HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE?

For a cough to disappear: Ten days ‘a SiMPlE cough that comes on after a cold or flu should clear up within about ten days,’ says Professor alyn Morice, a respiratory specialist at the University of Hull.

That’s how long it takes for the virus that causes it to disappear but also for irritation and inflammation in airways to calm down.

‘We don’t actually cough to remove mucus from the lungs [although it does have this effect], he adds. ‘The virus hijacks the cough reflux to spread itself. You stop coughing because it’s no longer trying to do that. in some people a post-cold cough will last longer — often because they have other issues, such as asthma, that also irritate the airways — for weeks or months. That’s annoying, not worrying, but you should speak to your doctor if a long-term cough is associated with red flag symptoms such as coughing up blood or pain breathing in. asthma and some forms of acid reflux can also trigger long-term coughs without any viral infection. ‘On average, people at our chronic cough clinic have had their cough six years, but the longest case i’ve seen was a woman who coughed for 66 years,’ he says.