What causes cough after eating. Causes of coughing while eating

Cough after eating, the cause of which can be very different, occurs in many people.

The most common cause of the appearance of pathology can be attributed to hit foreign body(eg dust) into the respiratory tract and irritate them.

In this case, an attack of coughing occurs once, and in the future it does not repeat.

However, in some cases, coughing after eating may indicate serious problems health, these include:

• pathological processes in the respiratory organs (infections, inflammations);
• increase intra-abdominal pressure;
• organ diseases digestive tract(ulcers, erosion);
• dehydration of the body;
• narrowing of the food opening of the diaphragm;
• strong nervous strain;
• hyperacidity gastric juice.

Very often, the cause of cough after eating is the presence of any problems with the digestive organs, including gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). In this case, the lower esophageal ring becomes too weak. This leads to the fact that food does not stay in the stomach, but is thrown back into the esophageal cavity.

Aggressive contents of the stomach have a negative effect on the mucous membrane of the esophagus, leading to irritation, inflammation, erosion and ulcerative lesions. Together with this food, the air that entered the stomach during meals is also pushed into the esophagus. That is why coughing with GERD occurs no later than 10-15 minutes after eating. During this time, the esophageal sphincter opens as much as possible.

It is worth noting

The cause of a cough may be damage not to the esophagus itself, but to the digestive tract. It is for this reason that the therapist, when coughing after eating, prescribes a complex of various diagnostic measures to the patient.

The cause of coughing after eating can also be asthma, food allergies. In this case, the symptoms appear only with advanced forms of the disease. In this case, the cough does not occur every time after eating, but only after eating certain products. During such a cough, sputum usually leaves.

After eating, the metabolism accelerates and blood circulation improves. This leads to an increase in the work of the bronchi and, as a result, sputum discharge. Understand which product provoked the appearance allergic cough very difficult, because usually even one dish includes several different components. It is noticed that most often an allergic reaction develops after eating sweets, dairy products and citrus fruits.

At the same time, asthma itself can be caused as a malfunction immune system as well as GERD. In the latter case, the release of food from the stomach reaches not only the digestive organs, but also the respiratory organs. At the same time, it happens severe damage their mucous membranes. As a result, patients develop bronchial hyperreactivity and, as a result, asthma.

The cause of coughing after eating may also be inflammatory diseases throat caused by infection on the mucous membrane (pharyngitis, laryngitis). In this case, after hitting sore throat food particles or as a result of temperature changes (for example, eating ice cream with coffee) occurs severe irritation mucous membrane of the throat and, as a result, strong reflex spasms respiratory tract.

It is worth noting

With inflammatory diseases of the throat in a person, coughing is noted from time to time throughout the day. However, it is significantly enhanced precisely after eating food.

It is important to say that not all cases of coughing after eating are to blame for diseases. Often the doctor, after examining the patient, says that he is healthy, although the cough still continues to appear every time after eating. Usually this phenomenon occurs due to malnutrition.

In some people, the pharynx is very sensitive to stimuli. Therefore, they may cough due to the use of too sour, salty, spicy, hot or cold food.

Often they develop a cough after eating dry biscuits or alcoholic beverages(especially strong ones).

It is important to note that a cough after eating, the cause of which has been established accurately, is treated quickly and easily.

Cough after eating with sputum: causes, classification

There are the following types of cough after eating:

• Cough with phlegm. It occurs as a result of damage to the respiratory system. For example, with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, bronchitis, asthma, hyperextension of the alveoli, tracheitis or pneumonia. That is why a cough after eating with sputum, the causes of which are very diverse, should only be treated by a specialist. Cough can appear in both chronic and acute diseases. Sputum production may be large or very small.
• Dry cough. It indicates severe irritation of the respiratory tract or the presence of foreign objects in them. Such a cough is very dangerous, because by contracting, the respiratory organs can push through foreign object further into the bronchi and lungs. All this can lead to the development of aspiration pneumonia.
• Cough combined with vomiting. Despite the fact that it looks like this, you should not take given state for a cough. In medicine, this is considered to be a form of vomiting. Esophageal vomiting occurs immediately after eating (less than 15 minutes pass) and is accompanied by strong coughing movements. This phenomenon may be a sign of a pathological decrease in the valve of the esophagus, malignant neoplasms or GERD. In the latter case, stomach pain may also be present.

