irritant cough with mucus formation
May 3, 2012 | 30,00 EUR | answered by Dr. med. Hendrik Bernau
My husband has recently been struggling with productive cough with mucus. It is particularly bad after eating. The issue of mucus production and loud bowel sounds has occurred before. We suspected acid reflux. The doctor did not find anything, and even an endoscopy did not provide any results.
What could be the cause and what medication would be appropriate?
Just for your information: My husband has been taking a blood pressure-lowering medication for a few months.
Dear questioner,
You report on your husband's persistent cough and phlegm production. You mention that a recent gastroscopy and the medical history taken by a doctor did not reveal any findings.
Since a wide range of diagnostics has already been carried out through the gastroscopy, and the colleague's medical history was also inconclusive, I would like to focus on the point you last mentioned: the blood pressure-lowering medication.
ACE inhibitors (medications used especially in the treatment of high blood pressure and chronic heart failure) can trigger a dry cough in about 5 to 10% of patients. In such cases, it may be advisable to switch to a so-called "AT1 receptor blocker" for treatment. This group of medications rarely causes coughing. If coughing persists despite the change in medication, other causes must be ruled out. Often it is acute or chronic bronchitis or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Beta-blockers can also exacerbate an existing cough or promote a tendency to cough in patients with obstructive lung disease.
My advice to you is therefore to discuss with your husband's treating physician the possibility of changing his current medication. There are a variety of alternatives that can be considered. Take this opportunity to describe the situation again and inquire about possible side effects of the prescribed medication. If your husband does not experience improvement, a visit to a pulmonologist, a specialist in lung diseases, would be advisable.
I hope I have been able to assist you. If you have any further questions, feel free to contact me at any time.
I wish your husband and you good health.
Best regards,
Dr. med. - anonymized -
