What to do if you have a cough caused by influenza

Influenza outbreaks occur frequently during the Spring Festival or autumn every year. At this time, there are always patients wearing masks in the hospital. During the flu season, germs are most easily transmitted in crowded places, such as schools. Moreover, influenza can easily cause coughing. For students, coughing will not only distract them from class but will also affect the students around them. So what should we do about cough caused by influenza?

For cough and sore throat caused by influenza, you can take anti-cold medicines and throat lozenges for symptomatic treatment. If the symptoms are obvious and accompanied by difficulty breathing, it is recommended to go to the hospital's respiratory department for a chest imaging examination to confirm the diagnosis.

Cough is a common respiratory symptom caused by inflammation, foreign bodies, physical or chemical stimulation of the trachea, bronchial mucosa or pleura. It is manifested by the closure of the glottis, contraction of the respiratory muscles, increased intrapulmonary pressure, and then the opening of the glottis, and the ejection of air from the lungs. Usually accompanied by sound. Coughing has a protective effect in clearing foreign matter and secretions from the respiratory tract. However, if the cough continues and turns from acute to chronic, it often brings greater pain to the patient, such as chest tightness, itchy throat, wheezing, etc. Cough may be accompanied by sputum.

When the mucous membrane of the throat or trachea is stimulated, one inhales quickly and then exhales forcefully, causing the vocal cords to vibrate and produce sound. Irritation of the lining of the throat or trachea causes the sudden expulsion of air from the lungs with a popping sound.

When the mucous membrane of the throat or trachea is irritated, air is inhaled quickly and then exhaled forcefully, causing the vocal cords to vibrate and produce sound. This phenomenon is called coughing. It's a protective reflex action. It is also a symptom of certain diseases.

Classification

Coughs are mainly divided into acute coughs, subacute coughs and chronic coughs.

1. Acute cough: refers to cough lasting less than 3 weeks, and is the most common symptom in respiratory outpatient clinics. Causes include viruses, mycoplasmas or bacteria, including acute bronchitis, pneumonia, respiratory tract infection, tuberculosis, and tracheal foreign bodies.

2. Subacute cough: A cough that lasts for more than 3 weeks and less than 8 weeks is called a subacute cough, and the causes are more complicated.

3. Chronic cough: It lasts for more than 8 weeks and can last for years or even decades. The causes of chronic cough are more complex, including cough variant asthma (allergic bronchitis), upper respiratory tract cough syndrome (allergic rhinitis-bronchitis), gastroesophageal reflux, eosinophilic bronchitis, chronic bronchitis, etc. Among them, cough variant asthma and upper respiratory tract cough syndrome are the most common.

According to the pathogenic factors, there are cold cough, wind-cold cough, dryness cough, dryness-heat cough, phlegm cough, wind-heat cough, hot cough, seasonal cough, cold cough, wet cough, summer cough, fire cough, food cough, etc.; according to the organs, qi and blood, there are lung deficiency cough, lung cough, heart cough, liver cough, spleen cough, kidney cough, large intestine cough, small intestine cough, stomach cough, bladder cough, triple burner cough, gallbladder cough, fatigue cough, qi cough, blood stasis cough, etc.; according to the time of onset and characteristics of cough, there are long-term cough, early morning cough, night cough, dry cough, sipping cough, hoarse cough, and sudden cough, etc.