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Respiratory Disorders (Expert Forum)
Chronic cough and shortness of breath
Answered by
This forum is for questions and support regarding lung and respiratory issues such as: Allergies, Asthma, Bronchitis, Colds - Flu, Chronic Cough, COPD, Cystic Fibrosis, Emphysema, Fibrosis, Lung Abscess, Nasal Polyps, Pleurisy, Pneumonia, Sarcoidosis, Sinusitis, Tuberculosis
Chronic cough and shortness of breath
by robertin75, Nov 15, 2005 12:00AM
Hi:
I have been suffering from chronic dry cough (without sputum) and shortness of breath since February, 2005.
Prior to that, I have never had any problems with these conditions and wonder what could it be.
I'm male, 30 years old, have never smoked, sinuses are completely clear and no anemia.
The funny thing is that the cough just happens while I'm awake and walking. When I lay down or go to sleep, the cough completely ceases. It never wakes me up while I'm sleeping nor prevents me to get sleep.
I have had 2 chest X rays, a spirometry and a pulse oximetry to check my O2 saturation levels in an excercise treadmill and everything has became normal.
GERD as well as cardiac problems have been ruled out.
Could this sound like an infection other than bacterial as antibiotics didn't help anything?
As I said before, these problems appeared suddenly 9 months ago.
I was also put on systemic (Depo-Medrol) and nasal steroids and I didn't notice even a slight improvement with my dry cough and shortness of breath.
Are there any viral or fungal infections that could cause these symptoms?
How do you know if this could be either a viral or fungal infection?
Any other suggestions that I could ask my pulmonologist to check?
He suggested that if I didn't improve, I may need a high resolution chest CT scan or a bronchoscopy.
Thanks and your help is greatly appreciated,
Roberto
I have been suffering from chronic dry cough (without sputum) and shortness of breath since February, 2005.
Prior to that, I have never had any problems with these conditions and wonder what could it be.
I'm male, 30 years old, have never smoked, sinuses are completely clear and no anemia.
The funny thing is that the cough just happens while I'm awake and walking. When I lay down or go to sleep, the cough completely ceases. It never wakes me up while I'm sleeping nor prevents me to get sleep.
I have had 2 chest X rays, a spirometry and a pulse oximetry to check my O2 saturation levels in an excercise treadmill and everything has became normal.
GERD as well as cardiac problems have been ruled out.
Could this sound like an infection other than bacterial as antibiotics didn't help anything?
As I said before, these problems appeared suddenly 9 months ago.
I was also put on systemic (Depo-Medrol) and nasal steroids and I didn't notice even a slight improvement with my dry cough and shortness of breath.
Are there any viral or fungal infections that could cause these symptoms?
How do you know if this could be either a viral or fungal infection?
Any other suggestions that I could ask my pulmonologist to check?
He suggested that if I didn't improve, I may need a high resolution chest CT scan or a bronchoscopy.
Thanks and your help is greatly appreciated,
Roberto
Doctor's Answer
by National Jewish, Nov 22, 2005 12:00AM
, Nov 22, 2005 12:00AM
In a non-smoker who does not take an angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor (a medicine used for hypertension), the most common causes of cough in a person with a normal chest x-ray and no sign of lung disease are postnasal drip, gastroesophageal reflux (GERD) and cough variant asthma. Less common causes include heart failure and chronic aspiration, with or without reflux.
Even though your chest x-ray is normal, it is still possible for a problem in your lungs to cause the cough. A CT scan of your chest will show more detail and may be needed to find the problem. Ultimately, you may have to have a bronchoscopy. This is a procedure done by a pulmonologist where a tube called a bronchoscope is passed through the nose into the windpipe to look into the lungs. With the bronchoscope tiny pieces of lung tissue can be taken for further testing. This is called lung biopsy.
Another possibility is an abnormal reaction in the vocal cords. Some of your symptoms are suggestive of this but others are not. Please read our Vocal Cord Dysfunction MedFact at http://www.nationaljewish.org/medfacts/vocal.html for more information.
It is important for you to keep working with a doctor to determine the diagnosis and appropriate treatment.
Even though your chest x-ray is normal, it is still possible for a problem in your lungs to cause the cough. A CT scan of your chest will show more detail and may be needed to find the problem. Ultimately, you may have to have a bronchoscopy. This is a procedure done by a pulmonologist where a tube called a bronchoscope is passed through the nose into the windpipe to look into the lungs. With the bronchoscope tiny pieces of lung tissue can be taken for further testing. This is called lung biopsy.
Another possibility is an abnormal reaction in the vocal cords. Some of your symptoms are suggestive of this but others are not. Please read our Vocal Cord Dysfunction MedFact at http://www.nationaljewish.org/medfacts/vocal.html for more information.
It is important for you to keep working with a doctor to determine the diagnosis and appropriate treatment.
