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Suggest Treatment For Chronic Cough And Persistent Night Sweats
Question: I'm concerned about my husband's chronic cough and excessive night sweats with his "cold". He refuses to go to a doctor, as he's been told before by a primary doctor that because he's older (75), it takes longer to heal and there's nothing he can do for him. He's also been very sleepy and sleeping much throughout the day. Thank you!
Brief Answer:
different possible causes
Detailed Answer:
HI, thanks for using healthcare magic
A cough can be classified as acute (recent onset), subacute, chronic (lasts more than 8 weeks though some persons use 6 weeks).
Acute cough is most commonly due to a recent infection (cough/cold), this infection is also the most common reason for sub acute cough though other factors come into play here. The cough due to a recent cold/flu can actually last up to 6 weeks, called post viral cough
Chronic cough is most commonly due to : (1) post nasal drip syndrome(now called upper airway cough syndrome- this is the most common cause, some persons are not aware of the drip of mucus itself and only have the cough
This condition includes allergic or non allergic sinusitis (inflammation of the sinuses) or rhinitis (inflammation of the nose).It is thought to be the cause is 87% of persons with chronic cough
Treated with anti histamine/decongestant combinations of medication such as zyrtec d, allegra d, claritine d etc
(2)GERD- reflux is also a cause of cough, again the person may or may not have the typical reflux symptoms.
Some persons have more than one contributing cause.
(3)asthma- there would be a known history of asthma
(4)non asthmatic eosinophilic bronchitis
If he had a cold within the last 6 weeks,, then it may be post viral cough though his doctor should rule out a bacterial infection requiring antibiotics particularly with fatigue and night sweats.
In most persons with this post viral cough medication does not work well but he can try cough suppressants and possibly a short course of steroids to clear inflammation
Summary: (1) with a history of night sweats and fatigue, it would be best to rule out a bacterial infection with a chest x ray and bloods
(2)if this is ruled out and he had a recent cold within 6 weeks, the cough can be due to post viral cough- cough suppressants and steroids may be helpful
(3)if it is longer than 8 weeks- one of the cause of chronic cough need to be considered
I hope this helps, feel free to ask any other questions
different possible causes
Detailed Answer:
HI, thanks for using healthcare magic
A cough can be classified as acute (recent onset), subacute, chronic (lasts more than 8 weeks though some persons use 6 weeks).
Acute cough is most commonly due to a recent infection (cough/cold), this infection is also the most common reason for sub acute cough though other factors come into play here. The cough due to a recent cold/flu can actually last up to 6 weeks, called post viral cough
Chronic cough is most commonly due to : (1) post nasal drip syndrome(now called upper airway cough syndrome- this is the most common cause, some persons are not aware of the drip of mucus itself and only have the cough
This condition includes allergic or non allergic sinusitis (inflammation of the sinuses) or rhinitis (inflammation of the nose).It is thought to be the cause is 87% of persons with chronic cough
Treated with anti histamine/decongestant combinations of medication such as zyrtec d, allegra d, claritine d etc
(2)GERD- reflux is also a cause of cough, again the person may or may not have the typical reflux symptoms.
Some persons have more than one contributing cause.
(3)asthma- there would be a known history of asthma
(4)non asthmatic eosinophilic bronchitis
If he had a cold within the last 6 weeks,, then it may be post viral cough though his doctor should rule out a bacterial infection requiring antibiotics particularly with fatigue and night sweats.
In most persons with this post viral cough medication does not work well but he can try cough suppressants and possibly a short course of steroids to clear inflammation
Summary: (1) with a history of night sweats and fatigue, it would be best to rule out a bacterial infection with a chest x ray and bloods
(2)if this is ruled out and he had a recent cold within 6 weeks, the cough can be due to post viral cough- cough suppressants and steroids may be helpful
(3)if it is longer than 8 weeks- one of the cause of chronic cough need to be considered
I hope this helps, feel free to ask any other questions
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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