Cold & flu health centre

Coughs

Coughing is the body's natural way of trying to clear the airways of anything stuck there, mucus after a cold, or irritating smoke or dust.

There are different types of cough - long-term (persistent) and short-term (acute) coughs, and coughing that happens automatically as a reflex. Also, someone may just choose to cough to try to clear their throat.

Coughs can also be dry, tickly or chesty.

Most coughs will clear up on their own - but if they don't get better in 3 weeks - seek medical advice to establish what's causing it.

Causes of short-term coughs

Short-term coughs can have many causes, including:

• A cold or flu, laryngitis, sinusitis, or whooping cough causing an upper respiratory tract infection in the sinuses, throat or windpipe
• Acute bronchitis, pneumonia or other conditions causing a lower respiratory tract infection in the lungs or lower part of the airways
• Flare-up of allergies, including hayfever
• Asthma flare-ups
• Breathing in irritants, such as cigarette smoke or dust
• Early stages of an undiagnosed health condition.

Causes of long-term coughs

Long-term coughs can also have many causes, including:

• Long-term (chronic) bronchitis or other respiratory tract infection
• COPD ( chronic obstructive pulmonary disease)
• Asthma, often with other asthma symptoms
• Allergy
• Abnormal widening of airways called bronchiectasis
• Sinusitis
• Mucus dripping down the throat, called postnasal drip
• Stomach acid affecting the throat due to gastro-oesophageal reflux disease ( GORD)
• Side-effects of some medication, including ACE inhibitors for high blood pressure
• Lung cancer - coughing for 3 weeks or more is highlighted as a possible lung cancer symptom in the NHS Be Clear on Cancer campaign
• Heart failure
• Blood clot on the lung ( pulmonary embolism)
• TB ( tuberculosis).

Causes of children's coughs

Additional causes of coughs for children include:

• Croup, with barking cough and stridor breathing sounds
• Bronchiolitis respiratory tract infection
• Health conditions, including cystic fibrosis.

When to seek medical advice about a cough

If cough symptoms haven't got better in 3 weeks - seek medical advice.

Other reasons to seek medical advice for a cough include:

• The cough is getting worse
• Severe coughing
• Voice has changed, not just for a short time
• Coughing up blood
• Coughing and shortness of breath, difficult breathing, chest pain
• Unplanned weight loss with a cough
• Coughing with swelling or lumps in the neck.

Home cough treatments

The NHS doesn't recommend cough remedies or cough medicine because of a lack of evidence that they work - but some people find they bring some relief from cough symptoms. These are not suitable for children under 6 - and only for 6-12 year olds on medical advice.

Instead, try the classic home remedy of honey and lemon - but don't give honey to babies under a year old.

Avoiding things that start you coughing can help - like smoking, secondhand cigarette smoke or dusty conditions.