Thanks to official sources such as the WHO and the Ministry of Health, most of us know that fever, dry cough, tiredness and the feeling of shortness of breath are the most common symptoms of COVID-19 or coronavirus. Hence, many people panic every time they cough or realize that one of the people who pass by is doing it.
The fear of contracting the disease, the reduction of social life, the lack of fresh air, etc … can make us worry more than necessary and give it more importance than due to a simple coughing attack. It is important to distinguish if it is something temporary, if it is associated with a catarrhal or allergic process, or if we can indeed find ourselves facing a symptom of the coronavirus.
THIS IS THE COUGH OF CORONAVIRUS
Doctor Salvador Álvarez Martín, Medical Director, specialist in family medicine and member of Top Doctors, explains: “ The cough of the coronavirus is, as has been said in all official sources, a dry cough, without expectoration or sputum. It is an irritating cough, like something that itches, and can be accompanied by some respiratory distress ”.
The main problem is that this type of cough is very similar to a nervous cough and many people may be worrying for no reason. When we face moments of stress and anxiety - like the one we are experiencing today - breathing can become shallow and end up triggering coughing attacks that will not disappear until the body regains calm.
CORONAVIRUS COUGH: WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE FROM OTHER COUGHES
If you notice that you start to have a recurrent cough, try to relax to observe its characteristics well and be as objective as possible in your self-evaluation. Don't jump to conclusions.
According to Dr. Jhoan Silva, Elma's medical director, “cough is a symptom that can be present in many types of syndromes or, sometimes, appear only due to some other cause, among the most common pathological elements with which we relate its presence they are infectious respiratory symptoms ”.
Regarding the differences in the characteristics of the cough according to the associated pathology, the specialist adds that "they are marked by the development and characteristics of the current disease, the patient's history and elements obtained from the assessment carried out during the medical history."
Dr. Silva explains the differences between the types of cough:
ALLERGIC COUGH
"In an allergic condition, there is usually a history of atopias (allergies) in the patient, Rhinitis, chronic conjunctivitis or a history of known seasonal allergy and is also associated with a dry cough in most cases and accompanying symptoms such as lacrimation, congestion nasal, itching, rhinorrhea (runny nose) and some others (sneezing, skin rashes, etc.) and are positively managed with the use of antihistamines ”.
CATARRAL COUGH
"The pictures of colds or common cold are characterized by congestion of the upper airway, mild general malaise, dry cough that can become wet in the days after the onset of symptoms, rhinorrhea and there may be some fever or low-grade fever but not very high figures ”.
FLU COUGH
“Finally, in the pictures of seasonal flu the cough is not usually present as much. What there is is a greater affectation with general malaise, weakness, myalgia (muscle aches), fever that can be a little higher (39-40 degrees Celsius), dry cough that can progress to wet with increased expectoration and, sometimes, produce pictures of pneumonia if the affected person has any vulnerability factor (pathologies that affect the immune system, advanced age, chronic lung disease, among others) ”.
To conclude, the expert adds that a single symptom of the patient should not be taken into account when making the diagnosis: "Rather than seeing a single symptom, we must assess the picture and characteristics of the current disease in the patient from their start to its current status ”.
