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Suggest Treatment For Dry Cough While Lying Down
Question: Hello
My question is concerning my husband ,he is 80 years old,only health problems till now has been his thyroid,10 years ago it was zapped and he now takes levothyroxine,however he had an op on his lungs in France 10 years ago ,a third of one lung was removed as he had a benign lump.a few months ago he was getting breathless although he still walks dogs twice a day,things move very slowly in UK so as yet no one has diagnosed what is wrong,he had xray which was ok all blood tests have been normal, we are waiting for him to have a spirometer test but meanwhile got a peak flow meter,he only averages 375 EU metric He has a dry cough which is quite pronounced but seems ok otherwise? his ECG was fine his bp is average/low 124/64 Any suggestions what his problem could be please?just bending down he gets out of breath. thank you XXXXXXX
My question is concerning my husband ,he is 80 years old,only health problems till now has been his thyroid,10 years ago it was zapped and he now takes levothyroxine,however he had an op on his lungs in France 10 years ago ,a third of one lung was removed as he had a benign lump.a few months ago he was getting breathless although he still walks dogs twice a day,things move very slowly in UK so as yet no one has diagnosed what is wrong,he had xray which was ok all blood tests have been normal, we are waiting for him to have a spirometer test but meanwhile got a peak flow meter,he only averages 375 EU metric He has a dry cough which is quite pronounced but seems ok otherwise? his ECG was fine his bp is average/low 124/64 Any suggestions what his problem could be please?just bending down he gets out of breath. thank you XXXXXXX
Brief Answer:
Lung or heart problem probably
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
your description sounds like a lung or heart problem. Anemia could also cause shortness of breath.
Heart failure may cause the symptoms you've mentioned. Let me present some common symptoms:
- dry cough particularly when lying down
- shortness of breath (lying down makes it worse)
- swollen ankles
- perhaps a fast heart rate
A normal X-ray of the chest is against decompensated heart failure.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease - COPD - may present with:
- cough (dry or productive)
- shortness of breath (lying down also makes it worse)
- wheezing
His relatively low PEFR could be an indicator of lung disease - it could also be a bad measurement technique.
His history of lung surgery (which means loss of lung function) and the age-related decline in pulmonary function may add up to cause his current condition. Clinical examination by your general practitioner may help discriminate between the two conditions that I've described. If you've got the chance to measure oxygen saturation (SpO2) with an oxymeter might help. Low values indicate pulmonary problems most of the times.
Spirometry is essential to determine whether his lung is functioning well or not.
A full blood count is required to diagnose anemia. You've mentioned he's done tests but you haven't mentioned which ones exactly, so please check if there is a blood count among them.
So in conclusion, while spirometry is the critical test, a general practitioner should be able to discriminate between different conditions either with clinical examination alone (if all signs are present) or with laboratory data.
I hope I've helped!
If you'd like further information, please let me know.
I'll be glad to help more.
Kind Regards!
Lung or heart problem probably
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
your description sounds like a lung or heart problem. Anemia could also cause shortness of breath.
Heart failure may cause the symptoms you've mentioned. Let me present some common symptoms:
- dry cough particularly when lying down
- shortness of breath (lying down makes it worse)
- swollen ankles
- perhaps a fast heart rate
A normal X-ray of the chest is against decompensated heart failure.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease - COPD - may present with:
- cough (dry or productive)
- shortness of breath (lying down also makes it worse)
- wheezing
His relatively low PEFR could be an indicator of lung disease - it could also be a bad measurement technique.
His history of lung surgery (which means loss of lung function) and the age-related decline in pulmonary function may add up to cause his current condition. Clinical examination by your general practitioner may help discriminate between the two conditions that I've described. If you've got the chance to measure oxygen saturation (SpO2) with an oxymeter might help. Low values indicate pulmonary problems most of the times.
Spirometry is essential to determine whether his lung is functioning well or not.
A full blood count is required to diagnose anemia. You've mentioned he's done tests but you haven't mentioned which ones exactly, so please check if there is a blood count among them.
So in conclusion, while spirometry is the critical test, a general practitioner should be able to discriminate between different conditions either with clinical examination alone (if all signs are present) or with laboratory data.
I hope I've helped!
If you'd like further information, please let me know.
I'll be glad to help more.
Kind Regards!
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Raju A.T
Thank you for your help, my husbands full blood test revealed he was not anemic,his heart rate is around 60, he does not have swollen ankles he has however been wheezing the last week or so , we will look forward to having the spirometry test which is next month, I did wonder if he had a bacterial infection as the breathlessness is so recent, it is however better when he is lying down, thank you again for your help
REGARDS XXXXXXX
REGARDS XXXXXXX
Brief Answer:
Glad to help!
Detailed Answer:
One more thing,
regarding the potential infection, in COPD a common presentation of infection includes productive cough with a change in sputum colour (the sputum won't be colourless). COPD has exacerbations (even without infection), so fluctuating symptoms are expected. The patients tend to visit the doctor when the symptoms become evident so I can't tell for how long were his lungs malfunctioning. Spirometry will make things clear...
Kind Regards!
Glad to help!
Detailed Answer:
One more thing,
regarding the potential infection, in COPD a common presentation of infection includes productive cough with a change in sputum colour (the sputum won't be colourless). COPD has exacerbations (even without infection), so fluctuating symptoms are expected. The patients tend to visit the doctor when the symptoms become evident so I can't tell for how long were his lungs malfunctioning. Spirometry will make things clear...
Kind Regards!
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Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Raju A.T
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