Pharmaceutical Drug Manufacturers

Change in the season brings the problem of acute cough and cold with it. Maximum number of patients visiting doctors during this season go through the problem of acute to normal cough. Irritability, sneezing, fever and throat infection are associated with cough that hampers the person's normal life at home, office, at school and colleges. Even the minor cough can lead to irritability that stops normal working.

The major reason of acute cough is the viral upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) that is more commonly called common cold. There are different forms of cough. These are:

• Acute cough – lasts less than 3 weeks
• Sub-acute cough – lasts 3-8 weeks
• Chronic cough – lasts more than 8 weeks

Acute cough symptoms that are due to respiratory tract infection are of short duration. But if this keeps on persisting then these cough symptoms can be of pneumonia, lung cancer, pulmonary edema or acute pulmonary embolism. A study has shown that cough symptoms in children of age 5-12 years include cough during the first five days of illness whereas cough symptoms in adults persists for four days with nasal discharge.

Also cough is of two types which are dry and chesty. In chesty cough the mucus or phlegm is brought out from the lungs. In case of dry cough, persistent irritation remains in the respiratory track and generally the smokers suffer from dry cough throughout their lives. Chesty coughing for more than two weeks is a sure reason of concern and doctor must be consulted in this case.

Cough treatment although is not that effective but available.

Cough and Cold Causes

• Mechanical Irritation: Dust, dandruff, smoke, pollen, animal allergens
• Chemical Irritations: Chloramines
• The common cold
• Acute sinusitis
• Pertussis (whooping cough)
• Allergic rhinitis
• Non-allergic rhinitis

Acute Cough Treatment and Cough Medicine

The best way to in acute cough treatment is to avoid the triggers causing acute cough. Everyone must be familiar to the causal of acute cough in his or her case. This can be eating something very sour, chilly breeze, very chilled water et al. One must take care of this and eat what suits him or her.

Some of the patients are also given antihistamines/decongestants like Claritin-D (loratadine/pseudoephrine). But this is not the universal medicine for cough treatment. Patients showing the signs of an acute sinusitis are prescribed to take antibiotic course aiming sinusitis. Sinus infection is more commonly seen in children.

Antibiotics are also given to people having COPD, (emphysema or chronic bronchitis).

Dextromethorphan (DM) Viral upper respiratory infections in adults are treated with Dextromethorphan (DM). It deceases the cough.

Codeine Codeine is the strongest cough suppression but findings have shown that it is weaker than placebo.

Children are given antihistamines or decongestants or the combination of both.

Then there are many cough syrups in the market that are given to the people suffering from cough depending upon the acuteness of cough. Cough medicines are given after studying your type of cough. Antitussives cough medicines block your cough reflexes and relieve you from cough whereas expectorants by thinning your mucous help you in keeping your airway clear and clean. Dizziness or sleepiness is associated with these cough medicines and there are no other side effects associated with these medicines. Coughing is controlled by cough suppressants, a cough medicine. Some multivitamins are also given is you persistently suffer from cough.

Home Remedies for Cough Treatment

You can take medicine for treating cough but there are many home cough remedies available to treat it. These are

• Boil water and keep it in a large bowl. Add few drops of Eucalyptus oil in it. Take the steam through nasal. This will clear the airway and relieve you from phlegm in the throat.
• Stop smoking to control the cough
• Take ginger and get its extract. Mix it with honey and take it 4-5 times a day. This is very effective in cough.
• Also you can take ginger tea 3 4 times a day. This is a very good cough remedy.
• Avoid meat and fried food to decrease mucus production.
• Treat you throat with hot packs
• Drink water as it will help you to release mucus by thinning it.
• Loose the mucus by eating chilly peppers and spicy food.
• Take a cup of grape juice with teaspoon of honey as grape juice is a very good expectorant.