Diseases & Conditions
Can't shake that cough?
Most reasons for a lingering cough go beyond a cold that won't quit. Learn the difference between what's annoying and what's alarming.
- Reviewed by Toni Golen, MD, Editor in Chief, Harvard Women's Health Watch; Editorial Advisory Board Member, Harvard Health Publishing; Contributor
Dry. Hacking. Loose. Deep. Phlegmy. Barking. Chesty. A cough can sound like any of these descriptors — often more than one at the same time — and these characteristics can sometimes point toward its cause.
Now add another: lingering. What does that tell us? Not as much as we might hope, a Harvard expert says.
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About the Author
Maureen Salamon, Executive Editor, Harvard Women's Health Watch
About the Reviewer
Toni Golen, MD, Editor in Chief, Harvard Women's Health Watch; Editorial Advisory Board Member, Harvard Health Publishing; Contributor
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