Gastric Cough: Symptoms And Treatment In Adults And Children

2024 Author: Rachel Wainwright | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-01-15 19:51

Gastric cough: symptoms, treatment, difference from a cold

The content of the article:

Cause
Gastric cough symptoms
What is the difference between a cough caused by diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and a cold?
Diagnostics
Treating gastric cough
Treatment with folk remedies
Forecast
Prevention
Video

A gastric cough is different from a cough of a different etiology. Most often, a cough occurs against the background of a cold, diseases of the respiratory and cardiovascular systems. But sometimes the reasons for its appearance are associated with various pathologies of the organs of the gastrointestinal tract (GIT).

Gastric cough is accompanied by other signs of gastrointestinal diseases

Cause

The main cause of gastric cough is weakness of the lower esophageal sphincter located at the border between the esophagus and the cardiac stomach. As a result, acidic gastric contents (gastric juice, particles of undigested food) are thrown into the esophagus, from where it reaches the larynx and irritates the nerve receptors in the mucous membrane, which is accompanied by an attack of dry cough.

This type of cough can occur with the following diseases of the digestive system:

gastroesophageal reflux;
peptic ulcer of the stomach and duodenum;
gastritis with increased secretion;
helminthic invasions;
adenovirus and enterovirus infectious diseases;
dysbiosis;
foreign body of the esophagus;
increased intragastric pressure due to various reasons (cirrhosis of the liver, overweight, pregnancy);
food toxicoinfection;
tumors of the stomach and intestines;
diseases of the hepatobiliary system and spleen.

Gastric cough symptoms

In children and in adults, the signs are expressed in the same way, since they are determined not by the patient's age, but by the underlying pathology. Features of cough for various diseases of the digestive tract are presented in the table.

Disease	Signs
Gastroesophageal reflux	The cough is chronic. It is accompanied by severe heartburn, a feeling of dry mouth. Breathing can be noisy, intermittent. In severe cases, apnea may occur.
Dysbacteriosis	The cough is dry, persisting for a long time.
Gastritis, gastric ulcer and duodenal ulcer	Characterized by the onset of dry cough attacks a few hours after eating.
Helminthic invasions	The cough is dry, painful. It can be combined with shortness of breath and various manifestations of allergic reactions.
Enterovirus infections	The main signs of this group of intestinal infections are: general weakness, fever, dyspeptic disorders, dry cough.

Coughing attacks are often worse at night, since in a horizontal position the likelihood of gastric contents entering the esophagus increases. At the end of the attack, vomiting is possible.

Due to the fact that the cough manifests itself mainly at night, the patient's physiological sleep rhythm is disturbed. As a result, during the day, he does not feel rested, his working capacity decreases, irritability, fatigue appears, and the quality of life in general deteriorates.

What is the difference between a cough caused by diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and a cold?

Since cough is just a symptom of various diseases, then, naturally, each of its types (colds, cardiac, gastric, neurogenic) has signs that distinguish it from other types. Consider the main differences between a cold (the most common) cough and a cough that occurs due to stomach pathologies:

Sign	Catarrhal	Gastric
The nature of the cough	Can be dry or wet	Dry, paroxysmal
Duration	No more than 10-14 days	Often chronic
Body temperature	Often increased	Normal
Heartburn	Not typical	Almost always observed
Vomiting	May occasionally occur with dry cough	The attack often ends with vomiting
General weakness	Is characteristic	Not typical
Relationship with food intake or body position	Absent	The attack occurs after eating or in a horizontal position of the body
Dyspeptic symptoms	May be with intestinal flu	Frequently present

Diagnostics

At the first visit of the patient, the doctor asks him, clarifies the nature of the complaints. To exclude diseases of the respiratory system, appoint:

chest x-ray;
bronchoscopy;
general blood analysis;
biochemical blood test.

In the absence of changes characteristic of respiratory diseases, further examination is carried out, including the following methods:

fibrogastroscopy;
X-ray of the organs of the gastrointestinal tract with contrast;
Ultrasound of the abdominal organs;
clinical analysis of feces;
study of feces for occult blood;
bacteriological examination of feces;
study of feces for dysbiosis.

Treating gastric cough

For a cough that is associated with stomach pathology, you should contact a gastroenterologist.

Depending on the cause, the doctor may prescribe drugs belonging to different pharmacological groups:

antacids - medicines that reduce the acidity of gastric juice;
prokinetics - drugs that normalize the motor function of the digestive system;
antisecretory agents - suppress the secretion of gastric juice;
antimicrobial drugs;
eubiotics - drugs that normalize the composition of the intestinal microflora.

With a strong cough, the doctor may prescribe a short course and take antitussive drugs of central action.

One of the common causes of cough caused by gastrointestinal problems is gastroesophageal reflux

The organization of proper nutrition is also of great importance in therapy. The necessary diet in each case is prescribed by the doctor. For example, in case of gastric ulcer and duodenal ulcer, he can recommend diet No. 1 according to Pevzner, and in case of cholelithiasis, diet No. 5. But there are a number of general principles of nutritional therapy:

Food should be taken 5-6 times a day in small portions.
Use only high-quality and fresh products for cooking.
Eliminate strong broths, fried and fatty foods, hot spices, canned food, sausage and confectionery, alcohol, coffee from the diet.
Carefully observe sanitary and hygienic standards when preparing food.
Give up fast food completely.
Carry out the last meal no later than 2-3 hours before bedtime.

For chronic diseases of the digestive system, spa treatment has a good effect, but it can only be carried out during the period of remission.

Treatment with folk remedies

Traditional medicine offers many ways to treat cough, including those of gastric origin.

Here are some popular recipes:

Butter with honey and lemon. Pour 250 ml of vegetable oil into a small saucepan and add 100 g of honey to it. While stirring constantly, heat in a water bath until a homogeneous mass is formed. Cool down. Add two tablespoons of lemon juice. Take three times a day for a teaspoon half an hour before the main meals. The finished mixture is stored in the refrigerator.
Potato juice. In the morning on an empty stomach, take 0.5 glasses of freshly squeezed potato juice. The course of treatment is 7-10 days, if necessary, it can be repeated in a month.
Mumiyo. Add 0.5 g of mummy to a glass of warm milk, stir until completely dissolved. Take 2 times a day half an hour before meals.
Decoction of medicinal herbs. Mix plantain, chamomile flowers, sage and licorice root in equal proportions. Pour one tablespoon of the medicinal collection with a glass of boiling water. Insist for 20-30 minutes. Strain and take a quarter cup 3-4 times a day.

Forecast

The prognosis is determined by the underlying disease, its stage, as well as the timeliness and adequacy of the prescribed therapy. In most cases, the prognosis is favorable.