What should I do if I always have a dry cough? Zhejiang one expert: Beware that the heart is calling the police

cough cough cough…

A lot of people around me are coughing recently

Fans even came to the background to “complain”

I feel like my lungs are coughing out

I doubt my life

Talk about the reasons for your cough

You may be able to say this casually

Colds, allergies, pharyngitis, bronchitis…

However, Aunt Zhang (pseudonym) from Hangzhou is suffering from a cough

At the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine

Heart disease was diagnosed and surgery was performed

What is this all about?

An unstoppable cough, what is it?

The 52-year-old Aunt Zhang has always been in good health. Earlier this year, she was upgraded to become a grandmother, helping to take care of her little grandson at home. But more than 2 months ago, Aunt Zhang started coughing uncontrollably…

“I just kept coughing, and I didn’t have a runny nose or sore throat.” Aunt Zhang said that it was a hot day at that time, and for the sake of the little grandson, the air conditioner was turned on almost 24 hours a day. , I thought at first that I might have caught a cold, and I should be fine with a rest. But after coughing for more than a week, it didn’t get better. Aunt Zhang was urged by her family to go to the hospital near her home to see a doctor. After ruling out the possibility of colds and other diseases, she took some cough medicine and went home.

However, the effect of cough medicine was minimal, and Aunt Zhang later developed symptoms such as chest tightness and asthma, especially when she went to bed at night, her breathing became even more difficult. For further treatment, she first went to the Department of Respiratory Medicine of the First Hospital of Zhejiang University for treatment, but after relevant examinations, diseases such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease were ruled out. Just when the family felt that their condition was deadlocked, the doctor suggested that they go to check the heart again.

Frequent dry cough, watch out for heart problems

Dry cough, why go to the heart? In doubt, Aunt Zhang walked into the clinic of Luo Wenzong, the deputy chief physician of the Department of Cardiac and Great Vascular Surgery of the First Hospital of Zhejiang University.

“In addition to the common causes of cough, cough may also be related to heart disease, which we call cardiogenic cough.” Deputy Chief Physician Luo Wenzong introduced, and Aunt Zhang has appeared Due to chest tightness and asthma, she was highly suspected of heart disease. After a detailed cardiac function test, it was found that she had severe mitral valve stenosis.

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Under normal circumstances, the mitral valve orifice area can reach 4-6 square centimeters, through which the blood of the left ventricle flows to the left atrium, and then pumps to the whole body, but the valve opening in patients with severe stenosis The area is less than 1 square centimeter, resulting in a decrease in the output function of the heart. Luo Wenzong further explained that when the output capacity of the heart is reduced, the blood circulation is not smooth and cannot provide sufficient blood supply to the whole body. It’s the lungs trying to save themselves from being overwhelmed with fluid.

At present, after mitral valve replacement surgery, Aunt Zhang has recovered and been discharged from the hospital, and her cough has disappeared.

When these things happen, the heart is on the alert

Chief Physician Ma Liang, Director of Cardiac and Great Vascular Surgery of the First Hospital of Zhejiang University, said that clinically, many patients diagnosed with cardiogenic cough initially thought it was a respiratory disease, and the effect was not obvious after treatment , was finally diagnosed with a heart problem. Cardiogenic cough is mainly caused by factors such as cardiac insufficiency. If there is no symptomatic treatment for a long time, it can eventually lead to heart failure and threaten life safety.

So, how to identifyOrdinary cough and cardiogenic cough, how about early detection and early diagnosis? Deputy Chief Physician Luo Wenzong also taught you several well-distinguished symptoms.

1

Persistent dry cough

2

Cough with white or pale pink frothy phlegm

3

You can’t catch your breath with a little exercise, or you can’t lie down completely

4

Heavy and rapid breathing

In addition to the above-mentioned cough and other related symptoms, if there is also weakness and fatigue of the limbs, dizziness, palpitation, body swelling, loss of appetite, etc., then you need to go to the hospital in time for cardiac function evaluation. Examination (such as CT, echocardiography, electrocardiogram, etc.) and evaluation.

The treatment of cardiogenic cough is primarily causal treatment, which means identifying the underlying cause of the cough. If it is caused by mild or occasional cardiac insufficiency or heart failure, in addition to drug treatment, a healthy diet, reducing and relieving all aspects of stress, avoiding caffeine and alcohol, quitting smoking and other lifestyle changes can also achieve certain curative effect. Of course, if it is a more serious condition, the doctor will develop a personalized treatment plan for the patient’s condition.

Expert Alert

Persistent cough may be caused by long-term exogenous stimuli, such as powder, particles, smoke, haze, etc. Don’t take it lightly, this is an important signal that the body needs to undergo a comprehensive examination.