High fever and cough

Most diseases that occur in a person at one time or another in life are accompanied by the appearance of a symptom complex of one or more signs that allow a preliminary diagnosis to be made. When symptoms such as high temperature and cough appear, the thought of cold-related diseases immediately comes to mind, which doctors often unite under one concept - acute respiratory disease (ARI). These are symptoms that signal the development of an inflammatory process in the upper or lower respiratory tract. But a specialist can make an accurate diagnosis only taking into account the causes and localization of inflammation, the patient's age, and individual characteristics of the body.

Epidemiology

According to statistics, about 90% of people suffer from colds at least once a year. They can occur with or without a cough, with hyperthermia or against the background of normal temperature. The combination of both symptoms is most typical for ARVI (flu) and pneumonia (pneumonia), which most often affect children with their not fully formed immune system. In this category of the population, diseases are more severe, in addition, there are purely childhood diseases that begin with a cough and fever, for example, whooping cough, croup, scarlet fever and chickenpox (more often affect children than adults).

Causes fever and cough

The appearance of a cough without a fever can be caused by many reasons that may seem completely unrelated to the inexperienced reader. At first glance, what could be common between infectious and inflammatory processes in the respiratory organs and an allergic reaction, the influence of dry air and cigarette smoke, inhalation of aggressive chemicals and stressful situations? The appearance of a cough may be common, but an increase in temperature is not at all necessary.

Hyperthermia is unlikely in case of allergies and stress. If the temperature does increase, it will be insignificant. Smoker's cough, the same symptom when taking some antihypertensive drugs and inhaling polluted air, is usually not accompanied by temperature changes, with the exception of drug intoxication. The same can be said about small and large particles entering the respiratory tract, exposure to dry air, cough accompanying diseases of the heart, digestive and nervous systems.

A noticeable increase in temperature combined with a cough is observed mainly in colds affecting the upper and lower respiratory tract. More often, high temperature and cough occur in infectious diseases of the respiratory system, called ARVI, including influenza. Although a protective reaction in the form of a noticeable increase in temperature can also be observed in rarer bacterial infections of the same localization.

Risk factors

Risk factors for the occurrence of such symptoms are:

• hypothermia, which reduces the body's defenses,
• consumption of cold drinks, which undermine local immunity,
• exposure to drafts,
• contact with an infected person (respiratory infections are transmitted mainly by airborne droplets),
• caring for a patient without observing infection prevention methods,
• weakened immunity,
• the presence of chronic diseases that increase the risk of infectious diseases due to decreased immunity,
• immunodeficiency, vitamin deficiencies, etc.
• childhood.

The cause of a cough accompanied by a rise in temperature may be both inflammation of the respiratory tract and infections of the nose or throat, or enlarged adenoids. Tonsillitis, flu, bronchitis, tracheitis, pneumonia, sinusitis, laryngitis, pharyngitis and other respiratory diseases may occur with a rise in temperature. Sometimes these symptoms also appear with inflammation of the middle ear.

Pathogenesis

Cough and fever are non-specific symptoms that may occur with various diseases. Their occurrence is not associated with a specific diagnosis, but can be of great help in making a preliminary medical conclusion.

Individually, these symptoms may be evidence of unrelated pathologies. For example, a cough may be a manifestation of both respiratory diseases and a malfunction of the cardiovascular or digestive systems. It is also evidence of an inadequate response of the immune system (allergy) or a manifestation of increased bronchial reactivity (bronchial asthma).

Coughing can also occur in the absence of diseases, for example, when foreign objects enter the respiratory tract, irritating the mucous membrane and preventing the passage of air. The same symptom occurs when the inner lining of the pharynx, larynx, trachea and bronchi is irritated as a result of exposure to chemical or thermal irritants.

In any case, coughing is considered a protective reaction aimed at freeing the respiratory tract from a source of irritation or an obstacle to the passage of air flow. With minor irritation, a dry cough occurs, and with the development of an inflammatory process or congestion in the lungs, a wet cough occurs.

Temperature is also evidence of inflammation. Many have noted that the inflammation site is always warmer than the surrounding tissues, which is a result of changes in the nature of metabolic processes and blood circulation in it.

