Hypercapnia is a medical emergency that can give rise to life-threatening complications. Read and know more about this condition, including its causes, symptoms, diagnosis and treatment.

Hypercapnia Definition

Hypercapnia is a condition characterized by the presence of high amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the bloodstream. It is also referred to as Hypercapnea. Generally, carbon dioxide can be found in the blood of every healthy person. It is only when the concentration of Co2 becomes abnormally high that the condition is viewed as a medical emergency and referred to as Hypercapnia.

The name of this disorder comes from the merger of two Greek terms “hyper” meaning “above” and “kapnos” standing for “smoke”.

Digoxin Toxicity Definition

It is a disorder that is characterized by poisoning due to consumption of excessive amounts of Digoxin, a chemical found in plants of the genus Digitalis. Poisoning may also occur due to intake of small amounts of Digoxin over an extended period of time.

Hoping to kick the butt with Electronic Cigarettes? Read on to know all about the electronic cigarette disadvantages and hidden dangers before you take a decision.

What are Electronic Cigarettes?

Picture 1 – Electronic Cigarette
Source – onefoot

Electronic Cigarettes are battery operated devices that have been developed as an alternative to normal cigarettes. These are made up of a heater, a battery and a cartridge that contains a solution of propylene glycol, nicotine and some other chemicals. It gives a smoker the apparent effect of nicotine intake without delivering the toxic elements like Tobacco, Carbon Monoxide and Tar that harms the lungs. There is bad breath or yellowing of teeth either.

Electronic Cigarette History

The electronic cigarette was devised in 2003 by a Chinese druggist named Hon Lik. It was introduced into the Chinese market in 2004. It began to be marketed abroad from 2005 by Golden Dragon Holdings, the company where Hon worked.

The Electronic Cigarette Association is the body that includes all private companies in trading of electronic cigarettes.

Are you suffering from a dry cough that just refuses to go away and forces you to wake up from sleep? If you have the habit of smoking, you may be suffering from smokers cough. Read on to know all about this condition.

Smokers Cough Definition

What is a Smokers Cough? It is actually a kind of cough that smokers suffer from. People who have the habit of smoking are generally seen to have this condition. The condition may be mild or severe depending on the amount of smoking that the person does. The syndrome usually appears in people who have been smoking for a long time.

The cough is mainly of two kinds. Smokers may either suffer from a dry cough or a chesty cough. A chesty cough, unlike a dry cough, is accompanied by mucus.

How long does Smokers Cough last?

Smokers Cough, especially of the chesty variety, lasts for several weeks. Common cough, caused by cold or flu, usually disappears within 2 weeks. People suffering from chesty cough for more than this period should consult a doctor. Patients of chronic coughing are seen to break their ribs in extreme conditions.

Smokers Cough Symptoms

People affected by Smokers’ Cough display a number of symptoms. These are :

Persistent Coughing

Long time smokers are found to cough constantly because of this condition. The coughing may stop for a brief period only to resume again after some minutes.

Dry Cough

As aforesaid, smokers may experience a dry or a chesty cough. Dry cough or non-productive cough does not produce any phlegm or fluids. A chronic dry cough is one of the early symptoms of Smokers Cough syndrome.

Phlegmy Cough

Also known as productive cough, this is characterized by the presence of mucus in cough. The individual coughs up large volumes of phlegm from the lungs. In case of Smokers Cough phlegm may be clear, white, green or yellow in color. Greenish-yellow colored mucus may be a sign of lung infection caused by long-term smoking.

In extreme cases of Smokers Cough blood is also visible. This occurs in case of a bacterial disease.

Shortness of Breath (SOB)

Smokers Cough is also accompanied with breathlessness in patients.

Chest Pain

Smokers Cough causes chest pain in many sufferers. Persistent coughing gives rise to pain in the chest and rib cages.

Wheezing

In some cases, a whistling sound appears as the affected person breathes.

Crackles

A cracking or bubbling sound can also be heard in some patients affected by this syndrome.

When smokers cough is accompanied with severe diseases like Chronic Bronchitis, many other symptoms like fatigue, pallor, confusion or anxiety may occur.

Smokers Cough in the Morning

Most patients display Smokers Cough in the morning. This is because such people wake up with a substantial amount of phlegm in their throat. They need to clear their throat to clear away the irritation caused by the accumulated Smokers Cough mucus. In advanced cases, smokers have to cough for a long time after waking up to remove phlegm from their throat.

What causes Smokers Cough?

Why do Smokers Cough? As the name suggests, Smokers Cough is caused mainly by smoking or tobacco inhalation. When a person smokes for a considerable period of time, the irritants from the nicotine accumulates in the trachea, heart and lungs. It damages the cilia, tiny fibers found in the nose and trachea. The cilia guard the body from airborne germs. Damage to the cilia impairs them or even makes them non-functional. This makes the lungs more susceptible to germs like bacteria and viruses. The natural body system creates phlegm to block out these harmful germs.

When a smoker sleeps, the mucus gets accumulated in the airways. This forces him to wake up from sleep and clear away the phlegm to breathe freely. Under normal conditions, the cilia moves in a wavelike manner and moves the foreign bodies trapped in mucus upwards to the Oropharynx. This helps one swallow the phlegm.

Constant cigarette smoking impairs the function of the cilia. This is the reason why a smoker has to cough to remove the phlegm.

Over time, smokers experience a more persistent cough. This happens due to phlegm accumulation which occurs with a change in weather conditions or when the body is exposed to a cold environment.

What is Cocaine?

Cocaine is a stimulant that is derived from coca leaf extracts, a plant found in Peru, Colombia, and Bolivia and acts as an addictive substance that affects the Central Nervous System. It has been in use since the time of the Inca Civilization.

Picture 1 - Coca leaves
Source – c1.ecolocalizer

Cocaine Facts

Scientifically it is known as Benzoylmetylecgonine that is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that acts as a tropical anesthetic that has the ability to numb the vagina, mouth, eye and the rectum and also as an appetite suppressant. It is usually available as a fine white powder that is actually a salt scientifically known as cocaine hydrochloride snorted and absorbed by the nasal membranes. Cocaine can be smoked or injected as well as dabbed on the gum and teeth.

Picture 2 – Structure of cocaine
Source – erowid

Due to its highly addictive qualities and the strong repercussions that its intake has on the body system, its cultivation and distribution is strictly prohibited all over the world. Its possession and usage of any kind is forbidden except for purposes of medicinal research.