[CLTann]

Cough is a very complicated event and its cause can be traced to many, many factors. It is a body's own mechanism trying to correct some problems in the upper respiratory organs, from throat down to wind pipe to the lungs. Eating or drinking too fast, resulting in having some foreign substance going to the wrong pipe will cause cough, until the situation is corrected. A small abnormality in the breathing system can cause cough. Accumulation of water can induce cough. Of course, the presence of any growth, whether benign or not, will trigger cough. Some cough is associated with bad mucous sound and some are dry cough. It is a symptom that we should not take too lightly. Drug side effects can include cough, which is probably caused by irritation to the throat or windpipe. If the cough does not go away in three weeks, it is advisable to check in for an x ray first. I always hesitate to recommend CT scan due to its high level of radiation. Of course, radiation is another cause of cough too.