When to Worry About a Cough That Sticks Around

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I’ve had a cough for weeks. Should I be worried?

Probably not; some upper respiratory infections (including bronchitis and pneumonia) can take weeks to clear out of your system.

However, a persistent cough can also be the result of a wide variety of issues, including postnasal drip, asthma or acid reflux. It might also be a side effect of certain drugs, like blood pressure medication.

In (very) rare cases, it could be an indication of congestive heart failure or lung cancer. So have any cough lasting longer than a couple of weeks checked out, just to be on the safe side.

Health‘s medical editor, Roshini Rajapaksa, MD, is associate professor of medicine at the NYU School of Medicine and co-founder of Tula Skincare.

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