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From a Tickle to a Tizzy: My Wild Ride with a Stubborn Cough that Wouldn’t Leave
Why Your Cough Won’t Quit — And How to Stop It
I’ll never forget that winter of ’92. Fresh out of med school and running on coffee during my residency, I caught what I thought was a cold. This was long before you had to worry about nasty viruses like COVID.
It was a nuisance. After a few days, the stuffy nose and feeling tired came and went, but that cough? It hung around like an unwanted houseguest for the better part of 5 weeks.
And what made the coughing worse? Talking to patients. I’m sure it didn’t look good that I sounded sicker than they did. What was the cause of this persistent hacking?
Understanding Post-Viral Cough Syndrome
The medical world calls a nasty post-viral cough that refuses to leave post-viral cough syndrome. It’s a fancy term for a cough that sticks around for three to eight weeks after a viral infection clears up.
The viral infection could be a simple cold or something more sinister, like influenza or COVID.
It’s surprisingly common, inconveniencing up to a quarter to half of folks who catch a viral respiratory bug. But knowing the statistics doesn’t make it any less maddening, especially when you’re the one who can’t stop coughing.
So, what’s happening when you can’t seem to shake a cough after a respiratory infection? Think of your airways as a well-organized city.
The Riot in Your Airways
A virus is like a riot that tears through town, damaging the streets (your airway lining). It also disrupts the local communication system (your nerve endings), along with your airways.
Even after the virus runs its course and deserts you to find some other victim, the damage takes time to repair and rebuild. Your airways…
