Cough causes

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Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Cafer Zorkun, M.D., Ph.D. [2] ; M.Umer Tariq [3]

Causes

A persistent cough can be debilitating, socially distressing, and adversely impair quality of life. One of the more common presentations to a medical practitioner is a dry cough. The common causes of chronic dry coughing include post-nasal drip, gastroesophageal reflux disease, asthma, post viral cough and certain drugs such as beta blockers, ACE inhibitors and aspirin. If a cough lasts for more than three weeks, multiple causes are likely and symptoms will abate only when all the causes are treated will the patient be symptom free. Individuals who smoke often have a smoker's cough, a loud, hacking cough which often results in the expiration of phlegm.

Coughing may also be used for psychological or social reasons, such as the coughing before giving a speech. This is known as psychogenic, habit or tic coughing, and may increase in frequency in social situations featuring conflict.

Given its irritant nature to mammal tissues, capsaicin is widely used to determine the cough threshold and as a tussive stimulant in clinical research of cough suppressants.

Common Causes

• Allergic Rhinitis
• Asthma
• Bronchiectasis
• Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD)
• Post-nasal drip

Causes by Organ System

Cardiovascular	Aortic arch anomalies, Atrial myxoma, Beriberi Heart Disease, Congestive Heart Failure, Hypotension, Mitral stenosis, Right Ventricular Outflow Tract Obstruction, Superior Vena Cava Syndrome, Thoracic Aortic Aneurysms,
Chemical / poisoning	Abrin, Cadmium poisoning, Polymer fume fever,
Dermatologic	No underlying causes
Drug Side Effect	Abacavir , Abatacept , ABVD, ACE inhibitor, Acetylmorphone, Acyclovir , Adalimumab , Adefovir , Albuterol , Alefacept , Alfuzosin , Aliskiren , Amiodarone , Amlodipine and Benazepril , Amphotericin B , Anagrelide , Anastrozole , Atazanavir , Benazepril, Bepridil , Bevacizumab , Bitolterol , Bortezomib , Brimonidine , Budesonide, Busulfan , Captopril, Carvedilol , Cetuximab , Cevimeline, Chlorambucil , Cladribine , Clobutinol, Clofarabine , Clofedanol, Co-trimoxazole , Cromolyn Sodium , Cytarabine , Dacarbazine , Dactinomycin , Darbepoetin Alfa , Diborane, Docetaxel , Domiodol, Dornase alfa, DTPA, Efalizumab , Efavirenz , Emtricitabine , Enalapril , Enfuvirtide, Epinastine , Eplerenone , Epoetin Alfa , Eprosartan , Erlotinib , Estradiol Topical , Etanercept , Fexofenadine , Floxuridine , Fludarabine Phosphate , Fluorouracil , Fluticasone and Salmeterol , Fluvastatin , Fosamprenavir , Fosinopril , Gabapentin , Gefitinib , Gemcitabine Hydrochloride , Glyburide and Metformin , Granisetron , Histrelin , Ibandronate , Ifosfamide , Iloprost, Imipramine, Insulin Human (rDNA Origin) , Interferon beta-1a Intramuscular , Isoproterenol , Ketorolac, Lamivudine , Lamotrigine , Letrozole , Levalbuterol , Lisinopril , Lisinopril and Hydrochlorothiazide, Lomustine , Mechlorethamine , Melphalan , Mercaptopurine , Mesalamine , Metaproterenol , Methotrexate , Metoprolol, Mitomycin , Moexipril , Moxifloxacin , Mycophenolic acid, Natalizumab , Nateglinide , Nedocromil , Nicotine nasal spray , Nilutamide , Nitrofurantoin , Omalizumab, Omeprazole , Oxaliplatin , Oxcarbazepine , Paclitaxel, Pamidronate , Peginterferon alfa-2a , Pemetrexed , Penbutolol , Pentamidine, Perindopril, Pegaspargase , Pimecrolimus topical , Pirbuterol acetate , Plicamycin , Primaquine , Procarbazine , Prograf, Quinapril, Ramelteon , Ramipril, Ribavirin , Risedronate , Risperidone , Rosiglitazone , Rosuvastatin , Salmeterol , Saquinavir , Sevelamer , Sirolimus , Sodium stibogluconate, Spironolactone , Sulindac , Tacrolimus, Tamsulosin , Thioguanine , Thiotepa , Tipranavir , Tocainide , Topotecan Hydrochloride , Trandolapril, Triamcinolone acetonide, Trimetrexate Glucuronate , Vinorelbine Tartrate , Vorinostat , Zanamivir , Ziprasidone ,
