Chest pain with dry cough

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Why does the chest hurt with a dry cough and what to do about such pain?

“My chest hurts when I cough. What to do? How to treat? - Frequent questions that patients ask doctors about. When there is pain in the chest when coughing, a person experiences not only physical discomfort, but also anxiety regarding the causes of pain symptoms.

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Concern is quite natural, because such pain varies in frequency of occurrence, can be caused by many factors, and treatment depends on its type.

General characteristics of chest pain when coughing

Such alarming symptoms can appear at any time, both among young people and among older people. There is less need to worry about chest pain when coughing if symptoms are rare.

Most often, these are influenza diseases, or an allergic reaction of the body to external pathogens. Cure from the main source of the disease allows you to get rid of unpleasant symptoms in the shortest possible time.

If you do not get diagnosed on time, there is a risk of disease progression, the treatment of which will require you to spend a lot of time and effort.

Causes of pain in the sternum on the right

Such pain is not uncommon. When answering the question of why the chest hurts when coughing, you need to pay attention to diseases of the respiratory system, but cases of the development of many other diseases are not uncommon.

The main reasons why the chest hurts from coughing on the right side can be:

  • mechanical external damage;
  • infectious diseases;
  • osteochondrosis.

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If the cough is dry

With the onset of cold weather, more and more people complain of coughing. It is not a separate disease, but appears as a symptom of another disease.

In total, there are three types: acute (lasting for several days), protracted (from several weeks to several months), chronic (lasting more than 3 months).

A dry cough with chest pain is, first of all, symptoms of inflammatory processes in the respiratory tract. It may be a consequence of:

  • inflammation of the larynx;
  • inflammation of the bronchi, trachea - continues for several days, ends after removal of sputum;
  • malignant tumors;
  • helminthic infestation;
  • asthma, etc.

In rare cases, they can be a consequence of diseases of the cardiovascular and nervous systems. It is accompanied by headaches, sneezing, and runny nose. However, the pain does not last long.

If you have a dry cough and chest pain, it is necessary to create suitable conditions for a speedy recovery. In addition to drug treatment prescribed by a doctor, maintaining a room temperature of 20–22 degrees and a humidity of about 60%, frequent wet cleaning and drinking plenty of warm drinks will help.

Why does my chest hurt when I cough?

The main reasons why your chest hurts when you cough are:

  • influenza infections;
  • bruises and sprains of the sternum muscles;
  • allergic reactions;
  • tuberculosis;
  • heart diseases, etc.

When you have a cough and chest pain, what else could it be?

  1. Chest pain and cough may indicate a person has suffered external injuries. They can be: broken ribs, bruises of the sternum, sprains as a result of physical activity.
  2. A dry cough and pain in the chest on the right are usually characteristic of pneumonia, accompanied by stabbing pain when sneezing and dull pain when inhaling.
  3. Cough with chest pain can be a consequence of spinal diseases: osteochondrosis, intervertebral hernia. Painful sensations usually appear in the area of ​​the ribs, heart and other human organs.
  4. Very serious types of diseases include malignant tumors. They can be indicated not only by pain on the right, but also by pain in the chest in the middle when coughing, as well as on the left.
  5. Tuberculosis and asbestosis are accompanied by severe pain when coughing, fever, sweating, and pale skin.

Bronchitis

This is a disease of the bronchial tree that occurs as a result of exposure to external allergens. Its sources can be viruses, bacteria, physical and chemical factors. The most common symptom of this disease is a severe cough accompanied by sputum production.

There are three degrees of severity of the disease: mild, moderate and severe. Coughing is a natural reaction of the body to pathogens, allowing the airways to clear.

Pneumonia

This is an infectious disease that is most often bacterial in nature. But along with bacteria, viruses and fungi can also be the cause. With pneumonia, the lung tissue becomes inflamed, and in case of complications, the process of its destruction begins.

Pain in the lungs when coughing is not always a sign of pneumonia; there are many causes of such pain. With pneumonia, pain in the sternum varies in duration and intensifies during breathing.

Pleurisy

The pleura is a two-layer membrane for the lung tissue; it is a kind of protective barrier for this organ. If your chest hurts when you cough, this may be a sign of the development of pleurisy - the accumulation of fluid between the outer and inner pleura. It is characterized by pain behind the chest with a strong inhalation, sharp pain on the side of inflammation.

When the chest hurts after coughing, many people think that this is a consequence of heart disease. A medical examination will help determine the nature of the disease.

Respiratory tuberculosis

Tuberculosis is an infectious disease that can be caused by various types of bacteria. The disease primarily affects the lungs and occurs in a closed form at the initial stage. Tuberculosis is accompanied by: fever, weakness, weight loss, shortness of breath and other symptoms.

Bronchopulmonary tumor

The causes of this disease are: frequent exposure to toxic substances in the respiratory tract, mechanical damage, and inflammatory processes. The disease is a consequence of: chronic bronchitis, tuberculosis and manifests itself in the form of neoplasms.

There are benign tumors in the bronchi and vice versa. Based on the location of the source of infection, central and peripheral.

