hi DOCTOR...i HAVE BEEN COUGHING NON-STOP, IT SEEMS FOR 3 DAYS...HAS ONLY LOOSENED IN THE LAST SIX HOURS ...i NEE TO KONOW HOW CLOSE TO PNEUMONIA i AM AND HOW TO FORSTALL OR AVOID IT ALTOGETHER. i AM NOT SURE i CAN EVEN GET UP TO SEE A DOCTOR TO LISTEN TO MY CHEST ANDLUNGS, i AM A WOMAN OF 81 AND HAVE ALWAYS BEEN A LITTLE BRONCHIAL...BUT OTHERWISE HAVE ENJOYED GOOD HEALTH ...ANY SUGGESTIONS?
Thanks for your question on Chat Doctor. Since you are old age person, sudden continuous cough can be due to cardiac and pulmonary causes. Cardiac causes like congestive cardiac failure (CCF), coronary artery disease (CAD) and pulmonary causes like bronchitis and fibrosis can be there. So better to consult doctor and get done1. ECG2. 2d Photo rule out cardiac causes. Get done chest x-ray and PFT (pulmonary function test) to rule out pulmonary causes. Since you are old aged, better to first diagnosed and then start treatment.