Types of cough
Not all coughs are the same.
If you have a cough, keep track of the following cough characteristics7:
- Duration
- Types
- Features of the cough
- Accompanying symptoms

Acute Cough8 | Chronic Cough |
---|---|
Duration: Less than 3 weeks |
Duration: More than 8 weeks |
Causes: Mostly common cold Recovery: Starts to improve by the 3rd to 5th day |
Causes8: Inflammation of the membranes inside the nose or sinuses Poorly controlled asthma Smoking Acid reflux |
Dry cough (non-productive) | Wet chesty (productive) cough |
---|---|
Does not produce phlegm7 Develops during the first days of upper respiratory tract infection5 Can be caused by allergies11 |
Happens later in the course of upper respiratory tract infection5 May be related to inflammation spreading to lower airway and triggering mucus production5 Mucus may come back from the back of the throat, nose, sinuses or up from your lungs11 |
Acute viral upper respiratory illness such as influenza can cause seasonal coughs. Seasonal influenza activity usually peaks at the turn of the year or around December.9
This type of cough attacks mostly at night.7 Chronic nighttime cough can have many causes including asthma, upper airways cough syndrome and acid reflux disease.11