Key Points
Diagnosis requires an earlier respiratory infection and exclusion of other postinfectious cough mimics, such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease..
The team from the University of British Columbia in Canada said that coughs lasting longer than eight weeks need further assessment...
Reassuring patients that post-infectious cough is time-limited and self-resolving is important and can reduce unnecessary and costly prescriptions, such as asthma puffers or antibiotics, said Dr Kevin Liang, a family physician and clinical instructor in the Department of Family Practice at the University..
In an article published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, the researchers described that post-infectious coughs are common, affecting about 11 per cent to 25 per cent of adults after a respiratory infection and can last up to eight weeks...
Red flags also include a history of recurrent pneumonia or an extended history of smoking, and coughs lasting longer than eight weeks need further assessment, the researchers said..
