It’s more than “just a cough”
Chronic cough can have a significant affect on your day-to-day life. It can cause physical symptoms and it can affect you emotionally, including affecting your relationships and social life.
How chronic cough can affect you physically
- Scratchy or irritated throat
- Feeling breathless or unable to catch your breath
- Wheezing
- Trouble sleeping
- Fatigue (weakness, tiredness) or exhaustion
- Problems with speech
- Gagging or vomiting
- Dizziness, feeling lightheaded or fainting
- Wetting yourself with cough
- Change in your voice
- Chest pain, broken ribs, hernia due to force of the cough
How chronic cough can affect you socially and emotionally
Chronic cough can interfere with your life and have social and emotional consequences.
It can make you anxious or scared that you have a serious health problem.
You may worry that people think you have a contagious disease or that you are a heavy smoker. There can be stigma associated with chronic cough, especially following the COVID-19 pandemic.
You may also worry that your cough bothers your family or friends. This can cause you to become lonely and isolated, which may lead to depression or other mental health issues.
When to speak to a healthcare provider
Even if your cough has not lasted more than eight weeks, you still may need to see a healthcare provider. If you’re not sure, ask yourself the following questions. If you answer yes to any of them, you should see someone on your healthcare team.
- Are you coughing up blood?
- Are you short of breath?
- Has your cough changed over time?
- Are you losing weight without trying?
- Are you coughing up phlegm?
- Do you have a fever?
- Do you currently smoke?
- Did you smoke in the past?
- Are you living with asthma or COPD or other respiratory conditions?
- Is your cough causing abdominal pain? Is your cough causing incontinence or leakage of stool?