The most common cough after eating is observed in elderly patients and children. In the first case, the cause of the pathology is dehydration. Older people usually drink very little fluid. This leads to the fact that the foods eaten cannot be digested normally, and the mucous membranes of the respiratory organs dry up and react sharply to any irritants.

The children themselves common cause cough is the ingestion of pieces of food into the respiratory system.

Moreover, during the meal itself, foreign objects may not appear, and after eating, after some time, a piece stuck in the throat can block the airways, and then return to its original position. Cough in this case will disappear from time to time, and then reappear. Symptoms in this case continue until foreign object will not be deleted.

As a rule, this happens to young children when they eat green lettuce, apples with a rough skin. Children have poor swallowing control and often talk while eating.

Another common cause of coughing up phlegm after eating in children is an allergic reaction. In young patients, the airways are much narrower and more sensitive than in adults. It is a cough after eating that may be the first sign of development pathological process. This cough also very dangerous, because without treatment it can lead to laryngospasm.

After the cause of the cough with sputum after eating is established, treatment should be started immediately.

Cough after eating: the cause and how to treat in each case, methods of prevention

Prevention of cough that occurs after eating is to eliminate those negative factors that may lead to the development this phenomenon. First of all, smokers should give up cigarettes.

Besides overeating should be avoided, especially in evening time days. Patients with overweight must do everything necessary measures to reduce it. It is recommended to use natural products nutrition and, if possible, to refuse the use of semi-finished products.

Eat small meals, but often.

To avoid dehydration, you need to consume enough water. If desired, it can be partially replaced with juices, compotes and teas. At the same time, it is necessary to refuse or limit the use of alcohol and energy drinks.

To prevent coughing, you do not need to wear too rough things that fit the body in the abdomen and throat, because they can squeeze internal organs and lead to various violations in their work.

It is important to say that dust has an extremely negative effect on the respiratory system.. Moreover, it may be the cause allergic reactions both in adults and children. That is why wet cleaning in the house should be carried out at least 1 time per week. During the heating season, it is recommended to humidify the air in the room with the help of special devices.

If it was still not possible to prevent a cough, then it is recommended to consult a therapist to find the causes of the pathology. He daily diagnoses cough after eating. He knows the causes and how to treat it like no one else.

The essence of the treatment of cough after eating is to eliminate the causes that caused it. So, if the cause of the cough is dehydration, then the patient is prescribed electrolytes (Rehydron), an abundant drink is prescribed.

At infectious processes that caused inflammation, antibacterial drugs (Augmentin, Faringosept) and anti-inflammatory drugs are prescribed both in tablet form (Ibuprofen, Aspirin) and in the form of sprays (Ingalipt). Gargles may be recommended herbal preparations(chamomile, sage).

If all this is combined with a decrease in immunity, then patients may be prescribed immunostimulating drugs (Amizon, Isoprinosine). They will eliminate unpleasant symptoms inflammation and the cause of cough after eating.

How to treat a cough that has arisen due to the ingestion of food debris in the respiratory tract? To do this, you need to stand behind the patient, put his hands between the navel and costal arches, clench one hand into a fist, and put the other on top of him. After this, several sharp indentations into the abdomen should be made (no need to press on the ribs).

For GERD, a special therapeutic diet, which implies the exclusion from the diet of smoked, fatty, salty and spicy foods. In addition, drugs are prescribed that reduce the production of gastric juice by the body (Omeprazole, Omez), improve the motility of the digestive organs (Motilium), and neutralize gastric acid (Phosphalugel, Almagel). In addition to this, vitamin and mineral complexes can be prescribed. In advanced cases, surgery may be performed.

