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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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What Causes Severe Productive Cough?

my 90 yea.r old mom with COPD has been increasingly ill the past four months with a productive cough . was treated with 2 antibiotics due to bronchitis. has had two chest x-rays that have come back no bronchitis, pneumonia or CHF. why the excessive mucus with a chronic cough without any diagnosis? she is on an inhaler twice a day and nebulizer treatments three times a day and Robitussin DM also oxygen 2liters continuously. she does not feel like its a sinus infection either. please help if you can.
Mon, 28 May 2018
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Internal Medicine Specialist,  's  Response
Hello and Welcome to ‘Ask A Doctor’ service. I have reviewed your query and here is my advice.

There are some potential explanations for her condition:
-Sinusitis, which should have also caused nasal symptoms (stuffiness, nasal excretions) and headaches.
- Micro-aspirations of her saliva or food (if she's having trouble with her swallowing apparatus (fever would be expected in most cases).
- Inappropriate antibiotic (resistant pathogen)
- Chronic bronchitis, which causes increased mucus production without having an infection. If she has purulent sputum (and particularly is she also has shortness of breath and increased amounts of sputum) then she has to be treated with an appropriate antibiotic. I can't say which antibiotic because it depends on what she's taken until now. Quinolones are usually employed for COPD patients.

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What Causes Severe Productive Cough?

Hello and Welcome to ‘Ask A Doctor’ service. I have reviewed your query and here is my advice. There are some potential explanations for her condition: -Sinusitis, which should have also caused nasal symptoms (stuffiness, nasal excretions) and headaches. - Micro-aspirations of her saliva or food (if she s having trouble with her swallowing apparatus (fever would be expected in most cases). - Inappropriate antibiotic (resistant pathogen) - Chronic bronchitis, which causes increased mucus production without having an infection. If she has purulent sputum (and particularly is she also has shortness of breath and increased amounts of sputum) then she has to be treated with an appropriate antibiotic. I can t say which antibiotic because it depends on what she s taken until now. Quinolones are usually employed for COPD patients. I hope you find my comments helpful!