Call Your Doctor About a Cough When ... .

Thursday, October 31, 2002

ROCHESTER, Minn. — How do you know when an ongoing cough warrants a visit to the doctor? The November issue of Mayo Clinic Health Letter offers these reasons to check out a nagging cough:

* You have a known risk of lung disease, such as previous lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or are a past or current smoker.

* The cough lasts four to six weeks. Possible causes could be undiagnosed asthma, backup of stomach acid into the esophagus or even side effects of certain medications.

* The cough is accompanied by a fever or shortness of breath. (See a doctor promptly.)

* A change in sputum color. Blood-tinged sputum warrants urgent medical care, especially if you have chest pain. Yellowish or greenish sputum suggests a bacterial infection and requires a doctor's care.

Carol Lammers
507-284-5005 (days)
507-284-2511 (evenings)
e-mail: newsbureau@mayo.edu

Mayo Clinic Health Letter is an eight-page, monthly newsletter of reliable, accurate and practical information on today's health and medical news. To subscribe, please call toll-free 800-333-9037, extension 9PR1.

###

To obtain the latest news releases from Mayo Clinic, go to www.mayoclinic.org/news. MayoClinic.com is available as a resource for your health stories.