Depending on the infected area, the following symptoms of the disease appear:

  • for the main bronchus - at the initial stage it is dry, and with further development of the disease with purulent and bloody discharge, cough, if pneumonitis occurs - fever and weakness appear;
  • peripheral cancer - manifests itself in the later stages of development with a severe cough and chest pain, the first signs are absent;
  • tracheal cancer - characterized by severe pain, cough, dysfunction of voice formation.

Disease of the upper lobe bronchus occurs much more often than other parts of the respiratory tract. When the bronchi are damaged, severe pain appears in the chest area.

What is the diagnosis for dry cough, chest pain and fever?

Severe cough and chest pain, accompanied by high fever, are satellites of inflammatory processes of a bacterial and viral nature.

Cough, chest pain, temperature are signs of infectious infection: ARVI, influenza, sore throat, bronchitis and other diseases. They are accompanied by a rise in temperature to 38 degrees or higher and severe dull pain in the sternum.

No temperature

Cough, chest pain without fever, are common to both young patients with weakened immune systems and elderly people. The manifestation of such symptoms is typical during the development of chronic diseases associated with many external factors.

Signs of serious changes in the body's functioning may include a dry cough, chest pain and lack of fever. The diagnosis that can be made for such manifestations of the disease is:

  • external damage to the respiratory system;
  • bronchopulmonary tumors;
  • bronchial asthma;
  • broncho-obstructive syndrome;
  • specific diseases of the respiratory system.

The reason that the chest hurts during a cough without fever may also be an allergy. Temperatures above 37 degrees are not typical for her. Allergies cause a runny nose and skin rashes.

What to do?

First of all, if pain occurs, you must seek qualified help from a therapist, who, after conducting basic diagnostic studies, will refer you to a more specialized specialist for further consultation.

Identifying the factors that provoke the disease will allow you to make the correct prescription for treatment.

So, in case of external damage to the sternum or spine, warming procedures are performed and anti-inflammatory drugs are prescribed. Treatment of the disease is carried out with antitussives, and expectorants for coughs.

When your chest hurts from coughing, what else should you do? Since similar symptoms are observed during infectious processes, the main element of therapy is antibacterial therapy.

Treatment

The development of many unpleasant diseases is preceded by a cough with chest pain. These symptoms are treated with the following groups of drugs:

The first group includes anti-inflammatory and antipyretic drugs. The following will help relieve pain and relieve cold symptoms: first of all, Paracetamol and Aspirin.

Influenza and other acute respiratory viral infections must be treated with Ingavirin, Arbidol and other immunostimulants.

Dry cough is treated with: Sinekod, Codelac; patients are often prescribed Stoptussin and other medications.

The most common expectorants are Lazolvan, ACC, Bromhexine, licorice root and others.

Severe cough and chest pain, what to treat besides medications? Traditional medicine to alleviate pain, as well as replenish fluid reserves in the body after illness, advises drinking teas with raspberries, lemon, and herbs. Drinking warm berry fruit drinks and compotes will have a very positive effect on the patient’s condition. An excellent way to heal is to drink milk with garlic, as well as prepare infusions of raspberries and oregano.

Useful video

For useful information about the most common causes of cough, watch this video:

Conclusion

  1. Discomfort in the chest when you cough occurs frequently and has a different origin. It occurs throughout the sternum: in the center, right and left. Specifically, pain occurs under the ribs, shoulder blades, and also in the spine.
  2. Such pain is usually associated with mechanical damage (external), as well as (most often) with inflammation of a person’s respiratory tract, disease of his nervous system, gastrointestinal tract and cardiac system.
  3. Severe, regular pain becomes a cause for concern and a visit to a doctor. But even with rare manifestations of symptoms of the disease, in order to prevent and prevent the development of serious pathologies, consultation with a doctor is necessary.

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Source: http://www.pulmonologiya.com/simptomy/bol-v-gk/pri-suhom-kashle.html

Severe cough and chest pain

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What should you do and what should you be wary of when your chest begins to hurt during coughing attacks?

Very often, coughing attacks are accompanied by pain in the chest area. Some patients simply do not pay attention to this condition, and do not even think about why chest pain appears when coughing. Moreover, there can be many reasons for such manifestations, and in most cases they indicate the occurrence of some disease in the human body. In such cases, the main task of the patient and doctors is to promptly determine the presence of disturbances in the functioning of certain organs and systems, and provide appropriate treatment.

Why are coughing attacks accompanied by pain?

