, tumor markers, ciliofibroscopy (lung cancer), nasal-sinus CT (upper airway cough syndrome), gastroscopy, esophageal cough, etc. syndrome), gastroscopy, and esophageal pH (gastroesophageal reflux cough); (3) at this point, clarification by treatment of asthma (cough variant asthma), surgical radiotherapy biologic targeted therapy (lung cancer), treatment of nasal disease (upper airway cough syndrome), gastrointestinal motility drugs acid suppressants (gastroesophageal reflux cough), and some cough symptomatic therapy.