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?
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.”
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Bronchitis
When the cold virus eventually departs your system, it may leave you with a gift of bronchitis as a farewell present.
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.
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That dry cough might turn wet, creating colorful phlegm. The lingering cough that comes with walking pneumonia may last for
