When managing a cough, many people turn to Over-the-Counter (OTC) medications, including antibiotics. However, doctors often advise against using such medications without medical supervision. Without properly understanding the nature and underlying cause of a cough, strong drugs like antibiotics can do more harm than good.
In an interaction with the OnlyMyHealth team, Dr Padmaraju, MBBS, DNB General Medicine at Apollo Clinic, discusses the role of antibiotics in treating coughs. He also explains the different types of coughs and distinguishes which ones require antibiotics and which do not.
Also Read: Nagging Cough: What Causes It And Home Remedies That May Help
What Are The Different Types Of Cough?
Coughing is a natural response of the body to get rid of irritants trapped in the airway. Dr Padmaraju describes it as a "natural protective reflex" that enables the expulsion of contents, partially blocking the airway. While it can be temporary and harmless, factors such as respiratory infections, allergies, or chronic conditions like asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) can also lead to a constant cough.
According to the doctor, a cough can be classified into many types based on its many qualities. These include:
Duration of the cough: acute, subacute, or chronic
Cause: infectious, allergic, drug-induced, malignant, and neurological or obstructive.
Nature: productive (wet) or non-productive (dry), positional variation, time variation, and associated complaints such as hemoptysis (blood in sputum).
Antibiotics For Cough
Dr Padmaraju explains, “Antibiotics are a very specific group of medications designed to either kill bacteria or prevent their multiplication, derived from microorganisms in nature or synthesised.”
He adds, “They target different components of bacterial cell structure, like DNA/protein synthesis or the cell wall, resulting ultimately in bacterial cell death.”
While antibiotics are usually not the typical treatments for cough, in certain cases, where the underlying cause is a bacterial infection, they may be recommended. However, a doctor’s supervision is always advised when it comes to antibiotic use.
When Do You NOT Require Antibiotics?
It is important to understand that most coughs are caused by viruses, and antibiotics only target bacteria.
"Most commonly encountered in the community are coughs that are allergic in nature and infective coughs usually caused by seasonal viral infections or bacterial infections in those predisposed," Dr Padmaraju emphasises, adding that coughs that are viral, post-viral, or allergic DO NOT require an antibiotic to treat them.
He highlights that not only does using antibiotics disturb the healthy bacterial environment of our body's natural immune system, but they absolutely do not help in relieving the symptoms in any way whatsoever.
Also Read: Intake Of Antibiotics: Expert Explains its Use and Misuse
Moreover, you’re at a great risk of developing antibiotic resistance, a major health concern.
According to the 2022 Global Antimicrobial Resistance and Use Surveillance System (GLASS) report, across 76 countries, worryingly high rates were identified, with 42% of E. coli resistant to third-generation cephalosporins and 35% of Staphylococcus aureus resistant to methicillin. This trend extends to urinary tract infections, where 1 in 5 E. coli cases in 2020 showed a reduced response to standard antibiotics like ampicillin, co-trimoxazole, and fluoroquinolones.
How To Distinguish Between Bacterial Vs. Viral Cough
When it comes to viral infections, they are predominantly associated with changes in season and are usually associated with symptoms such as fever, body pains, and sore throats of short duration—3-5 days, to be specific. In addition, coughs associated with a viral infection may be dry or associated with phlegm that is clear in colour.
On the contrary, bacterial infections are associated with very high fevers with shivering, chills, and coughs with yellow, green, or red-brown sputum with or without blood.
Takeaways
Regardless of whether your cough is caused by a bacterial or viral infection, it is important to take measures against it. Prevention often includes wearing masks to prevent catching airborne infections, washing hands frequently, and staying home when sick to rest and curb the spread of the illness. Moreover, one must eat healthy, home-cooked meals to avoid food- and water-borne contamination and ensure good health. This will be beneficial, especially during the monsoons, which are almost at our doorsteps.