Fluids are produced in the stomach to digest the foods you eat. Sometimes these fluids can back up into your esophagus. When this happens, you are experiencing acid reflux. Typically acid reflux will cause symptoms like heartburn or regurgitation. Acid reflux cough is also a common symptom of acid reflux, although most people don't recognize it as such. Acid reflux cough usually happens when the fluids back up so far into the esophagus that they spill over into the lungs. This does not even have to be enough fluid to cause heartburn, but it will cause you to cough. Actually, many people experience acid reflux cough with no heartburn or other symptoms of acid reflux at all.
Many people with chronic cough don't understand why cough syrup isn't helping them. This is because a cough syrup is not the right kind of medication for acid reflux cough. A better source of help might be an antacid to keep the reflux from happening. However, too much antacid is likely to have a negative effect on acid reflux symptoms because once the antacid neutralizes the acids, it will cause the stomach to make more fluids for digestion.
Some medications can cause acid reflux cough, as well as some health problems. Heart medications that include nitrates have been found to cause acid reflux cough, as have beta blockers that are prescribed for heart conditions. Certain complications from asthma can cause acid reflux cough, and many people who suffer from asthma don't think to attribute their chronic cough to acid reflux. They assume it is from their asthma condition. If you have asthma and a chronic cough, and your inhaler doesn't help it, get tested for acid reflux. You may be surprised to find that you have both acid reflux cough and asthma. Diabetes has been linked to acid reflux as well. This could have something to do with digestive complications in people with diabetes. Once again, if you are diabetic and have chronic cough, chances are you will also test positive for acid reflux.
There are many tests that can be performed to detect if your chronic cough is an acid reflux cough. Most tests must be performed in your doctor's office, but there are some new tests on the market that can be done from home by simply breathing into a tube. Ask your doctor about the effectiveness of these home tests, though, because they are somewhat new. Your doctor may suggest you try the home test first and if the results are inconclusive then pay him a visit for more comprehensive testing.
Your chronic cough may be an acid reflux cough. Talk to your doctor about getting tested to see if this is the case. You can't take care of it if you don't get the facts about acid reflux.
Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is the medical term for what we know as acid reflux. Acid, bile, and pepsin make up the content of the regurgitated liquid.
The symptoms of acid reflux include nausea, belching, a sore throat, wheezing, difficulty swallowing, a pain in the chest that's often mistaken as a heart attack, and in some cases chronic coughing. In fact, virtually three out of every four sufferers experience night time symptoms (such as coughing, snoring, and chest pain) that are not generally considered typical acid reflux symptoms. A chronic cough falls into this category. It's induced when acid contacts the vocal cords and is passed to the lower airway.
Coughing can be evoked even when minute amounts of acid are passed up to the vocal cords. Because there's so little stomach acid involved, often no other reflux symptoms are apparent, and the connection between the two goes unnoticed. In fact, they may not even have heartburn in the conventional sense, considering that there's little or no damage to the lining of the esophagus when the acid level is so moderate.
If you have none of the other typical symptoms, such as the sniffles, a slight fever, throat irritation, heaviness in the chest, etc., accompanying your cough, then you need to consider other causes. Though you can experience an acid reflux cough without experiencing any of the other symptoms of GERD, if you're experiencing both, then it's time to visit with your doctor. He can help you learn whether or not your cough is acid reflux associated.
Most people will turn to cough syrup when they have a nagging cough. Surprisingly, an acid reflux cough likely won't respond to cough syrup. Yet, it may very well respond to an antacid. If that's your situation, it's a certain indication that it's not an average cough.
Beyond antacids, your doctor may want to prescribe something stronger. If your acid reflux is severe, this may include a proton pump inhibitor such as Nexium, Prevacid, Prilosec, Protonix, or Aciphex. These medications are designed to block acid production, which grants the lining of the esophagus an opportunity to mend. Side effects, however, can include abdominal pain, diarrhea and headaches.
When your chronic cough is the consequence of a moderate case of acid reflux, you may only need to make a few lifestyle alterations in order to get it under control. For instance, you'll want to eat more often throughout the day, with your meals being smaller. In addition, allowing three hours or more after your last meal before going to bed can be very helpful. During the night, when you're in a prone position, acid reflux is often at its worst. You'll want to avoid foods that are commonly associated with GERD, such as chocolate, dairy products, fried foods, and citrus fruits. These little alterations may very well be all you need to put an to your acid reflux cough.
Both Ryan Moxie & David Silva are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.