Chest pain when coughing is not considered normal and inevitably indicates certain disorders. Pain may occur in the following cases:

  1. Inflammation of the membrane. As you know, the lungs and the inside of the chest are covered with a special membrane. When an inflammatory process occurs in this membrane, pain is felt in the sternum during coughing. This inflammatory process in medicine is known as dry pleurisy and occurs most often with pneumonia.
  2. Functional disorders of the thoracic spine. A common disorder is dry pericarditis, which is accompanied by pain in the sternum when coughing, inhaling and any movement. Usually the pain is sharp and intermittent. If the rib cage is damaged, the pain intensifies even when inhaling.
  3. Shortening of the interprevular ligament. With this process, a person will constantly be tormented by a cough, causing pain in the sternum. If you observe your body for a while, patients may notice that they become more intense during physical activity or when talking.
  4. Inflammation of the trachea. With ARVI and influenza, the trachea often becomes inflamed, then a cough begins and the chest hurts. When treating diseases, the pain goes away immediately.
  5. Bronchitis. With bronchitis, the patient experiences chest pain and a burning sensation when coughing. Sometimes it becomes so intense that it causes a headache.
  6. Formation of tumors in the lungs. The presence of a severe cough, which almost never stops, is a signal of the formation of a malignant tumor in the lungs. In this case, the pain in the chest when coughing is sharp and stabbing in nature, during which the patient’s breathing becomes significantly more difficult. Usually it occurs constantly in one specific place, but sometimes it also spreads to the neck and arms. Sometimes the tumor spreads to the spine, then the chest hurts more and more when coughing.
  7. Presence of tuberculosis. With tuberculosis, a wet or dry cough and pain in the sternum occurs during any physical activity.
  8. Crick. Very often, pain in the chest when coughing also occurs when the muscles are stretched or because the chest is tight. This process is accompanied by a dry cough and slight pain in the chest. After the course of treatment, pain is eliminated and the person no longer worries.

You cannot let the disease take its course, since often chest pain that appears against the background of a cold may indicate damage to the mucous membrane, lung tissue or pleura.

Diagnosis of emerging pain

If your health deteriorates, which is manifested by cough and chest pain, it is necessary to visit doctors such as a pulmonologist, therapist, or neurologist. In cases where the cause of the pain cannot be determined, doctors can use a detailed X-ray of the lungs, a complete blood count, sputum culture, tuberculin test, or a blood test for the presence of a viral or bacterial infection for diagnosis.

To exclude the presence of a tumor in the lungs, it is necessary to puncture the lung tissue for histological examination. If diseases such as tracheitis, bronchitis, pharyngitis, acute respiratory viral infections are suspected, chest X-ray and sputum analysis are prescribed.

By studying the indicators of a detailed blood test, you can determine the depth of the inflammatory process in the organs of the respiratory system.

What measures to take?

If coughing attacks occur that cause pain in the sternum, the patient’s condition can be slightly alleviated. But you should refuse self-treatment in cases where the cause of such a process is unknown. If the patient knows that chest pain when coughing occurs as a result of muscle strain, a warming ointment can be used. You need to buy the ointment as prescribed by your doctor, apply it to the sore spot and rub in well so that the affected area is hot. Such actions must be done for 3 days, during which time the inflammatory process will subside.

It is also recommended to take medications that suppress cough attacks or drugs that increase the amount of sputum and promote its removal. Chest pain when coughing is in any case an indicator of disturbances occurring in the functioning of the body, which is why it is important to consult a specialist as early as possible.

Chest pain when coughing

Compressive, stabbing and other unpleasant sensations in the chest area usually indicate diseases of the respiratory tract, especially if there is a cough. However, this symptom is not always a sign of bronchitis, pneumonia or tuberculosis. It happens that when you cough, there is pain in the chest due to pathologies of the heart, digestive, nervous system and diseases of the musculoskeletal system.

Why does my chest hurt when I cough?

The main causes of this condition are considered to be respiratory tract pathologies:

  • acute, chronic bronchitis;
  • ARVI;
  • pulmonary embolism;
  • tracheitis;
  • chronic obstructive pulmonary disease;
  • pleurisy (inflammation of the pulmonary membrane);
  • bronchial asthma;
  • pneumothorax;
  • pharyngitis;
  • bronchiectasis;
  • emphysema.

With these diseases, a severe dry or wet cough develops and chest pain. These clinical manifestations can occur in the form of attacks, often observed at night and in the morning.

In addition, the following diseases and conditions become causes of pain in the chest area:

  • destruction, injury of the rib frame;
  • osteocondritis of the spine;
  • tumors in the chest;
  • cardiovascular diseases;
  • intercostal neuralgia;
  • hiatal hernia;
  • reflux esophagitis;
  • allergic reaction;
  • heart failure;
  • presence of a foreign body in the respiratory tract;
  • epiglottitis;
  • shortening of the interpreural ligament;
  • renal colic.

It is worth noting that the above list of pathologies is quite rarely accompanied by a cough. If this symptom is present, there are most likely concomitant diseases.

What to do if your chest hurts from coughing?

To begin treatment, it is important to establish the cause of the described clinical manifestations. Therefore, you should contact several specialists:

When the factor causing the problem is determined, you need to pay attention to the nature of the cough and the presence of accompanying symptoms.

If the cause of the pain syndrome is a neurological disease or osteochondrosis, it is necessary to reduce the load on the spine, perform warm-up exercises and take non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).

For a dry, painful cough, the use of antitussive drugs is required. They help suppress attacks and ensure normal night sleep. Additionally, you can take NSAIDs to relieve pain.

