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Cough
By Mayo Clinic staffOriginal Article: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/cough/MY00108
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Definition
A cough is your body's way of responding to irritants in your throat and airways. An irritant stimulates nerves in your respiratory tract, sending the cough impulse to your brain, which signals the muscles of your abdomen and diaphragm to give a strong push of air to your lungs to try to expel the irritant.
Everyone coughs sometimes, but a cough that persists for several weeks or one that brings up discolored or bloody mucus may indicate an underlying condition that requires medical attention. A cough rarely requires emergency care.
Causes
An occasional cough is normal — it helps clear foreign substances and secretions from your lungs and prevents infection. But a cough that persists for long periods of time may signal an underlying problem. Some causes of coughs include:
- Acute sinusitis
- Allergies
- Asthma
- Bronchiectasis
- Bronchiolitis (especially in young children)
- Bronchitis
- Childhood asthma
- Choking: First aid (especially in children)
- Chronic sinusitis
- Common cold
- COPD
- Croup (especially in young children)
- Cystic fibrosis
- Emphysema
- GERD
- Hay fever
- Heart failure (congestive)
- Influenza (flu)
- Laryngitis
- Lung cancer
- Medications called angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors
- Pneumonia
- Postnasal drip
- Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) (especially in young children)
- Tuberculosis
- Whooping cough
When to see a doctor
Call your doctor if you or your child is:
- Coughing up thick, greenish-yellow phlegm
- Wheezing
- Experiencing a fever over 100 F (38 C)
- Experiencing shortness of breath
Seek emergency care
Seek emergency care if you or your child is:
- Having difficulty breathing or swallowing
- Coughing up bloody or pink-tinged phlegm
Self-care measures
To ease your cough, try these tips:
- Suck cough drops or hard candies. They may ease a dry cough and soothe an irritated throat. Don't give them to a child under age 3, however, because they can cause choking.
- Moisturize the air. Use a vaporizer or take a hot, steamy shower.
- Drink fluids. Liquid helps thin the mucus in your throat. Warm liquids, such as broth or tea, can soothe your throat.
- Cough. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. National Institutes of Health. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/cough/cough_all.html. Accessed July 1, 2010.
- Information for patients complaining of cough. American College of Chest Physicians. http://accpstorage.org/newOrganization/patients/cough/adult.pdf. Accessed July 1, 2010.
- Cough symptoms chart. American Academy of Family Physicians. http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/tools/symptom/516.html. Accessed July 1, 2010.
- Seller RH. Cough. In: Seller RH. Differential Diagnosis of Common Complaints. 5th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2007:93.
- Moreno MA. Advice for parents: Bronchiolitis and Respiratory Syncytial Virus. Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine. 2009;163:1072.
- Bronchiolitis and your child. American Academy of Family Physicians. http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/children/parents/common/common/020.html. Accessed July 1, 2010.
- Patient information for parents of a child with cough. American College of Chest Physicians. http://accpstorage.org/newOrganization/patients/cough/pediatric.pdf. Accessed July 1, 2010.
- Rosenow EC (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. July 6, 2010.
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