Cough: Four causes of a dry tickly cough - and how to treat it
DRY cough remedies include medicines from your pharmacy, and drinking hot lemon with honey. But, what’s actually causing your cough, and how can you treat the condition to prevent it from coming back?
- Viral infection could be causing your dry cough
- Allergies, including hay fever, may trigger the cough
- You could be at risk of the condition in highly polluted areas
- Acid reflux patients are more likely to develop a cough
Coughs will usually go away by themselves within three weeks, and there’s normally no reason to see a GP, according to the NHS.
If you have a cough, try speaking to your local pharmacist for advice on how to get rid of your cough.
Most coughs care caused by a lingering cold or flu virus.
But, what are the other causes of a dry cough? These are the most common reasons for your symptom.
Related articles
Dry cough remedies: Causes of tickly symptom include flu and acid reflux
Viral infections
Coughs may develop before, during or after a viral infection.
If you’re suffering cold or flu, you’re more likely to have a dry cough, according to natural health medicine manufacturer, A.Vogel.
“Viral infections we know as the common cold and flu,” it said.
“These coughs may occur at the start of the illness or more likely, appear towards the middle or the end of the infection, and may linger long after other symptoms have disappeared.”
Allergies
Hay fever, or other allergies, may be causing your cough.
“Hay fever - an allergy to grass and tree pollen - causes irritation to the eyes and nose and when the throat is affected, a cough results.
“Sensitivity to other particles such as animal fur, known as allergic rhinitis, can also lead to the same symptom.”
Air pollution
Pollutants in the air may be causing your dry cough.
Certain chemicals can irritate the back of the throat, which causes you to cough.
A similar reaction happens when a non-smoker enters a smoky room.
Acid reflux
If you suffer from acid reflux, you could more at risk of coughs.
“What happens is that the acidic contents of the stomach travels upwards to the back of the throat.
“Minute amounts of acid may then enter the upper respiratory tract, causing inflammation and coughing.”
Coughing is more likely when patients are lying down flat, it added.