A wet cough involves thinning and facilitating the removal of mucus. For these purposes, mucolytics and bronchodilators are prescribed. It is important to maintain a drinking regimen that includes plenty of warm liquid.

It is important to note that cough and chest pain are just signs of an underlying condition. Without its therapy, it is pointless to fight such manifestations.

Chest pain when coughing - how to treat such symptoms?

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are recommended:

Expectorant medications that facilitate the removal of bronchopulmonary secretions:

If necessary, the doctor can also prescribe antiallergic medications:

Antibiotics for bacterial coughs:

Sometimes antiviral agents are required:

Chest pain when coughing

The causes of chest pain when coughing can be diseases that a person is not even aware of. The most common causes are diseases in the area near or around the heart or in its middle wall, which manifest as pain. Pain during breathing and coughing can be signs of diseases of the respiratory system, although they can easily be confused with heart disease. Such pain is most often localized on the side of the chest - on the right or left. They can be sharp, piercing or, conversely, dull, pulling. What specific diseases are indicated by chest pain when coughing?

Learn more about the causes of chest pain when coughing

The causes of chest pain when coughing, in addition to diseases of the heart, blood vessels and respiratory system, can be infections. They cause coughing, sneezing, shortness of breath and other symptoms that are not very pleasant for a person and prompt him to immediately consult a doctor. Here is a partial list of the most common causes of chest pain when coughing.

  • Colds, seasonal flu (flu), swine flu, ARVI (acute respiratory viral infection).
  • Epiglottitis (swelling of the epiglottis), tracheitis, acute or chronic bronchitis, pneumonia and diphtheria
  • Tuberculosis
  • Respiratory tract infection
  • Asthma
  • Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, pulmonary emphysema.
  • Smoke inhalation
  • Allergy
  • Foreign body
  • Tumors
  • Pleurisy, which can cause chest pain and coughing when breathing deeply
  • Cardiovascular diseases
  • Heart failure.
  • Pulmonary embolism

What diseases cause chest pain when coughing?

Let's take a closer look at the diseases that can cause chest pain when coughing.

Inflammation of the membrane (pleurisy)

In the chest cavity and lungs there is a special membrane that acts as a kind of bedding. If this membrane becomes inflamed, a person may experience a cough that is dull and barking or dry and does not go away. This disease is most often diagnosed as pleurisy or dry pleurisy. Most often it is a consequence of pneumonia.

Symptoms

If a person is affected by dry pleurisy, he may experience the following symptoms.

  • Turning onto the side that hurts can cause a decrease in pain.
  • It is difficult to breathe, especially one side of the chest suffers, where pain appears.
  • Breathing may be weakened, especially if the person tries not to strain the affected side of the chest.
  • By listening to breathing, the doctor can detect noises in the chest and lungs - this is due to friction of the pleural membranes.
  • Low-grade body temperature may occur (37.5 – 38 degrees Celsius)
  • Chills and night sweats, as well as rapid breathing and fatigue.

Destruction of the rib frame

With this disease, a person may also experience chest pain when coughing.

Symptoms

The rib cage or thoracic spine can be destroyed or damaged as a result of injury, causing it to become less mobile than before. In this case, a person may also suffer from pleural tumors or a disease called pericarditis. Chest pain in such cases becomes stronger during coughing, basic movements, running, even walking. Shortness of breath occurs, and the pain associated with shortness of breath may be either severe or lessened at times.

Too short interpleural ligament

If the interpleural ligament is shorter than physiologically necessary, the person may cough and have chest pain. The ligament is called interpleural because it is located between the two parts of the pleura - parietal and visceral, which are located near the so-called roots of the lungs. This ligament provides resistance to the lungs when the diaphragm is displaced under any force. The fact that there is a problem with the lungs can be judged by the displacement of the interpleural ligaments. For example, they shorten with the development of pneumonia.

Symptoms

Cough and chest pain worsen when a person talks, sighs deeply, breathes actively, or gives himself more physical activity than usual. He may experience tingling chest pain when running or walking.

Intercostal neuralgia

This disease is characterized by severe chest pain in the form of shooting. They bother the person so much that he may scream in pain. It is important not to confuse intercostal neuralgia with attacks of heart pain, because the symptoms are similar.

Symptoms

Chest pain with intercostal neuralgia intensifies sharply as soon as a person coughs or if he simply inhales sharply.

Renal colic

This disease can cause pain not only in the back area where the kidneys are located, but also chest pain when coughing. Renal colic can occur due to a violation of the outflow of urine, which develops due to poor functioning of the urinary tract and kidneys.

Symptoms

Pain under the ribs on the right side of the chest increases with coughing and movement. Pain with renal colic can also bother the pit of the stomach (a common symptom) and the person also has pain in the entire abdomen. Pain from renal colic can radiate under the shoulder blade on the right side or into the right forearm. If a doctor examines a patient and checks the functioning of the gallbladder by palpation, pain may also be bothersome there. The tenth and twelfth vertebrae of the chest can especially signal pain.

