A cough can be defined as the expulsion of air vehemently to remove foreign objects and secretions that are in excess to clear airways (Fitzpatrick & Rasheed, 2017). One of the primary reasons why people seek medical attention is because of coughs. Coughs can be so distressing and are often associated with quality of life impairment. Coughs can occur for short periods like days; then, one begins to feel recovered. There are differential diagnoses for coughs since it is critical to narrow down potential diagnoses by giving estimates of the duration of a cough. Acute cough lasts for less than three weeks, while subacute coughs last between 3-8 weeks. However, there are some cases where coughs can linger for weeks or even months. Coughs that go within or past three months can be referred to as being chronic (Morice, 2004). There are three major causes of chronic cough episodes, which include gastroesophageal reflux disease, asthma, and upper airway cough syndrome.
Below is the History of Present Illness (HPI) of a female patient aged 37 from CA with a chronic cough.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
Chief Complaint - it is now three months that I have been experiencing episodes of coughs
Sputum production from coughs - Yes, but it started only three days ago.
Sputum color - It is having traces of green
Amount of sputum - about a half teaspoon daily
Sputum with blood - No evidence of blood.
Onset- precisely three months and one week ago
Intermittent/constant - Sometimes it goes and comes
Events that Precipitated - I first experienced it after running in the field in the evening.
Progression – lasted three days, but I took clarithromycin and ceftriaxone drugs.
Episodes that occurred previously - None
Frequency –it comes and goes while experiencing it a couple of times in a day.
Alleviating factors - None
Aggravating factors - The cough becomes worse during and after exercise and also when exposed to dust. It bothers and distresses me.
Associated symptoms - when faced with severe attacks, I sometimes feel like I am struggling to breathe, which gets me worried.
References
Fitzpatrick, D., & Rasheed, H. (2017). Cough, Cold, and Congestion. In Primary Care for Emergency Physicians (pp. 57-67). Springer, Cham.
Morice, A. H. (2004). The diagnosis and management of chronic cough. European Respiratory Journal , 24 (3), 481-492.
