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DOES ANYONE HAVE A CHRONIC COUGH THAT DOCTORS CAN'T DIAGNOSE, OR THEY SAID MAYBE IT IS CHRONIC BRONCHITIS, ASTHMA, OR SOMETHING ELSE, BUT HAVE BEEN ON MEDICINES AND THEY DIDN'T WORK? SO THEY DON'T KNOW WHY YOU COUGH. DID YOU GET DIAGNOSED HAVING THE COUGH BECAUSE YOU HAVE SLEEP APNEA? ANY INFORMATION WOULD BE GREAT.

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Don't have high blood pressure, they think it could be post nasal drip, I am allergic to grass. I cough all year round.

sleepycarol said:
Are you on any blood pressure meds? Post nasal drip? Smoke? Work history? Allergies?

Lots of variables can cause chronic cough. I have to be careful with my blood pressure meds as certain ones give me a chronic cough. I, also, have severe allergies, post nasal drip, am around 2nd hand smoke, have asthma, etc.

I have not heard of sleep apnea causing a chronic cough, but think it would be possible that throat irritants that inflame the throat tissue and make it swell would impact sleep apnea due to that swelling. In other words the throat inflamation would worsen the sleep apnea -- but the sleep apnea was not caused by the chough.
Done that, didn't work

Mike said:
Ask your doctor about using an inhaler for the cough. I've had chronic coughs in the past and have been prescribed inhalers after a few weeks when they didn't go away. They worked really well.
That wasn't it

Maggie Jay said:
YESS!!! I was lucky enough to find out that my chronic cough had absolutely nothing to do with my respiratory system.

I was going in for a pre-surgery EKG, and the nurse administering the test recognized my cough as being symptomatic of GERD...Gastro-Intestinal Reflux Disease. My stomach acids were irritating my esophagus, causing the coughing.

She had worked in a GI's office, and she said there was a 'certain sound' that seperated this particular 'type' of cough from others.. I had no 'heartburn' or other stomach symptoms.

Once I started on some GERD meds, the cough went away! I'm on daily Prilosec now, but was on some other meds before (sorry, don't remember the names). GERD is most apparent while lying down, so most noticeable while 'trying' to sleep!

This may not be your problem, but it's worth checking into.

~Maggie
Mike,
Here is the way I understand it. When you obstruct your upper airway lying in bed asleep, you continue to struggle to get a breath. The diaphragm pulls downward and the chest wall muscles pull outward creating a large negative pressure inside the chest. Since the esophagus can open to the stomach, gastric contents are sucked up into the esophagus and because you are in a horizontal position, these fluids are easily drawn all the way up into the throat.

From here they can be inhaled into the lungs, causing bronchitis or pneumonia, hence the chronic cough. Gastric contents in the throat extend up into the eustachian tubes and sinuses causing ear and sinus infections. So, treating OSA can alleviate GERD and it's serious consequences.


Mike said:
by the way, I know that GERD and sleep apnea often go hand in hand. i don't understand the physiology of it yet, but have heard from many about the correlation. bet other members will know what's up on this. i'll start a stand alone thread on GERD and sleep apnea.

Maggie Jay said:
YESS!!! I was lucky enough to find out that my chronic cough had absolutely nothing to do with my respiratory system.

I was going in for a pre-surgery EKG, and the nurse administering the test recognized my cough as being symptomatic of GERD...Gastro-Intestinal Reflux Disease. My stomach acids were irritating my esophagus, causing the coughing.

She had worked in a GI's office, and she said there was a 'certain sound' that seperated this particular 'type' of cough from others.. I had no 'heartburn' or other stomach symptoms.

Once I started on some GERD meds, the cough went away! I'm on daily Prilosec now, but was on some other meds before (sorry, don't remember the names). GERD is most apparent while lying down, so most noticeable while 'trying' to sleep!

This may not be your problem, but it's worth checking into.

~Maggie
Yes, done that too.

