Medical Minute: Prolonged Cough

How many times have you gotten a cold and even after you're feeling better, the cough just won't go away? An article from the Canadian Medical Association says as many as a quarter of adults experience a cough that can last up to eight weeks after a respiratory infection. 

That doesn't mean you're still infected or contagious, but the inflammatory process triggered by the respiratory infection can cause your body to continue to overproduce mucus or cause your airways to become hypersensitive. Both of those situations can lead to a nagging, lingering cough. 

This can happen after a respiratory illness like a cold, COVID, or flu.

A long-lasting cough almost always goes away on its own, without medication. The researchers found no evidence that treatment options helped this type of long-lasting cough, though they recommend propping up on pillows if your cough gets worse at night.

If you develop fever, shortness of breath, difficulty swallowing, you are coughing up blood, or your cough lasts more than a couple of months, you should contact your primary care provider so they can rule out other potential causes.