Wet Cough

• Wash your hands frequently.
• Use disposable tissues to cover the mouth while coughing and dispose them off properly after use.
• Avoid touching your eyes and nose.
• Avoid close contact with people.

Wet cough is the annoying state that makes your ribs, back and arms hurt. Your throat is sore and everyone around you is bothered by the constant noise. It is a respiratory infection and ordinarily starts off as a dry cough, and then graduates to the "wet cough" stage. There can be several reasons for this cough to occur and the treatment depends on these reasons.

While getting a cold and a cough once in about 5 months is completely normal and healthy, a chronic cough can have several implications. Actually, there are over 250 reasons for a person to experience acute or chronic wet cough.

However, this story comprises the most common ones and they are as follows:

• Common cold
• Postnasal drip
• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
• Upper respiratory tract infection
• Pneumonia

• Chest infection
• Bronchitis (Acute and Chronic)
• Emphysema
• Bronchiectasis
• Heart failure
• Acute sinusitis

• Tuberculosis
• Foreign body in the lungs
• Pneumoconiosis
• Cystic fibrosis
• HIV/AIDS
• Lung abscess
• Lung cancer
• Chronic sinusitis
• Laryngitis
• Hay fever
• Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)

Wet cough in itself, is a symptom of an underlying medical condition. However, certain other accompanying symptoms can be warning signs of a serious health condition. Hence, take a look at the following symptoms:

• Increased heart rate
• High fever
• Coughing up blood
• Chest pain
• Loss of appetite

• Lack of energy
• Weight loss
• Difficulty in breathing
• Coughing up clear or greenish mucus
• Night sweats
• Shortness of breath
• Swollen legs

Self-care Measures
Here are a few self-care measures to be taken at home if the condition does not show any serious symptoms:

• Drink plenty of hot fluids like soup and hot water. Try to stay away from antidepressants like coffee, as it may trigger a headache in its wake.

• Take hot and steamy, long showers frequently. This will help break down the phlegm and the tightness that you feel in the chest is also released.
• Keep yourself warm. This is what helps to keep the phlegm in a runny state so that it gets coughed up.

• Having productive cough drains out a high amount of energy from the body. Moreover, it is normally accompanied by fever, so rest is a vital factor in treating the condition.
• Expectorant is a good treatment option that helps loosen the mucus and release it out of the body through coughing.

Things to Avoid

• Never take a cough suppressant. It tends to suppress the cough, which causes mucus build up in the lungs and increases the risks of getting further infected.

• Stay away from antihistamines. They tend to dry up the mucus and cause mucus secretions. While this may seem a good option, the fact is that the mucus will then remain in the lungs causing further infections.
• Never, take a combination of cough medications with cough suppressants and expectorants.

It can be a little different for children. While older children have the ability and senses to spit out the mucus, younger children will swallow it. This tends to cause upset stomachs and stomach aches. While the infection will not really spread to the stomach, the discomfort for the child will increase.

Persistent coughing in children can also be due to whooping cough. Hence, it is very important that one contacts the doctor at the earliest.

If the wet cough persists for more than five days, do not depend more on home remedies and see your doctor immediately. Take care!

Disclaimer: This story is for informative purposes only and does not, in any way, intend to replace the advice of a medical expert.