Cough Variant Asthma Treatment
Cough Variant Asthma
An asthma diagnosis is usually based on a person’s experience of wheezing, shortness of breath and cough. A certain subset of people experience only a chronic cough, making a conclusive asthma diagnosis more complicated. This condition is called cough variant asthma, or CVA for short.
Adults Cough
Check out this great overview of the most likely reasons for chronic cough in adults, everything from cough variant asthma to reflux disease, or even use of certain medications.
Postnasal Drip Syndrome
Postnasal drip syndrome is suggested by frequent nasal discharge, sensation of drainage in the back of the throat, and frequent throat clearing. The syndrome is noted on physical examination by the rough appearance, termed cobblestoning, of the back of the throat.
Sinus problems and postnasal drip can also cause chronic cough. This condition can be difficult to detect. Sometimes CT scan of the sinuses is necessary for diagnosis. Patients often complain of a “tickle in their throat” and frequent throat clearing. For further reading, please read the Sinus Infection article.
Most types of asthma like bronchial asthma, cough variant asthma and exercise induced asthma are caused by allergy. Cardiac asthma however Is not caused by allergy The specific allergic reaction for Asthma is Type 1 hypersensitivity reaction.
Cough-Variant Asthma Treatment
Asthma, a chronic respiratory condition produces symptoms such as cough, breathlessness and wheezing. But in a certain group of asthmatic patients cough is their predominant complaint. This is known as cough-variant asthma, which is a dry, nonproductive cough that is virtually omnipresent without regard to time of day.
Symptomatic Treatment
The treatment of cough is effective only if directed at the cause, but patients should be offered symptomatic relief while awaiting the results of specific therapy. Expectorants such as iodides and guaifenesin, hydration, inhaled steam, cough lozenges and hard candies are helpful.
Expectorants are thought to decrease viscosity and facilitate expectoration, or coughing up, of secretions, but are of limited benefit. Guaifenesin (200 to 400 mg po q 4 h in syrup or tablet form) is most commonly used because it has no serious adverse effects, but multiple expectorants exist, including bromhexine, ipecac, saturated solution of potassium iodide (SSKI), and domiodol.
