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Basics

• Summary
• Start Here
• Diagnosis and Tests
• Prevention and Risk Factors
• Treatments and Therapies

Learn More

• Related Issues
• Specifics

See, Play and Learn

• Health Check Tools

Research

• Journal Articles

Resources

• Find an Expert

For You

• Children
• Patient Handouts

Summary

Coughing is a reflex that keeps your throat and airways clear. Although it can be annoying, coughing helps your body heal or protect itself. Coughs can be either acute or chronic. Acute coughs begin suddenly and usually last no more than 2 to 3 weeks. Acute coughs are the kind you most often get with a cold, flu, or acute bronchitis. Chronic coughs last longer than 2 to 3 weeks. Causes of chronic cough include:

• Chronic bronchitis
• Asthma
• Allergies
• COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease)
• GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease)
• Smoking
• Throat disorders, such as croup in young children
• Some medicines

Water can help ease your cough - whether you drink it or add it to the air with a steamy shower or vaporizer. If you have a cold or the flu, antihistamines may work better than non-prescription cough medicines. Children under four should not have cough medicine. For children over four, use caution and read labels carefully.

Start Here

• Cough (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish

Diagnosis and Tests

• Bronchoscopy and Bronchoalveolar Lavage (BAL) (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
• Sputum Culture (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
• Tests for Lung Disease (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) Also in Spanish

Prevention and Risk Factors

• Healthy Habits to Help Protect against Flu (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

Treatments and Therapies

• How to Handle a Cough (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
• Is It True that Honey Calms Coughs Better than Cough Medicine Do? (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish

Related Issues

• Cough Headaches (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
• Marvels of Mucus and Phlegm: The Slime That Keeps You Healthy (National Institutes of Health) Also in Spanish

Specifics

• Chronic Cough (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
• Coughing up Blood (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)

Health Check Tools

• Cough (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

• Article: Long-Term Pulmonary Sequelae 5-14 Years After Protracted Bacterial Bronchitis in Early...
• Article: Exploration of the Use of Traditional Herbs to Overcome Cough and...
• Article: "Nebulized lidocaine for intractable cough in hospice care: a comprehensive review...
• Cough -- see more articles

Find an Expert

• American Lung Association
• National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

Children

• Cough in Children (American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology) Also in Spanish
• Coughing (For Parents) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
• Croup: MedlinePlus Health Topic (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish

Patient Handouts

• Cough (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Coughing up blood (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish