“Hi there , can I ask is there a long term cough going around? My hubby has it since Christmas cabt shake it, now I have it . Just continously coughing. Had an electrician call to the house today , said he had it around Christmas couldn’t shake it at all.”
Let’s talk about post-viral coughs and statistics to start: It is normal for it to take up to 3 weeks – yes, 3 weeks!! – for a cough to settle after a viral respiratory illness. And this winter, as you know, there are many things circulating including covid, flu, and RSV. In the case of covid, in particular, symptoms can take up to 12 weeks to settle (the minority who have symptoms after 12 weeks have long covid).
Another statistic? Between a quarter and a third of adult patients with persistent cough will end up having a type of post-viral asthma. (If you missed it, I highly recommend checking out asthma mythbusting!) Fact-check: asthma can just be coughing; not every patient with asthma gets short of breath or has a wheeze!
What to do? If you have a cough going on more than a few weeks, go see your GP. S/he can check for signs of reflux, allergies, and post-nasal drop. In some cases, you might need a chest xray, but not always. What else you can do? If you are a smoker or a vaper, it’s just one more good reason to stop. Try honey or warm drinks to soothe symptoms. There are breathing exercises that practice cough suppression and if your GP is happy that there is nothing going on, and your cough has become almost a reflex that you are doing too often automatically, those exercises can help.
What doesn’t work? Cough bottles (we’ve talked about this one before) and any variation of cutting up a vegetable and putting it in your socks, radiator, or corner of the bedroom. It’s an interesting bit of superstitious folklore left over from the Plague that is still with us centuries later.
Once more, for the people in the back: cough, especially a cough worse at night, can be a sign of new or uncontrolled asthma. Check in with your doc!
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