Have you found that no matter how long your previous cold lasted, the cough persists longer? After your hacking and throat-clearing convince friends you're spreading germs, you can remark, "Don't worry, I'm not ill anymore; I was sick a month ago." However, a post-cold cough is genuine. Why does it happen?
Scott Burger, DO, Chief Medical Officer at the University of Maryland Urgent Care, says your cough is your body's method of recuperating from a cold. "Coughing is a strong exhalation of a lot of air, more than one exhales during a usual breath," he explains. "This helps push mucus up and out of the airways and force out any 'stuck' air that a person may not be successfully exhaling."
But why does a cough linger? Is it related to a cold virus? Does it need antibiotics?
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Excessive Mucus
The unpleasant symptoms of a cold are just the beginning of your body's fight against the virus. While the human body is quite good at swiftly identifying and eliminating infections, Burger says, "if our throats stay inflamed after we feel better, it may also cause the cough to persist."
RELATED: Why Your Cough Isn’t Going Away (And How To Stop It)
Bronchitis
When the cold virus eventually departs your system, it may leave you with a gift of bronchitis as a farewell present.
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According to Healthline, bronchitis is an infection that leads to irritation and inflammation in the bronchi and the airways of the lungs. This may lead to a hacking cough and the production of clear, green, or yellow-gray mucus. Healthline advises that bronchitis may present as a cold but requires medical treatment.
As the Mayo Clinic points out, medicines are ineffective against viral infections, which cause the vast majority of bronchitis episodes. On the other hand, your doctor may prescribe an antibiotic if he or she thinks you have a bacterial illness.
Walking Pneumonia
According to Methodist Healthcare, "walking pneumonia" symptoms are commonly misdiagnosed as the common cold. You may cough so frequently with walking pneumonia that your chest gets uncomfortable.
That dry cough might turn wet, creating colorful phlegm. The lingering cough that comes with walking pneumonia may last for weeks, in contrast to the few days it takes for a cold to clear up.
If you suspect you have walking pneumonia, you should see a doctor even if you aren't really ill. Antibiotics are very effective against walking pneumonia, and a normal course of treatment lasts for five to seven days.
Methodist Healthcare notes that "although it is feasible for people with walking pneumonia to (slowly) recover without therapy," many confirmed infections benefit from antibiotics.
Cough-Variant Asthma
The American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology (ACAAI) emphasizes that "the sole symptom is a persistent cough" in cough-variant asthma, despite the common perception that asthma is characterized by wheezing and other breathing difficulties (ACAAI).
"People with this kind of asthma often do not find relief from over-the-counter cough medications; effective therapy needs prescription asthma medication, commonly in the form of inhalers," they note.
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Acid Reflux
Your persistent cough may have nothing to do with your recent sickness. If anything, it may be an indication of acid reflux.
Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is characterized by the regurgitation of stomach acid into the esophagus, as described by Verywell Health. Coughing may be triggered by inhaling acid or by irritating the throat caused by acid reflux.
How can you tell whether your cough results from GERD or anything else? Keep an eye out for further GERD symptoms, including these: heartburn, chest discomfort, hoarseness, swallowing problems, and shortness of breath.