A general increase in temperature is a response to the generalization of the pathological process. Body temperature rises more strongly during infectious inflammations, especially of viral origin. In this way, our body fights pathogens and signals us about their presence and increased activity.

The combination of high temperature and cough indicates the generalization of the inflammatory process and the involvement of the respiratory system. Inflammation increases the sensitivity of the mucous membrane to various irritants, stimulates the production of bronchial gland secretion, which is designed to moisturize the inner surface of the respiratory organs and promote the removal of foreign elements from the respiratory organs.

Both cough and temperature are considered in this regard as a protective reaction of the body. Cough helps to remove pathogenic bacteria along with the accumulated phlegm, and elevated temperature creates unfavorable conditions for the reproduction of pathogens. This is all very useful until it begins to act on the body exhaustingly and does not become dangerous in terms of disruption of the rheological properties of the blood.

Violation of thermoregulation during illness leads to the fact that body temperature continues to rise, which becomes dangerous, since we are talking about thickening of the blood, which increases the load on the cardiovascular system, contributing to the formation of blood clots.

Although cough is not considered a life-threatening symptom, it can also be a significant problem, especially if you are prone to bronchospasms. A debilitating dry cough wastes the patient's energy, while a wet cough with increased sputum production is a risk factor for bronchial obstruction.

Symptoms fever and cough

Cough and high temperature in such a combination cannot be indicators of human health. This symptom complex itself indicates certain disorders in the body that affect the state of the nervous and respiratory systems. But it rarely appears alone; usually we are talking about a more extensive and diverse clinical picture that allows us to differentiate one disease from another.

Moreover, the word "cough" itself can tell a specialist little. After all, in diagnosing diseases, it is not so much the presence of this symptom that plays a major role, but its nature: wet or dry, constant or episodic, as well as its combination with other manifestations of the disease state.

Cough, runny nose and high temperature are considered the first signs of acute respiratory viral infections and flu. At the same time, cough may appear not on the first day of illness, but much later, more pronounced in the morning hours due to the need to cough up phlegm accumulated in the bronchi overnight with nasal discharge.

But the temperature during viral diseases in the acute period rises quite quickly and can last for several days.

Symptoms such as headache, stinging and pain in the eyes, which intensifies when looking at bright light, lacrimation, pain or irritation in the throat, unusual lethargy and apathy will also help to suspect ARVI. By the way, headache and weakness in the whole body, up to muscle pain when trying to move, are more characteristic of a viral infection.

The rate of symptom development depends on the type of infection. Thus, with flu, the body's reaction is almost instantaneous, and high temperature along with headache are among the first symptoms of the acute period, but dry and wet cough, runny nose may appear much later.

A dry (unproductive) cough is the result of irritation of the mucous membrane of the respiratory tract. It appears even before a serious inflammatory reaction develops. But a wet cough can be considered a consequence of inflammation or a result of increased productivity of bronchial secretion production and the addition of inflammatory exudate to it.

When microbes have already become active in the throat and upper respiratory tract and tissue swelling has begun, a change in the voice is noted. From a ringing voice, it turns into a dull, hoarse, hoarse voice. Before swelling, the cough may be unproductive, but without any peculiarities. With the appearance of swelling and disturbances in the timbre of the voice, the audible signs of coughing also change. It increasingly resembles an intermittent, muffled dog bark, which is why it is called barking.

The combination of paroxysmal barking cough and high temperature indicates the localization of inflammation in the throat, larynx or trachea. Usually, this is accompanied by heavy breathing, sore throat that intensifies when swallowing, swelling of the larynx, and with a bacterial infection, the lymph nodes may enlarge. Such symptoms are more characteristic of acute respiratory viral infections, flu, laryngitis and pharyngitis, and less so for tracheitis and bronchitis.

We have already mentioned the symptoms of acute respiratory viral infections and flu. But what are laryngitis and pharyngitis? Laryngitis is an inflammatory process in the larynx, which is most often a consequence of a cold or infectious disease. An elevated temperature will indicate this type of disease. Other symptoms of laryngitis include: a red, swollen throat at the entrance to the larynx, painful swallowing, frequent dry cough that later becomes productive, a burning sensation and dry throat. With an infection, plaque may appear on the mucous membranes of the pharynx.

