aetiology

Last reviewed 01/2018

Cough may result from a multiplicity of aetiologies.

  • acute cough
    • most common cause is viral upper respiratory tract infection (1)
    • other causes include:
      • asthma
      • pneumonia
      • acute exacerbation of a preexisting condition such as asthma, bronchiectasis, COPD
      • acute bronchitis (2)
      • serious conditions such as neoplasms, foreign body inhalation, infections (tuberculosis), anaphylaxis due to acute allergy (1)
  • subacute cough
    • usually precedes an acute upper respiratory tract infection
  • chronic cough - some causes of persistent or recurrent cough include:
    • asthma - the commonest
    • bronchitis:
      • viral
      • chemical e.g. smoke
      • secondary bacterial bronchitis
    • specific infections e.g. mycoplasma, pertussis, tuberculosis
    • suppurative lung disease:
      • bronchiectasis
      • cystic fibrosis
      • secondary lung collapse (foreign body)
      • Kartagener's syndrome
    • drug induced - particularly ACE inhibitors and dry cough
    • focal lesions:
      • inhaled foreign body
      • lung carcinoma
    • psychological illness
    • pulmonary oedema
    • pleural disease
    • smoking
    • tracheitis
    • vocal cord palsy

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