Can a cough without wheezing be due to asthma?
Chronic coughing is frequently defined by doctors as a cough that lasts longer than three weeks. Chronic cough can have several causes such as postnasal drip, pneumonia, bronchitis, cigarette smoking, acid reflux, heart disease, lung cancer, and medications such as ACE inhibitors used for treating high blood pressure. Asthma also can cause chronic cough. A chronic cough may be the only symptom of asthma. The cough may first appear after a cold or an upper respiratory tract infection. The cough may also start as a “tickle” in the throat. In some patients with asthma, laughing or exercise can bring on coughing. Other patients tend to cough at night while others cough at any time of day without provocation. It is very important that anyone with an undiagnosed chronic cough receive a chest radiograph to exclude more serious disease. Coughing due to asthma may not respond to cough suppressants, antibiotics, or cough drops but only to medications for asthma. Therefore, accurately diagnosing
