How to treat a cough at home with coronavirus

2024 Author: James Gerald | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 14:00

Knowing how a cough is treated with coronavirus is not enough to cope with the disease. But you can reduce the manifestation of this symptom to improve your well-being.

Description of coronavirus cough

Cough is a common symptom of coronavirus. Most often it is dry, but in rare cases it can also be wet, with little phlegm. Such a cough continues for a long time, exhausting the patient, accompanied by pain and a burning sensation in the chest.

The symptom can be observed in individual patients for a month, and sometimes more. Depending on the concomitant pathologies and the general state of immunity, the duration and intensity of the cough may be different.

Barking sounds are explained by the fact that the virus damages the mucous membrane of the respiratory system. Especially the effect of the pathogen is noted at night, which is why the symptom may worsen at night. At night, coughing is often accompanied by shortness of breath, sternum discomfort.

A wet cough is possible if the infection is only at the stage of penetration into the bronchi and lungs.

If inflammation of the lower respiratory tract has joined with the release of sputum, then you should pay attention to its color. If the coronavirus is to blame for this phenomenon, then it is transparent. Such a cough can be considered a kind of harbinger of pneumonia.

After penetrating the epithelial cells of the nasopharynx, the coronavirus seems to open the way for the introduction of a secondary infection. Sputum may slightly change color if another bacterial flora joins. For COVID-19, such mixed pneumonia is also a possible option.

Coronavirus can be accompanied by basic symptoms such as sore throat, nasal congestion, loss of smell, but it does not manifest itself as a cough. Usually, these symptoms go away on their own in a few days and are typical for young people and adolescents. In children, it also usually goes away quickly and without significant discomfort.

Cough is absent during the incubation period, so it cannot be considered a symptom of the first days. At the same time, of the other signs, he is one of the first to appear. The prognosis is considered unfavorable if the coughing attack lasts a long time. If we are talking about moderate severity, then the cough can go away completely in 1 week.

How to treat dry cough with coronavirus

Depending on the stage at which the disease is, you can choose a way to deal with this symptom. If we talk about how a dry cough with coronavirus is treated, then the tactics depend on whether the lower respiratory tract is affected or not. If the pathogen is in the pharyngeal mucosa, this means that the cough appears under the influence of irritation by viruses in this area. In such cases, rinsing, steam inhalation are indicated.

Provided that a person's immunity is strong enough, these measures are enough to prevent the infection from descending into the bronchi and lungs.

What to do:

• You can use sprays with a disinfectant composition, such as Chlorhexidine, Miramistin, Hexoral.
• Lozenges are also recommended, such as Faringosept, Lizobact. They do not completely destroy viruses, but they allow you to get rid of some of them, which has a beneficial effect on human well-being.
• If the cough is associated with a sore throat, lozenges such as Strepsils can also be used.

If after computed tomography it became clear that the coronavirus began to penetrate the bronchi and lungs, then cough is treated in a slightly different way. The same applies to the situation when there are no CT data, but enough time has passed since the onset of the first symptoms, from 1 to 2 weeks, and the cough not only did not go away, but intensified. With a dry cough, if the coronavirus has already spread to the tissues of the lungs, everything possible should be done to transfer it to a wet one.

If you have a mild form of coronavirus with a dry cough, antitussives such as Codelac, for example, can be dispensed with.

Medicines to remove phlegm from the lungs

It is this group of drugs that is connected at this stage. If a person has a dry cough, mucolytics are prescribed. This group includes drugs:

• Herbion;
• Ambroxol;
• ACC;
• Bromhexine.

Under the influence of these drugs, the sputum liquefies, so that a person can effectively cough it up.

There are so-called mucokinetics, which include Fluimucil, the well-known syrup with marshmallow and licorice. These drugs increase the production of phlegm, which also helps to clear the accumulated secretions containing the pathogen from the lower respiratory tract more quickly.

Antitussives are not recommended at this stage, as they may interfere with sputum excretion. On the other hand, a doctor can make a decision on their use if a person is really exhausted by a cough and needs to rest for at least some time.

In any case, it is impossible to prescribe this group of drugs on your own, as this can pose a danger to the further prognosis of treatment. In most cases, this group of drugs is prescribed for those who have a small cough with coronavirus without fever.

Will antibiotics help for coughs?

Antibiotics are not drugs that work to relieve this symptom. In case of coronavirus, they are connected in exceptional cases, when a bacterial one has joined the viral complication. It is at the destruction of bacteria that their action is directed.

The most popular drug among domestic doctors is Azithromycin. Sometimes, according to indications, the antibiotic Amoxicillin or others is prescribed instead.

If the doctor has not diagnosed you with any bacterial complications, then taking antibiotics for coughing does not make sense.

This symptom appears under the influence of a virus, which is a completely different group of pathogenic microorganisms. Antibiotics do not work on them. Therefore, the right decision would be to use antiviral, immunomodulatory and symptomatic therapy.

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Home remedies

If you are thinking about how you could treat a cough with coronavirus at home, nevertheless, first consult your doctor. Even those folk recipes that are supposedly proven to be proven may be useless in your case, since all people have a different body.

In general, of the most popular folk remedies, one can designate a decoction of rose hips, raspberries, black currants, cranberries. People who have had to go through a coronavirus cough talk about the positive experience of using black radish juice with honey.

Natural berry and fruit juices contain many vitamins that strengthen the immune system and are necessary for the body to fight the virus. They can also be used in conjunction with the therapy prescribed by the doctor.

What to do if your cough persists

In any case, it is necessary to keep in touch with the doctor. He will tell you how best to act in your situation. Sometimes the increase in coughing is natural, as in the early days it is usually less intense. Gradually, as the pathogen penetrates into the body, it can increase, and closer to the recovery period, it can pass systematically.

The cough can also increase after taking drugs of the mucokinetic group, as they increase the production of sputum. The body tries to get rid of it through a cough.

In any case, by the end of the 1st or 2nd week, in case of a favorable course, the intensity of the cough should decrease. If it doesn't, it makes sense to do some research. It will help you understand what's going on in your lungs.

Did the computed tomogram show that separate lesions appeared in the lungs? Then increased coughing may indicate the multiplication of viruses in their tissues. The question of hospitalization and more careful monitoring of the patient must be raised.

Outcomes

1. At home, coughing with coronavirus should be treated only under the supervision of a doctor. You can take only those drugs that he prescribes.
2. Close control is not required only in cases where there is a mild form. A cough in this state practically does not bother the patient and does not require specific measures. You can get by with the usual antitussive pills from the store.
3. In case of an increase in coughing, you should contact your local therapist. If he thinks it is necessary, you will be prescribed a referral for an x-ray or computed tomography of the lungs.
4. If the study determines the presence of pathological foci in the lungs, most likely, such a person will need to be hospitalized.