Provided by: Jeff Schafer, MD
ENT
A chronic cough can be frustrating and exhausting—both for patients and for those trying to help treat it. If a cough has lasted longer than 8 weeks, and initial testing like a chest X-ray is normal, it may be time to look a little deeper.
An Ear, Nose, and Throat (ENT) specialist can help evaluate causes that aren’t always obvious. Using a quick, in-office exam to look at the throat and voice box, they can often identify issues that may be contributing to the cough and help avoid months of trial-and-error treatments.
Sometimes, a cough is related to common conditions like acid reflux, asthma, allergies, or sinus issues. In those cases, trying treatment for those conditions may help. However, certain symptoms should be checked more urgently by a specialist, including:
- Changes in your voice
- Noisy or high-pitched breathing
- Trouble or pain with swallowing
- Coughing up blood
- Unexplained weight loss
In some cases, even after testing and treatment, the cough continues. This may be due to something called “laryngeal hypersensitivity,” where the nerves in the throat become overly sensitive. This can cause coughing from things that normally wouldn’t trigger it—like talking, breathing, or even certain smells.
The good news is that there are effective treatments available. These may include specific cough control techniques, medications that help calm the nerves, and in some cases, targeted procedures to reduce the sensitivity.
It’s also common for a chronic cough to have more than one cause. That means a combination of treatments may be needed at first, with the goal of gradually reducing them as symptoms improve.
If your cough isn’t going away, you’re not alone—and there are answers and options to help you feel better.