Entering winter, some people cough for weeks or even months, and taking various cough suppressants does not have a significant effect. An Hui (pseudonym), 37 years old, coughed for 3 months. At first, she thought it was a common cold, but later suspected it was pharyngitis. She took a lot of medicine, but the cough never improved. Could it be lung cancer? The doubts in her heart almost made her breathless. Go to the hospital for treatment, and the medical team will carefully examine and accurately diagnose the root cause - a special cough variant asthma. Asthma is one of the common chronic respiratory diseases worldwide. It is estimated that there is one asthma patient in every 20 people worldwide, and there are about 20 million asthma patients in China. Fortunately, proper management and medication can control this disease and enable patients to live a normal life. Therefore, standardized diagnosis and treatment of patients by clinical doctors are crucial for improving asthma control and enhancing patients' quality of life. In the three months since we met due to illness and pain, she has been feeling an itchy throat, coughing, coughing, coughing... An Hui, who is teaching students, feels an itchy throat and a sudden cough hits her, making her very embarrassed. An Hui is an elementary school teacher who has been experiencing itching and coughing in her throat for the past three months. Even a slight cold breeze can make her cough worse. At first, she thought she had caught a cold, so she drank cold medicine and took antiviral and cough suppressants, but it didn't seem to improve. In order to prevent the transmission of "cold" to students, An Hui has to wear masks throughout the class, which seriously affects daily teaching and life. Due to persistent coughing, An Hui suspects that she has pharyngitis. However, taking antibiotics and other medications still did not show any improvement. Not only during the day, but also at night she suffers from coughing. Due to frequent coughing seriously affecting the rest of her family, she had to choose to sleep alone with the door closed. She went to several hospitals and departments for treatment, and underwent routine tests such as blood routine, mycoplasma, and chest X-ray, all of which were normal. All of this left her very puzzled: what went wrong? Recently, An Hui came to the Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine Department of Changsha Fourth Hospital for treatment. The deputy chief physician who received the patient, Li Xiaoping, inquired about her medical history in detail and noticed that she had been coughing repeatedly for more than 8 weeks, and it was dry cough. She was also allergic to dust mites and animal fur, and her skin was prone to forming wind clusters. After completing relevant examinations for her, it was determined that An Hui did not have a cold or pharyngitis. Subsequently, the doctor arranged a lung function test for her, which showed a positive bronchial provocation test and was diagnosed with cough variant asthma. Through anti-inflammatory and anti asthmatic treatments, the symptoms gradually improve. Asthma patients have different clinical manifestations, not all of which are like the dramatic breathing difficulties in movies and TV shows, nor do they all have high pitched wheezing sounds. In real life, some people mainly experience chest tightness, while others, like you, only cough. These may be atypical manifestations of asthma. ”Li Xiaoping told An Hui that cough variant asthma is a special type of asthma that may not necessarily cause symptoms of wheezing or suffocation. Its most typical symptom is recurrent coughing, mostly spasmodic and intermittent dry cough. Suddenly coughing becomes completely uncontrollable, and coughing worsens at night or in the morning. When encountering cold air, oil fumes, dust, or exercise, coughing becomes more pronounced, especially during winter weather changes. Due to the absence of typical asthma symptoms such as wheezing and shortness of breath, lung auscultation may be completely normal, leading to a high rate of missed diagnosis and misdiagnosis. It is easy to be misdiagnosed as chronic bronchitis or chronic pharyngitis, and antibiotics are ineffective. People with a history of allergies (such as allergic rhinitis, urticaria, eczema) or a family history of asthma are more likely to develop this disease. If left untreated, it may develop into typical asthma and damage lung function. After some explanation, An Hui understood the significance of having a lung function test and cooperated with the doctor to provide targeted treatment: avoiding triggers, staying away from allergens, preventing dust mites, dust, animal fur, and wearing a mask to cope with cold air; Standardized treatment, using inhaled corticosteroids or a combination of bronchodilators to control inflammation. In order to improve lung function, Li Xiaoping also taught An Hui two effective breathing exercise methods: abdominal breathing method, where the abdomen bulges during inhalation and contracts during exhalation, practicing for 10 minutes every day; The pursed lip breathing method involves inhaling through the nose, pursed lips, and slowly exhaling like a whistle to help the lungs exhaust more fully. After anti-inflammatory, anti asthmatic, and anti allergic treatments, Ahui's condition has been relieved. How to determine if you have cough variant asthma in health decoding? Li Xiaoping said that if you have a cold and dry cough for more than a month, especially when it is obvious at night or in the early morning, or if you have recurrent chest tightness for more than 8 weeks, you should be alert to the possibility of cough variant asthma and go to the hospital for examination in a timely manner. If you experience long-term dry cough, don't blindly take medication anymore. Through the following tests, it is possible to quickly determine whether it is cough variant asthma - lung function test+bronchial provocation test/bronchodilation test: This is the preferred examination method, among which bronchial provocation test is the "gold standard" for diagnosis. Allergen testing: further clarify the allergy related triggers of cough symptoms, that is, to investigate whether they are caused by dust mite allergy, pollen allergy, or other types of allergens. Detection of exhaled nitric oxide: Evaluate the presence of eosinophilic airway inflammation. Chest X-ray+blood routine examination: screen infectious diseases and other lung diseases. The causes of cough variant asthma are complex and often include low immunity, genetics, environmental factors, and exposure to allergens. ”Li Xiaoping said that to prevent cough variant asthma, attention should be paid to the following aspects in daily life - avoiding exposure to allergens. The treatment of cough variant asthma requires searching for allergens, avoiding contact with allergens, and if necessary, desensitization therapy can be used. Cold air, dust, oil fumes, paint, or other irritating odors can easily trigger or worsen coughing. Therefore, patients need to quit smoking and stay away from secondhand smoke, avoiding exposure to substances such as pollen, pets, dust mites, etc. that are prone to allergies or have been identified to cause allergies. Reasonable diet and appropriate exercise. Daily diet should avoid raw, cold, greasy, spicy and stimulating foods, increase the intake of vegetables and fruits, and avoid satiety; Strengthen physical exercise to enhance the body's resistance. In some patients, coughing may worsen after exercise. In this case, try to avoid vigorous exercise as much as possible; Develop regular lifestyle habits, pay attention to balancing work and rest, and ensure sufficient sleep. Keep warm and prevent colds. During cold weather or seasonal changes, take measures to keep warm and try to avoid worsening symptoms caused by colds or upper respiratory tract infections. Maintain emotional stability. Excitement or anxiety can also exacerbate symptoms, so it is important to learn to maintain a calm mindset and minimize excitement and anger. The control and treatment of asthma is a long-term process, and medication should be taken according to medical advice. Do not change the dosage and duration of medication on your own, otherwise it may cause the condition to recur; It is recommended to record changes in symptoms during medication, regularly visit the hospital for follow-up, and adjust medication under the guidance of a doctor. (New Society)