Chest injuries

They can also cause chest pain, which gets worse when coughing. Chest injuries may include fractures or bruises of the ribs, as well as dislocations and subluxations of the shoulder joint.

Symptoms

Pain from chest injuries is usually sharp, shooting, and intensifies with every movement. It is important not to confuse such pain with osteochondrosis. With this disease, chest pain also increases with coughing, but is treated completely differently.

Chest pain when coughing due to a cold

The causes of chest pain when coughing can be colds caused by viruses or bacteria. The diseases themselves are influenza, ARVI, whooping cough, inflammation of the trachea (tracheitis) and other cold-related diseases.

Symptoms

  • Русский
  • Dry cough that doesn't go away
  • Chills
  • Sore throat
  • Heat
  • Fast fatiguability
  • Feels like someone is scratching the inside of your chest

As a rule, such pain goes away immediately as soon as a person eliminates the source of the disease - bacteria or viruses that caused pain and cough.

Lungs' cancer

Lung cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled growth of cells in the tissues of the lungs. If the cancer is not treated, this growth can spread beyond the lungs (metastasis) to nearby tissues and other parts of the body. The most common cause of lung cancer is long-term exposure to tobacco smoke. It is important to know that non-smokers account for 10-15% of lung cancer cases, and doctors often attribute these cases to a combination of genetic factors. The remaining 80-85% of lung cancer cases are the consequences of smoking.

Symptoms

The nature of chest pain when coughing, which occurs due to lung cancer, is sharp, tingling, encircling the entire chest. The pain may bother a person only in one part of the chest or radiate to the arm, stomach or neck. If metastases penetrate into the ribs or spine, the person experiences very strong, unbearable pain in the chest, which intensifies with the slightest movement.

Pneumothorox

A collapsed lung, or pneumothorax, is a cushion of air in the space around the lungs. This buildup of air puts pressure on the lungs so they cannot expand as much as they need to breathe normally. A collapsed lung occurs when air escapes from the lungs and fills the space outside the lungs, inside the chest. This condition can be caused by a gunshot or knife wound to the chest, broken ribs, or medical procedures. In some cases, a collapsed lung occurs without a reason. This condition is called spontaneous pneumothorax.

Symptoms

Unbearable chest pain, which sometimes goes away on its own, and sometimes requires surgical intervention. Chest pain may be mild, but worsens with coughing or sudden movements.

Diagnosis of chest pain when coughing

To completely rule out serious damage to the lung tissue or to find out that the causes of chest pain when coughing are heart and vascular diseases, the doctor may prescribe the following diagnostic methods

  • detailed X-ray of the lungs in several projections;
  • general blood analysis
  • sputum culture
  • tuberculin test
  • ECG
  • blood test to check for bacterial or viral infection

If you suspect the presence of cancer, a puncture of the lung tissue is necessary for histological examination. Only after this will it be possible to talk about what kind of disease is bothering you

If there are obvious symptoms of bronchitis, pharyngitis, tracheitis and ARVI, a chest X-ray, tuberculin test and sputum analysis are performed. The doctor may also prescribe a detailed general blood test. Based on its indicators, it will be possible to judge the depth of the inflammatory process in the respiratory organs.

Chest pain when coughing, as you already understand, can occur due to various diseases. Therefore, the treatment used in each case is different. The method of treating chest pain when coughing depends entirely on the qualifications of the doctor, so it is important to find a specialist whom you can completely trust.

Prolonged cough without fever

Many people only notice a cough if it is accompanied by a fever. In other cases, they do not take the symptom seriously and wait for the unpleasant phenomenon to go away on its own. They don’t even think about visiting the hospital, and a prolonged cough without fever haunts them for months.

A frivolous attitude towards the body’s signal in most cases ends quite disastrously:

  • The underlying disease, which caused a cough and was not treated for a long time, develops into a severe form.
  • The patient begins to develop additional ailments caused by the constant weakening of the body's immune system.
  • Treatment requires large financial costs.
  • The patient falls out of active life for a long time.
  • Often, an advanced form of the underlying illness that causes a cough without fever cannot be completely cured due to untimely provision of medical care. A person gets a chronic disease for life.

The serious consequences of ignoring a prolonged cough without fever are explained by the fact that it is often a companion to quite serious and dangerous processes occurring in the body. They can affect various organs and also worsen the immune system as a whole.

Prolonged cough, chest pain without fever due to chronic bronchitis

Reflex spasms of the respiratory tract are often a sign of illnesses that do not necessarily have an acute form. A prolonged cough (more than a month) without fever is very often observed with bronchitis in the chronic stage. Its main features are:

  • Parallel occurrence of pain in the chest.
  • Increased in windy and wet weather.
  • Production of copious sputum.

Prolonged ignoring of the symptom and lack of adequate treatment of the underlying disease can lead to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Long cough without fever in tuberculosis

In addition to prolonged bronchitis, there is also a more serious disease of the respiratory system, which may be indicated by bronchospasms that do not give rest for a long time. A prolonged cough (3 weeks) without fever can be a sign of such a terrible disease as tuberculosis. The symptom accompanying this disease has the following characteristics:

  • It can be dry or with little sputum.
  • Has a metallic sound.
  • It appears mainly in the morning, after the patient gets out of bed.
  • Individual attacks can be quite long.