Ear Nose Throat	Acute viral nasopharyngitis (common cold), Adenoid hypertrophy, Allergic rhinitis, Atopic rhinitis, Croup, Goiter, Laryngitis, Laryngopharyngeal Reflux Disease, Laryngotracheal cleft, Pharyngitis, Post-nasal drip, Strep throat, Subglottic hemangioma, Subglottic stenosis, Tonsillolith,
Endocrine	Goiter,
Environmental	Caplan's Syndrome, Chronic beryllium disease (CBD), Hay fever, Low humidity, Occupational exposure of irritants Passive smoking, Sick building syndrome, Silicosis, Smoking,
Gastroenterologic	Achalasia, Esophageal atresia, Esophageal cancer, Esophageal dysmotility, Gastroesophageal reflux disease, Mallory-Weiss syndrome,
Genetic	Cystic fibrosis, Juvenile Myelomonocytic Leukemia (JMML),
Hematologic	No underlying causes
Iatrogenic	Chest tube, Thoracentesis, Transfusion-associated graft versus host disease,
Infectious Disease	Adenoviridae, Aphthovirus, Ascaris infection, Aspergillosis, Blastomycosis, Bordetella pertussis, Byssinosis, Chickenpox, Chlamydophila pneumoniae, Cladosporium, CMV Pneumonitis, Coccidioidomycosis, Community-acquired pneumonia, Cryptococcosis, Fasciolosis, Filariasis, Gnathostomiasis, Histoplasmosis, Human ehrlichiosis, Infectious mononucleosis, Influenza, Lady Windermere syndrome, Lassa fever, Legionellosis, Measles, Melioidosis, Miliary tuberculosis, Mucor stolonifer, Mycoplasma pneumoniae, Nocardiosis, Paprika splitter's lung, Paracoccidioidomycosis, Papillomatosis, Paragonimus Infection, Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia, Psittacosis, Q Fever, Rhinovirus, Saccharopolyspora rectivirgula, Schistosomiasis, Sporotrichosis, Strep throat, Thermoactinomyces sacchari, Thermoactinomyces vulgaris, Trichinosis, Tuberculosis, Tularemia, Typhoid fever, Upper respiratory tract infection, Yersinia Pestis Infection,
Musculoskeletal / Ortho	No underlying causes
Neurologic	No underlying causes
Nutritional / Metabolic	Beriberi Heart Disease, Cholesterol pneumonia,
Obstetric/Gynecologic	Bronchogenic cyst, Pulmonary sequestration, Esophageal atresia, Peripartum cardiomyopathy,
Oncologic	Cervical mass, Esophageal cancer, Kaposi's sarcoma, Laryngeal cancer, Lymphangitis carcinomatous, Mediastinal tumor, Mesothelioma, Papillomatosis, Thymoma,
Opthalmologic	No underlying causes
Overdose / Toxicity	Ganciclovir , Nickel carbonyl, Valganciclovir , Salicylate sensitivity,
Psychiatric	Psychogenic cough,
Pulmonary	Acute bronchitis, Acute Chest Syndrome, Allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis, Asthma, Atelectasis, Atypical pneumonia, Aspergillosis, Blastomycosis, Bronchial stenosis, Bronchial web, Bronchiectasis, Bronchiolitis, Bronchitis, Bronchogenic cyst, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, Ciliary dyskinesia, Cystic fibrosis, Goodpasture's syndrome, Hamman-Rich syndrome, Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis, Interstitial pneumonia, Lady Windermere syndrome, Lung abscess, Pleurisy, Pleuropulmonary blastoma, Pulmonary alveolar proteinosis, Pulmonary Embolism, Pulmonary hypertension, Severe acute respiratory syndrome, Tracheal stenosis, Tracheitis, Tracheoesophageal fistula, Tracheomalacia,
Renal / Electrolyte	Congenital nephrotic syndrome, Rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis,
Rheum / Immune / Allergy	Sarcoidosis,
Sexual	No underlying causes
Trauma	Post cerebrovascular accident,
Urologic	No underlying causes
Miscellaneous	Alcoholism, Aspirated foreign bodies, Cerumenosis, Choking, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Ear foreign body, Hair in the ear canal,

