The article was professionally consulted with Doctor Nguyen Van Thai - ENT specialist II - Department of Examination & Internal Medicine - Vinmec Da Nang International General Hospital.
Sore throat is the leading cause of cough. Long-term cough and sore throat cause discomfort, affecting health and quality of life if not treated completely.
1. Causes of sore throat and long-term dry cough
Allergic rhinitis is the most common cause of frequent sore throat, especially when the weather changes, environmental factors affect allergic rhinitis such as dust, pollen, cigarette smoke... We will have accompanying symptoms such as stuffy nose, sore eyes, sneezing, tiredness, watery eyes and sore throat causing long-term cough if not treated completely.
Common food allergies such as seafood, eggs, milk, wheat... These allergies can cause sore throat or mouth.
Allergies to drugs such as penicillin and other antibiotics cause sore throat after taking the drug. This condition will occur with other symptoms such as rash, red skin around the eyes, sore ears, nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, difficulty swallowing, low blood pressure...
Common bacterial and viral infections can also cause a sore throat. A sore throat caused by viruses and bacteria only lasts for a short time, but in cases of secondary infection, we should go to the hospital for examination and prescription of antibiotics for complete treatment. In addition, we can identify related symptoms such as flu, fever, body aches, headache, stuffy nose, persistent cough...
Dehydration is also the cause of an sore throat, dry throat
Chronic gastroesophageal reflux will cause throat problems including an sore throat. An sore throat is the only symptom of gastroesophageal reflux. Accompanying symptoms are easily recognizable such as difficulty swallowing, burning in the chest or throat, laryngitis, tooth enamel erosion, strange taste in the mouth...
The drug has side effects that cause sore throat.
For long-term coughing, it can be caused by allergies, irritants, pharyngitis, pneumonia (lung inflammation) or bronchial asthma... We can be examined and divided into types of cough such as phlegm cough, dry cough, bloody cough... In which, dry cough is a type of cough that is difficult to determine the cause such as the irritant, the environment or food to prevent. Therefore, dry cough is a difficult symptom to treat. However, dry cough in most cases is due to respiratory irritation factors but can also be caused by external factors such as heart disease, mainly asthma or heart failure. Dry cough should be treated completely to avoid long-term health effects on our lives.
2. Some measures to reduce dry cough, sore throat
Most cases of dry cough, sore throat due to the above causes can be treated to reduce symptoms with the following effective measures:
Hold on a spoonful of honey in your mouth
Gargle with salt water
Cough lozenges and syrup
Nasal spray
Hot tea with lemon and honey
Using non-prescription anti-allergy drugs and nasal sprays can reduce sore throat due to allergies.
In addition, we need to know how to prevent sore throat and dry cough, long-term cough by quitting smoking, drinking plenty of water, limiting stimulants such as alcohol and maintaining respiratory hygiene, especially during sensitive weather seasons and in environments with many risks of causing respiratory diseases.
We need to pay attention to the increase or decrease of cough symptoms or the level of cough, sore throat so that if it is serious, we need to go to the hospital to see a doctor and get appropriate treatment advice. When we have the following symptoms, we need to go to the hospital for treatment:
Difficulty breathing
Wheezing (whistling sound while breathing)
Rash
Facial swelling
Severe sore throat
Fever
Difficulty swallowing
The doctor will treat the condition of sore throat, prolonged dry cough with appropriate antibiotics or antiviral drugs, and control severe allergies in a timely manner.
Dr. Nguyen Van Thai is a former ENT and Head and Neck Surgery Doctor at the Department of ENT - Hue Central Hospital with more than 17 years of treatment experience, especially in the field of Head and Neck Surgery, currently an ENT doctor at the Interdisciplinary Clinic of the Examination and Internal Medicine Department of Vinmec Da Nang International General Hospital.
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