The danger of ignoring a prolonged cough without fever caused by tuberculosis is that during reflex spasms, which become more intense, the respiratory organs can be injured and pulmonary hemorrhages may occur. The main disease, in the absence of adequate treatment, will progress, developing into a more severe form.

Persistent cough without fever in smokers

Reflex spastic exhalations that continue for a long time can be caused not only by direct diseases of the bronchi or lungs. They often develop due to the presence of a bad habit - nicotine addiction, which provokes the onset of the development of various pathological processes in the respiratory organs.

If the cough continues for 3 weeks (no fever), and the person has a long history of smoking, then you should pay attention to the following symptoms:
  • Are there any signs of any infectious diseases?
  • Does the cough most often appear in the morning, after physical activity (even fast walking), and with sharp breaths.
  • Are bronchospasms accompanied by the release of dense clots of mucus?

If a long-term cough without fever in a smoker is accompanied by similar symptoms, then there is a high probability that the unpleasant phenomenon is caused by constant inhalation of tobacco smoke.

The only way to get rid of a prolonged cough without fever in this case is to stop smoking. All other methods (inhalations, mint or eucalyptus candies, soothing gargles) can slightly reduce the intensity of reflex spasms, but they cannot completely get rid of them.

Just as it is impossible to stop the pathological processes that have begun in the respiratory system without giving up a bad habit. After all, very often a long-term cough in smokers develops into chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, which threatens with serious health consequences.

Protracted cough without fever in heart disease

Reflex spasms of the diaphragm that do not stop for a long time can be caused not only by pathological processes occurring directly in the respiratory organs. If, for example, a cough continues for 2 weeks without fever, then you should pay attention to other sensations and signs:

  • A symptom without fever, accompanied by the release of mucus with blood clots, will indicate possible failure of the right ventricle of the heart, which has arisen against the background of atrial fibrillation. The long course of this disease causes congestion in the lungs. As a consequence, thromboembolic syndrome occurs, causing bronchospasms.
  • A sharp, dry cough, accompanied by pain not only in the cardiac region, but throughout the entire chest, may be a sign of pericarditis or rheumatism. Left untreated for a long time, these diseases can lead to heart attacks.
  • A prolonged, debilitating and loud cough without fever that occurs after a person has been in a supine position for some time may indicate left ventricular heart failure. It is accompanied by severe suffocation. Coughing in this case brings noticeable relief.
  • A prolonged dry cough without fever may be a symptom of a severe increase in the size of the left atrium. This unpleasant phenomenon may be accompanied by weakness and profuse sweating.
  • In children, a prolonged cough without fever may indicate the presence of congenital heart disease. This disease is fraught with various complications. However, a child may outgrow it.

Prolonged cough without fever due to allergic reactions

The body's hypersensitivity to various irritants can also cause reflex spasms of the respiratory tract. An unpleasant symptom resulting from exposure to allergens can be quite long-lasting. He pursues the person until contact between the patient and the provocateur is eliminated. If the cough continues for two weeks (without fever), then it would not be superfluous to visit the hospital and get tested to identify various intolerances.

An unpleasant symptom caused by an allergy is characterized by the following course:

  • Occurs after contact with a specific irritant.
  • Absence of signs of painful conditions such as temperature, fever, pain, weakness.
  • Possible itching, runny nose, sneezing.
  • No sputum.

A prolonged cough without fever may be evidence of an allergic reaction of the body to such ordinary things as:

The reasons for the development of allergies and the occurrence of prolonged cough without fever may be:

  • Excessive hygiene, which reduces the protective functions of the immune system.
  • Antibiotics.
  • Food products oversaturated with chemical elements.

Unfortunately, there are no medications that treat allergies. Therefore, the only way to get rid of a prolonged cough without fever is to completely avoid contact with the irritant that causes intolerance.

Of course, general knowledge about the causes of reflex spasms of the respiratory tract is not enough to independently diagnose and prescribe treatment. Only a doctor can correctly understand why an unpleasant symptom arose, analyze the entire existing clinical picture and identify the disease that causes an unpleasant long-lasting cough without fever. Only after this the specialist prescribes the optimal treatment regimen, which will help the patient get rid of the unpleasant symptom and the underlying ailment as soon as possible.

What does pain in the chest indicate when inhaling?

The pleural membrane of the chest contains many nerve endings, so pain when inhaling can occur with many diseases and injuries.

Chest pain felt when breathing does not always indicate lung disease. Pain can be felt in the respiratory muscles after excessive strain on it - this happens, for example, after severe repeated vomiting.

If the onset of pain was preceded by a fall or blow to the chest (for example, in a traffic accident), then the cause of the pain is a bruise or fracture of the ribs. In this case, the victim must be urgently taken to the hospital. It should be transported in a semi-sitting position, applying cold to the chest.

