A cough is your body's response to something that bothers your throat or airways. Many things can cause a cough. You might cough because of a cold or the flu, bronchitis, or asthma. Smoking, postnasal drip, allergies, and stomach acid that backs up into your throat also can cause a cough.
A cough can be short-term (acute) or long-term (chronic). A chronic cough lasts more than 8 weeks. A chronic cough is often caused by a long-term problem, such as asthma. Another cause might be a medicine, such as an ACE inhibitor.
A cough is a symptom, not a disease. To treat a chronic cough, you may need to treat the problem that causes it. You can take a few steps at home to cough less and feel better.
Some people cough or clear their throat out of habit for no clear reason.
When you have a chronic cough or a disease that may cause this type of cough, you may often feel like you want to clear your throat. This helps bring up mucus. But throat clearing does not always have a cause.
Throat clearing can become a habit. The more you do it, the more you feel like you need to do it. But frequent throat clearing can be hard on your vocal cords. It's like slamming them together.
To help lessen throat clearing, you can try:
You may want to ask your doctor if a medicine that thins mucus would help.
Call 911 anytime you think you may need emergency care. For example, call if:
Call your doctor now or seek immediate medical care if:
Watch closely for changes in your health, and be sure to contact your doctor if:
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