What causes chronic cough?

What causes chronic cough?

There are several medical conditions that are linked to chronic cough. These include respiratory conditions, such as:

• Asthma: This is the second most frequent cause of chronic cough. Shortness of breath and wheezing happen when you have asthma. These breathing difficulties can result in a chronic cough. There is also a form of asthma (cough-variant asthma) where chronic cough may be the only symptom.
• Bronchiectasis: This condition causes coughing because mucus builds up and lung tissue gets thicker.
• Bronchitis: This condition is a known cause of coughing due the swelling that happens in the bronchial tubes and the increase in mucus production. There are two types —chronic and acute.
• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD): COPD is actually a term that refers to a group of respiratory issues that includes chronic bronchitis and emphysema.
• Upper respiratory conditions like flu, pneumonia and colds: These infections are generally caused by viruses. Coughing is one symptom that tends to last after the others are through. The viruses attack the nose, the throat and the sinuses.

Other reasons for chronic cough include sinusitis and allergies. Sinus problems and allergies, along with upper respiratory infections, produce post-nasal drip. This drip is sometimes feels like “a tickle in the back of the throat,” and drainage can lead to chronic cough. This “tickle” happens when the amount of draining mucus is larger than usual.

Many people might worry about cancer if they have a chronic cough. It's possible that coughing that won’t stop is a sign of cancer of the lung or upper airway, but that isn't the most likely cause.

Finally, chronic cough is a well-known side effect of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, a specific group of drugs used to treat high blood pressure. These drugs may be used for other things, like preventing kidney damage if you have diabetes. Some common ACE inhibitors are:

• Benazepril (Lotensin®, Lotensin® Hct).
• Captopril (Capoten®).
• Enalapril (Vasotec®).
• Fosinopril (Monopril®).
• Lisinopril (Prinivil®, Zestril®).
• Moexipril (Univasc®)
• Quinapril (Accupril®).
• Peridopril (Aceon®).
• Ramiparil (Altace®).
• Tandolapril (Mavik®).

If you have a chronic cough and you take one of these medications, you shouldn’t just stop taking the medication on your own. Talk with your healthcare provider about what’s going on. They'll probably be able to recommend a different medication.