Very Persistent Cough, I Don%E2%80%99t Smoke Or Drink, Had A

Posted on Fri, 1 Mar 2019

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Fri, 1 Mar 2019 Answered on

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Question : very persistent cough, i don%E2%80%99t smoke or drink, had a heart attack 2 years ago but everything has checked out fine ever since. blood pressure is good, taking losartan-htcz, effiant, aspirin, carvedilol, and lipitor at night. i have seen my primary twice for the cough, first time i was prescribed robitussin with codiene, did not work, then switched to benzonatate, still did not eork. chest xray was normal, no fluid on my lungs but when i cough i can cough up clear phlegm. took claritan and pulmicort and seemed to help but now the cough is back again. help please, this cough is past the point of annoyance and my dr can seem to figure out whats wrong.

Answered by Dr. Drkaushal85 (1 hour later)

Brief Answer:
Get done PFT.

Detailed Answer:
Thanks for your question on Ask a doctor forum.
I can understand your concern.
In my opinion, you are mostly having bronchitis (inflammation of airways).
You are improving with Claritin and pulmicort.
This is suggestive of bronchitis.
So get done PFT (Pulmonary Function Test).
PFT will not only diagnose bronchitis but it will also tell you about severity of the disease and treatment is based on severity only.
You may need inhaled bronchodilators (formoterol or salmeterol) and inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) (budesonide or fluticasone).
Chest x ray is normal in bronchitis most of the time.
So get done PFT and start treatment accordingly.
Hope I have solved your query. I will be happy to help you further. Wish you good health. Thanks.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Vaishalee Punj