A cough that will not go away needs a cause, not just cough medicine
Why a cough that lasts more than eight weeks can come from asthma, rhinitis or reflux, and how the Asthma & Allergy Center tells them apart.
2 min read
As the air turns cold in autumn, more people come in with coughs that outlast a cold. This Sports Kyunghyang article, written with Kwangdong's Asthma & Allergy Center, explains why the cause matters.
In adults, a cough lasting more than eight weeks can come from asthma, including cough-variant asthma with no wheezing, from rhinitis or sinusitis, or from acid reflux. Allergic rhinitis and allergic asthma can also occur together.
Diagnosis looks at how long the cough has lasted, when it happens, what makes it worse and which medicines the patient takes. Lung function tests and bronchodilator response tests are used when asthma is suspected, and allergy results are read together with real exposure.
Treatment controls the underlying condition. Inhaled steroids are the base for asthma; antihistamines and nasal steroids for allergic rhinitis, with immunotherapy considered for some patients.
This is a summary written by Kwangdong Hospital. The full article was published in Korean.
Sports Kyunghyang · 2026.10.14
