A cough can indicate a wide variety of things: Improperly swallowing water or food, allergies, postnasal drip, asthma, bronchitis, and a cold. A cough is a common symptom of many conditions. However, there are two different types of coughs, which are wet and dry, and they indicate different triggers. When comparing a wet vs dry cough, some things to focus on are the accompanying symptoms and the recommended treatment methods.
What Does a Wet Cough Mean & How To Treat It?
Causes, Symptoms, and Duration
People refer to a wet cough, or reproductive cough, as such because it brings up mucus from the throat, nose, lungs, or airways. The cold and flu are the most common causes of this type of cough, but other causes include asthma, acute and chronic bronchitis, emphysema, and pneumonia. Some accompanying symptoms may include postnasal drip, runny nose, and fatigue. However, if it is the flu causing it, other symptoms may include body aches, fever, chills, and headaches.
If a wet cough lasts for shorter than three weeks, it is acute, while a cough lasting longer than eight weeks is chronic. This helps to further differentiate what is causing the cough so that treatment can be the most effective for your child.
Treatment Methods
One of the issues with some people who have wet coughs is that the mucus can be so thick that it is difficult to dispel. One effective at-home treatment for this is moisture. This helps to thin the mucus, which makes it easier to cough up or blow out. Your child can take a steamy shower, place a face under a towel over a hot bowl of water, or have a humidifier in the room. Honey is also an effective treatment, especially when taken before bedtime, although children younger than 1 should not have it. Herbal teas, such as ginger, clove, or thyme, can help with hydration. Other treatment methods include histamine homeopathic medicine, a hefty dose of vitamin C, and nasal irrigation.
What Does a Dry Cough Mean & How To Treat It?
Causes, Symptoms, and Duration
A dry cough, on the other hand, does not produce much, if any, mucus. It feels as if there is a tickle on the back of the throat, and it sounds more like hacking. A dry cough is due to an irritant or inflammation on the back of the throat, and common causes are the cold and flu. Additional causes may include sore throat, laryngitis, asthma, dust, and sinusitis. It is not uncommon for a dry cough to linger for about three weeks after being sick.
Treatment Methods
If you are wondering how to get rid of a persistent cough, there are a few remedies you can try. The good news is that some of the treatment methods for wet coughs, such as moisture, honey, and herbal teas also work for dry coughs. Other remedies include gargling with salt water, homeopathic cough drops, an air purifier, and aromatherapy using eucalyptus essential oil.
If either a wet or dry cough does not go away in a matter of weeks, it may be time to make an appointment with your child’s pediatrician to
