Can't Stop Coughing? 8 Possible Reasons

 

What's causing your chronic cough?

You've been coughing for weeks. How do you know if it's a hard-to-shake cold or something more serious?

Only a doctor can tell for sure what's behind your hacking. A number of conditions could be to blame, such as asthma; postnasal drip; gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD); and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a serious, progressive disease that includes both emphysema and bronchitis.

Read more about COPD and some common (and relatively uncommon) culprits in chronic cough.

Asthma and allergies

Asthma is a chronic lung disease in which the airways in the lungs are prone to inflammation and swelling. Along with chest tightness, shortness of breath, and wheezing, coughing is a characteristic symptom of asthma, one which tends to intensify at night or in the early morning. When the symptoms of asthma flare up suddenly, it’s known as an asthma attack.

Even in people without asthma, inhaling pollen, dust, pet dander, and other airborne irritants can trigger allergic rhinitis, an allergic reaction that can cause coughing, along with symptoms such as stuffy nose and sneezing.

COPD

COPD occurs when the airways and air sacs in the lungs become inflamed or damaged, most often due to smoking, and is more common after age 45. In COPD, the lungs produce excess mucus, which the body reflexively tries to clear by coughing. COPD-related tissue damage can also make you feel short of breath.

Your doctor may check you for COPD (particularly if you smoke), after ruling out other common causes of cough. To determine if you have COPD, your doctor is likely to conduct some tests, including spirometry, which involves inhaling as deeply as you can and then exhaling into a tube. 

GERD

GERD is an ailment of the stomach and esophagus that occurs when stomach acid backs up into the esophagus due to a weak valve.

The main symptoms? Killer heartburn. But coughing is another common symptom of GERD, along with chest pain and wheezing. In fact, GERD is a fairly common, and unrecognized, cause of a chronic cough.

Respiratory tract infection

Coughing is one of the most common symptoms of colds and fluand other respiratory tract infections. A bad cough can outlast other symptoms (such as stuffy nose and a fever), perhaps because the air passages in your lungs remain sensitive and inflamed. When this occurs, it's called chronic upper airway cough syndrome (or postnasal drip).

A more serious respiratory tract infection is pneumonia, which can be caused by bacteria or viruses. A cough, often producing a greenish or rust-colored mucus, is one of the characteristic symptoms of the illness, along with fever, chills, chest pain, weakness, fatigue, and nausea.

Air pollution

Various pollutants and irritants in the air can cause a persistent cough. Even short-term exposure to fumes (such as diesel exhaust) can result in cough, phlegm, and lung irritation. Fumes can also exacerbate allergies or asthma.

Similarly, mold spores found in and around homes can cause wheezing and coughing when inhaled. In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans reported a sudden spike in persistent cough complaints among returning residents. This so-called Katrina cough was believed to stem from the mold caused by the flooding, as well as by dry weather and the construction dust that was then ubiquitous in the city.

Acute bronchitis

If you’re recovering from a cold and suddenly develop a hacking, mucus-y cough, you may have acute bronchitis, a condition in which the passageways in your lungs become infected and inflamed. In addition to coughing and chest congestion, bronchitis can produce fever, chills, aches, sore throat, and other flu-like symptoms. These symptoms usually disappear within a few days, but the cough can persist for weeks.

If your cough doesn’t go away, or if you develop acute bronchitis frequently, it may be a sign of chronic bronchitis. Chronic bronchitis is a serious condition in which the lungs produce excess mucus due to ongoing irritation, and is considered a form of COPD. 

ACE inhibitors

ACE inhibitors are a type of medication used to treat high blood pressure and heart failure. About 1 in 5 people who take the drugs develop a dry cough. In some people, the cough can persist for weeks after they stop taking the medication; women, African Americans, and Asians may be at greater risk of developing an ACE inhibitor cough than other people.

You should never stop taking a prescribed medication without consulting with your doctor, and ACE inhibitors are important medications for lowering blood pressure (a more serious condition than a cough.) Consult your doctor if you think your cough is related to a medication.

Pertussis

Also known as whooping cough, pertussis is a bacterial disease with symptoms that include a slight fever, a runny nose, and, most notably, a violent cough that can make breathing difficult. Attempting to inhale air into the lungs between coughs can produce a distinctive, high-pitched whooping sound. After the initial stage, many people do not have a fever, but the chronic cough that accompanies pertussis can last for many weeks.

Although the number of pertussis cases in the United States has risen alarmingly in recent years, especially among adolescents and adults, pertussis is still a relatively uncommon cause of chronic cough.

