Pulmonologists called ways to deal with a lingering cough after COVID-19

For the treatment of a protracted post-covid cough, inhalations, antitussive and hormonal drugs can be used, and it is necessary to consult a doctor first, pulmonologists interviewed by RBC said.

“After coronavirus, patients often face such a problem: an unproductive dry cough persists for a long time – not because sputum is bad, but because it is not there. And if the doctor is sure that this is just such a cough, you can prescribe classic antitussive drugs and combine them with bronchodilators. This is the case when coughing can be suppressed, ”explained Associate Professor of the Department of Hospital Therapy of the Moscow State Medical University. Sechenov, pulmonologist Alexander Palman.

You also need to drink plenty of water frequently. You can dissolve candies or cough drops, this will also help to reduce it.

The doctor stressed that you should not self-medicate, you need to see a doctor. “There are about 50 reasons why a person might cough. It can be not only diseases of the lungs, but also of the heart, and even the stomach. If we are talking about post-COVID cough, then each case must be considered individually. Conventionally, if a person has suffered from bronchial asthma in the past, has now suffered from covid and has a prolonged cough, this is one story. If the patient is a smoker and has obstructive pulmonary disease, that’s a different story. Before that, a person who had not been ill, who had covid, is already the third, ”Palman concluded.

Pulmonologist Sergei Puryasev recommends inhalation with antiviral or antibacterial compounds for prolonged post-covid cough. Inhalations with hormonal anti-inflammatory drugs are also possible. But this procedure should also be carried out only after consulting a doctor.

“If a person coughs, then the inflammation has gone to the large bronchi. There are no cough zones in the small bronchi. Even if the cough is only in the morning and the person does not smoke, then he is clearing the bronchi. This means that something accumulates overnight, and it must be planted for inhalation. You can even just breathe saline, ”he explained.

Puryasev noted that it is also worth getting vaccinated against pneumonia-causing pneumococcus, especially for older people. This will prevent both pneumonia and bronchitis.

Doctors have previously warned that children with omicron can develop laryngotracheitis, an inflammation of the larynx and trachea that can cause symptoms such as a barking cough and noisy breathing.