{"id":281,"date":"2021-11-08T18:21:55","date_gmt":"2021-11-08T23:21:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/westernmichiganent.fm1.dev\/providing-comprehensive-ear-nose-throat-care\/chronic-cough\/"},"modified":"2022-09-22T13:16:13","modified_gmt":"2022-09-22T17:16:13","slug":"chronic-cough","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/westernmichiganent.com\/ent\/chronic-cough\/","title":{"rendered":"Chronic Cough"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\">\n{\n  \"@context\": \"https:\/\/schema.org\",\n  \"@type\": \"FAQPage\",\n  \"mainEntity\": [{\n    \"@type\": \"Question\",\n    \"name\": \"What is a chronic cough?\",\n    \"acceptedAnswer\": {\n      \"@type\": \"Answer\",\n      \"text\": \"A chronic cough is defined as one that lasts eight weeks or longer. More than simply an annoyance, a lingering cough can disrupt your sleep and affect your work. It may be accompanied by other symptoms such as wheezing, shortness of breath, runny nose, congestion and heartburn.\"\n    }\n  }, {\n    \"@type\": \"Question\",\n    \"name\": \"What causes a chronic cough?\",\n    \"acceptedAnswer\": {\n      \"@type\": \"Answer\",\n      \"text\": \"A cough is your body\u2019s way of expelling a substance that is irritating the air passages. When cells lining the air passages become irritated, they trigger air in the lungs to be forced out under high pressure.\nChronic coughing can be triggered by a variety of factors. These include: postnasal drip, asthma, allergies, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), upper respiratory tract infections, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (includes bronchitis and emphysema), pertussis (whooping cough), air pollution and ACE inhibitors.\"\n    }\n  }, {\n    \"@type\": \"Question\",\n    \"name\": \"What are the symptoms of a chronic cough?\",\n    \"acceptedAnswer\": {\n      \"@type\": \"Answer\",\n      \"text\": \"If your cough is accompanied by fever, excessive phlegm production or blood; fails to improve after your other symptoms have disappeared; interferes with your daily activities or sleep; or you have difficulty breathing you should consult your doctor.\"\n    }\n }, {\n    \"@type\": \"Question\",\n    \"name\": \"How is a chronic cough diagnosed?\",\n    \"acceptedAnswer\": {\n      \"@type\": \"Answer\",\n      \"text\": \"Your doctor will discuss your medical history and give you a physical exam before administering diagnostic tests designed to determine the cause of your chronic cough. An imaging test (X-rays or CT scan), lung function test, lab tests and endoscopic tests of the trachea, nostrils and esophagus are all commonly used.\"\n }\n }, {\n    \"@type\": \"Question\",\n    \"name\": \"How is a chronic cough treated?\",\n    \"acceptedAnswer\": {\n      \"@type\": \"Answer\",\n      \"text\": \"Once the diagnosis is made, treatment can begin. If medications are prescribed, they may include: antihistamines, decongestants, asthma drugs, antibiotics, acid blockers and cough suppressants. Home remedies incorporating lifestyle changes, such as quitting smoking or adjusting your diet to eliminate foods that trigger acid reflux, can also be effective.\"\n }\n }\n ]\n  }\n<\/script>\n\n\n\n<p>A cough lasting eight weeks or longer is considered chronic. A chronic cough can disrupt your sleep and affect your work. It may include other symptoms such as wheezing, shortness of breath, runny nose, congestion and heartburn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you have a cough that lasts more than a month, make an appointment with your <a href=\"https:\/\/westernmichiganent.com\/ent\/\">ear nose and throat physician.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What Causes Chronic Cough?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1280\" height=\"636\" src=\"https:\/\/westernmichiganent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/iStock-528721618-1280x636.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-612\" srcset=\"https:\/\/westernmichiganent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/iStock-528721618-1280x636.jpg 1280w, https:\/\/westernmichiganent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/iStock-528721618-768x382.jpg 768w, https:\/\/westernmichiganent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/iStock-528721618-1536x764.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/westernmichiganent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/iStock-528721618-256x127.jpg 256w, https:\/\/westernmichiganent.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/iStock-528721618.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>A cough is your body\u2019s way of expelling a substance that is irritating the air passages. A variety of factors may trigger your chronic cough. These include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Postnasal drip<\/li><li>Asthma<\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/westernmichiganent.com\/allergist\/allergy-types\/\">Allergies<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/westernmichiganent.com\/ent\/acid-reflux\/\">Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)<\/a><\/li><li>Upper respiratory tract infections<\/li><li>Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (includes bronchitis and emphysema)<\/li><li>Pertussis (whooping cough)<\/li><li>Air pollution<\/li><li>ACE inhibitors (found in some medications used to treat high blood pressure and heart disease)<\/li><li>A2RB\u2019s (Angiotensin Receptor Blockers)<\/li><li>Smoking<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How Is a Chronic Cough Evaluated and Treated?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>After asking about your medical history, your doctor will perform a thorough head and neck exam. This exam might include a procedure known as a <a href=\"https:\/\/medlineplus.gov\/ency\/article\/007507.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">laryngoscopy <\/a>to examine your larynx, in addition to possible imaging tests as well. Once a diagnosis is made, treatment can begin. If medications are prescribed, they may include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"list-col-2\"><li>Antihistamines<\/li><li>Decongestants<\/li><li>Asthma drugs<\/li><li>Antibiotics<\/li><li>Acid blockers<\/li><li>Cough suppressants<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Diet and lifestyle changes are often very effective as well.<br><br><div class=\"content-cta\">\r\n<p>Call Western Michigan ENT at <a href=\"tel:+12313989536\" class=\"phone \"><span class=\"phone-number\">(231) 398-9536<\/span><\/a> for more information or to schedule an appointment.<\/p>\r\n<\/div><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A cough lasting eight weeks or longer is considered chronic. A chronic cough can disrupt your sleep and affect your work. It may include other symptoms such as wheezing, shortness of breath, runny nose, congestion and heartburn. If you have a cough that lasts more than a month, make an appointment with your ear nose&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":233,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"[phone format=&quot;&lt;phone&gt;&quot;] | A chronic cough is a symptom. A proper diagnosis is the key to treatment. Schedule your diagnosis with one of our ENT&#039;s now. ","_seopress_robots_index":""},"service_tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/westernmichiganent.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/281"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/westernmichiganent.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/westernmichiganent.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/westernmichiganent.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/westernmichiganent.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=281"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/westernmichiganent.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/281\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1079,"href":"https:\/\/westernmichiganent.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/281\/revisions\/1079"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/westernmichiganent.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/233"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/westernmichiganent.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=281"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"service_tags","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/westernmichiganent.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/service_tags?post=281"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}