Lung diseases

Chest pain when breathing is a characteristic sign of pneumonia (pneumonia). Other manifestations of this disease are high fever, cough with phlegm, and hard, wheezing breathing.

An equally serious danger is pulmonary embolism - blockage of one or more arteries supplying the lungs by a blood clot. Along with sudden pain when breathing, shortness of breath, sweating, bluish skin, and coughing up blood are observed.

Pain when inhaling, as well as when coughing, is characterized by pleurisy - inflammation of the membrane that surrounds the lungs. The pain can be dull or sharp, like a burning sensation. Other symptoms of pleurisy are dry cough, chills, fever, difficulty breathing.

All of these diseases are quite serious and can be life-threatening, so if such symptoms appear, you must urgently call a doctor without resorting to self-medication.

Diseases of other organs

Pain when breathing can occur during exacerbation of osteochondrosis affecting the thoracic spine. In this case, there is a stabbing pain in the chest, “forcing” the patient to take a certain position and hold his breath. Pain can occur not only when inhaling, but also when exhaling. This condition can only be relieved with an injection of an anesthetic - this will be done by an ambulance doctor, after which you should consult a therapist.

Dull pain when breathing and coughing in combination with a high temperature indicates costochondritis - inflammation of the cartilage at the junction of the ribs with the sternum. The deeper the breath, the stronger the pain. When you press your fingers on your chest, the pain intensifies.

Pain in the chest when breathing also occurs with heart disease - for example, with an attack of angina pectoris, which is popularly called “angina pectoris”. The pain occurs suddenly during physical or emotional stress, is accompanied by shortness of breath, a feeling of fullness in the chest, the attack lasts up to 15 minutes.

If pain is felt in the middle of the chest or on the left, accompanied by shortness of breath when lying down, malaise, and a temperature of 37-37.5, we are talking about pericarditis - inflammation of the serous membrane that surrounds the heart.

Source: http://neb0ley.ru/kashel/silnyj-kashel-i-bol-v-grudnoj-kletke.html

Chest pain when coughing

Pain that accompanies coughing is a common unpleasant occurrence. In addition to physical discomfort, the patient is worried about whether this is a sign of a serious complication. The experiences are partly justified, since chest pain has a different nature and intensity, is explained by many factors, and is treated differently.

Possible causes of pain

More often, when coughing, it hurts in the chest due to overwork of the intercostal muscles and diaphragm. Cough shocks strain the respiratory muscles, excessive load irritates muscle fibers, lactic acid accumulates, and pain occurs. Intercostal neuralgia, bruises and chest injuries appear with similar symptoms. The cause of pain can be colds, complicated by inflammation of the trachea and bronchi.

Significant pain occurs with pneumonia; involvement of the pleura or mediastinum in the inflammatory process aggravates the patient's condition. A cough with chest pain may indicate specific (tuberculosis, pulmonary sarcoidosis) and tumor diseases. The cause of pain is often bronchospasm (asthmatic bronchitis, bronchial asthma). Pain syndrome, aggravated by coughing, is accompanied by cardiac pathology (pericarditis, myocarditis, angina pectoris, acute myocardial infarction).

Intercostal neuralgia

The symptoms of the disease are varied, manifested by severe pain, tingling, burning in the chest, and possible areas of numbness or increased sensitivity of the skin. Unpleasant sensations are sharply intensified by deep breathing and coughing. Chest neuralgia often resembles symptoms of angina, gastritis, and bronchitis. The disease can be provoked by:

  • hard labour;
  • lifting weights;
  • sharp turn of the body;
  • staying in an uncomfortable position for a long time;
  • injury;
  • cold;
  • hypothermia;
  • stress;
  • osteocondritis of the spine.

Neuralgic syndrome develops as a result of muscle spasm and subsequent irritation of the intercostal nerves. There are two signs that help recognize this disease. First: you can find a body position in which pain is not felt. Second: gentle pressure with your fingertips along the intercostal spaces reveals an area of ​​sharp pain along the lower edge of the rib, where the nerve passes.

Colds

The cough that accompanies respiratory infections provokes pain in the chest in the middle, according to the projection of the trachea. Coughing movements irritate the respiratory muscles, resulting in pain in the lower chest cavity, where the diaphragm is attached, and pain in the intercostal spaces. The pain is often so severe that it makes breathing difficult.

Pleurisy

Inflammation of the pleura is manifested by tingling, nagging pain, significantly aggravated by coughing. Dry pleurisy creates a sensation of friction under the ribs, pain intensifies with a tilt towards the healthy side. Exudative pleurisy may be asymptomatic for some time, but the accumulation of effusion compresses the lung and leads to shortness of breath. A characteristic sign is heaviness and lag of the diseased half of the chest when breathing.

Pneumonia

Inflammation of the lung tissue is accompanied by a temperature reaction, cough, and sputum production. With a dry cough, there is pain in the chest closer to the sternum, since the bronchi covered with drying phlegm suffer. The development of a moist component somewhat facilitates the discharge of sputum, but a stabbing sensation appears on the side of the source of inflammation. Symptoms significantly depend on the extent of damage to the respiratory system (segmental, lobar, total pneumonia).

