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Suggest Treatment For Mild Asthma And Acid Reflux
Question: Have had coughing on and off the last couple of months, with some mild asthma. Also, have had regular bouts with acid reflux. My doctor has done an x-ray with everything coming back fine. There have been no other symptoms.
Brief Answer:
post nasal drip is the most common cause
Detailed Answer:
HI, thanks for using healthcare magic
Chronic cough refers to a cough that has lasted more than 8 weeks.
The most common causes are: (1) post nasal drip- this is the most common cause. It can be silent in some persons, they have the cough but do not notice the drip itself
(2) reflux- you mentioned that you have a history of reflux, this is another cause. Some persons have a combination of different reasons for their reflux.
(3)asthma- this would usually present with a dry cough. You also mentioned that you have mild asthma as well
(4)non asthmatic eosinophilic bronchitis- cause of chronic cough in 13% to 33% of persons. Easy to diagnose and treat.
It is characterized by the presence of eosinophils (type of white blood cell) in some of air spaces. This is diagnosed by a sputum sample showing the eosinphils, if found then treatment is inhaled steroids, it can take up to 4 weeks for a response.
These are the more common causes but there are others if these are not likely or have been ruled out.
If you have taken medication for reflux and you also use a diet for reflux then this is not likely the cause though a barium meal can check for changes in the esophagus.
If you are not using any meds for reflux or using foods or drinks that may aggravate it, then this needs to be changed.
With a known history of asthma, this should be addressed as well with an increase in your steroid inhaler if possible or a change in preventer (upgrade)
Since post nasal drip is the most common reason, you may want to consider using antihistamine/decongestant combination of medication eg zyrtec d, allegra d, claritine d, benadryl d.It can take 2 to 3 weeks for a response
Summary: (1)ensure very tight control of reflux and asthma (look at preventer medication)
(2)consider testing for non asthmatic eosinophilic bronchitis
(3)consider the use of an antihistamine/decongestant combination of medication to treat post nasal drip which is the most common cause
I hope this helps ,feel free to ask any other questions
post nasal drip is the most common cause
Detailed Answer:
HI, thanks for using healthcare magic
Chronic cough refers to a cough that has lasted more than 8 weeks.
The most common causes are: (1) post nasal drip- this is the most common cause. It can be silent in some persons, they have the cough but do not notice the drip itself
(2) reflux- you mentioned that you have a history of reflux, this is another cause. Some persons have a combination of different reasons for their reflux.
(3)asthma- this would usually present with a dry cough. You also mentioned that you have mild asthma as well
(4)non asthmatic eosinophilic bronchitis- cause of chronic cough in 13% to 33% of persons. Easy to diagnose and treat.
It is characterized by the presence of eosinophils (type of white blood cell) in some of air spaces. This is diagnosed by a sputum sample showing the eosinphils, if found then treatment is inhaled steroids, it can take up to 4 weeks for a response.
These are the more common causes but there are others if these are not likely or have been ruled out.
If you have taken medication for reflux and you also use a diet for reflux then this is not likely the cause though a barium meal can check for changes in the esophagus.
If you are not using any meds for reflux or using foods or drinks that may aggravate it, then this needs to be changed.
With a known history of asthma, this should be addressed as well with an increase in your steroid inhaler if possible or a change in preventer (upgrade)
Since post nasal drip is the most common reason, you may want to consider using antihistamine/decongestant combination of medication eg zyrtec d, allegra d, claritine d, benadryl d.It can take 2 to 3 weeks for a response
Summary: (1)ensure very tight control of reflux and asthma (look at preventer medication)
(2)consider testing for non asthmatic eosinophilic bronchitis
(3)consider the use of an antihistamine/decongestant combination of medication to treat post nasal drip which is the most common cause
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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