How to cure coughs that won’t go away

FOR the past five years I have had a very phlegmy cough and doctors can’t seem to find out why. I’ve been given various acid indigestion medications but they haven’t worked. I am a 77-year-old man, otherwise in good health. CHRONIC cough can have many causes and takes months of investigations to find the exact culprit. Stomach acid escaping back up the oesophagus – acid reflux – can contribute to a cough, so medication to control this condition, such as lansoprazole and Gaviscon, is often recommended in the first instance. A phlegmy, or productive cough can also be caused by chronic sinusitis, due to excess mucus dripping from the nose into the throat.

High blood pressure tablets such as ramipril or lisinopril, often used in those with heart disease, are another well-known cause. Long-term productive coughs can be the sign of two lung diseases: bronchiectasis and chronic bronchitis.

Bronchiectasis would be diagnosed definitively on a CT scan, and chronic bronchitis (symptoms also include breathlessness) can be diagnosed by a GP using a chest X-ray and lung tests known as spirometry. Although chronic bronchitis is associated with smokers, it can occur in nonsmokers, especially those exposed to occupational dusts, fumes and chemicals. Ask your GP for a referral to a respiratory specialist.

I AM 80 years old and recently had surgery to remove a cancer from my bowel. Approximately eight weeks after my operation, I was diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis (DVT) in my left thigh. Are people having cancer treatment more susceptible to this, and how can I prevent it?

CANCER is associated with developing blood clots such as DVT for a number of reasons. In those with cancer, often there are more clotting compounds and clotting blood cells – platelets – in the bloodstream, most likely as a result of the influence of cancer cells. Also, when chemotherapy kills cancer cells, the clotting process may be activated inappropriately.

Any surgery raises a risk of blood clots, due both to damage to blood vessels and immobility that occurs post-operation.

Certain cancers, particularly pancreatic and abdominal, have a higher risk of blood clots than other cancers.

Clots can be hard to prevent, but drinking plenty of fluids and being active are key. Try short walks or simple bending-leg exercises. After major surgery to the abdomen, blood-thinning treatments are often advised as it can take longer to mobilise fully. Otherwise, anti-clot stockings known as TEDs are useful. These squeeze the muscles in the legs, encouraging the circulation.