Cough

Cough is a common and complex defensive reflex activity of the respiratory system that helps the body clear foreign bodies or mucus from the lungs and airways. Depending on whether it is accompanied by sputum, it can be divided into productive cough (wet cough) and non-productive cough (dry cough). There are many causes of cough. Inflammation, foreign bodies, physical or chemical irritation of the respiratory tract and pleura can all cause cough. People with mild cough do not need to seek medical attention immediately. Most patients can recover on their own with more rest and adequate hydration. However, if an unexplained cough persists for 2 weeks or more, or is accompanied by chest pain, shortness of breath, fever, hemoptysis, or if symptoms continue to worsen or the frequency of attacks increases, medical attention should be sought promptly. Common Questions Q: Which is more serious, white sputum or yellow sputum? A: There is no direct comparison between the two. If a comparison must be made, yellow sputum may be more serious. Yellow sputum generally indicates bacterial infection and appears in the middle and late stages of a cold; white sputum may not be an infection, but simply sputum coughed up due to irritation. Viral infections and mycoplasma infections can also cause white sputum. However, the severity of different diseases varies. For example, lung cancer patients who have been coughing up white sputum for a long time are definitely more serious than pneumonia patients who cough up yellow sputum. Therefore, this question cannot be generalized.