Cough But Not There Sputum

Although not the flu or a cold, many people who have a cough without phlegm or the so-called dry cough. What causes this dry cough?

Coughing is the body's attempt to remove a foreign object or mucus from the lungs and upper respiratory tract. Sometimes a dry cough is a reaction to an inflamed throat channel or due to other causes.

Dry cough is a cough that is productive because it does not produce mucus. Dry cough illness but can also be simply a reaction to the throat channel.

Some things that cause dry cough as reported by LIVESTRONG on Thursday (27/01/2011):

1. Respiratory tract irritation
Often, dry cough is not a disease but a response to conditions that irritate the respiratory tract and causes bronchospasm. Dust and smoke in the air most often cause a dry cough. Inhaling anything while breathing also can cause this non-productive cough.

ACE inhibitors used in treating high blood pressure, sometimes it can cause chronic cough. Asthma can also cause a dry cough without wheezing, this is often a warning sign that asthma worsened.

2. Whooping cough
Dry cough can also occur as symptoms of whooping cough, namely respiratory tract infections due to bacteria that is highly contagious. Whooping cough, also known as pertussis, causing inflammation that narrow the breathing tubes in the lungs.

For the first week, whooping cough patients experienced dry cough, along with a runny nose, nasal congestion, sneezing and mild fever. The following week, severe coughing attacks start to happen, thick phlegm, coughing attacks may be so strong that it causes vomiting, red or bluish face and extreme fatigue.

Although adults with whooping cough can usually recover completely, but this disease can be dangerous when going to the baby.

3. Mycoplasma Pneumonia
Mycoplasma pneumonia is a type of bacterial pneumonia which usually affects people under the age of 40 years and often cause symptoms of dry cough.

In addition, mycoplasma pneumonia was also accompanied by chest pain, chills, sweating, fever, headache and sore throat.

4. Influenza and colds
Influenza or flu is a viral infection that affects the respiratory system and can also cause a dry cough. Apart from dry cough, flu also causes fever over 38 degrees celsius, chills, sweating, headache, muscle ache and fatigue.