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Coughing – Not to be taken lightly

Foto: Anneke Schram
/iStockphotoTM

Coughing is a natural reflex, triggered either by an obstruction of the air passages or the oesophagus. It may be caused by everything from “A” for asthma, to “W” for whooping cough, also known as pertussis. Especially the last one should not be taken lightly.

As with most illnesses, coughing, if persistent and accompanied by vomiting and fever, should not go untreated. In such cases, it is absolutely necessary to consult your family doctor. The usual causes of coughing are: allergic reaction to dust and pollen, air pollutants, stress, reaction to medication and colds and flu.

More serious causes for chronic coughs are lung infections such as pneumonia and bronchitis. The two main types of cough are: productive, involving phlegm, and/or catarrh and non-productive, involving a dry, hacking, persistent cough. A lot of over-the-counter medication is effective, but not always to be recommended.

Pharmacy customer: Good morning.

PTA: Good morning dear Mrs. Miller. How are you today? What can I do for you?

Pharmacy customer: I was wondering if you could help. My husband has had a very bad cough for a few days now. I don’t know what to do. He refuses to go to the doctor and we don’t have any cough remedies at home.

PTA: Well, what does the coughing sound like?

Pharmacy customer: It’s very dry and hacking. And it seems to come in spasms. I know he’s allergic to hazel pollen and dust. But we have an allergy-free home, you know, no wallpaper, carpets or heavy curtains on the windows. Our bedroom is as dust-free as possible.

PTA: But at this time of the year there shouldn’t be any problems there. The main season for hazel pollen is usually in March. This is the time of year when lots of colds and flu start doing the rounds. Did your husband have a cold recently? Because after colds, a lot of people suffer from something called postnasal drip. At night it’s especially unpleasant because the mucus in the nose drips down into the throat and can cause a very irritating cough.

Pharmacy customer: Yes, he did. And he’s still got the snuffles. Is it possible that he’s got whooping cough?

PTA: Although adults do get whooping cough, the effects are not as bad as for children and infants. In spite of vaccination and prevention programmes, there has been a slight increase in the incidence of pertussis in the past two years or so. The symptoms are very similar to other types of colds, flu and respiratory infection but, if your husband hasn’t been in contact with the virus that causes pertussis, it is highly unlikely that he has it. May I ask what your husband does for a living?

Pharmacy customer: Yes, he’s a teacher at the local secondary school.

PTA: So, he has to talk a lot. And I’ve heard that the flu is doing the rounds there! But we haven’t heard anything about whooping cough.

Pharmacy customer: I think he did say that a lot of his colleagues are ill at the moment. Should he take some type of cough remedy like a suppressant or maybe an expectorant?

PTA: I wouldn’t recommend a cough suppressant. Although there was a trend until quite recently that suppressants be taken for such persistent coughs, the trend today is to soothe the dryness, which in part causes the irritation in the throat that leads to dry and tickly coughs. And if your husband hasn’t got any chest congestion, that is wheezy, rattling coughing, then it would be counter-productive to take an expectorant.

Pharmacy customer: What do you recommend?

PTA: Firstly, your husband should drink plenty of fluids, not just water but also herbal teas. Thyme, for example, is a very soothing and effective remedy for tickly coughs. A lot of people take mint or menthol preparations, which are good against a stuffy nose but can, in fact, cause additional irritation in the upper airways. And make sure that he stays away from irritants such as cigarette smoke, dust etc. It’s also a good idea to try some lozenges. We have some herbal bonbons here that I find very effective when I have a dry throat. They are mild and really help. I would also recommend a mild decongestant to help against the postnasal drip.

Pharmacy customer: Is there anything else that he could do to alleviate the problem?

PTA: Using a vaporiser is a great idea. It increases the moisture in the air and softens the cough. Or even taking a steamy shower might help.

Pharmacy customer: I’m feeling a little under the weather myself. Can I do anything to prevent getting the same cough?

PTA: As I said, it’s that time of year when a lot of people get colds and flu. As soon as you notice any of the symptoms try the household remedies that I’ve recommended, and if they don’t work it’s your body telling you to take a rest!

Pharmacy customer: Thank you for your helpful advice. Bye bye!

PTA: No problem! Bye!

Vocabulary

Intro

to trigger auslösen
obstruction Luftwegverschluss
oesophagus Speiseröhre

Text

persistent anhaltend
accompanied by von (etwas) begleitet
vomiting Erbrechen
flu Grippe
phlegm Schleim
hacking hier: kurzer, harter Husten
over-the-counter apothekenpflichtig
wallpaper Tapete
curtains Vorhänge
recently kürzlich, vor kurzem, in letzter Zeit
unpleasant unangenehm
effects Auswirkungen
vaccination Schutzimpfung
slight increase lichte Erhöhung
incidence Häufigkeit
respiratory Atemwegs-, respiratorisch
unlikely unwahrscheinlich
secondary school Gymnasium
suppressant Hustenstiller
expectorant Schleimlöser
to recommend empfehlen
to soothe lindern
tickly coughs Reizhusten
chest Brustkorb
wheezy keuchend
rattling rasselnd
fluids Flüssigkeiten
herbal teas Kräutertees
thyme Thymian
stuffy nose verstopfte Nase
irritation Reiz
lozenges Hustenbonbons
decongestant abschwellendes Mittel
to alleviate lindern, mildern
under the weather umgangssprachlich für sich nicht wohl fühlen
09/07