How a Doctor Can Diagnose the Cause of Your Cough

Pulmonologists can tell a lot by listening to your cough.

Dry and creaky? Maybe your heating system.

Combined with teary eyes? Probably an allergy.

Wet sounding, does it produce phlegm? Most likely a viral infection.

“But viruses don’t last forever. Realize that 99% of the time, coughing is a symptom of another problem. If a cough doesn’t go away for months, something needs to be addressed,” says Stephen Thau, MD, Lung and Sleep Specialist at Hartford HealthCare.

So how exactly do doctors use this information to diagnose the cause of your cough? Dr. Tau talks about the factors and treatments for different types of cough.

> Troubled by your cough? Contact an expert

Doctor Detective

“Every cough has certain qualities that experts can use to determine the cause,” notes Dr. Thau.

He will use what he hears and the medical history to determine if the cough is a “triggering” factor, or the cause of the disease, or a “permanent” factor causing inflammation in the airways that sustains itself.

According to him, the main causes of coughing are:

To pinpoint the cause, he will ask about other symptoms and the timing of the coughing fits. He wants to know:

  • Do you cough after eating? This may be due to reflux.
  • Is there shortness of breath? This may indicate asthma, which may worsen at night.
  • Does coughing occur after taking medication? The medication may be the culprit. If you have been taking it for a while, another change in combination with the medicine may cause a cough.
  • Are other inflammatory diseases flaring up at the same time, such as Crohn’s disease or rheumatoid arthritis? They often coexist.
  • Do you have forced hot air heating? This is very drying of the nasal passages, sinuses and airways.
  • Do you wake up dry? If you have sleep apnea or mouth breathing, your airways may be dry and cause you to cough.

“Dry air and mouth breathing create dryness and trauma in the airways, much like chapped lips,” says Dr. Thau.

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Help available

While anyone with heart problems should talk to a doctor whenever they have a cough, as it could indicate a heart condition that needs attention, Dr. Tau says most people can try simple home remedies first. . One of them, he emphasizes, is not a moisturizer.

“All you have to do is create a greenhouse for mold and mildew in your bedroom,” he says.

Instead try:

  • Salt Spray
  • Sinus rinses
  • Sinus irrigation systems (use distilled water to avoid deposits of minerals and other substances in tap or bottled water)

A cough caused by a virus should last two to four weeks. If something drags on longer, Dr. Thau suggests talking to your healthcare provider to address other causes.

“People are allowed to have more than one condition. We want to create a protective strategy to protect our airways from top to bottom, both inside and out,” he says.


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