| Nose and its sinuses |
| Rhinitis, sinusitis |
Postnasal drip irritating upper airway cough receptor |
Acute or chronic cough with sensation of postnasal drip, frequent hawking (throat clearing), nasal stuffiness |
| Pharynx |
| Infection, neoplasm |
Irritation of pharyngeal cough receptors |
Hacking cough with sore throat, frequent hawking |
| Zenker’s diverticulum |
Irritation of airways by compression or by aspirated diverticular content |
Regurgitation of undigested food, halitosis, dysphagia |
| Larynx |
| Infection, allergy, neoplasm, foreign body |
Hyperreactivity of laryngeal cough receptors, mechanical irritation |
Croupy or barking cough, change in voice, inspiratory stridor |
| Improper use of voice |
Vocal cord irritation |
Coughing with talking or singing |
| Trachea and bronchi |
| Acute tracheobronchitis |
Hyperreactivity of cough receptors, increased secretions |
The most common cause of acute self-limited cough |
| Pertussis |
Hyperirritability of cough receptors from necrotizing inflammation of respiratory tract mucosa |
Paroxysms of coughing ending in a loud, crowing, inspiratory sound (whoop); expectoration of mucus plug |
| Chronic bronchitis |
Hypersecretion, ciliary dysfunction |
Chronic productive cough of smokers, worse upon arising in the morning |
| Bronchiectasis |
Hypersecretion, retained secretions |
Expectoration of large amounts of foul-smelling sputum, hemoptysis |
| Cystic fibrosis |
As in bronchiectasis, secretions more viscid |
Chronic cough since early childhood, progressive dyspnea, hemoptysis |
| Neoplasm |
Mechanical irritation of cough receptors by tumor, secretions, or secondary infection |
Change of pattern of cough in a longtime smoker, hemoptysis |
| Bronchial asthma |
Airway hyperreactivity, bronchospasm, increased secretions |
Recurrent or chronic cough with or without wheezing or dyspnea |
| Aspiration |
Irritation of cough receptors by aspirated material, secondary infection |
Nocturnal cough, frequent heartburn, swallowing disorder |
| Foreign body |
Mechanical stimulation of cough receptors, infectious complication |
History of foreign body aspiration (may be forgotten) |
| Inhalation of irritating gases or aerosols |
Chemical irritation of cough receptors |
Onset of cough immediately after exposure |
| Pulmonary parenchyma |
| Pneumonia |
Stimulation of peripheral cough receptors, increased secretions |
Initial dry cough usually followed by varying sputum production dependent on the cause; systemic symptoms of infection |
| Lung abscess |
As in pneumonia |
Sudden onset or increase in amount of purulent, often foul-smelling sputum |
| Tuberculosis and other chronic infections |
As in pneumonia |
Chronic, usually productive, cough; hemoptysis |
| Chronic infiltrative or fibrosing lung disease |
Irritation of peripheral receptors, distortion of airways |
Chronic dry cough, progressive dyspnea |
| Pulmonary edema (cardiac or noncardiac) |
Hypersecretion, airway hyperreactivity from congestion |
Acute cough with severe dyspnea, frothy and blood-tinged sputum |
| Esophagus |
| Swallowing disorders |
As in aspiration |
Frequent choking on food or drink |
| Esophageotracheal and esophageobronchial fistula |
Stimulation of cough by passage of swallowed liquid to airways |
Coughing upon swallowing liquids |
| Heart and blood vessels |
| Left-side heart failure |
As in pulmonary edema |
As in pulmonary edema, nocturnal cough |
| Aortic aneurysm, left atrial enlargement |
Compression of large airways |
Nonproductive cough |
| Pulmonary thromboembolism |
Largely unknown; irritation of peripheral or pleural cough receptors with infarct |
Acute cough, dyspnea, hemoptysis |
| Mediastinum |
| Mediastinal tumors |
Airway compression and deformation |
Nonproductive, “brassy” cough, sometimes related to body position |
| Pleura |
| Pleural effusion |
Irritation of pleural cough receptors, airway deformation with large effusion |
Dry cough, chest pain, dyspnea |
| External ear canal and tympanic membrane |
Stimulation of cough receptors by hair, cerumen, or foreign body |
Occasional cause of dry cough eliminated by removing the cause |
| No organic causes |
| Psychogenic cough |
Habit cough (respiratory tic) |
Dry cough, absent during sleep |
| Intentional cough |
Deliberate cough for attention seeking or other personal gain |
Dry and noisy cough occurring only in presence of people |
| Drug-induced cough (angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors) |
Not known |
Dry, annoying, and often incessant cough, disappearing after stopping the drug |
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