The 7 types of cough (and how to recognize them)

Coughing is a very common reflex action, so much so that we are not even aware of how many times we cough throughout the day. Whether it's to clear our throats or because we have a bit of phlegm on our necks, we humans cough.

The main function of this action is to eliminate any foreign body that is in our pathways. respiratory, although it is true that sometimes we cough even though there is nothing to expel from our throat.

Dry, wet, paroxysmal... There are several the types of cough that we can suffer and throughout this article we are going to delve into them and what their possible causes are. Do not miss it!

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The 7 types of cough

Cough is a normal reaction of the body and, in healthy people, is a mechanism that serves to keep the trachea and bronchi clean.

Normally, the cough reflex is triggered by the presence of mucus or a foreign body in the airways. It may also be that cough is a symptom associated with diseases of the respiratory system, such as asthma, bronchitis or a simple common cold.

Giving a clinical definition, cough can be defined as a sudden, explosive breathing maneuver that occurs to remove a foreign body or offending material from the airway. Cough consists of three phases:

• Glottic opening with inspiration.
• Closure of the glottis with contraction of the respiratory muscles.
• Sudden opening of the glottis with expulsion of the air retained in the lungs.

The cough reflex involves the following process. First, a stimulus, usually a physical or chemical irritant, is picked up by receptors in the airways. These sensory cells send an impulse to the central nervous system, up the vagus nerve to the medulla oblongata and reaching the pons. From there, a response is sent in the form of another impulse that is directed at the diaphragm and the intercostal and abdominal muscles, causing them to contract sharply.

Cough is an involuntary reflex of the body whose function is to keep the airways clear. When you breathe in dust particles, smoke or breadcrumbs (cough stimuli), sensors that there are in the mucous membranes of the trachea and the bronchi are irritated and result in the reflex cough. If the cough is bothersome and recurs several times throughout the day, a doctor should be consulted to know if it is a symptom of a serious illness.

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How many types of cough are there?

Now that we know what a cough is and what its main function is, we are going to fully delve into what we have come to explain in this article: the types of cough. There are different kinds of this very human movement and, although in most cases it is not a symptom or cause for concernYes, sometimes it can be a sign of concern or require treatment.

Coughing is especially common during the winter, as it is at this time that there are more colds and respiratory infections. The main reason for this is not the cold, which is also, but that people stay longer at home and in the company of other people, being more likely to catch diseases and breathe more dust particles when being in closed spaces. As there are more foreign bodies in our airways in the winter months, the more we will cough.

The main types of cough are the following seven.

1. Dry or unproductive cough

Dry or unproductive cough is the one in which there is no mucus. A tickle is felt in the back of the throat that causes the cough reflex and, also, hoarseness.

Although the main function of the cough is to expectorate mucus, in this case there is no excess mucus to expel, which is why it is called a dry cough. It is very annoying. because it can produce a constant scratchy sensation in the throat.

Normally, this type of cough is caused by inflammation or irritation of the respiratory tract, caused by infections in the upper respiratory tract such as a cold or the flu. In both children and adults it's common for a nonproductive cough to last for several weeks after you've gotten over a cold or flu. Other possible causes of dry cough are:

• Laryngitis
• Tonsillitis
• Sinusitis
• Asthma
• allergies and asthma
• Croup
• Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
• Certain medications (eg. g., ACE inhibitors)
• Exposure to irritants: dust, smoke, air pollution…
• COVID-19: dry cough is one of the common symptoms of this disease

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2. Wet or productive cough

As its name suggests, a wet or productive cough produces mucus. This type of cough can be caused by a cold or the flu, and appears to expel excess mucus in the respiratory system, especially in the throat, nose, lungs, and other parts of the airways respiratory. When you have a productive cough, you may feel like something is stuck or dripping in the back of your throat or chest.

