Cough
A cough helps clear the airways and may be caused by infection, allergies, asthma, reflux, medicines, or other lung and heart conditions.
About cough
A cough helps clear the airways and may be caused by infection, allergies, asthma, reflux, medicines, or other lung and heart conditions.
What can cause it?
Acute cough is often viral; allergies, asthma, pneumonia, reflux, COPD, medicines, and heart conditions are other causes.
Duration, mucus, fever, breathing, exposures, and medical history guide evaluation.
What a patient may notice
Symptoms vary from person to person. Possible signs may include:
- Dry or mucus-producing cough
- Wheezing, sore throat, congestion, or fever
- Chest discomfort or shortness of breath
How clinicians find the cause
A clinician examines the lungs and oxygen level and may order viral testing, chest x-ray, spirometry, or other testing when pneumonia, asthma, or chronic disease is possible.
Treatment and next steps
- 1
Treatment targets the cause rather than suppressing every cough.
- 2
Fluids, humidified air, honey for patients older than one year, and age-appropriate clinician-approved medicine may help.
- 3
Antibiotics do not treat viral cough.
Supporting recovery
- Avoid smoke and vaping and monitor fever and breathing.
- Check multi-symptom medicine labels to prevent duplicate ingredients.
What to expect
The outlook depends on the cause. Many acute viral coughs improve within about 3 weeks, while a cough lasting more than 8 weeks is considered chronic and needs evaluation. Improvement may require treating asthma, allergies, reflux, infection, a medicine effect, or another underlying condition.
Possible complications
- Chest or abdominal muscle pain, headache, poor sleep, vomiting, or urinary leakage from repeated forceful coughing
- Dehydration or breathing difficulty when cough accompanies a more serious illness
- Delayed diagnosis of pneumonia, asthma, COPD, heart disease, tuberculosis, cancer, or another underlying cause
When to Contact a Medical Professional
Arrange an evaluation when symptoms are new, worsening, interfering with normal activities, or not improving as expected.
Call 911 for severe trouble breathing, blue or gray lips, coughing up significant blood, fainting, confusion, or new chest pressure.Get emergency help for severe trouble breathing, new chest pressure, fainting, seizure, sudden weakness on one side, uncontrolled bleeding, blue or gray lips, or a person who is difficult to wake.
Ways to lower risk
- Vaccination, hand hygiene, ventilation, and tobacco avoidance reduce common causes.
- Manage asthma, allergies, reflux, or COPD consistently.
Trusted health information
This CHS patient-education page uses original wording and links to MedlinePlus for additional information.