Acute Cough

Acute cough is defined as a cough lasting less than 3 weeks. Few studies have evaluated the incidence of specific causes of acute cough, but based on clinical experience, the majority of cases are due to acute upper respiratory tract infections.(1) In addition, coughs of non-infectious aetiologies, including allergic disorders, physical factors and drugs (ACE inhibitors) start out as acute coughs but become prolonged or chronic as time passes. Even after acute symptoms of a infection have resolved, a 'post-infectious cough' often develops. This is classified as a persistent cough (see Fig. 3.1).The diagnosis of acute cough is based on clinical findings, including history, physical examination and laboratory tests. Sudden cough is sometimes associated with life-threatening conditions, and these must be ruled out at initial evaluation (Fig. 4.1).