Causes in Alphabetical Order

Abacavir Abatacept Abrin ABVD ACE inhibitor Acetylmorphone Achalasia Acute bronchitis Acute Chest Syndrome Acute viral nasopharyngitis (common cold) Acyclovir Adalimumab Adefovir Adenoid hypertrophy Adenoviridae Albuterol Alcoholism Alefacept Alfuzosin Aliskiren Allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis Amiodarone Amlodipine and Benazepril Amphotericin B Anagrelide Anastrozole Aortic arch anomalies Aphthovirus Ascaris infection Aspergillosis Aspirated foreign bodies Atazanavir Atelectasis Atopic rhinitis Atrial myxoma Atypical pneumonia Benazepril Bepridil Beriberi Heart Disease Bevacizumab Bitolterol Blastomycosis Bordetella pertussis Bortezomib Brimonidine Bronchial stenosis Bronchial web Bronchiolitis Bronchitis Bronchogenic cyst Budesonide Buprenorphine Busulfan Byssinosis Cadmium poisoning Caplan's Syndrome Captopril Carvedilol Cerumenosis Cervical mass Cetuximab Cevimeline Chest tube Chickenpox Chlamydophila pneumoniae Chlorambucil Choking Cholesterol pneumonia Chronic beryllium disease Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Ciliary dyskinesia Cladosporium Cladribine Clobutinol Clofarabine Clofedanol CMV Pneumonitis Coccidioidomycosis Community-acquired pneumonia Congenital nephrotic syndrome Congestive Heart Failure Co-trimoxazole Cromolyn Sodium Croup Cryptococcosis Cystic fibrosis Cytarabine Dacarbazine Dactinomycin Darbepoetin Alfa Diborane Docetaxel Domiodol Dornase alfa DTPA Ear foreign body Efalizumab Efavirenz Emtricitabine Enalapril Enfuvirtide

Epinastine Eplerenone Epoetin Alfa Eprosartan Erlotinib Esophageal atresia Esophageal cancer Esophageal dysmotility Estradiol Topical Etanercept Fasciolosis Fexofenadine Filariasis Floxuridine Fludarabine Phosphate Fluorouracil Fluticasone (aerosol and spray) Fluticasone and Salmeterol Fluvastatin Fosamprenavir Fosinopril Gabapentin Ganciclovir Gefitinib Gemcitabine Hydrochloride Glyburide and Metformin Gnathostomiasis Goiter Goodpasture's syndrome Granisetron Hair in the ear canal Hamman-Rich syndrome Hay fever Histoplasmosis Histrelin HPV Vaccine (Gardasil) Human ehrlichiosis Human flu Hypotension Ibandronate Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis Ifosfamide Iloprost Imipramine Infectious mononucleosis Infliximab Influenza Insulin Human (rDNA Origin) Insulin lispro Interferon beta-1a Intramuscular Interstitial pneumonia Isoproterenol Juvenile Myelomonocytic Leukemia (JMML) Kaposi's sarcoma Ketorolac Lady Windermere syndrome Lamivudine Lamotrigine Laryngeal cancer Laryngitis Laryngopharyngeal Reflux Disease Laryngotracheal cleft Lassa fever Legionellosis Letrozole Levalbuterol Lisinopril Lisinopril and Hydrochlorothiazide Lomustine Low humidity Lower respiratory tract infection Lung abscess Lymphangitis carcinomatous Lymphocytic interstitial pneumonia Mallory-Weiss syndrome Measles Mechlorethamine Mediastinal tumor Melioidosis Melphalan Mercaptopurine Mesalamine Mesothelioma Metaproterenol Methotrexate Metoprolol Miliary tuberculosis Mitomycin Mitral stenosis Moexipril Moxifloxacin Mucor stolonifer Mycophenolic acid Mycoplasma pneumoniae Natalizumab Nateglinide Nedocromil Nickel carbonyl Nicotine nasal spray Nilutamide Nitrofurantoin Nocardiosis Occupational exposure of irritants Omeprazole Oxaliplatin Oxcarbazepine Paclitaxel