In asthma, xanines (Euphyllin, Theophylline) are prescribed, anti-inflammatory drugs (Kromoheksal), inhaled corticosteroids(Flixotide, Alvesco), leukotriene-responsive receptor blockers (Zafirlukast and Montelukast).

Recommended massage chest. When joining bacterial infection antibiotics are used (Erythromycin, Tetracycline). Perhaps the appointment of expectorants (Mukaltin).

At food allergies antiallergic drugs are used (Peritol, Cetrin).

Before treating cough and unpleasant symptoms after eating, the causes of its occurrence should be tried to be eliminated without medical preparations(to arrange food, to lead healthy lifestyle life). In this case, the pathology may go away on its own. However, this does not apply severe forms diseases.

For most people, a cough, dryness, and irritation in the throat is associated with an infection or cold in the upper respiratory tract. However, not always reflex process is formed against the background of this pathology, since cough occurs as main symptom more than twenty types of ailments.

It is not common for an adult to cough while eating. Eating can cause irritation in the throat, which becomes main reason the formation of discomfort. As a rule, it is not dangerous for the patient. But if such a process bothers you for a long time, eliminate the risk of exacerbation and consult a doctor.

Cough after eating or while eating occurs quite rarely. This symptom does not immediate response on the part of a person, since it is not accompanied by severe symptoms. If with a viral or infectious inflammation dryness and itching in the throat occurs along with fever, rhinitis, painful sensations in the lungs or chest, then the cough after lunch or dinner passes without a bright pronounced signs inflammation.

The danger of such a process lies in the fact that the patient does not notice obvious symptoms diseases of the upper respiratory system and treat such a process with extreme disdain. Tightening with a trip to qualified specialist causes acute inflammation.

Cough is only a symptom, so in the absence of drug treatment there is a risk of developing a severe form of inflammation, as well as the formation chronic stage.

Conclusion

It is known that the disease is easier to prevent than to cure. Therefore, if coughing after eating occurs quite often, a number of actions should be taken. First, eat slowly and chew your food thoroughly.

In addition, you should take food often, but not much. Do not forget to monitor the composition of the diet and exclude all possible allergens. It is important to consume a large number of water. Do not take food at night.

If the precautions have not worked for you, do not ignore the doctors and visit a specialist as soon as possible.

Cough is a reflex reaction of the body. It occurs when the airways are irritated or their patency needs to be restored. A cough is dry when no sputum is coughed up during the coughing process. In addition, such a reaction periodically occurs in children and adults after eating. Causes of cough after eating can be very different. And only by understanding them, you can pick up effective methods its prevention.

Main reasons

All causes of cough after eating foods can be divided into several groups. The first includes those that are directly related to the food consumed. Most often, the problem occurs when a person eats peppered dishes, spicy homemade pickles.

Also, a cough reflex can provoke acid, for example, in dishes that are seasoned with vinegar or lemon juice. Spices and dressings, when ingested in the throat, cause irritation, and coughing acts as a natural reaction of the body. Children are more acute than adults, they react even to a small dose of pepper or vinegar.

The cough reflex after eating has another simple explanation: the person choked. Aspiration is common, for example, when he:

• eats quickly;
• eating or drinking on the go or in bed;
• talking and being distracted at the table;
• eats too hot food.

During aspiration, small particles of chewed food are in the upper respiratory tract. The body needs to quickly get rid of such particles so that they do not get into the bronchi and further into the lungs. Therefore, a person wants to cough.

Sometimes a cough is associated with dehydration. Due to dehydration, the mucous membranes dry out, and their irritation begins. In this case, the person coughs and may complain of dry mouth. It's about not about general dehydration of the whole organism, but about its milder form, for example, if he ate dry food, ate dry bread, crackers or other products of this type and did not drink them down.

The second group of causes that provoke a cough after eating include diseases and pathological conditions:

A separate group includes the causes of cough after feeding in infants. It is not accompanied by sputum discharge and occurs in such cases:

1. Before belching. From the first months of life, a child may cough before burping. This happens, for example, if he ate too quickly and caught air.
2. In case of excess breast milk at mother. When too much milk is secreted from the breast, and the baby does not have time to suck it, he may cough.
3. With an incorrectly selected feeding position. When it is difficult and uncomfortable for a child to suckle at the breast, milk can enter the nasopharynx and provoke a cough.

