Dry cough frequent, persistent problem
Dry cough is caused by viral infection or allergies.It does not produce any mucus but is seen to affect sleep patterns and cause irritation.
Hyderabad: Almost everyone suffers from dry cough at some point of time. For many, it is a recurring issue. In 2015-16, it was also the most frequent complaint in the out-patient departments of hospitals, according to evaluation of clinical data in medical colleges in the state.
Doctors say this is caused by increased exposure to pollutants in the environment, thanks to vehicle emissions, industries and construction dust across the city.
The data was taken from teaching hospitals, government centres and multi-speciality hospitals to understand the incidence of dry cough.
Dry cough, according to medical literature, is the sixth most common reason for people to visit a doctor at out-patient clinics. It is caused by viral infection or allergies. Dry cough does not produce any mucus and is termed “non-productive” medically. But it is found to affect sleep patterns and causes severe irritation.
Dr P.S. Shankar, senior pulmonologist, said dry cough affected the quality of life and hampered the performance of individuals. “Due to the increasing environmental pollution from vehicles, burning of waste and construction activity, dry cough is pervasive,” he said. Dry cough is found to last for around three weeks in normal cases. In post-viral infections, it may continue up to eight weeks. This is often a chronic condition and requires constant follow up.
Senior chest physician Dr Pramod Kumar, said, “There are more than 1,300 formulations of cough and cold medicines in the market. Codeine- based prescriptions have been abused very badly and they need to be controlled. Self-medication is a common problem in cough and cold as resistance is noted very regularly. Hence, management of dry cough becomes an issue. Due to this reason, some of them continue to suffer from cough for up to eight weeks.”
Sometimes, weather changes reduce the incidence of dry cough. In some cases, heat conditions aggravate dry cough. When it is humid and less hot, the body reduces the condition on its own.