What Causes a Chronic Cough?
A chronic cough is defined as a cough that lasts for eight weeks or longer in adults, or four weeks in children. It can have various causes, with the most common being smoking, postnasal drip (mucus dripping down the throat from the back of the nose), asthma, and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Each of these conditions triggers the cough reflex for different reasons: smoking irritates the airways, postnasal drip and asthma inflame and constrict them, and GERD causes stomach acid to back up into the esophagus and irritate the throat.
Environmental factors like exposure to air pollutants, as well as chronic bronchitis (a condition leading to the inflammation of the bronchial tube linings) and certain medications such as ACE inhibitors (used for treating high blood pressure and heart conditions) can also cause a chronic cough. Identifying the underlying cause is crucial for effective treatment, which is why a comprehensive medical evaluation is often necessary when a cough persists.
