Coughing, much? Coughing often? Are You Ignoring this Symptom? Do you keep putting it off because you never seem to get sick enough to go to the doctor? Have you been ignoring that nagging, tickling little cough?
Florida Lung, Asthma and Sleep Specialists do not write this article to cause you worry, but we do have a warning for you. A chronic cough can mean an ultimate diagnosis of early lung cancer.
Chronic Coughing is not a normal part of aging!doctor?
Coughing Is a Warning Sign
Your lungs are trying to tell you something is wrong when you cough. It also does not always mean that it is something serious. However, be aware that “Lung cancer…claims more women’s lives every year than any other type of cancer.”
Did you know that we still do not have a reliable, individualized screening test for early lung cancer, which is why 70 per cent of patients are not diagnosed until the disease is quite advanced.
By the time you come to FLASS, the lung cancer might have already spread to other systems from the respiratory system.
Chronic Coughing Means Something
In the early stages of lung cancer, patients have one common, annoying, very basic complaint: a chronic cough without a virus or bacterial infection.
Coughing: Could be an S.O.S. to your Lung Doctor!
Andrea McKee, M.D. is chairwoman of radiation oncology at the Lahey Hospital and Medical Center and Sophia Gordon Cancer Center in Burlington, Massachusetts. She stated in a recent issue of Self Magazine, “Sometimes in the periphery [of the lungs] a tumor can just keep growing to a relatively large size before we’ll diagnose it because it won’t cause very many symptoms.”
Dr. McKee adds that a tumor which is touching a bronchi can trigger the cough receptors. This is a subtle symptom, but it can lead lung doctors to catch the lung cancer in its early stage, which makes a critical difference in survival rate for lung cancer patients.
A Little Cough: A Big Difference!
Surviving for 5 years after the late stage of cancer is diagnosed is considered a good average for patients. But if the cancer is detected early because you are alert to your chronic cough, there is statistically a 90 percent chance you can actually become cancer-free with treatment.
Are you coughing from cancer or a simple cold? Doctors warn that you need not worry about serious conditions if your cough is justified by a virus or bacterial infection. However, when the cough drags on for two or three weeks without other viral or bacterial symptoms, it’s time to see your primary care physician.
Please: Do not ignore nagging, chronic coughing. Beware!
And if you are coughing up blood, this is really a red flag. See your doctor immediately.
Let’s put it this way, if your cough can be described as dry, intense, uncontrollable, and persistent, then make an appointment to see your doctor.
Think of your persistent cough as a general warning from your body. You might already know the symptom could come from acid reflux or asthma.
It could even be a side-effect of a medication. Still–FLASS recommends that you see your doctor to check on any of these conditions or situations.
Dodge the bullet of this pervasive hint of early lung cancer. Florida Lung, Asthma and Sleep Specialist urge you to be aware that your body could be sending you an important signal through a chronic cough.
“While cough isn’t the most common symptom of lung cancer, it can be one, and most of the time, happens early on.”
Thank you for reading our FLASS blog and come back next week for more respiratory reports.
