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How Can cough Along With Chest Congestion Be Treated?
Hi my partner is sneezing green with blood mucus she is coughing up mucus she has a chesty cough (sounds like a bark) she is asmatic she has had her ventolin but that s not working she was given a nasel spary called nasobec aqueous but it is setting her asma off all the time what can she do to get rid of it
Fri, 31 Mar 2017
Hello,
Thank you for your query. I understand your concerns.
From what you mentioned it looks like your partner is having an upper airway infection which has exacerbated her asthma.
Upper airway infection can cause mucous nasal discharge which could be greenish/yellow in colour. The streaks of blood in her nasal mucous discharge could be due to damage to fine blood vessels lining the nose and upper airways when she sneezes and coughs. These blood vessels then bleed and then it appears in the nasal discharge. I would not worry about this much; this bleeding will settle down once her infection settles down.
Your partner’s upper airway infection has caused her asthma to worsen. This could be either due to one of three reasons: 1) the upper airway infection has progressed into the lungs and she is now having a chest infection 2) there is no chest infection, but the upper airway infection has caused her airways to narrow down and hence she is experiencing worsening asthma symptoms 3) both 1 and 2.
I would suggest the treatment here with antibiotics. Ventolin is only a reliever; it will not help with her mucous discharge or with infection. It will only open her airways, but they will close again if the underlying infection is not treated. Similarly, nasobec is an inhaled steroid; it will not fight against infection either.
Antibiotics will fight against infection. If she is not allergic to penicillin she can take Amoxicillin 500 mg three times a day for 1 week. If she is having penicillin allergy, she can take Erythromycin 250 mg four times a day for 1 week.
She has to continue to take her Ventolin and Nasobec inhalers. She will start to see some improvement in her symptoms within 2 days of starting her antibiotics.
If after 2-3 days she is still the same, or rather her symptoms are worsening, she will benefit from a short course of oral steroids- oral prednisolone 30 mg for 5 days. Both the antibiotics and steroid tablets are prescription only medications, hence she needs to see her doctor. Further is her nasal bleeding also worsens she needs to see a doctor sooner.
I would advise her to drink plenty of fluids, take rest and also she can do steam inhalation.
I wish her a speedy recovery.
I hope this answer has been helpful to you.
Regards
Dr Sunita Sayammagaru
Thank you for your query. I understand your concerns.
From what you mentioned it looks like your partner is having an upper airway infection which has exacerbated her asthma.
Upper airway infection can cause mucous nasal discharge which could be greenish/yellow in colour. The streaks of blood in her nasal mucous discharge could be due to damage to fine blood vessels lining the nose and upper airways when she sneezes and coughs. These blood vessels then bleed and then it appears in the nasal discharge. I would not worry about this much; this bleeding will settle down once her infection settles down.
Your partner’s upper airway infection has caused her asthma to worsen. This could be either due to one of three reasons: 1) the upper airway infection has progressed into the lungs and she is now having a chest infection 2) there is no chest infection, but the upper airway infection has caused her airways to narrow down and hence she is experiencing worsening asthma symptoms 3) both 1 and 2.
I would suggest the treatment here with antibiotics. Ventolin is only a reliever; it will not help with her mucous discharge or with infection. It will only open her airways, but they will close again if the underlying infection is not treated. Similarly, nasobec is an inhaled steroid; it will not fight against infection either.
Antibiotics will fight against infection. If she is not allergic to penicillin she can take Amoxicillin 500 mg three times a day for 1 week. If she is having penicillin allergy, she can take Erythromycin 250 mg four times a day for 1 week.
She has to continue to take her Ventolin and Nasobec inhalers. She will start to see some improvement in her symptoms within 2 days of starting her antibiotics.
If after 2-3 days she is still the same, or rather her symptoms are worsening, she will benefit from a short course of oral steroids- oral prednisolone 30 mg for 5 days. Both the antibiotics and steroid tablets are prescription only medications, hence she needs to see her doctor. Further is her nasal bleeding also worsens she needs to see a doctor sooner.
I would advise her to drink plenty of fluids, take rest and also she can do steam inhalation.
I wish her a speedy recovery.
I hope this answer has been helpful to you.
Regards
Dr Sunita Sayammagaru
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