Source: Health.com

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Study: Cell Phone Use Impacts Brain Activity, Health Effects Unclear

Talking on a cell phone for close to an hour has an impact on brain activity, according to the latest research on the subject -- but the long-term health effects remain unclear.

A preliminary study in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that using the cell for 50 minutes was associated with a spike in brain glucose metabolism, which is a marker for brain activity.

The increased glucose metabolism happened in the area of the brain closest to the phone antenna, said scientists from the National Institutes of Health.

What the results mean from a health standpoint isn't yet known.

The findings are the latest in a growing and conflicting body of research on the mobile phones' potential link to cancer. Concerns have long surrounded the possible carcinogenic effects of the radiation emitted from the phones. Those waves are known as radiofrequency-modulated electromagnetic fields, or RF-EMFs.

"It's not the smoking gun," Dr. Michael DeGeorgia, a neurologist at University Hospitals Case Medical Center in Ohio, told AOL Health of the study. "It's not the final link to brain tumors. But it certainly raises provocative questions."

The authors emphasized that their research only goes so far in what it shows.

"Results of this study provide evidence that acute cell phone exposure affects brain metabolic activity," they wrote. "However, these results provide no information as to their relevance regarding potential carcinogenic effects [or lack of such effects] from chronic cell phone use."

The brain uses glucose for energy; how quickly it breaks down or metabolizes that glucose is an indication of how hard it is working to get that energy, explained DeGeorgia, who heads the neurocritical care center at University Hospitals.

"That can put a strain on the cells," he told AOL Health.

When cells are injured, they can either die or experience a genetic change that makes them multiply, turning on the genes that cause the cells to proliferate and turning off those that inhibit the process. That process may cause tumors to form.

"Cancer is the abnormal proliferation and growth of cells," DeGeorgia said. "One fear is that these radiofrequency waves may be stressing out the cells, may be pushing the cells over the edge. The radiofrequency from the phone can perhaps cause the genes to turn on and off."

Led by Dr. Nora D. Volkow of the NIH, the research team conducted the randomized clinical study on 47 participants between January 1 and December 31 of 2009. Cell phones were held up to both the left and right ears, while high-tech PET scans were taken of the brain and its glucose metabolism was measured. The brain's activity was monitored once when the right-ear phone was on for 50 minutes and once with both phones off.

The scientists saw no difference in the glucose metabolism of the entire brain when the phones were on versus off. But they did detect a localized effect in the region closest to the antenna: Metabolism there was about 7 percent higher when the phones were activated than when they were deactivated.

"This indicates that the regions expected to have the greater absorption of RF-EMFs from the cell phone exposure were the ones that showed the larger increases in glucose metabolism," the researchers wrote. "These results provide evidence that the human brain is sensitive to the effects of RF-EMFs from acute cell phone exposures."

What isn't known is how the radiation waves affect glucose metabolism in the brain, or what the potential health consequences may be.

More epidemiological trials are needed to "shed light on whether excessive cell phone use is dangerous," Dr. Steven V. Pacia, the chief of neurology at Lenox Hill Hospital, said in an e-mail to AOL Health.

"If it is true that brain metabolism increases only in regions exposed to the cell phone's RF-EMF emissions, then it is clear that cell phones produce biological effects unrelated to normal function," he said.

The NIH scientists agree, saying more work is needed to determine whether the devices can cause long-term harm.

"Studies of the association between cell phone use and prevalence of brain tumors have been inconsistent [some, but not all ... showed increased risk], and the issue remains unresolved," they wrote.

DeGeorgia said the findings don't prove a definitive association between mobile phone use and cancer. But they are significant.

"It's an illustration that radiofrequency waves are having a measurable, functional difference in the brain," he told AOL Health. "It's not a link to cancer -- they're not showing that they change the genes and cells. But it certainly shows that when you have your cell phone to your ear, your brain cells are being affected by it."

Until more is known, caution should be exercised, he added.

"Use common sense," he suggested. "If there's a way to avoid having the cell phone directly to your ear, do it, and limit the use of cell phones until all the data is in."

Source: AOL Health By Catherine Donaldson-Evans

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Many stick with fast food after heart attack

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - You might think that people who've had a heart attack might cut back on fast food, which usually has unhealthy amounts of fat and salt. 

And in fact, some heart attack patients who are frequent fast food eaters do cut back, researchers found in a new study. But 6 months later, more than half of them can still be found at their favorite fast food places at least once a week.

