Search Results for: coughing

Flu Without Fever?

Can it be? Should you even wonder if you have the flu if you don’t have a fever? Unfortunately, YES. While it is true that the classic presentation of seasonal flu includes an often HIGH fever, body aches, fatigue, sore throat, cough and abdominal symptoms like nausea, pain or diarrhea, no single symptom is absolutely necessary for a diagnosis.  Children under the age of 6 years frequently do not have fever and cough with their flu symptoms. This year in particular, I have seen more cases of flu with purely fatigue and stomach symptoms…including one in our family this week.… Read more

Chest Pain in a Teen or Twenty-Something?

In otherwise healthy young adults, chest pain is rarely a serious medical problem. The vast majority of the time, chest pain is coming from the chest WALL, not the heart- which is typically the concern of the patient or his/her family. This chest wall pain is medically labeled as “costochondritis.” We see this more in young females than males, most often between the ages of 20 and 40 years, though younger teenagers may have this as well.

What causes costochondritis?

Sometimes the cause is obvious, such as a new weight lifting regimen or workout routine, or perhaps after a lingering … Read more

Is This Strep Throat?

Are you worried you might have “strep throat”? How can you tell when it is time to head to your family doctor for a sore throat? Certainly the majority of sore throats are not caused by the streptococcus bacteria, and do not require antibiotics. In fact, seasonal allergies often cause extremely painful throats, but do not involve bacterial infection at all. While there is very little in medicine that is completely black and white, there are several clues to clinicians that a particular sore throat may be caused by strep (and therefore, respond quickly to antibiotics.)

Typically with strep infections, … Read more

Did I Hear a WHOOP?

As a Texas Aggie, I generally love to hear a “WHOOP” (especially during football season- gig ’em, Ags!) However, as a doctor, the word or sound “whoop” triggers concerns about Pertussis, the bacteria that causes whooping cough, which has been unfortunately on the rise in our community and across the United States.

What is whooping cough?

This highly infectious respiratory disease only infects humans, and causes nearly 50 million cases of disease each year. In the United States, we only see around 40,000 documented cases/year, but certainly have many more infections that are not recognized and treated.  Smokers, asthmatics, infants, … Read more

Can’t Get Rid of that COUGH?

This time of year especially, coughs seem to stick around forever. Here in Austin, the culprit may be seasonal allergies, but overall the major cause of persistent coughs is viral upper respiratory infections- from both simple “colds” and the big, bad flu. With these infections, after you get past the headaches, and stuffy nose part, you find yourself coughing- often up to SIX WEEKS after the initial illness. Sometimes it’s a minor “clear your throat” type of cough, while other times, it’s the crazy fits of coughing that keep you from sleeping.

Is there anything that can be done for … Read more