A cough is a reflex action to clear your airways of mucus and irritants such as dust or smoke. It’s rarely a sign of anything serious.
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A cough is a reflex action to clear your airways of mucus and irritants such as dust or smoke. It’s rarely a sign of anything serious.
A “dry cough” means it’s tickly and doesn’t produce any phlegm (thick mucus). A “chesty cough” means phlegm is produced to help clear your airways.
Most coughs clear up within three weeks and don’t require any treatment. For more persistent coughs, it’s a good idea to see your GP so they can investigate the cause.
Some of the main causes of short-term (acute) and persistent (chronic) coughs are outlined below.
Short-term coughs
Common causes of a short-term cough include:
In rare cases, a short-term cough may be the first sign of a health condition that causes a persistent cough.
Persistent coughs
A persistent cough may be caused by:
In most cases, a doctor won’t worry whether a cough is dry or chesty, but will need to know if you are producing much more or darker phlegm than usual.
Rarely, a persistent cough can be a symptom of a more serious condition, such as lung cancer, heart failure, a pulmonary embolism (blood clot on the lung) or tuberculosis.
There’s usually no need to see a doctor if you have a cough for a week or two. However, you should seek medical advice if:
If your doctor is unsure what’s causing your cough, they may refer you to have some tests, such as a chest X-ray, allergy tests, breathing tests, and an analysis of a sample of your phlegm to check for infection.
Treatment isn’t always necessary for short-term coughs because it’s likely to be a viral infection that will get better on its own within a few weeks. You can look after yourself at home by resting, drinking plenty of fluids, and taking painkillers such as paracetamol or ibuprofen.
Cough medicines and remedies
Although some people find them helpful, medicines that claim to suppress your cough or stop you bringing up phlegm are not usually recommended. This is because there’s little evidence to suggest they’re any better than simple home remedies, and they’re not suitable for everyone.
A homemade remedy containing honey and lemon is likely to be just as useful and safer to take.
Treating the underlying cause
If your cough has a specific cause, treating this may help. For example:
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