Are these early warning signs?

[Alexandra]

My husband has had a nagging single cough that he has had for a
couple of years. He has gone to a dr and the dr thought he had a seasonal allergy and tried him on various allergy medicine and nothing has happened. My aunt was over recently and noticed it and mentioned it could be something with his heart, such as congestive heart failure.  He is 5'7", 150 lbs,cholesterol about 204 and pretty active. He is hispanic and 46 and is a stay at
home dad, and has been for almost 6 years, with our 2 sons: 8 and 5 year olds. In his family history there is diabetes and heart trouble but has had no problems himself. I have also noticed
that he has had an increase in heart burn over the last 2 years.

What I am looking for is some information on if it could
potentially be early warning signs of a heart condition as well as what tests can be performed that can identify any of these  possibilities.

Any help that you can give me is greatly appreciated.  Thank you very
much.

Alexandra

[CCF CARDIO MD - DLB]

Congestive heart failure can cause a cough, but this is unlikely to be the explanation if he is physically active and has no symptoms of fatigue or shortness of breath on physical exertion. Certain types of asthma can manifest only as a cough and this might be worth looking into. Acid reflux, causing the heartburn, could also lead to a cough, and treatment with an antiacid medication may help. The best starting point would probably be a visit to his general doctor.

[Terry]

Alexandra,
Your aunt is right. I had a cough for about 12 months and I went to the dr. a few times and they said it was sinus drainage. I also had a wheeze that would start every time I laid down- a kind of rustling sound in my throat that would make me cough. A terrible general weakness accompany it. Well it got so bad that the last time I went to the dr. she did an ekg and chest x-ray. The ekg was abnormal and the x-ray showed fluid inside my lungs. I was suffering fron  congestive heart failure caused by a large tumor growing in my heart. I had that awful cough and wheeze for at least 18 months before I was diagnosed. I'm only 36 and never had problems with my heart before that.... or sinus and allergy problems either.
Terry

[Wendie]

I was reciently diagnosed with Hiatal Hernia and
GERD (reflux disease) cough is also a part of this...
you mentioned the burning in his stomach , sounds
like it might be the same thing ....I had a cough
and since they have been treating me with Zantac
2 times a day the cough and burning has gone
away....I went to a gastro doc .....had the burning
for a long time , never knew whay it was ...
They do an endoscopy to see what the esophagus
looks like ......this would be something to check out ...
take care....Wendie

[Concerned Citizen]

an eco-cardiogram performed by a cardiologist would tell the tale in about 10 minutes. tell him to go have one done and set your mind at ease.

[Mis]

My grandmother soon to be 80 very active still works everyday, has also been having this cough for maybe a year now. She has had all kinds of tests except heart tests and her doctors just say they dont know what causes it. One doc says allergies but the med dont help. The only thing that seems to help is a humidifier. Also it seems to act up when she eats certain foods, ice cream for one. She said her throat tickles and that makes her cough. Anyhow what exactly is congestive heart failure and what can or do they do for it? Thanks in advance

[Concerned Citizen]

congestive heart failure is a loss of pumping action of the heart (caused by several reasons)...that often leads up to a buildup of fluid on the lungs (pulmonary edema)....this is what causes the coughing.

[Mommydee]

I have cough varient asthma.  Usually the only symptom of the asthma is a cough, but my peak flow rates decline greatly the more I cough.  Only when things get extremely severe do I ever wheeze.
Dee