Complications of Chronic Cough

Chronic coughs can be irritating. Coughing is not a fun thing to experience even if it only lasts a couple of days, but for some people it can last a lot longer than this. While coughs are generally not serious and are generally linked to medical issues such as a cold or the flu, some people can experience chronic coughs.

If this is something that you are experiencing, then you need to know about some of the complications that can occur. Keep reading if you would like to find out more.

Loss of Bladder Control

If you are coughing a lot, you might find that it is getting increasingly difficult to hold your bladder. When you cough, you are putting pressure on your stomach as you need to push the cough out more often than not. Your body will be focused on expelling the toxins through the cough, which means that you aren’t really concentrating too much on whatever else is going on. As such, you might be experiencing issues with keeping your bladder under control, sometimes ending in you leaking a little while you’re coughing.

This is extremely normal for someone who is coughing a lot, even though we know it’s not pleasant. You can speak to an ear, nose and throat (ENT) doctor if you are worried and your cough is showing no signs of clearing up.

Sleep Complications

Another complication that you can experience are problems with sleep. Your cough might be waking you up through the night as your body is trying to clear out whatever needs to come up, and this can be disturbing your sleep. This may lead to you feeling exhausted as you’re not getting the continuous rest that your body needs through the night. If it’s starting to impact your daily life, it’s worth speaking to an ENT and seeing if there is anything that can be done.

There might not necessarily be a way to get rid of the cough straight away, but they may be able to help you manage it better so that you are getting a decent night of rest.

Wheezing or Shortness of Breath

You may also find that you are wheezing or getting short of breath due to the persistent coughing. Coughing is a lot of exertion for your body, especially if you are doing it constantly as it makes your lungs work harder than they usually need to. If you start to hear yourself wheezing, this will usually come from your chest and you should be able to feel the sensation where this is happening. If this is happening, then you need to book in with an ear, nose and throat specialist as soon as possible as this could be an indication that there is another problem.

Shortness of breath can also occur when you are constantly coughing. You use up a lot of oxygen coughing and it can leave you feeling as though you’re struggling to catch your breath. This is another sure sign that you should speak to an ENT as there might be something that they can suggest to combat this.

Hoarseness

Have you noticed that your voice is changing somewhat? If you are coughing all of the time, this can aggravate your vocal cords and cause mild laryngitis. This condition can change the way that your voice sounds as your vocal cords will be inflamed. Make sure that you are drinking plenty throughout the day to try and keep your throat soothed and avoid any extra issues being piled on.

Rupture of Nasal Veins

What a lot of people seem to forget is that the ears, nose and throat are all connected, and symptoms can manifest from any of the areas. Due to the excess pressure on your body, you might end up rupturing some of your veins in your nose if you are coughing constantly. This will manifest as a nosebleed if it happens, so keep your eye on that. You will likely feel the pressure around your eyes or even in your nose itself before this happens, and that is a sign that you could be potentially having a nosebleed sometime soon.

If you would like to learn more about this topic, or anything else to do with your ears, nose or throat, get in touch with Mountain Ear, Nose & Throat Associates at Sylva: 828-586-7474, Franklin: 828-524-5599, Murphy: 828-835-1014 and New Asheville: 828-458-8100. Book an appointment if you need help, and we look forward to hearing from you soon!