Penza pulmonologist Gulsina Romazanova explained what chronic cough and shortness of breath say

The modern rhythm of life makes many people not pay attention to the slight signs of malaise. Fatigue is often blamed on stress, cough - on dry air in the room, and shortness of breath when climbing stairs - on excess weight or insufficient physical shape. However, the lungs do not always give clear distress signals. Most often, they warn of problems through two symptoms that many consider minor: chronic cough and shortness of breath.

During the week of lung health, the pulmonologist of the City Polyclinic No. 14 Gulsina Romazanova told about what these symptoms mean.

According to medical guidelines, a cough, whether dry or wet, is considered chronic if it lasts more than two months without signs of improvement. This is not just a cold, but a signal of a serious illness.

A smoker’s cough, especially in the morning, may indicate chronic bronchitis. The bronchi are constantly inflamed and produce excessive amounts of mucus, trying to get rid of toxins. In the morning, the body literally sinks in its own sputum, which can lead to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. A dry, paroxysmal cough with a whistle may indicate asthma or increased sensitivity of the bronchi: they narrow when in contact with cold air, dust or the smell of perfume. If such a cough appears at night or in the morning, it almost certainly indicates the onset of asthma. Coughing with an admixture of blood or rusty sputum is a serious reason to consult a doctor: blood can be the result of rupture of small vessels due to overstrain, but can also be a symptom of tuberculosis, pneumonia or a tumor. A prolonged cough after SARS, which does not go away for more than three to four weeks, may indicate that the infection has spread lower, causing secondary bacterial bronchitis, or postnasal syndrome - when mucus from the nose drains down the back of the pharynx.

Shortness of breath, or dyspnea, can be physiological, for example after intense physical exertion, and pathological, when it is difficult for a person to complete a sentence without suffocating. A dangerous sign is shortness of breath, which appears where it was not before. Difficulty breathing, lack of air may indicate heart problems or pulmonary embolism. The heart cannot cope with the pumping of blood, and the brain signals a lack of oxygen. It can also be a symptom of panic attacks and neuroses. Difficulty exhaling, when the air "stuck" in the chest, is a typical sign of pulmonary diseases: with COPD or severe asthma, the bronchi can subside on exhalation. Orthopnea, or shortness of breath in the prone position, when a person can sleep only half-sitting, using several pillows, due to the inability to breathe lying down, is a serious sign of fluid stagnation in the small circle of blood circulation associated with problems of the left ventricle of the heart.

Gulsina Romazanova listed the alarming symptoms in which you need to immediately consult a doctor: chest pain that gives to the left arm, shoulder blade or jaw; blue lips or fingertips; inability to pronounce the phrase entirely due to lack of air; confusion and impaired thinking against the background of a cough; sudden acute shortness of breath in a person who has been stationary for a long time, such as in an airplane or behind a computer, which may indicate a blood clot.

The doctor also warned against common mistakes. Do not try to drown out the symptoms with the help of syrups: suppression of the cough reflex with drugs of central action in the presence of sputum creates favorable conditions for the reproduction of bacteria in the lungs, which can lead to pneumonia. You should not hope that “everything will pass by itself”: the lung tissue does not hurt, since there are no pain receptors in it, and by the time the pain appears, the disease often reaches a severe stage. You can not make a diagnosis on the Internet: only a doctor with a phonendoscope and a direction for spirometry can distinguish heart shortness of breath from pulmonary.

In conclusion, Gulsina Romazanova recommended listening to your breath while it remains free, calling it the best indicator of health.