HOME / HEALTH
ADVICE / COUGHS
Coughs
Coughs can be associated with a range of illnesses and conditions:
- common cold
- influenza
- bronchitis
- asthma
- whooping cough
- smoking
- gastro-oesophageal reflux
- croup
- coughs can be caused by some medicines
- less commonly a cough can indicate tuberculosis (TB) or lung cancer
However, the majority of coughs are caused by simple viral infections such as the common cold, and will clear after a week or so, but can last as long as 4 weeks. This is because your immune system needs to clear the virus from your body, and hence reduce the inflammation in your throat that causes the cough
Cough medicines
Research indicates that cough medicines will not cure a cough which is caused by a common cold, but they may include ingredients that will help, for example expectorants to loosen phlegm, and suppressants to reduce the cough reflex. If you decide to use cough medicine, you should not use it for longer than 2 weeks, and you must follow the instructions and dosage carefully
The simplest advice is to drink plenty of water, and many people find that sucking a boiled sweet helps to increase your saliva, which will ease your desire to cough
Antibiotics
A doctor will not prescribe antibiotics to treat a cough caused by a virus, but if you have a cough that you believe is caused by something else then you should have it investigated
Warning signs
If you become very unwell, cough up blood, or have a cough that lasts longer than 4 weeks then you should see your doctor
Source: LSMP
Back to top