Prolonged Wet Cough needs medical attention

Lung & Respiratory

Wet Cough

Occasional coughing is typically nothing to worry about; it's a normal response that helps the body eliminate irritants. Some people find that making a little mucus helps keep their lungs clear. If you cough up mucus or phlegm, you have a wet cough. It's also known as an active cough or a chesty cough.

But occasionally, a wet cough can mean that something is wrong. It could indicate an infection or a deeper health issue. If you have a persistent wet cough, you should usually consult a doctor for evaluation and treatment.

A wet cough may be heart problem 

Causes of wet cough

• Microorganisms like bacteria and viruses are most often to blame for wet coughs.
• The mucus layers that line the lungs cover the whole system. Mucus keeps the passageways moist and shields the lungs from things that can hurt them.
• However, when the body is combating an infection like the flu, it produces more mucus than usual. Coughing helps trap and eliminate the germs that are infecting you. When you cough, you get rid of the extra gunk that builds up in your lungs and chest.
• The body produces more mucus for various reasons, which can result in a wet cough. A wet cough lasting weeks may be due to a lung illness.

People who have a respiratory illness often have a wet cough. 

Several types of respiratory illnesses can cause more mucus to build up, such as

• Getting a common cold
• Acute bronchitis
• Pneumonia
• Bronchiectasis

The bronchial tubes let air into and out of the lungs. Bronchiectasis is a condition where the bronchial tubes' skin tissue gets thick, flabby, and scarred, and the tubes get wider because of long-term inflammation.

The condition causes the body to make too much mucus, which can cause a wet cough. Making too much mucus leads to a buildup in the breathing tubes, which raises the risk of getting a lung infection.

Chronic obstructive lung disease

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, is a broad term for a group of lung diseases that last a long time and get worse over time. Here are some of them:

• Emphysema
• Chronic bronchitis
• struggling with asthma

Some types of COPD hurt the bronchial tubes, the bronchioles, or both. Other types of coughs can damage the small air pockets inside the lungs.

Heart failure with congestion

Congestive heart failure (CHF) occurs when the heart struggles to circulate blood throughout the body. When this wrong pumping happens on the left side of the heart, fluid leaks into the air pockets in the lungs. This leads to a cough that is wet, crackly, and wheezy. The American Heart Association has reported that CHF can trigger the production of pink mucus.

A child or baby with a wet cough

• Usually, kids get coughs from the flu or another virus. Usually, asthma is the next reason. All of the other reasons why kids get wet coughs, like the ones below, are very uncommon:
• When someone has whooping cough, they cough very hard and can't stop. When children experience dyspnea, they produce a sound similar to a "whoop."
• Some kids cough because they breathe in a foreign object, cigarette smoke, or other things that are bad for them in their surroundings.
• Pneumonia is an illness of the lungs that can be very dangerous for babies and young kids.

Wet Cough: When to Visit a Doctor

Consult a doctor if your cough lasts for more than a few weeks. 

• Blockage with a greenish-yellow color
• Chest tightness
• Fever
• Almost out
• Difficulty breathing
• Swelling of the ankle
• Trimming down

If you experience any of the following symptoms along with your cough,  immediate medical attention is required. 

• Problems with airway patency or swallowing
• Retching or throwing up
• I am experiencing chest pain.
• Coughing up mucus that is pink or bloody
• According to Bawer, it's important to consult a doctor if your wet cough gets worse over a few days. This could indicate a more serious issue with your health.

How to get rid of a cough?

A – Cure at Home

Drink a lot of water. When you're sick, snot may run down the back of your nose. If you stay hydrated, the phlegm will be thinner, making it less likely to hurt your throat and make you cough.

Take in some honey. If your throat hurts in the back, this will help. One study found that honey can help calm coughs at night just as well as over-the-counter medicines.

Aloe and menthol are two more natural treatments. These remedies might help reduce the inflammation in your upper lungs.

Drink something hot. Drinking it can help alleviate cold symptoms, such as a cough. The heat helps clear up stuffy noses, and the drinks keep you hydrated. You can choose chamomile or ginger tea.

