Irritants and histamines often affect the upper respiratory tract (in 95% of cases). Because of this, it is difficult to distinguish between an infectious and allergic cough - the symptoms of these conditions are very similar, especially in combination with a runny nose and fever.
Symptoms of an allergic cough in adults
Depending on the variety of histamines that cause the immune response, the clinical manifestation in question can be observed immediately or after a while.
If the disease appears due to insect bites, especially bees and wasps, the symptom occurs 10-15 minutes after the poison has penetrated the tissue. This allergic cough is dry, unproductive and painful. With time, a strong swelling of the pharynx begins, there may be difficulty in breathing and even choking. Concomitant phenomena are a feeling of thirst, swelling, dryness of the tongue and mucous membranes in the mouth.
Other histamines cause less obvious signs of an allergic cough in adults:
- Sudden and rare occurrence. The symptom is observed 1 time in several weeks, even months, gradually increasing against the background of a relatively normal state of health.
- Spontaneity. Cough does not necessarily accompany direct contact with the irritant, especially it is typical for food allergies. The clinical manifestation of the reaction of the immune system occurs several days after the use of certain products.
- Exhausted breaths, suffocation. In any case, the cough is provoked by swelling of the respiratory tract and irritation of the lungs, bronchi, which often flows into allergic asthma.
Additional signs are manifested as:
- lacrimation;
- redness of the mucosa;
- edema;
- coryza;
- rashes on the skin;
- severe irritation of the throat (perspiration, dryness, burning, itching).
It is worth noting that cough often accompanies an allergy to:
- pollen of plants;
- protein compounds (wool and sweat of domestic animals);
- medicamentous means;
- household and construction dust.
How to recognize an allergic cough?
Sometimes it is difficult to distinguish the pathology in question from a cold or an acute respiratory viral disease. This is due to the fact that ARI and ARVI in the early stages are also accompanied by a dry cough without sputum expectoration. But there are a number of features that answer the question of how to determine an allergic cough:
- A certain time of appearance, usually at night or in the early morning (4-5 hours).
- If the mucus clears throat, then it is free of pus and a pungent odor, transparent.
- Itching in the throat, especially in the root of the tongue, unpleasant sensations in the nose, sneezing.
- Absence of elevated temperature. The increase in this indicator happens quite rarely, usually with incorrect or ineffective treatment. The body temperature can rise to 38 degrees, if the allergic rhinitis after infection has smoothly flowed into sinus or other inflammatory disease.
- Dizziness, sometimes up to fainting , especially with a sharp change in position. This symptom appears because the edema of the nasopharyngeal mucosa worsens blood circulation, including in the brain. As a result, mild hypoxia (oxygen starvation) occurs.
It is important to remember that with a strong dry and painful cough it is necessary to take timely therapeutic measures or even to call an ambulance. Because of the edema, in many cases the vocal chasm narrows and the patient begins to choke. It is fraught with severe complications for the respiratory, cardiovascular, brain and life-threatening.