Chronic Cough: Causes and When to Consult a Pulmonologist
Verified By
KIMS-SUNSHINE
Specialist,
21 August, 2025
Causes Of Chronic Cough That Won’t Go Away
There are coughs that arrive with the change of seasons, that fade once the rains have passed or the cold winds lose their bite, and then there are coughs that linger beyond patience, those that stretch into weeks and months. In India, where the air is thick with dust, smoke, pollen, and the exhaust of a thousand vehicles, such coughs are not that uncommon, but are brushed aside far too often as minor annoyances. Sometimes, the cause is not hidden at all – it is written clearly in the long history of certain medicines like blood pressure tablets that dry out the throat and trigger coughing fits. At other times, it may be more serious like tuberculosis that continues to shadow Indian healthcare, creeping into the lives of the young and old alike with its tell-tale weight loss, fevers and an unending wet cough.
Difference Between Dry And Wet Chronic Cough
A dry cough is sharp and repetitive like a stubborn drumbeat, but brings no relief because nothing is expelled – often pointing towards asthma, reflux, allergies, or the side effects of certain medicines. It feels much like scratching at an unreachable itch in the throat, tiresome and relentless. A wet cough, however, is thicker and heavier, as though the lungs themselves are trying to wring out what does not belong, and the mucus or phlegm that follows is the body’s attempt at cleansing. This is often connected with infections like bronchitis or pneumonia, with tuberculosis or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) – conditions that are far more serious, may be chronic even and need more than syrup or steam inhalation to resolve.
When To See A Pulmonologist For Persistent Cough?
A pulmonologist, whose craft is not in silencing a symptom but in studying the delicate orchestra of lungs, airways and the rhythm of breath, becomes indispensable when a cough lingers beyond eight weeks or when it arrives with unsettling companions like chest pain, streaks of blood in the sputum, sudden weight loss, or breathlessness that grows heavier with each passing day. These specialists will walk deeper into the story, using tools such as lung function tests, chest X-rays, CT scans and sometimes bronchoscopy, unravelling layer by layer until the true reason for the cough is uncovered.
Conclusion
A chronic cough is not a mere leftover from a passing cold, though it often dresses itself in that disguise to slip past our concern. It is instead a reminder that the body is carrying a burden, sometimes small, sometimes profound, but always worth understanding; and consulting a pulmonologist is not the act of someone overly cautious. It is the act of someone wise enough to see that health is not a luxury but a foundation, and that the lungs which carry us through every word spoken and every breath taken deserve nothing less than full care.