Laryngitis can be caused by viruses, bacteria, and Candida fungi. In the first case, it is classified as an acute respiratory viral infection with a specific localization, so all the symptoms of a viral infection (headache, muscle and eye pain, severe weakness) can occur.

The same applies to pharyngitis – an inflammatory disease localized in the pharynx. The inflammation covers the mucous membrane of the throat and the lymphoid tissue of the adenoids. The temperature in this case rises to subfebrile, and the patient complains of a sore throat, dry, painful cough, and other symptoms typical of infectious respiratory diseases. The person begins to cough to relieve the sore throat, but once he starts coughing, he cannot stop. Examination of the throat shows that it is deep red, as with tonsillitis, and individual ulcers may also appear.

Red throat, discomfort, irritation, pain in the throat, noticeably increasing when swallowing and high temperature are symptoms characteristic of tonsillitis, but cough usually does not appear with this disease or appears later (in this case, we are talking about a productive symptom). In addition, the diffuse nature of inflammation in the throat does not speak in favor of the diagnosis of "tonsillitis".

Red throat with viral and bacterial respiratory diseases is observed in 90% of cases, but usually the redness is not localized only in the tonsils, but spreads further to the pharynx, upper and lower palate, and uvula. If hyperemia is observed mainly in the tonsils, angina is diagnosed.

High temperature, cough and vomiting are a symptom complex characteristic of the flu virus, especially if we are talking about a sick child. Vomiting is a consequence of intoxication and throat irritation. But in children, with their lower weight compared to adults and the central regulation of many processes not yet fully formed, intoxication increases faster, and the gag reflex is triggered more often. Moreover, the occurrence of vomiting against the background of the clinical picture of a respiratory infection is noted not only with influenza, but also with many other diseases (for example, with bronchitis or pneumonia).

True, such a combination of symptoms cannot be called specific, characterizing only respiratory diseases. Such a clinical picture may be evidence of poisoning. Vomiting can be considered a consequence of intoxication. But what does cough and fever have to do with it?

Temperature in case of poisoning can both rise and fall. In case of infectious intoxication, it usually rises, which is explained by the development of an acute inflammatory process in the gastrointestinal tract. The effect of toxins on the central nervous system is such that the functionality of various brain structures can be disrupted, including the thermoregulation center in the hypothalamus and cerebral cortex. This leads to the fact that the temperature continues to rise more than is necessary for protection against microorganisms.

Coughing in case of poisoning usually occurs after vomiting. Vomiting masses begin to irritate the mucous membrane of the throat, causing a dry cough. Coughing attacks can also be provoked by the entry of elements of vomit into the respiratory tract.

We have mainly considered the reasons that can cause cough and temperature of 37-39, or even higher, in an adult. When it comes to children, there may be many more such reasons.

Complications and consequences

Cough and fever are symptoms of the body starting to fight an infection, and this process is accompanied by the development of an inflammatory reaction. Inflammation itself can be considered both a physiological and a pathological process. Yes, a local increase in temperature reduces the activity of pathogens in a given area, and a general increase in temperature throughout the body, but if the inflammation is not treated, there is a possibility of destructive changes in the tissues, disruption of the functionality of the mucous epithelium of the bronchi, and the transition of the disease to a chronic form.

Another danger is the result of incorrect self-diagnosis or unprofessional diagnosis in a medical institution. The combination of cough and fever is usually associated with colds, i.e. inflammation of the throat and respiratory tract, and they wait for other cold symptoms to appear: runny nose, sore throat, headache, although they may not be there if we are talking about an inflammatory process of a different nature.

Thus, a rise in temperature to 38 degrees and the appearance of a dry cough may be a symptom of infectious inflammation of the cardiac membranes. These symptoms often appear in patients with myocarditis and endocarditis.

An unproductive cough may also be a symptom of coronary heart disease. This is worth considering if there are no other cold symptoms, but shortness of breath, heavy breathing, discomfort in the heart area have appeared. An increase in temperature in this case will be a bad prognostic sign, most often indicating a myocardial infarction.

It is equally dangerous to underestimate the severity of the disease. You might think that it is just a cold and can be treated with warm tea and gargling, but in reality it turns out that you have pneumonia, which requires qualified treatment in a pulmonology department.

