When to Go to the ER for Your Cough: Common Causes and Signs You Should Go to the ER
A cough is something that is very common and chances are all of us have experienced one at one stage or the other. Basically, a cough is the action that our body takes so that it can get rid of a substance that is irritating our air passages. While a cough may be voluntary, that is one may choose to cough, it may also be an involuntary trigger due to a number of factors such as an infection, allergies and many others. In most cases, coughs are not something that one should worry about and most of them are due to conditions that are not that serious such as minor allergic reactions or infections such as common cold among others. Such situations can be safely handled at home with home remedies, rest as well as over-the-counter medications. However, there are certain circumstances regarding coughs that do require one to visit an emergency room, such as the highly rated and excellent frontlineer.com, as it usually indicates the presence of a more sinister and life-threatening condition. This article will look to highlight some of these common causes of coughs and signs that you need to go to the ER for your cough.
One of the most common causes of coughing is due to infectious infections which range from conditions that are not so serious as sinus infections and the common cold to others that could be potentially serious such as pneumonia and acute bronchitis. As far as pneumonia is concerned, which is an infection that causes an inflammation of the lungs, signs that you need to go to the ER over and above your cough is if you are also presenting with gurgling sounds in your throat, a bluish color in your fingertips or lips, high fever, wheezing during breathing, difficulties breathing as well as chest pain. Bronchitis is yet another condition that can cause coughing. It is a respiratory disease that ensues when the lining of the lungs is inflamed causing coughing, wheezing as well as difficulties breathing. Here, the subject matter experts over at frontlineer.com indicate that signs that you need to go to the ER as far as bronchitis is concerned include if you develop breathing difficulties, high fever, chest pain and are coughing up blood. Severe symptoms of pneumonia and bronchitis should always be taken seriously as these conditions are potentially life-threatening.
Another condition that is not always associated with a cough but it is actually one of the most common causes of coughs that leads to ER visits is GERD or, acid reflux, as it is commonly referred to as. A cough due to GERD is likely to worsen when you lie flat on your back or during the day. GERD or gastroesophageal reflux in full, is a condition where one’s esophagus becomes inflamed or irritated by constant backing up of acid from the stomach. It usually causes a persistent course, dry cough. Signs that you need to go to the ER for GERD include vomiting blood, dark, tarry stools, severe chest pain and tightness with the pain radiating to your arm, neck or back, shortness of breath and difficulties swallowing. Your cough could also be as a result of an asthma attack, which is yet another common cause of coughs as is discussed over at frontlineer.com. This is a chronic disease that causes the swelling, narrowing and inflammation of the bronchial tubes, causing one to develop difficulties breathing. Signs that you need to go to the ER as a result of an asthma attack include difficulties breathing, turning blue of your lips or fingertips, difficulties speaking where you can’t speak a full sentence in one breath, severe breathlessness and wheezing as well as cases where your asthma attack isn’t responding to quick-relief inhaled medicine.
As has been discussed before, coughs are actually quite common and are not always serious. However, if your cough is accompanied by significant swelling on one side of your throat, then it means that you should take your cough to the ER as soon as you can for treatment. This is because this is indicative of an abscess of the tonsil, also known as a peritonsillar abscess, whereby pus collects in the tonsil area. Signs that you need to go to the ER as a result of an abscess of the tonsil include trouble breathing, difficulty speaking and a muffled voice, drooling due to difficulty swallowing, severe sore throat, to go along with your cough and swelling of the throat. If you have a compromised immune system, and you develop a cough that s persistent, then you should also go to the ER for the same. A compromised immune system may be as a result of having had recent transplant surgery, having cancer or being on treatment for cancer as well as having HIV/AIDS. Such folk, as per the subject matter experts over at frontlineer.com, are more susceptible to illnesses and can develop serious consequences due to the same hence should always go to the ER if they develop a cough.
The above are the common causes of coughs as well as signs for each indicating you need to go to the ER, such as the excellent frontlineer.com, and we hope this article will be of great help to you.
