Treat It With Antibiotics Or Let It Run Its Course? Not All Coughs Are Created Equal
NEW YORK(CBSNewYork) -- Hacking coughs are a familiar sound this time of year. Colds, congestion, and worse can take over in the winter.
As CBS2's Dr. Max Gomez explained, not all coughs are the same. There's one going around that people have dubbed the hundred day cough.
Most of the coughs are viral and just have to run their course. Antibiotics won't help, but others need real attention.
Mariel Felix has had it with her nagging cough.
"I've been ill for a week or so now, and I haven't gotten any better," she said.
Mount Sinai Urgent Care doctor, Dr. Judah Fierstein said this time of year most patients have a cold and cough from post nasal drip.
"What starts out as nasal congestion and a mild cough that gets deeper into the chest and causes drawn out illness," he said.
If a person has dry cough that ends in a rattle it may be asthma. Sometimes a dry cough can be eased with an over the counter expectorant called guaifensein that helps move mucus out of the lungs.
When a couch is wet with colored mucus it can be a sign of pneumonia.
"Coughs that are particularly concerning and should prompt someone to go to a doctor earlier are coughs associated with real difficulty breathing," Dr. Fierstein said.
Other coughs to watch out for include dry coughs that get worse when you lie down or eat, which can mean reflux disease. A severe hacking cough followed by a high pitched whoop could be pertussis or whooping cough.
If you're coughing up blood or experiencing pain when trying to breathe you need immediate medical attention.
Mariel suffers from asthma. A chest x-ray ruled out pneumonia and determined she has bronchitis.
"Unfortunately, not uncommon for bronchitis to last two to four weeks," Dr. Fierstein said.
Dr. Fierstein recommended an asthma medication to open her passageways and dark honey to soothe her throat and cough.
Another reason that coughs can last a long time is that they can irritate the windpipe and breathing tubes in the lungs.
Irritated airways cause coughing, so coughing leads to more coughing, even long after the original infection is gone.
If the cough goes on for a long time a course of steroids might be needed.