Pamidronate Paprika splitter's lung Paracoccidioidomycosis Papillomatosis Paragonimus Infection Passive smoking Pegaspargase Peginterferon alfa-2a Pemetrexed Penbutolol Pentamidine Perindopril Peripartum cardiomyopathy Pertussis Pharyngitis Pimecrolimus topical Pirbuterol acetate Pleurisy Pleuropulmonary blastoma Plicamycin Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia Polymer fume fever Post cerebrovascular accident Primaquine Procarbazine Prograf Psittacosis Psychogenic cough Pulmonary alveolar proteinosis Pulmonary Embolism Pulmonary hypertension Pulmonary sequestration Q Fever Quinapril Ramelteon Ramipril Rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis Rhinovirus Ribavirin Right Ventricular Outflow Tract Obstruction Risedronate Risperidone Rosiglitazone Rosuvastatin Saccharopolyspora rectivirgula Salicylate sensitivity Salmeterol Saquinavir Sarcoidosis Schistosomiasis Sevelamer Severe acute respiratory syndrome Sick building syndrome Silicosis Sirolimus Smoking Sodium stibogluconate Spironolactone Sporotrichosis Strep throat Subglottic hemangioma Subglottic stenosis Sulindac Superior Vena Cava Syndrome Tacrolimus Tamsulosin Tenofovir disoproxil fumarate Thermoactinomyces sacchari Thermoactinomyces vulgaris Thioguanine Thiotepa Thoracentesis Thoracic Aortic Aneurysms Thymoma Tipranavir Tobacco smoking Tocainide Tonsillolith Topotecan Hydrochloride Tracheal stenosis Tracheitis Tracheoesophageal fistula Tracheomalacia Trandolapril Transfusion-associated graft versus host disease Trichinosis Trimetrexate Glucuronate Tuberculosis Tularemia Typhoid fever Upper respiratory tract infection Valganciclovir Vinorelbine Tartrate Viralcough Vorinostat Yersinia Pestis Infection Zanamivir Ziprasidone

Causes of Nonproductive Cough

• Smoker's cough
• Aspiration
• Congestive heart failure
• Postnasal drip

  • Most common cause of chronic cough in nonsmokers

• GERD

  • Second most common cause of chronic cough in nonsmokers

• Asthma/reactive airway disease
• ACE inhibitor use
• Pneumonia

  • Typical pneumonia is characterized by acute or subacute onset of fever, dyspnea, fatigue, pleuritic chest pain, and cough
  • Atypical pneumoniais characterized by more gradual onset, dry cough,headache, fatigue, and minimal lung signs

• Acute bronchitis

  • Most commonly caused by viruses
  • Postviral bronchitis may last beyond 6 weeks

• Aspirated foreign body
• Lung cancer
• COPD
• Sarcoidosis
• Cryptogenic organizing pneumonia
• Filarial disease

Productive Cough

• Postnasal drip
• Tuberculosis
• COPD
• Lung cancer
• Smoker's cough
• Asthma with secondary infection
• Pneumonia
• Bronchitis