The researchers who published these findings in the American Journal of Cardiology say the reduction in visits to fast food restaurants is not enough and patients need better dietary education.

"We can do better," Dr. John Spertus, a professor at the University of Missouri Kansas City and one of the authors of the study, told Reuters Health.

Spertus and his colleagues studied nearly 2,500 heart attack patients across the U.S. who filled out surveys while they were still in the hospital. Overall, 884 patients, or roughly one of every three, reported eating fast food frequently in the month before their heart attack. "Frequently" meant once a week or more.

When the researchers checked back 6 months later, 503 were still eating fast food every week.

Those patients - the die-hard fast food eaters - were more likely to be white, male, employed, and without a college degree, compared to patients who didn't go for fast food as often.

They were also more likely to have unhealthy levels of fat in their blood. "These people are likely increasing their risks and likely not complying with the American Heart Association's recommendations for diet," Spertus said.

Older patients and those who underwent bypass surgery were more likely to be avoiding fast food 6 months later.

The American Heart Association encourages people to eat lean meats and vegetables and to avoid foods high in saturated and trans fats, sodium and cholesterol - hallmarks of cheeseburgers and fried food, Spertus said.

Spertus said his study was not designed to show that eating fast food causes heart disease.

According to the National Institutes of Health, however, saturated fat and cholesterol in food make cholesterol levels in blood go up, increasing the likelihood of heart problems.

The survey also did not ask what menu items people ordered. And Sue Hensley, a spokesperson for the National Restaurant Association, points out that fast food is more than burgers and fries.

"We're seeing trends toward more fruits and vegetables and healthy offerings in restaurants," Hensley told Reuters Health. Those include salads, whole grains and low fat milk.

Spertus and his colleagues note, though, that the people in their study who kept on eating fast food every week tended to have high levels of fat in their blood, "consistent with selection of less healthy options."

Fast food eating is not considered healthy, Spertus said. A study of 3,000 adults published in The Lancet medical journal in 2005 found the more often people ate fast food, the more likely they were to gain weight and develop warning signs of diabetes.

Nine out of 10 patients in the current study had received dietary counseling before they left the hospital, but this didn't seem to affect the odds that frequent fast food eaters would improve their diets. Their behavior shows they need more education after discharge, Spertus says.

"The problem is that patients are absorbing so much information at the time of their heart attack, that I just don't think they can capture and retain all the information they're getting," he said.

Fast food restaurants in the U.S. will soon post calorie, fat, sodium and other nutritional information on their menus, as required by the major health care law that passed last year. Already, cities like New York and Philadelphia mandate calorie counts on menus. It's still up for debate whether such numbers next to food offerings will affect what people order.

The survey is part of a national study called TRIUMPH, which is funded by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.

Spertus also receives research funds from the American Heart Association.

Source:  MSNBC  by Reuters

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Keeping Cholesterol in Check May Reduce Risk of Alzheimer’s

There are many benefits to keeping your cholesterol in check, but a new reason has surfaced: reducing the chance of Alzheimer’s in old age. In a new study out of Columbia University, researchers found that there is a correlation between the level of HDL cholesterol and the probability of Alzheimer’s, with up to a 60% reduction in risk if the HDL is high enough.

Cholesterol is a waxy-fat type substance that is produced naturally by your body. It helps protect nerves, make cell tissues, and produce certain hormones. But when there is too much cholesterol in the blood, the excess builds up on the walls of the arteries, causing them to narrow and harden. Large deposits of cholesterol can completely block an artery.

There are two types: LDL and HDL. An easy way to remember which one is which is that the LDL is "Lousy" cholesterol. You don't want your "lousy" score to be too high. On the other hand, think of HDL as "Healthy," something that is good for you. LDL low is the main source of cholesterol build-up in your arteries, and this is what can lead to decreased blood flow to your heart, even to blockage. HDL is quite the opposite. It can help keep the blood flowing through your arteries at full speed ahead, a benefit for reducing the risk of heart attack.

The Columbia study followed 1,130 participants over the age of 65 from 1999-2001. After adjusting for age, sex, education, ethnic group, APOEe4 genotype, vascular risk factors, and lipid-lowering treatment, participants with a baseline HDL-C of more than 56 mg/dL (the highest quartile) had the lowest odds for Alzheimer’s, with a 60% reduction of risk. Researchers diagnosed "probable" Alzheimer's disease when a diagnosis of dementia could not be explained by any other disorder and "possible" Alzheimer's when it was the most likely cause of dementia. They found that the average age of onset for all Alzheimer's cases was 82.9.

