Because of climate change, heat waves, storms, heavy rainfalls, and floods are now occurring in areas that seldom experienced these phenomena before. “Extreme weather events are rare, but in terms of their extent, duration, and scale, they are unusual. And they are increasing due to climate change,” said Andrea Elmer, MD, an internal medicine and...
Tag: <span>cough</span>
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When is a cough a concern?
by Liz Husted, Mayo Clinic Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public DomainHearing a chorus of coughs is typical at this time of year. An occasional cough is normal and healthy. A cough that persists for several weeks or brings up discolored or bloody mucus may indicate a condition that needs medical attention. A cough is your body’s response when...
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My child has a cough, so what’s wrong with using cough syrup?
by Rose Cairns and Nial Wheate, The Conversation Credit: Shutterstock As winter approaches, many parents will be bracing for the cold and flu season. Young children typically get at least six colds a year. In previous generations, parents might have reached for the cough syrup to relieve a dry or chesty cough. But we now know cough syrups aren’t very...
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What can cause coughing after the flu?
A cough may linger following a cold or the flu. After ruling out other issues, the doctor may diagnose a “post-viral cough.” Experts are unsure exactly why this happens, but there are a few possible causes. Keep reading for more information about a cough that continues after recovery from a viral infection such as the flu....
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Dry, wet, barking, hacking: A guide to coughs in the time of coronavirus
by Maja Husaric and Vasso Apostolopoulos, The Conversation Coughs are a valuable diagnostic tool, but how do you know if you’ve got a relatively harmless cough, a coronavirus cough—or something else altogether? An occasional cough is healthy, but one that persists for weeks, produces bloody mucus, causes changes in phlegm color or comes with fever,...
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How can I stop a coughing attack?
How to stop Types Causes of acute cough Causes of chronic cough Prevention When to see a doctor Summary There are several things a person can do that might help relieve a coughing attack. However, the best way to treat a cough is to tackle the underlying cause. Coughing is a symptom of many different...
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Waning potency of pertussis vaccine a significant contributor to recent whooping cough outbreaks
by Kaiser Permanente In a large new Kaiser Permanente study, children who were up to date on their pertussis vaccine schedule were far less likely to develop the disease than unvaccinated children. However, most pertussis cases were in fully vaccinated children. The risk of vaccinated children becoming ill increased with the time since vaccination, suggesting that...
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Mucus, cough and chronic lung disease: New discoveries
As a cold end, a severe mucus cough starts. Sound familiar? Two studies now give explanations: First, crucial mechanisms of the mucus in both diseased and healthy airways; second, what happens in such chronic lung diseases as cystic fibrosis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). IMAGE: THIS IS GUNNAR C. HANSSON, PROFESSOR OF MEDICAL BIOCHEMISTRY AT SAHLGRENSKA ACADEMY, UNIVERSITY OF GOTHENBURG. CREDIT: JOHAN WINGBORG “This is new knowledge, but there are...
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Woman’s swollen pinky finger was a rare sign of deadly tuberculosis which doctors think she caught from her husband’s cough
The unnamed woman went to hospital with a swollen and painful little finger She had not injured it recently so doctors examined it in more detail They discovered the same bacteria which cause lung infection tuberculosis The woman’s husband had been diagnosed with the disease after a trip to China It may seem over-the-top to go to hospital because of a...