When Should You See an ENT Specialist for Chronic Cough?

Coughing is a natural protective reflex that keeps your lungs and upper airways clear from debris, irritants, mucus, and foreign contaminants. While an occasional cough is usually nothing to worry about, a persistent cough that lingers can be both frustrating and a potential sign of an underlying issue. It may also be related to a more serious underlying condition that will need medical attention.

The Three Types of Cough

There are three types of cough by classification of duration:

• Acute cough typically only lasts up to 3 weeks. Acute coughs either produce mucus (productive) or don’t produce mucus (non-productive, dry). It is usually a result of illnesses including the common cold, flu, sinus infection, pneumonia, whooping cough, or bronchitis.
• Subacute cough typically lasts between 3 to 8 weeks. The most common cause of subacute cough is post-infectious cough. Other risk factors include post-nasal drip, cough-variant asthma, and eosinophilic bronchitis. Depending on the severity of the symptoms, a person suffering from subacute cough may need to be evaluated. About 60% of cases spontaneously resolve.
• Chronic cough is a type of cough that lasts for more than 8 weeks. Common causes of chronic cough may include allergies, asthma, post-nasal drip, and GERD. To determine what exactly causes it, your doctor may run a few tests.

Our Main Concern: Chronic Cough

A cough that is persistent and doesn’t go away after more than 8 weeks is what is considered chronic cough. Chronic cough disrupts sleep and could affect your ability to function and perform your daily tasks. In addition to persistent coughing, chronic cough may be accompanied by other common symptoms including:

• Stuffy or runny nose
• Post-nasal drip (or mucus dripping down the back of the throat)
• Wheezing
• Hoarseness
• Sore throat
• Feeling the need to clear your throat frequently
• Heartburn
• Sour or foul taste in the mouth
• Coughing up blood (a rare symptom)

It can be hard to isolate and pinpoint exactly what causes chronic cough. To determine the cause, your doctor may need to run a variety of tests. These common causes may include:

• Allergies
• Asthma
• Post-nasal drip
• Upper respiratory tract infections
• Whooping cough
• Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
• ACE inhibitors (which can be found in medications that treat high blood pressure and heart disease)
• Exposure to air pollution
• Smoking

When Should You See an ENT Specialist for Chronic Cough?

Prolonged coughs can be bothersome and can even be embarrassing. It can impact your ability to work, study, and sleep and can significantly impact the quality of your life. Here are four signs that you should see an ENT specialist for your chronic cough:

• If your cough has lasted for more than 8 weeks

A simple cough that is due to respiratory infections will often go away on its own. But if your case of coughing has lasted for more than 8 weeks, it is considered a chronic cough and may be a sign of a more serious condition. You should see your healthcare provider if this is the case so they can perform a thorough exam and get to the bottom of it.

• If your cough is accompanied by other symptoms like fever

A fever is a telltale sign that something else could be going on. A fever of 100.4°F or higher can be a cause of concern, especially if you developed one while also dealing with persistent coughing that has lasted more than 8 weeks. This could be a sign that there is a bacterial or viral infection and you should be checked out immediately.

Other symptoms you might have to watch out for include breathing difficulties, extreme fatigue, night sweats, wheezing, and coughing up yellow or green phlegm.

• If your coughing has started to disrupt your life

Persistent coughing is often accompanied by other symptoms like breathing difficulties, extreme fatigue, wheezing, night sweats, coughing up yellow or green phlegm, nasal congestion, or runny nose. All these can be bothersome, disrupt your sleep, and render you unable to function. If you find your symptoms significantly impacting the quality of your life, schedule an appointment with your doctor to find out the root cause of your symptoms.

Persistent Cough? Oasis ENT Can Help!

At Oasis ENT, we specialize in providing personalized treatment plans that can treat your cough symptoms. If you are concerned about the duration of your cough with little to no improvement, schedule an appointment with us and let’s start working towards making you feel better.