While a lingering cough may be annoying, a persistent cough can be a cause for concern. But how do you tell the difference? Coughing is a natural way for your body to get rid of any irritants or secretions from your lungs.
Things like dust and allergies are common culprits. Furthermore, doctors classify a cough as chronic if it lasts for more than eight weeks. So, if you hit the eight-week mark, you should definitely consult a healthcare worker.
More specifically, if it affects your ability to function normally, causes fatigue, and keeps you awake at night, talk to a medical professional. Some viral infections like bronchitis might start off with white phlegm.
But, if it changes to yellow or green, it could indicate that the illness progresses from viral to bacterial. Pneumonia might be another reason for yellow or green phlegm. In some cases, it may also cause bloody mucus. It may feel like you have a tickle in the back of your throat triggering your cough reflex, giving you hacking coughs. Dry coughs are often difficult to manage and may present in long fits. Dry coughs are often caused by upper respiratory infections , such as a cold or the flu.
Other possible causes of dry cough include:. A paroxysmal cough is a cough with intermittent attacks of violent, uncontrollable coughing. A paroxysmal cough feels exhausting and painful. People struggle to get a breath and may vomit. Pertussis , also known as whooping cough, is a bacterial infection that causes violent coughing fits.
Babies have a higher risk of contracting whooping cough and face more serious complications from it. For them, whooping cough may be life threatening. For those ages 2 months and older , the best way to avoid contracting pertussis is by getting vaccinated.
Whooping cough frequently causes paroxysmal coughs. Other possible causes of a bad coughing fit include:. Whooping cough is very contagious, so family members and caregivers of someone with whooping cough should also be treated.
The earlier whooping cough is treated, the better the outcome. Croup is a viral infection that typically affects children ages 5 and younger. Croup causes the upper airway to become irritated and swollen. Young children already have narrower airways. When swelling further narrows the airway, it becomes difficult to breathe.
Swelling in and around the voice box also causes a raspy voice and squeaky breathing noises. People with other lung diseases, such as asthma and COPD, may require treatment sooner or more frequently than others.
There are many types of coughs. The extent of breathing difficulty may vary depending on the underlying disease. Both serious and mild conditions may present with cough and breathing difficulties. For example, coughing and dyspnea can occur in serious diseases such as pulmonary embolism, lung cancer, and tuberculosis. Manageable diseases associated with coughing and dyspnea include asthma, pneumonia, common cold, and bronchitis. Smokers are also likely to have frequent coughs accompanied by breathing difficulties.
Fever and night sweats may accompany coughing in both serious and mild diseases. For example, seasonal influenza is a manageable condition that can cause cough, fever, and night sweats. On the other hand, fever and night sweats may also occur in serious conditions such as tuberculosis and lung cancer.
Furthermore, excessive sweating in pulmonary embolism may be mistaken for night sweats. In some of these serious cases, fever and night sweats may precede the onset of cough. Therefore, it is advisable to seek medical attention even if a person does not have cough but suffers from fever and night sweats for many weeks. The mucus expelled during a cough is known as sputum. Under normal conditions, sputum is either clear or whitish in color.
Sputum also has a consistency that is thicker than water. Clear or whitish sputum may be seen in asthma, flu, and common cold. A change in the color of the sputum to yellow, brown, pink, orange, red or green may indicate a serious underlying problem that requires treatment.
Read more on mucus color. Thompson DA. In: Adult telephone protocols. Itasca, Ill. Schmitt BD. In: Pediatric telephone protocols. Pappas DE. The common cold in children: Management and prevention. Accessed May 20, Green JL, et al.
Safety profile of cough and cold medication use in pediatrics. Accessed May 28, Botulism: Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Accessed June 4,
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