It is even worse when parents diagnose their child, limiting themselves to their meager knowledge in the field of medicine. But many childhood diseases, given the baby's undeveloped immunity, are potentially life-threatening. Yes, medicine has come a long way and is now armed with such serious weapons as vaccines against pathogens of childhood and adult diseases, but many parents are wary of vaccinating their children, given the possible complications, and they themselves rarely agree to such prevention. And when the child gets sick, it is too late to beat the drums, here every minute is precious, which can save the child's life.

Diagnostics fever and cough

Doctors, with their professional training, take symptoms such as cough and fever more seriously. And although in most cases it is indeed a common cold, they consider all possible scenarios, from acute respiratory viral infections to myocardial infarction, which may have a latent course.

Studying the patient's medical history is the first thing an experienced doctor does. He is not interested in the cough itself, but in its nature: constant or paroxysmal, painful, dry or wet, the amount of sputum secreted and its characteristics. The same applies to temperature, both specific figures and the time of temperature increase are important. The presence of any other symptoms helps to shed light on the diagnosis of the disease.

Information from the patient's medical record helps to assume a chronic course or relapse of the disease, if there have been previous mentions. If a person has a heart condition, it makes sense to pay attention to the current state of the cardiovascular system.

A visit to a therapist or pediatrician with complaints of cough and fever initially requires a physical examination. The doctor evaluates the condition of the mucous membranes of the throat and oral cavity, listens to the patient's breathing for wheezing, and at the same time evaluates the work of the heart. Wheezing and whistling in the chest indicate severe inflammation in the bronchi and lungs, which requires additional examination.

Such studies may include blood and sputum tests of the patient. A blood test will show an increase in leukocytes, as an indicator of inflammation, and often the presence of antibodies (after all, the immune system fights the infectious agent, and it can be identified by the type of antibodies). Sputum analysis provides more information about the severity of the inflammation and its cause. In this case, not only the presence of pus and blood in the sputum is determined, but also the infection that caused the disease is identified. Urine analysis is rarely prescribed in such a situation, in order to assess the functioning of the kidneys, which are responsible for the excretion of most drugs.

Instrumental diagnostics are carried out mainly when serious diseases are suspected. In case of acute respiratory viral infections and flu, there is usually no need to carry it out, unless we are talking about possible complications in the form of bronchitis, pneumonia, pleurisy. Instrumental diagnostic methods for cough and temperature include chest X-ray, bronchoscopy, spirography (assessment of the functional activity of the respiratory organs), ultrasound of the pleural cavity, etc.

If heart disease is suspected, blood pressure and pulse are additionally measured, an electrocardiogram, Holter monitoring of the heart, echocardiogram, MRI or ultrasound of the heart and some other special studies are prescribed.

The doctor prescribes all the main and additional examinations based on the preliminary diagnosis, which he makes during the anamnesis and physical examination. In controversial situations, the patient may be referred to an otolaryngologist or cardiologist for consultation. A slight increase in temperature and coughing are also possible with reflux disease. If it is suspected, an endoscopic examination of the esophagus and stomach is performed.

Differential diagnosis

Differential diagnostics in this situation helps to systematize the obtained information and determine the final diagnosis. Despite the fact that cough and temperature in most cases are symptoms of viral diseases, their occurrence cannot be ruled out in bacterial infections of the respiratory organs and heart, in myocardial infarction, reflux esophagitis, and sometimes in exacerbation of a stomach ulcer or severe allergy with laryngeal edema.

The treatment regimen largely depends on the pathogen, so it is very important to name it in order to subsequently select the most effective drugs to combat the pathogen.

Treatment fever and cough

Let's start with the fact that treating cough and fever without determining the causes of such symptoms is illogical and dangerous, because there is a high risk that the disease will lie dormant and become chronic or, even worse, cause serious complications. For example, flu is happy to cause complications in the heart and lungs, provokes the development of chronic diseases of the ear, throat, nose, and can cause inflammation of the brain and its membranes. By the way, pneumonia, bronchitis, endo-, myo- and pericarditis, meningitis and encephalitis, radiculitis, otitis and even neuralgia are in most cases the consequences of a cold.