Maggie Jay said:
YESS!!! I was lucky enough to find out that my chronic cough had absolutely nothing to do with my respiratory system.

I was going in for a pre-surgery EKG, and the nurse administering the test recognized my cough as being symptomatic of GERD...Gastro-Intestinal Reflux Disease. My stomach acids were irritating my esophagus, causing the coughing.

She had worked in a GI's office, and she said there was a 'certain sound' that seperated this particular 'type' of cough from others.. I had no 'heartburn' or other stomach symptoms.

Once I started on some GERD meds, the cough went away! I'm on daily Prilosec now, but was on some other meds before (sorry, don't remember the names). GERD is most apparent while lying down, so most noticeable while 'trying' to sleep!

This may not be your problem, but it's worth checking into.

~Maggie
Let me know if you ever find out the cause of your chronic coughing please let me know what it was. I 've been to the doc and all he says is the same thing it is just allergies. How could that be when I've never had this before and don't show any signs of allergies just coughing. I am still working with him to find out the cause. I started having this cough when I started to gain weight and sleep with my mouth open because of OSA. The coughing happens once or twice a day usually in the afternoon or late evening rarely in the mornings. It doesn't happen when I sleep or lay down so I doubt it has anything to do with GERD because it should get worst when I sleep if that was the case. I am at lost and it's very frustating not to know when the coughing will start and how long I will have to deal with this issue.
GERD could still be the cause of your chronic cough, but there are many other potential causes that should be ruled out by a pulmonary physician. If your doctor is not a pulmonary specialist, then you should see one. If your doctor is a pulmonologist, then I would see different one, preferably not in the same practice. If GERD were the cause of your cough, then it should have gotten better with PAP treatment.

By the way, it's not the irritation of the esophagus that causes the cough, it's the inhalation of gastric contents that sets up a tracheal and upper respiratory inflammation. In most cases, successful treatment of OSA should put a stop to GERD.

sleepapnea said:
Let me know if you ever find out the cause of your chronic coughing please let me know what it was. I 've been to the doc and all he says is the same thing it is just allergies. How could that be when I've never had this before and don't show any signs of allergies just coughing. I am still working with him to find out the cause. I started having this cough when I started to gain weight and sleep with my mouth open because of OSA. The coughing happens once or twice a day usually in the afternoon or late evening rarely in the mornings. It doesn't happen when I sleep or lay down so I doubt it has anything to do with GERD because it should get worst when I sleep if that was the case. I am at lost and it's very frustating not to know when the coughing will start and how long I will have to deal with this issue.
I have a chronic cough related to acid reflux.  I was doing fine until my insurance company decided to no longer cover Prevacid.  I tried the generic Prevacid, then Nexium, then Dexelant all of which either did not treat the GERD or caused worse side effects...like sleep disruption.  I cannot sleep with the mask due to vomiting while coughing.  I see the doctor today to see if they can urge the insurance company to cover the medication that works.
have problems with gerd as well and have sleep apnea , may be worth checking into  

Mike said:
by the way, I know that GERD and sleep apnea often go hand in hand. i don't understand the physiology of it yet, but have heard from many about the correlation. bet other members will know what's up on this. i'll start a stand alone thread on GERD and sleep apnea.

Maggie Jay said:
YESS!!! I was lucky enough to find out that my chronic cough had absolutely nothing to do with my respiratory system.

I was going in for a pre-surgery EKG, and the nurse administering the test recognized my cough as being symptomatic of GERD...Gastro-Intestinal Reflux Disease. My stomach acids were irritating my esophagus, causing the coughing.

She had worked in a GI's office, and she said there was a 'certain sound' that seperated this particular 'type' of cough from others.. I had no 'heartburn' or other stomach symptoms.

Once I started on some GERD meds, the cough went away! I'm on daily Prilosec now, but was on some other meds before (sorry, don't remember the names). GERD is most apparent while lying down, so most noticeable while 'trying' to sleep!

This may not be your problem, but it's worth checking into.

~Maggie
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