A Cough That Won't Quit In most cases, this isn't a sign of heart trouble. But if you have heart disease or know you're at risk, pay special attention to the possibility. If you have a long-lasting cough that produces a white or pink mucus, it could be a sign of heart failure.
Doctors sometimes refer to this as a cardiac cough. A cough that occurs as a symptom of heart failure is usually persistent and produces white or pink blood-tinged mucus.
If you experience any of the following symptoms with a frequent, wet cough, you could be experiencing cardiac coughing: Dyspnea. If you find yourself getting out of breath while performing a simple activity or while sleeping, you could have dyspnea.
Warning signs and symptoms of heart failure include shortness of breath, chronic coughing or wheezing, swelling, fatigue, loss of appetite, and others. Heart failure means the heart has failed to pump the way it should in order to circulate oxygen-rich blood throughout the body.
If you cough a lot, often feel weak, have lost your appetite, and need to urinate a lot at night, you might have symptoms of heart failure. Heart failure is a long-term condition that usually comes on slowly. However, it can develop suddenly, for instance, after a heart attack.
How to distinguish cardiac cough from cough caused by cold or bronchial disease? A cough caused by the heart problems is always without phlegm (or dry).
Blood "backs up" in the pulmonary veins (the vessels that return blood from the lungs to the heart) because the heart can't keep up with the supply. This causes fluid to leak into the lungs. ... coughing that produces white or pink blood-tinged mucus.
“Getting diagnosed with heart failure usually starts when you notice symptoms such as shortness of breath, fatigue, rapid or irregular heartbeat or swelling in the legs, ankles, feet or abdomen,” says Dr. Piña.
Symptoms of heart failure can sometimes be hard to identify. If left untreated, you may experience a variety of symptoms, including: Shortness of breath, even when lying down. Dry, hacking cough (most often when lying flat)
Chronic coughing or wheezing - Fluid congestion (a buildup of fluid in the lungs) is common with heart failure, and is the reason why doctors often refer to it as "congestive heart failure" (CHF). This congestion can make you wheeze and cough. Some people cough up mucous or phlegm.
A Cough That Won't Quit
If you have a long-lasting cough that produces a white or pink mucus, it could be a sign of heart failure.
The life expectancy for congestive heart failure depends on the cause of heart failure, its severity, and other underlying medical conditions. In general, about half of all people diagnosed with congestive heart failure will survive 5 years. About 30% will survive for 10 years.
Less common symptoms
Other symptoms of heart failure can include: a persistent cough, which may be worse at night. wheezing. a bloated tummy.
A persistent cough may be caused by: a long-term respiratory tract infection, such as chronic bronchitis. asthma – this also usually causes other symptoms, such as wheezing, chest tightness and shortness of breath. an allergy.
See a GP if:
you've had a cough for more than 3 weeks (persistent cough) your cough is very bad or quickly gets worse – for example, you have a hacking cough or cannot stop coughing. you feel very unwell. you have chest pain.
"A cough is considered chronic if it persists longer than eight weeks," explains Dr. Safdar. "At that point, we start to worry whether the cause might be a chronic health condition that needs to be addressed."
A dry cough can occur due to exposure to irritants, or if you have allergies, asthma, croup, GERD, sinusitis or COVID-19.
An electrocardiogram (ECG) is a test that records the electrical activity of the heart. The ECG reflects what's happening in different areas of the heart and helps identify any problems with the rhythm or rate of your heart. The ECG is painless and takes around 5-10 minutes to perform.