The exact cause of Alzheimer’s is not known, but early detection of Alzheimer’s disease can affect the outcome and slow the eventual slide into full-blown dementia. Dietary habits are important in keeping cholesterol in check and diminishing the probability of Alzheimer’s.  Common wisdom recommends that you should keep your saturated fat intake to 10 percent of total calories per day, and replace saturated fats with healthier alternatives whenever possible. Steer clear of unsaturated and trans fats (often found in processed foods). Instead, look for polyunsatured fats (also known as Omega-6 fatty acids) and monounsaturated fats. They are found in vegetable oils, fish, bananas, avocados, nuts and sunflower seeds, among others.

Source: HealthNews By Susan Brady

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Taste buds in lungs discovery could ease asthma

The discovery of "taste receptors" in the lungs rather than on the tongue could point the way to new medicines for asthma, it is suggested. Experiments in mice revealed that bombarding the receptors with bitter-tasting compounds helped open the airways, which could ease breathing. The University of Maryland study, published in Nature Medicine, may have implications for other lung diseases.

Asthma UK warned that any new drug would not arrive for some time. The "taste receptors" discovered in the smooth muscle of the lungs are not the same as those clustered in taste buds in the mouth. They do not send signals to the brain, and yet, when exposed to bitter substances, they still respond.

It was the nature of that response that surprised researchers, who assumed their presence was as a defence against noxious gases, triggering a tightening of the airways and coughing. In fact, the mouse experiments revealed that exactly the reverse was true.

 

Protective response

 

When airway tissue from mice was treated with bitter substances, then exposed to allergens, there appeared to be a protective response.

Dr Stephen Liggett, leading the research, said: "They all opened the airway more profoundly than any known drug that we have for the treatment of asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease." In asthma, and other lung diseases, the smooth muscle lining the airway contracts, narrowing it, and drugs such as salbutamol help relax and open it, restoring normal breathing.

Dr Liggett said that an inhaler based on bitter substances such as quinine or even saccharine, which has a bitter after-taste, could "replace or enhance" current treatment. He warned that simply eating bitter foods would not help protect from or relieve an asthma attack.

Dr Yassine Amrani, an asthma researcher at the University of Leicester, said the research was very "encouraging", potentially offering a new target for treatment. He said future studies could focus on trying to reproduce the effect in human as well as mouse airway tissues, and making sure that the substances did not produce unwanted side effects such as inflammation.

He said: "The concept of having bitter taste receptors in the smooth muscle of the airways is a new one, and activating this receptor could offer a new way to relax them." Leanne Metcalf, director of research at Asthma UK said that a significant number of the 5.4m asthmatics in the UK did not control their symptoms using existing drugs, and that research into new, more effective treatments, was "vital".

She said: "The effectiveness of bitter substances at overcoming the airway narrowing that causes asthma symptoms has so far only been tested in mice, however this somewhat surprising approach does make sense in terms of what we already know about the cell signalling processes involved in asthma. 

"With further in-depth research, this approach could potentially pave the way for a new range of asthma treatments based on bitter substances which could either supplement or replace existing asthma treatments but if this were possible, it would be a long way into the future."

Source: BBC News health

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Alcohol and Sleep: Women Get the Short End of the (Stir) Stick

Although consuming alcohol is known to deepen your slumber during the early hours of sleep, it can also have a rebound effect that causes disruption of a good night’s rest during later night hours. Until now, the gender impact of this “rebound effect” has scarcely been studied. However, a group of researchers from the University of Michigan recently conducted a study finding that women who drank alcohol got fewer hours of sleep, and woke at more frequent intervals for longer periods of time, than did men who also imbibed a few drinks. The full details of the research can be found online in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research.

The analysis involved monitoring the sleep of 93 healthy adults in their twenties, including 59 women and 34 men, after their consumption of either alcohol to the point of intoxication, or a non-alcoholic beverage prior to going to bed. There were 29 participants among the group that had a family history of alcoholism. Drinks were served to the participants between the hours of 8:30 and 10:00 p.m. Following this, their sleep was monitored between the hours of 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m.

Lead author J. Todd Arnedt, an assistant professor of psychiatry and neurology at the University of Michigan, reported that, “Alcohol increased self-reported sleepiness and disrupted sleep quality more in women than men, [and that] morning ratings of sleep quality were worse following alcohol than a placebo.” Arnedt also pointed out that among all the participants who consumed alcohol, no difference in sleep quality was noted between those having a family history of alcoholism and those who did not.