Since cough and fever are usually symptoms of upper and lower respiratory tract diseases, we will pay more attention to the treatment of these diseases. As for infectious inflammation of the heart membranes, its treatment is not much different from that of severe pneumonia: eradication of the pathogen is carried out (depending on the type of infection, antibiotics, antifungals, antiviral agents are prescribed) and relief of inflammation with corticosteroids with drug support of the immune system (immunostimulants, vitamins).

Treatment of any infectious diseases is the competence of a specialist doctor. Even if we take into account the fact that many people know the basic rule: bacterial infections are treated with antibiotics, fungal infections with antifungal agents or antimycotics, viral infections with antiviral drugs and immunostimulants, not everyone is able to choose the right drug. After all, here it is necessary to take into account not only the nature of the infection, but also its type. Drugs for the treatment of staphylococcus and the causative agent of tuberculosis can be completely different, and the flu virus cannot be destroyed by drugs against herpes, although both diseases are viral infections. Antiviral drugs, antimycotics and antibiotics for high temperature and cough should be prescribed by a doctor after the nature of the causative agent of the disease (ideally, its type) is established.

The biggest mistake many patients make is treating symptoms when they need to treat the disease and its cause. Yes, changing a cough from unproductive to productive certainly plays a big role in the case of a respiratory tract infection. But this measure is usually not enough to remove all units of the pathogen from the body. It is even worse when they try to stifle the cough, i.e. weaken the cough reflex at the level of the central nervous system. This approach to treatment cannot be called scientific in any way, rather, on the contrary, it will be anti-treatment.

As for the temperature, its treatment is generally questionable until it reaches critical values. Temperatures below 38 degrees cannot be brought down, no matter what infection they are caused by. This only hinders the body from fighting. By bringing down the temperature before the doctor's arrival and forgetting to mention its increase, you can only confuse the specialist, because a cough with a temperature is a symptom of some diseases, and without a temperature it may be a sign of completely different pathologies.

In any case, treatment of the infection should not be limited to taking antipyretics and cough medicines (expectorants and mucolytics). If the causative agent of the disease is bacteria or fungi, then the use of means to increase immunity, effective in the viral etiology of the disease, will most likely be insufficient. Antifungal and antibiotic therapy are currently considered the best option for combating the corresponding pathogens, despite all the shortcomings of these methods. But without them, there is a high risk of developing dangerous complications.

In the treatment of infectious diseases, not only prescribed medications play a major role, but also the use of non-drug treatment methods. First of all, this is rest and bed rest, which are mandatory in the acute period of the disease. Drinking plenty of fluids helps maintain the temperature within safe limits without medication. It also facilitates the discharge of sputum when coughing. Diet helps reduce the load on organs during illness and save energy to fight infection.

Prevention

Both cough and high temperature are not diseases in their essence. They are just the body's reaction, trying to fight pathogens in every possible way. Yes, the symptoms affect our well-being, and there is a great desire to get rid of them, but this is wrong. If there were no cough, which helps remove microbes from the respiratory tract, and temperature, which has a deadly effect on pathogens, the disease would be much more severe and with serious complications.

Speaking about prevention, we need to understand that we should prevent not the protective reaction, but the possible cause of the disease, i.e. the infection and its activity due to weakened immunity. Often the pathogen sits in the body for years, and we do not even suspect it until our immunity weakens. And to avoid this, we need to take care of a balanced diet with a sufficient amount of vitamins, regular physical activity, and in the autumn-winter and spring period, about the preventive intake of multivitamin complexes and immunostimulants of plant origin (echinacea, rose rhodiola, magnolia vine, eleutherococcus).

Our immunity and susceptibility to infectious diseases are affected by: hypothermia, chronic and autoimmune diseases, bad habits. For the purpose of prevention, you can remove some things from your life: protect yourself from hypothermia and drafts, give up alcohol and smoking, do not allow acute pathologies to become chronic. And prevention of autoimmune diseases is timely treatment of infections, because they are often to blame for the disorder of the immune system, which begins to inadequately respond to its own cells, but ignores foreign ones.

Forecast

The prognosis of diseases with cough and fever depends on the timeliness and relevance of the treatment. It can be the worst if a person ignores the symptoms for a long time and ends up in the hospital in a serious condition.

High temperature and cough cannot be considered as a normal variant. This means that these symptoms must be given attention, and the sooner this is done, the lower the risk of complications.