Why does my bedridden father cough after using a nebulizer?

Question

Hi doctor,

My father is 82 years old. Currently, he is in bed. We use pads for him. He eats well, but he has a cough. So we give him a nebulizer twice daily, but now while nebulization, we can hear the sound of his cough. Please advise.

Answer 1

Hi,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

This cough sound is not precisely cough but a wheeze (what we call it in medical language). Wheeze is a prevalent feature of COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease- bronchial asthma). This could also be a sputum collection in the airway. Is there a previous history of asthma? Also, is it all the time or seasonal? Bronchial asthma is an allergic condition that may run in families. I would advise you to be careful regarding that as well. For now, I would advise you to get a chest examination done. Also, confirm if the patient has any other symptoms like difficulty breathing, runny nose, etc. I would suggest the following investigations,

1.Chest X-ray PA view (posteroanterior view).

2.PFT (pulmonary function test).

3.Chest auscultation.

Continue nebulization for now (thrice daily). Further treatment will be based on the chest X-ray findings. Avoid polluted air. Follow up with the above reports. Thanks.