On average, women who drank alcohol got about 20 minutes less sleep than those who did not, which is the equivalent of about 4 percent of a total sleep time of eight hours. Arnedt explained that the gender differences could be related to differences in alcohol metabolism, as a more rapid decline is seen in BrAC (breath alcohol concentration) among women following alcohol consumption than is observed among men who drink alcohol. He then added, “It is important to note that the peak BrACs were equivalent between men and women in our study so the findings are not due to higher BrACs among the female subjects. We also do not believe that the differences were due to differences in alcohol experience because the prior alcohol use was also equivalent between the men and women.”

The latest study results serve as confirmation of previous study findings that a high dose of alcohol leads to a deeper sleep early in the night, followed by disruptions in sleep later on. Arnedt acknowledge that the findings about gender differences “may have implications for future studies examining the relationship between sleep quality and risk for the development of alcohol use disorders, as well as studies evaluating how sleep quality relates to relapse among recovering alcoholic individuals.”

For a better night’s sleep, whether male or female, maintaining a healthy lifestyle can help. Consuming alcohol only in moderation, along with getting regular exercise and eating a heart-healthy diet can promote restful sleep, as well as preserve your health.

Source: HealthNews By Drucilla Dyess  

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Study: Eating more fiber could mean longer life

CHICAGO – Eat more fiber and you just may live longer.

That's the message from the largest study of its kind to find a link between high-fiber diets and lower risks of death not only from heart disease, but from infectious and respiratory illnesses as well.

The government study also ties fiber with a lower risk of cancer deaths in men, but not women, possibly because men are more likely to die from cancers related to diet, like cancers of the esophagus. And it finds the overall benefit to be strongest for diets high in fiber from grains.

Most Americans aren't getting enough roughage in their diets. The average American eats only about 15 grams of fiber each day, much less than the current daily recommendation of 25 grams for women and 38 grams for men, or 14 grams per 1,000 calories. For example, a slice of whole wheat bread contains 2 to 4 grams of fiber.

In the new study, the people who met the guidelines were less likely to die during a nine-year follow-up period.

The men and women who ate the highest amount of fiber were 22 percent less likely to die from any cause compared to those who ate the lowest amount, said lead author Dr. Yikyung Park of the National Cancer Institute.

The study, appearing in Monday's Archives of Internal Medicine, included more than 388,000 adults, ages 50 to 71, who participated in a diet and health study conducted by the National Institutes of Health and AARP.

They filled out a questionnaire in 1995 or 1996 about their eating habits. It asked them to estimate how often they ate 124 food items. After nine years, more than 31,000 of the participants had died. National records were used to find out who died and the cause of death.

The researchers took into account other risk factors including weight, education level, smoking and health status and still saw lower risks of death in people who ate more fiber.

"The results suggest that the benefits of dietary fiber go beyond heart health," said Dr. Frank Hu of the Harvard School of Public Health, who wasn't involved in the new research but co-authored an editorial in the journal.

The evidence for fiber's benefits has been strongest in diabetes and heart disease, where it's thought to improve cholesterol levels, blood pressure, inflammation and blood sugar levels. Fiber's benefits also may come from its theorized ability to bind to toxins and move them out of the body quicker. High-fiber diets can promote weight loss by making people feel full, which has its own health-promoting effects.

However it works, fiber may offer a prevention benefit against killers like pneumonia and flu, the new study suggests. The cancer benefit may have shown up only in the men because they're more likely than women to die from cancers related to diet, Park said.

Fiber is found in fruits, vegetables and beans. But fiber from grains was most strongly tied to the lowered risk in the study.

"That's what seemed to be driving all these relationships," said Lawrence de Koning of the Harvard School of Public Health, a co-author of the editorial.

Whole grains also contain vitamins and minerals, which may play a role in reducing risk, he said. For that reason, supplements may not be as effective.

"Nothing beats the original food," he said. He suggested substituting whole wheat bread for white bread as a simple way to increase fiber from grains.

What does a high-fiber diet look like? A woman who wants to meet the 25 gram guidelines for daily fiber intake could eat one-third cup of bran cereal (9 grams), a half cup of cooked beans (10 grams), a small apple with skin (4 grams) and a half cup of mixed vegetables (4 grams).

To reach 38 grams, a man could eat all that — plus about 23 almonds (4 grams), a baked potato (3 grams), an oat bran muffin (3 grams) and an orange (3 grams). 

Experts recommend adding fiber gradually to allow your digestive system time to get used to it. 

Source: Yahoo News By CARLA K. JOHNSON 

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