A cough is your body’s way of responding to irritants in your throat and airways. An irritant stimulates nerves there to send a cough impulse to your brain. The brain signals the muscles of your abdomen and chest wall to give a strong push of air to your lungs to try to expel the irritant.<\/p>\n
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An occasional cough is normal and healthy. A cough that persists for several weeks or one that brings up discolored or bloody mucus may indicate an underlying condition that requires medical attention. A cough rarely requires emergency care.<\/p>\n
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A coughing attack can be very forceful — the velocity of air from a vigorous cough through the nearly closed vocal cords can approach 500 miles per hour. Prolonged, vigorous coughing is exhausting and can cause sleeplessness, headaches, urinary incontinence, and even broken ribs.<\/p>\n
Common causes — chronic <\/strong>
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Common causes — acute<\/strong>
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\n<\/ul>\n Call your doctor if your cough doesn’t go away after several weeks or if you or your child is:
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\nAn occasional cough is normal. But a cough that persists may signal an underlying problem. A cough is considered “acute” if it lasts less than three weeks; it’s “chronic” if it lasts longer than eight weeks (four weeks in children).
Some causes of coughs include: <\/p>\n
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\nOthers<\/strong>
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WHEN TO SEE A DOCTOR<\/h2>\n
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\nSeek emergency care<\/strong>
Seek emergency care if you or your child is:
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\nSelf-care measures<\/strong>
To ease your cough, try these tips:
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