Have a cough that won’t go away? Here’s what we can VERIFY

Anyone who has been on social media over the last couple of months has likely seen anecdotal reports about a lingering cough that’s going around. 

In one viral video, a TikTok user described it as a “hacking cough” that hangs on for weeks. Another person on TikTok said in a December viral video that many New York City residents have come down with a dry cough. 

Several VERIFY readers across the United States have asked us questions about this long-lasting cough, including whether a new illness is causing it. Here are five VERIFIED facts about a lingering cough.

THE SOURCES

• Todd Florin, M.D., a pediatric emergency medicine physician and associate professor of pediatrics at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
• Albert Rizzo, M.D., chief medical officer of the American Lung Association
• Payal Kohli, M.D., associate clinical professor of medicine at the University of Colorado and associate adjunct professor medicine at Duke University
• UCLA Health article
• The American Lung Association
• The Mayo Clinic

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WHAT WE FOUND

1. There’s no evidence a new illness is causing lingering coughs.  

Three doctors who spoke to VERIFY all said medical experts do not believe any new viruses or illnesses are behind the long-lasting cough that some people have had in recent months. 

Instead, existing respiratory viruses that can cause a lingering cough, such as the common cold, flu, RSV and COVID-19, are likely to blame. These viruses often circulate more frequently during fall and winter months.

Todd Florin, a pediatric emergency physician and associate professor at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, told VERIFY he hasn’t seen “any evidence of a new virus or a more severe strain of a virus” that would cause an ongoing cough. 

“In the medical community, we don’t believe that this lingering cough is a result of a new virus or a new condition or a new disease,” Payal Kohli, M.D., an associate clinical professor of medicine at the University of Colorado, added.

RELATED: No, ‘white lung syndrome’ is not a new illness spreading in the U.S.

2. Post-viral coughs can last for up to eight weeks.

Coughs that persist after a cold or other respiratory infection are called “post-infectious or post-viral coughs,” UCLA Health explains in an article. They aren’t a new phenomena, Kohli said. 

According to Kohli and UCLA Health, these types of coughs can last for three to eight weeks after a viral infection.

Two of the most common causes of a post-infectious cough include postnasal drip, when mucus drains into your throat, or swollen airways related to the initial respiratory infection, Kohli and UCLA Health say. 

A lingering cough may also be tied to another infection taking hold while your immune system is still recovering from the first one, Albert Rizzo, M.D., chief medical officer of the American Lung Association, said. 

RELATED: How the flu spreads and treatments that work: 5 Fast Facts

3. You should see a doctor if your cough is accompanied by other symptoms.

A lingering cough will usually resolve on its own as post-nasal drip and inflammation decrease, Kohli said.

But, if your cough is accompanied by other symptoms, it’s time to see a doctor. 

According to Kohli, Rizzo and UCLA Health, those symptoms include: shortness of breath, chest pain, coughing up blood or a thick mucus that’s yellow or green in color, and ongoing fever, body aches, chills, changes in appetite or difficulty swallowing.

These could be signs of pneumonia or another more serious illness. 

Treatment for pneumonia depends on the type you have, how sick you are feeling, your age and whether you have other health conditions, the American Lung Association says. Your doctor will prescribe an antibiotic if the pneumonia is caused by bacteria, and some people with viral pneumonia may receive antiviral medications. 

UCLA Health also recommends making a doctor’s appointment if your cough still interferes with your ability to sleep or go to work after several weeks. 

“Your symptoms shouldn’t worsen,” Russell Buhr, M.D., Ph.D., a UCLA Health pulmonary and critical care physician, said in the article. “You should see improvement over time."

4. Other health conditions can cause an ongoing cough. 

Respiratory infections aren’t the only culprits behind an ongoing cough.

You should see your doctor for a cough that doesn’t improve after eight weeks, as it could be a symptom of an undiagnosed lung disease or other health conditions, Rizzo said. 

Chronic cough may be caused by asthma, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and certain types of blood pressure drugs called ACE inhibitors, among other health conditions, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Some people may also have what’s called a “chronic undefined cough” with an unclear cause, Rizzo said. In that case, a doctor may suggest trying over-the-counter antihistamines, decongestants or other medications to treat the cough.

5. There are ways to treat a lingering cough at home. 

There are a handful of ways to treat a cough that lingers after an illness with home remedies and over-the-counter medications. 

Kohli said staying hydrated can help an ongoing cough, since dried-out mucous membranes or airways are more likely to trigger your cough receptor.

Humidifiers may provide extra moisture to help soothe your throat and nasal passages. You can also hold a steaming cup of water or tea under your face instead, UCLA Health says. 

Cough drops or throat lozenges can also help soothe a sore throat and open nasal passages. 

Kohli and Rizzo do not recommend taking cough suppressant medications, unless a person has a severe cough that leaves them unable to sleep. 

“We don’t want any secretions that we might have in the lungs to sort of get stuck in there. We actually want to try to cough them up,” Kohli said. 

Your doctor may also be able to prescribe a prescription nasal spray for ongoing nasal drip or a steroid inhaler to help clear residual inflammation in the lungs, UCLA Health says. 

This story is also available in Spanish / Lee este artículo también en español:¿Tienes una tos que no se te quita? Aquí lo que podemos verificar

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