Persistent cough

Dear Ask The Doctor: A persistent cough after a head cold. anything i can do to speed recovery? keeps me awake at night. itchy throat that feels inflamed.

Dear Robin: A Common cold is a viral infection of your upper respiratory tract, nose and throat. Usually is harmless, although it may not feel that way. If its not a runny nose, sore throat and cough, its the watery eyes, sneezing and congestion or maybe all of the above. In fact, because any one of more than 200 viruses can cause a common cold, symptoms tend to vary greatly. After the main symptoms remit, usually the cough persists for weeks considered the last symptom to disappear due to the fact that is a defense mechanism that the body uses to get rid of the mucus and viral or bacterial entities. Since the most probable cause is due to a virus and the viral process time depends on how well your immune system reacts against it. If your cold also carries mucus then cough syrups might not be recommended for you however if the cough is dry and causes irritation in your throat then you might want to try over the counter cough syrups that dont contain Codeine, you might also want to try Anti Inflammatory medication if your throat is swollen. I wish you a prompt recovery.