Dozens of conditions can cause a recurrent, lingering cough, but the lion's share are caused by just five: postnasal drip, asthma, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), chronic bronchitis, and treatment with ACE inhibitors, used for high blood pressure and heart failure.
While it can sometimes be difficult to pinpoint the problem that's triggering a chronic cough, the most common causes are tobacco use, postnasal drip, asthma and acid reflux. Fortunately, chronic cough typically disappears once the underlying problem is treated.
The main causes of a nagging cough can be broadly categorized as: Infectious (caused by a virus or other disease-causing organism) Immunological (caused by an allergy) Pulmonary (related to the lungs)
"A cough is considered chronic if it persists longer than eight weeks," explains Dr. Safdar. "At that point, we start to worry whether the cause might be a chronic health condition that needs to be addressed."
Moisturize the air. Use a cool-mist humidifier or take a steamy shower. Avoid tobacco smoke. Smoking or breathing secondhand smoke irritates your lungs and can worsen coughs caused by other factors.
Call your doctor if your cough (or your child's cough) doesn't go away after a few weeks or if it also involves any one of these: Coughing up thick, greenish-yellow phlegm. Wheezing. Experiencing a fever.
A dry or unproductive cough is caused by inflammation in your throat and upper airways, which creates a tickly sensation. Generally, there's no phlegm or mucus being produced, and you often develop a sore throat due to coughing so much, as your body is trying to get rid of mucus that's not actually there.
Most people with asthma have a dry cough, one that does not produce mucous. This happens when the airways constrict in response to an irritant and is a feature of asthma. As well as the cough there is often a high-pitched wheeze sound that is also caused by the constricted airway.
A bronchitis cough sounds like a rattle with a wheezing or whistling sound. As your condition progresses, you will first have a dry cough that can then progress towards coughing up white mucus.
The cough is typically dry and non-productive, meaning it doesn't bring up mucus. It is sometimes described as having a "barking" or "hacking" sound. Tree and grass pollen, pet dander, dust mites, or mold are just a few allergens that can cause an allergy cough.
The main symptoms of asthma are: wheezing (a whistling sound when you breathe) shortness of breath. a tight chest – which may feel like a band is tightening around it.
What is a heart cough? In heart failure, your heart muscle has dysfunction that might be due to weak contraction or stiffness. This can allow fluid to back up in yout lungs, creating a condition called pulmonary edema. Your body coughs persistently in an effort to eliminate the excess fluid.
See a GP if:
you've had a cough for more than 3 weeks (persistent cough) your cough is very bad or quickly gets worse – for example, you have a hacking cough or cannot stop coughing. you feel very unwell. you have chest pain.
Whooping cough
Otherwise known as (pertussis), this is a serious respiratory infection which causes violent coughing fits.
Blood "backs up" in the pulmonary veins (the vessels that return blood from the lungs to the heart) because the heart can't keep up with the supply. This causes fluid to leak into the lungs. ... coughing that produces white or pink blood-tinged mucus.
A lot of it just has to run its course.” But don't wait that long to tell your doctor what's going on. Do that around 3-4 weeks if your cough hasn't gone away. Call sooner if you have other symptoms such as shortness of breath, fever, or if you're coughing up blood.
Try eating a spoonful of honey or adding honey to a cup of hot herbal tea. Suck on cough drops. Cough drops made for sore throats may relieve your symptoms and make the tickle in your throat go away. You can also try hard candies if you want a non-medicated way to ease a throat tickle.
Q: How long has your cough been going? A: Acute coughs caused by infections or irritants will often improve within three weeks. Meanwhile, chronic coughs usually last longer than eight weeks for adults and four weeks for kids.