Cough

• you have severe difficulty breathing, for example you struggle to speak without pausing, gasping or choking
• you have severe chest pain in the middle of your chest that isn't going away (it may feel like pressure, tightness or squeezing)
• you have pain that spreads to your arms, back, neck and jaw
• you feel more drowsy than usual or find it more difficult to wake up
• your lips or skin are turning very pale, blue or grey (on brown or black skin this is easier to see on the palms of your hands)

Information on breathing problems in children

Contact your doctor urgently if you:

• are more short of breath than usual
• have pain when breathing in or coughing
• are feeling confused, dizzy, or lightheaded
• feel sick or are being sick (for example, you can't keep food or fluids down)
• are coughing up blood (haemoptysis)
• have heart palpitations, which may feel like your heart is racing, going too slowly or skipping a beat, or like a fluttering feeling in your chest
• are peeing less than usual, which can be a sign of dehydration
• have a very high or low temperature (for example, you feel either hot or cold to touch, or you're shivering)

If your doctor's chamber is closed, call a doctor or the 16263 health line.

• you have breathlessness which is not improving
• you have had a cough for more than 3 weeks
• your symptoms are not improving or they are affecting your daily life

If your doctor isn't sure what's causing your cough, they may send you to a specialist. They may also ask for some tests, such as a chest X-ray, allergy tests, breathing tests, and a check of a sample of your phlegm to look for infection.

A short-term cough doesn't always need treatment. It's most likely a viral infection, and those usually get better on their own within a few weeks.

• rest
• drink plenty of fluids
• take painkillers such as paracetamol or ibuprofen, and always read the manufacturer's instructions

There's no evidence that cough medicines work for a cough. Over-the-counter cough and cold medicines shouldn't be given to children under the age of 6. For children aged 6 to 12, use them only if a pharmacist or doctor advises it.

A homemade remedy of honey and lemon is likely to be just as useful, and it's safer to take. But don't give honey to babies under the age of 1.

If your cough has a specific cause, treating that cause may help. Here are some examples:

• asthma can be treated with inhaled steroids, which reduce inflammation in your airways
• allergies can be treated by avoiding the things you're allergic to and by taking antihistamines
• bacterial infections can be treated with antibiotics
• reflux, also known as GORD, can be treated with antacids to neutralise your stomach acid, and with medicine to reduce the amount of acid your stomach produces
• COPD can be treated with bronchodilators, which widen your airways

A short-term cough has several common causes:

• an upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) that affects the throat, windpipe or sinuses, for example a cold, flu, laryngitis, sinusitis or whooping cough
• a lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI) that affects your lungs or lower airways, for example acute bronchitis or pneumonia
• an allergy, such as allergic rhinitis or hay fever
• a flare-up of a long-term condition such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or bronchiectasis
• breathing in dust or smoke

A persistent cough can have several causes:

• asthma, which usually brings other symptoms too, such as wheezing, chest tightness and shortness of breath
• an allergy
• smoking (a smoker's cough can also be a symptom of COPD)
• bronchiectasis, where the airways of the lungs become abnormally widened
• gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD), where the throat becomes irritated by stomach acid
• a prescribed medicine, such as an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor (ACE inhibitor), which is used to treat high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease. Ramipril and lisinopril are examples

In most cases, a doctor will need to know if you are producing much more phlegm than usual, or darker phlegm than usual.

Often, the cause of a persistent cough is unknown (idiopathic).

Rarely, a persistent cough can be a symptom of a more serious condition, such as lung cancer, heart failure, a pulmonary embolism (a blood clot on the lung) or tuberculosis.

Children can also cough because of respiratory tract infections, asthma or GORD.

Some causes are more common in children than in adults:

• bronchiolitis, a mild respiratory tract infection that usually causes cold-like symptoms
• croup, which causes a distinctive barking cough and a harsh sound called stridor when the child breathes in
• whooping cough, which causes intense, hacking bouts of coughing, vomiting, and a 'whoop' sound with each sharp intake of breath after coughing

Now and then, a persistent cough in a child can be a sign of a serious long-term condition, such as cystic fibrosis.