Is Your Cough More Than Cold? Doctors at Kasturi Medical Centre explain the link between Congestive Heart Failure and Cough
A cough that doesn’t go away is frustrating. If you’ve tried cold medicine, home remedies, or antibiotics with no relief, it might not be a common infection. Especially if that cough comes with shortness of breath, tiredness, or swelling in the legs. It could be a warning sign of Congestive heart failure (CHF) . What is Congestive Heart Failure? Congestive heart failure happens when the heart can’t pump blood properly. As a result, blood backs up. Fluid builds up in the lungs and other parts of the body. It leads to breathlessness, leg swelling, and sometimes a persistent cough. People often mistake this cough for a chest cold or flu. But it doesn’t respond to usual treatment. How a Weak Heart Triggers a Cough? In heart failure, the lungs fill with fluid. This is called pulmonary congestion . It happens because the heart is too weak to push blood around effectively. That fluid irritates the lungs and triggers coughing. This type of cough is: Worse at night or while lying...