Chronic coughs can be a sign for Coughing-variant asthma
An increasing number of people in our society suffer from the chronic disease of asthma or its forms. One of the more unknown forms of asthma is coughing-variant asthma (CVA). Its symptoms are a dry cough for more than six to eight weeks, especially during the night. Almost everybody can suffer from CVA but most of times young children are afflicted with this disease. Compared to classic asthma, the typical symptom of shortness of breath is missing in CVA. But since CVA is a form of asthma, the causes and the treatments are comparable. Most patients suffering from CVA have normal lung function test. To diagnose CVA correctly, certain asthma tests need to be performed.
The treatment of CVA is similar to those of asthma. It consists of inhaled steroid and bronchodilator. These drugs are working differently on the body. While the steroid is reducing the sensibility for the asthmatic trigger, the bronchodilator is decreasing the airway resistance. The bronchodilator is prescribed either as long-acting or as short-acting drug. While the short-acting helps in the acute case of an asthmatic attack, the long-acting helps in the general prevention of symptoms. When CVA is not treated fast and correctly, other symptoms of asthma might occur later.
The causes of the CVA are still under investigation. Like most other asthmatic conditions, CVA can be caused by certain environmental circumstances. Traffic air pollution, cigarette smoke and chemicals are known to cause most kinds of asthma. Extremely dangerous is maternal smoking since it attacks the lungs of the unborn child aggressively. It seems to be proven that genetic factors are influencing a possible asthma condition. Up to now more than 25 genes have been detected which can cause directly or indirectly asthma. Most of them are directly connected to the inflammation reaction or the immune system of the body. In some cases only a combination of genetic and environmental factors are causing asthma or CVA.
An increasing number of people in our society suffer from the chronic disease of asthma or its forms. One of the more unknown forms of asthma is coughing-variant asthma (CVA). Its symptoms are a dry cough for more than six to eight weeks, especially during the night. Almost everybody can suffer from CVA but most of times young children are afflicted with this disease. Compared to classic asthma, the typical symptom of shortness of breath is missing in CVA. But since CVA is a form of asthma, the causes and the treatments are comparable. Most patients suffering from CVA have normal lung function test. To diagnose CVA correctly, certain asthma tests need to be performed.
The treatment of CVA is similar to those of asthma. It consists of inhaled steroid and bronchodilator. These drugs are working differently on the body. While the steroid is reducing the sensibility for the asthmatic trigger, the bronchodilator is decreasing the airway resistance. The bronchodilator is prescribed either as long-acting or as short-acting drug. While the short-acting helps in the acute case of an asthmatic attack, the long-acting helps in the general prevention of symptoms. When CVA is not treated fast and correctly, other symptoms of asthma might occur later.
The causes of the CVA are still under investigation. Like most other asthmatic conditions, CVA can be caused by certain environmental circumstances. Traffic air pollution, cigarette smoke and chemicals are known to cause most kinds of asthma. Extremely dangerous is maternal smoking since it attacks the lungs of the unborn child aggressively. It seems to be proven that genetic factors are influencing a possible asthma condition. Up to now more than 25 genes have been detected which can cause directly or indirectly asthma. Most of them are directly connected to the inflammation reaction or the immune system of the body. In some cases only a combination of genetic and environmental factors are causing asthma or CVA.
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