Cough

A cough is a reflex action that helps you to clear your airways of mucus and irritants such as dust or smoke. It’s rarely a sign of anything serious.

A “dry cough” means it’s tickly and doesn’t produce any phlegm (thick mucus). A “chesty cough” means phlegm is produced to help clear your airways.

Most coughs clear up within three weeks and don’t require any treatment. For more persistent coughs, it’s a good idea to see your GP so they can investigate the cause.

At Activ8rlives we have a particular interest in respiratory disease and a persistent cough may be caused by:

• chronic bronchitis, Asthma, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), Bronchiectasis (NCFB) or Cystic Fibrosis (CF) or any of the other 40 respiratory diseases currently identified.

Rarely, a persistent cough can be a symptom of a more serious condition, such as lung cancer, heart failure, a pulmonary embolism (blood clot on the lung) or tuberculosis.

We use a Cough Score from 1 = worst ever to Score 10 = best ever.

If you are at all concerned about your cough, please seek medical advice.