Cough after eating alarm symptom. It cannot be ignored, even if a person coughs heavily once - this is fraught with food particles entering the bronchi. Moreover, the reaction should not be ignored if the coughing is repeated: in this case, the cough is not necessarily associated directly with food intake. It can be caused by an illness and require medical attention.

Warning methods

To minimize the risk of coughing while eating, it is important to follow these rules:

1. The culture of food consumption. If possible, eat only at the table. Do not talk at the table and do not be distracted while eating.
2. Constantly monitor your diet. The use of spicy and sour is not only fraught with cough, but also dangerous for the digestive system. Each serving of a peppery dish, food with garlic and spicy marinade is fraught with problems in the digestive tract.
3. Importance of drinking. Most people like to eat buns and crackers without drinking water or tea. They should be told that eating dry food makes it harder for the stomach to cope with the digestion of food.

In order to timely identify diseases that provoke coughing and start appropriate treatment, you need to regularly go to scheduled medical examinations. Preschoolers need to take them at 3 years old, a year before entering school, immediately before entering and at the end of the first year of study. In the future, it is desirable to undergo annual inspections.

Possible Complications

Airway aspiration

By itself, a cough is not a dangerous phenomenon, it is only a reaction of the body to irritants. Serious Complications can provoke those conditions and diseases that cause it.

Aspiration is very dangerous. If you do not quickly cough up food particles from the upper respiratory tract, they can go further down the trachea and get into the bronchi and lungs. This is fraught with aspiration pneumonia - inflammation of the lungs, provoked not by bacteria or viruses, but by the effect on the tissues of the contents oral cavity. Most dangerous complication aspiration - death. This rarely happens and is due to the fact that a large piece of food enters the respiratory tract, because of it it becomes difficult to breathe, and the person suffocates.

Other possible complications cough associated with diseases that provoke it:

• gastritis from chronic form without medication can go into peptic ulcer stomach, provoke the development of colitis and pancreatitis;
• untreated enterovirus infection fraught with epileptoid seizures, cerebral edema and is especially dangerous for newborns and one-year-old children;
• if you do not eliminate ENT infections, they will provoke chronic tonsillitis, damage to the heart, joints, kidneys;
• if left untreated, asthma can cause pneumothorax, loss of consciousness during a severe coughing fit.

To prevent health-threatening complications, it is important not to ignore coughing fits after eating. It is necessary to consult a doctor in a timely manner and take the prescribed medicines.

Cough occurs with many diseases, sometimes it does not indicate any serious problems, or suggests that you need to see a doctor as soon as possible. The causes of cough after eating can also be different, it is worth considering the main cases of its occurrence.

Coughing is a reflex process that occurs due to irritation of the respiratory tract during inflammatory process, ingress of dust, foreign bodies and for a number of other reasons. This mechanism is protective when coughing begins after eating, many people are surprised and frightened, immediately believing that this is a sign of some serious illness.

Causes

Since there are many conditions in which a cough attack can occur after eating, it is also important to look at the causes to determine the causes. concomitant symptoms. The nature of the cough is also important, it can be dry or wet.

The main factors for the occurrence of a cough attack after eating can be divided into several groups:

1. Ingestion of food particles into the respiratory tract. This is more likely in people who prefer to talk while eating. In this case, the epiglottis can pass a piece of food into the respiratory tract, as a result of which a coughing reflex occurs, which may be accompanied by a feeling of suffocation and shortness of breath.
2. Various diseases of the respiratory tract in the acute or chronic stage. In this case, food intake and its passage through the esophagus can be a factor provoking coughing, the nerve endings are irritated, and an urge occurs. There are other symptoms in this case. inflammatory diseases respiratory tract, colds.
3. Pathological conditions that interfere with the normal passage of food through the esophagus and prevent it from entering the stomach. Such diseases gastrointestinal tract there are several, the most common are stenosis and spasm of the esophageal valve, atony of the esophagus, and various tumors.