This type of cough is the easiest to identify, and tends to disappear once the phlegm has been eliminated. It can come on slowly or quickly, and is often accompanied by other symptoms such as a runny nose, postnasal drip, and fatigue. The duration of the cough can be a clue to what condition is causing it:

• cold or flu
• Pneumonia
• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
• Emphysema
• Bronchitis, both acute and chronic
• Asthma

A wet cough that lasts more than 3 weeks in infants, toddlers, and slightly older children is almost always caused by a cold or the flu. In most cases, productive cough is treated with expectorants or mucolytics to facilitate expulsion. and in all of them it is usually recommended to drink a lot of liquid, which facilitates expectoration.

3. paroxysmal cough

Paroxysmal cough causes intermittent attacks of violent and uncontrollable coughing. This can be very exhausting and painful, causing sufferers to struggle to breathe. In the middle of a paroxysmal cough attack, the affected person may vomit.

One of the main causes of this type of cough is pertussis, also known as whooping cough. This is a bacterial infection that causes violent coughing fits, causing the lungs to release all the air they have. Then, it is inhaled violently and a sound similar to a shriek is made.

Babies are the population group that are most at risk of contracting whooping cough and can have very serious complications., endangering his life. To avoid this condition, it is recommended to vaccinate babies two months and older against whooping cough. As it is a highly contagious disease, any family member or person who has been in contact with someone affected by whooping cough should receive treatment.

Although whooping cough often causes paroxysmal coughing, there are other possible causes behind these violent coughing fits:

• Asthma
• COPD
• Pneumonia
• Tuberculosis
• Suffocation

4. croup cough

Croup is a viral infection that affects children 5 years and younger. This medical condition causes the upper airways to become irritated and inflamed, making them narrower. Because the airways of children under 5 years of age are already very narrow, having croup makes it very difficult for them to breathe.

The characteristic cough of croup has a sound similar to that made by seals, also described as a barking cough. Swelling in and around the larynx also causes hoarseness and grating noises when breathing.

Croup cough can be extremely disturbing for children as well as parents given the symptoms that it comes with.

• very difficult breathing
• High-pitched noises when inhaling
• rapid and anxious breathing
• In severe cases, children turn pale or bluish

5. Psychogenic cough (tics)

Psychogenic or psychosomatic cough it is a type of cough whose cause is not pathogenic, such as a virus or particle in the throat, but made voluntarily by the individual. It is about that habit of coughing before speaking that some people have or when they are very nervous.

Although it can be used to clear the throat before speaking, it can also be considered a kind of tic that is used to break the ice before starting a conversation or a speech.

• Related article: "Nervous tics: types, symptoms, causes and treatments"

6. Acute cough and chronic cough

Regardless of whether it is a dry, wet, paroxysmal or any other type of cough, depending on how long it lasts, we can talk about acute and chronic cough. If it lasts less than 3 weeks we say it is acute cough, while if it lasts more than 4 weeks in children and 8 in adults, it could be a case of chronic cough.

7. fake dry cough

In fake dry cough unable to expectorate and inadvertently swallows mucus. This type of cough occurs mainly in children and women.

How is cough treated?

When you have too much cough, it is always advisable to make a medical consultation to our trusted professional. Although coughing is something normal and that we do throughout the day without realizing it, the truth is that it also can be caused by viral infections and other pathogens that require treatment. Whatever its cause, the general guidelines for a cough are as follows.

For dry or non-productive cough

For dry cough, treatment with antitussive drugs, which can be of two types.

• Centrally acting: they inhibit the cough reflex by depressing the center of it. The most used are codeine and dextromethorphan.
• Peripherally acting: they act on the efferent branch of the cough reflex.

For wet or productive cough

In the case of productive cough, expectorants and/or mucolytics are used. Mucolytic drugs decrease the viscosity of the bronchial secretion, making it easier to expel sputum. In the case of expectorants, these stimulate the elimination mechanism, with the ciliary movement that drives the secretion towards the pharynx to be eliminated by expectoration or swallowing.

The medicine that the doctor will prescribe will depend on factors such as the age of the patient, the type of cough, associated symptoms or if other drugs are taken for respiratory diseases. The history of diseases such as diabetes, bronchitis, heart disease, etc., will also be taken into consideration. cough medicine taken, it should not be taken for more than 3 weeks and the doctor should monitor the same.