Over-the-counter (OTC) options. Some over-the-counter (OTC) natural medicines with tiny amounts of aspirin can also help with cough and sore throat.

Clear all the irritants in your house. There are people who can't handle the scents in perfumes, cleaning detergents, and air fresheners.

Sleep on an incline. If you are coughing because of a cold or an illness, raise your head. When you lie flat, mucus can accumulate and irritate your throat.

Gargle with saltwater. Gargling can get rid of thick mucus and ease a sore throat at the same time. Additionally, this can help eliminate allergens and germs.

Get rid of cigarettes. The cilia, which are tiny hairs that line your lungs and clean out mucus and dirt, become paralyzed when you smoke. That's why some smokers have coughs that last a long time.

Consider using air humidifiers. Taking a shower or bath in steam can help loosen up the stuff that's making your cough worse. A humidifier might also help.

Rinsing the nose. Saline spray cleans out your sinuses and nasal passages by removing mucus and allergens that can trigger coughing. You can use a saline spray or rinse your nose with water.

(B) Medical care for kids and adults

The main goal of most wet cough medicines is to make coughing more effective, which helps people clear their airways.

You can use other methods to relieve phlegm and irritation in your throat.

If a deeper health problem is causing the cough, the doctor will recommend medications to address that issue.

Some of the following methods can help your cough work better. Certain medications thin the mucus in the back of the throat, which reduces the need to cough.

Also read https://baybiosciences.com/cough/.

Expectorants and medicines that loosen up mucus

Mucolytics and expectorants are medicines that thin the mucus and make it less sticky. It's easier for people to cough it up this way.

People with a wet cough who are having trouble getting the phlegm up should take these medicines.

Devices that clear the airways

Airway clearance devices, like the oscillating positive expiratory pressure (PEP) device, help move phlegm out of the lungs when you breathe out. They do this by applying pressure and vibration. This helps the cough work better.

Certain treatments

Different treatments for a wet cough are also based on what caused it. Here are some more specific treatments:

Medicines that kill germs

When you have a wet cough from a bacterial infection, antibiotics can help, but not when you have a viral illness.

Medicines to deal with congestive heart failure (CHF)

People with CHF who have a wet cough may be given drugs called diuretics to help them get rid of the extra fluid in their bodies. Because of this, the amount of fluid in the lungs may go down, which can help clear up a wet cough.

People with CHF may also get medicine for:

• Slow down your heart rate.
• Remember to keep the heart's beat.
• Keep the blood pressure in check.
• lower the amount of fat.

How to Avoid Getting a Wet Cough

One way to avoid getting a wet cough is to stay healthy, avoid contagious diseases, or, if you have a chronic condition, stop flare-ups.

Dr. Bawer says the following are ways to avoid getting infectious illnesses:

• Getting a shot (to prevent respiratory illnesses like the flu and pneumonia that spread easily)
• Washing hands
• Put on masks
• Not coming into contact with sick people

If you want to avoid or lessen the effects of respiratory diseases, Bawer says you should do things like

• It's also important to keep water readily available.
• Maintaining a nutritious diet is crucial.
• Ensure that you are getting adequate rest.
• Exercise regularly.
• Managing stress is crucial.

If a long-term illness is causing your wet cough, you may be able to stop it by avoiding flare-ups. Bawer says that if you have an allergy that makes your cough wet, you should stay away from known allergens (triggers) and take allergy medicines like antihistamines.

Or, if asthma or COPD flare-ups make you cough a lot, stay away from things that worsen it, like smoking, she says.

Which syrup is most effective for a wet cough?

If you experience coughing with mucus, a good cough syrup for kids and adults should loosen the mucus, clear out your passageways, and protect your lungs so you can breathe right again. This is what ambroxol hydrochloride, which is the main ingredient in Mucosolvan syrup, does.

Conclusion

Wet coughs are your body's way of eliminating irritants and may indicate infection. A wet cough is any cough that generates mucus or phlegm from the upper or lower respiratory tract.  Wet coughs can be treated with over-the-counter and home remedies, but severe or underlying conditions may require prescription drugs.