Chest injuries

A situation where even with a slight cough there is pain in the chest requires the exclusion of traumatic damage to the ribs, sternum, or pleura. The patient could forget about the bruise, while cracks and fractures of bone tissue manifest themselves as painful symptoms for a long time. A thorough examination will reveal changes in the soft tissues; careful pressure will reveal the source of damage. Bone fragments can injure the lung, and pneumothorax may develop.

Heart diseases

Cough may be accompanied by pain when there is concomitant cardiac pathology. Painful coughing movements are provoked by pericarditis and myocarditis. The sensations are aggravated by physical activity, shortness of breath occurs, and the patient cannot take a deep breath. Pressing pain behind the sternum, burning sensation is a dangerous symptom, often indicating the development of an angina attack. If the pain radiates under the scapula, supraclavicular region, or left arm, emergency care is required, since this is how acute myocardial infarction manifests itself.

Lungs' cancer

Oncological pulmonary pathology occurs over a long period of time with subtle symptoms, manifested by gradually increasing weakness and fatigue. Only involvement of the bronchial structures and pleura causes coughing and pain in the chest. Compression of the bronchus by the tumor leads to atelectasis below the level of obstruction, breathing is impaired, and hypoxia of the internal organs begins. Tumor intoxication is manifested by nausea, vomiting, and dizziness. Pulmonary hemorrhage and acute anemia may develop.

Why does my chest hurt when I cough?

Localization of pain often helps determine the source and cause. There are many causes of pain:

  • overwork of the respiratory muscles from frequent coughing movements;
  • inflammation of the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract, drying out of the respiratory epithelium;
  • irritation or inflammation of the pleura;
  • intercostal neuralgia;
  • germination, compression of the bronchus by a tumor;
  • traumatic injuries of the chest and chest organs;
  • inflammatory or ischemic diseases of the cardiac system.

In the middle

Painful sensations in the center of the chest when coughing are most often caused by catarrhal tracheitis or bronchitis. Another cause is the inflammatory process of the mediastinum - mediastinitis, including tuberculosis. Dull, nagging pain behind the sternum, radiating to the back, causes esophagitis (inflammation of the esophagus); neurasthenia manifests itself in similar symptoms.

Behind the sternum

An acute burning sensation behind the sternum most often indicates cardiac pathology, although esophagitis and heartburn can manifest the same sensations. A distinctive feature of pain during angina pectoris and myocardial ischemia is severe weakness, rapid pulse, and the presence of reflexive fear. Aching pain in the center of the chest when coughing is more likely to indicate tracheitis; their spread to nearby areas is more likely to indicate bronchitis.

On right

A common cause is intercostal neuralgia. The cough becomes painful, the patient takes a forced position, which allows him to at least partially alleviate the condition. Widespread soreness of the right half of the chest requires the exclusion of pleurisy, a tuberculous process. Pain when coughing will be accompanied by a right-sided focus of pneumonia. The stabbing, “shooting” nature of the pain is accompanied by traumatic damage to the ribs.

Left

In addition to intercostal neuralgia, pleurisy, and pneumonia, left-sided pain can be caused by pericarditis, myocarditis, and angina pectoris. Alertness should be caused by a burning sensation, squeezing in the area of ​​the heart, lack of air, palpitations, tachycardia. Such symptoms are characteristic of ischemic lesions of the heart muscle and may indicate a developing myocardial infarction.

Which doctor should I contact?

The main task with a painful cough is to identify and eliminate the cause. Respiratory infections, tracheitis, bronchitis should be addressed to a therapist (for a child, to a pediatrician). Suspicion of chest injury requires examination by a traumatologist or surgeon. A neurologist will find out the source of intercostal neuralgia. If you have pain behind the sternum or in the heart area, you need to call emergency help or visit a cardiologist. Further X-ray and laboratory examination will clarify the diagnosis and prescribe appropriate treatment.

What to take if your chest hurts when you cough

Treatment should be prescribed by a doctor, since pain during coughing has different origins. Having established the respiratory nature of the disease, the specialist will recommend antiviral drugs, most often interferon derivatives. Antipyretic, anti-inflammatory drugs (Paracetamol, Ibuprofen) and antihistamines may be needed. For bronchitis, the attending physician takes into account the nature of the inflammation. A dry, unproductive cough requires the use of expectorants and sputum thinners: ACC, Lazolvan, Bromhexine, Ambroxol.

Treatment of intercostal neuralgia involves a set of measures, the purpose of which is to eliminate irritation of the intercostal nerves. Anti-inflammatory drugs are prescribed, most often the non-steroidal group “Indomethacin”, “Phenacetin”, “Phenylbutazone”. Vitamin therapy is indicated, massage and acupuncture may be needed. Drug treatment of pneumonia, chest injuries, cancer, and cardiac pathology is carried out strictly individually, taking into account all the characteristics of the disease and the patient.

Video: Intercostal neuralgia and chest pain

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