These are the main factors leading to a cough attack after eating. It is worth remembering to define exact reason symptoms without additional diagnostics it can be quite difficult, especially if there are no other manifestations of any diseases.

Important! Very often, a coughing fit during meals occurs due to gastroesophageal reflux disease, which is briefly called GERD.

Wet cough

A wet cough is accompanied by sputum, which can be different in nature depending on the disease that provoked its occurrence. At meals this symptom most often occurs due to inflammatory diseases of the respiratory tract. Food, passing through the esophagus, irritates the nerve endings and provokes coughing.

Cough with phlegm after eating usually occurs when chronic diseases lungs and airways. Most often these diseases are Chronical bronchitis, bronchial asthma, emphysema. During meals with irritation nerve endings mucus secretion increases and an attack occurs.

Dry cough

A dry cough attack during a meal or immediately after eating may indicate that a foreign body has entered the respiratory tract. In this case, coughing should in no case be restrained, a piece of food must come out. If the foreign body travels further down the airway, it may cause aspiration pneumonia- a dangerous acute disease.

When a foreign body enters, the cough is usually very strong, a person often develops increased tearing, face reddens. Coughing may be accompanied by a feeling of suffocation. A person who is choking on food should be helped.

If, after eating, itching in the throat and a cough of a dry nature, while there was definitely no foreign body, this may be caused by dryness of the food, too big amount salt, irritating mucous seasonings and spices. In this case, it is enough to drink a couple of glasses of water or tea so that the discomfort goes away.

Important! Also, this symptom may indicate an allergy to any product that has been eaten.

Cough with nausea

The correct name for this symptom is esophageal vomiting, this is the name given to the condition when vomit comes out with a cough. This symptom is more alarming, it may indicate serious illnesses gastrointestinal tract.

These diseases include esophageal valve stenosis and GERD. Esophageal vomiting can also provoke the formation of a tumor in the esophagus. With these diseases, vomiting with a cough attack occurs immediately after eating. If the vomit begins to come out only after an hour or two, this indicates gastric vomiting, which is usually not accompanied by a cough.

However, it is worth noting that an attack of nausea during coughing after eating can common disease respiratory tract, for example bad cold especially when the expectoration becomes wet. If the attacks are so intense, you should consult a doctor, most likely, you need to take mucolytic drugs that thin the sputum and facilitate its removal.

The causes in a child are usually the same as in adults. Moreover, in children more likely the occurrence of a cough attack after eating on the background of colds and lung diseases.

However, if the attack is accompanied severe nausea or vomiting, you should consult a doctor. Since this symptom can indicate a serious pathology, it can be extremely dangerous for the child. The earlier the disease is detected and treatment started, the better outcome.

Which doctor to contact

If the reason is colds, or it cannot be simply determined by the symptoms, you should consult a general practitioner. After analyzing the complaints, this specialist can redirect to a more suitable doctor.

If a coughing attack was accompanied by vomiting, you should immediately go to a gastroenterologist, since this symptom usually occurs against the background of pathologies of the gastrointestinal tract.

How to treat

First of all, you need to choose the means to treat the disease that caused the cough attack. You should not choose medicines on your own without a preliminary examination, otherwise you can only do harm.

In order for a single attack to pass, you should do a couple deep breaths drinking a glass of water. If the attack was caused by a foreign body, you should cough, then drink and breathe. If the reason was bronchial asthma should use an inhaler.

Folk remedies

Folk medicines will help to cope with perspiration and unpleasant sensations due to coughing.

1. If after an attack there is a sore throat, you should rinse your throat with infusion of chamomile. A spoonful of the dried plant is taken in a glass of boiling water, leave for half an hour.
2. Honey will also help. It can be diluted in water or just sit down a couple of spoons with tea. This tool soothes coughs and helps relieve sore throats.

If coughing attacks recur frequently, you should definitely consult a doctor.