Definition

By Mayo Clinic Staff

A cough is your body's way of responding when something irritates your throat or airways. An irritant stimulates nerves that send a message to your brain. The brain then tells muscles in your chest and stomach area to push air out of your lungs to force out the irritant.

A cough once in a while is common and healthy. A cough that lasts for several weeks or one that brings up discolored or bloody mucus may be a sign of a condition that needs medical attention.

At times, coughing can be very forceful. Strong coughing that lasts a long time can irritate the lungs and cause even more coughing. It also is very tiring and can cause sleeplessness, dizziness or fainting; headaches; leaking of urine; vomiting; and even broken ribs.

From Mayo Clinic to your inbox

Sign up for free and stay up to date on research advancements, health tips, current health topics, and expertise on managing health. Click here for an email preview.

We use the data you provide to deliver you the content you requested. To provide you with the most relevant and helpful information, we may combine your email and website data with other information we have about you. If you are a Mayo Clinic patient, we will only use your protected health information as outlined in our Notice of Privacy Practices. You may opt out of email communications at any time by clicking on the unsubscribe link in the email.

Dec. 11, 2024

See also

  1. Acute bronchitis: Is it contagious?
  2. Acute sinusitis
  3. Acute sinusitis: Do over-the-counter treatments help?
  4. Adenocarcinoma: How this type of cancer affects prognosis
  5. Adjuvant therapy for cancer
  6. Albuterol side effects
  7. Allergies
  8. Allergy medications: Know your options
  9. Allergy-proof your home
  10. Aneurysms
  11. Aortic aneurysm
  12. Aortic Aneurysms
  13. Asbestosis
  14. Ascariasis
  15. Asthma attack
  16. Asthma: Colds and flu
  17. Atelectasis
  18. Atypical cells: Are they cancer?
  19. Barrett's esophagus
  20. Barrett's Study Results
  21. Bile reflux
  22. Biopsy procedures
  23. Bird flu (avian influenza)
  24. Blood tests for heart disease
  25. Aortic surgery: What patients need to know — Mayo Clinic
  26. Treating Pericarditis
  27. Video: Valve-sparing aortic root replacement
  28. Bronchitis
  29. COVID-19 and vitamin D
  30. Can vitamins help prevent a heart attack?
  31. Cancer
  32. Cancer
  33. Cancer blood tests
  34. Myths about cancer causes
  35. Infographic: Cancer Clinical Trials Offer Many Benefits
  36. Cancer diagnosis: 11 tips for coping
  37. Cancer-related fatigue
  38. Cancer pain: Relief is possible
  39. Cancer risk: What the numbers mean
  40. Cancer surgery
  41. Cancer survival rate
  42. Cancer survivors: Care for your body after treatment
  43. Cancer survivors: Late effects of cancer treatment
  44. Cancer survivors: Managing your emotions after cancer treatment
  45. Cancer treatment myths
  46. Cardiac asthma: What causes it?
  47. Castleman disease
  48. Chelation therapy for heart disease: Does it work?
  49. Chemotherapy side effects: A cause of heart disease?
  50. COPD
  51. Chronic sinusitis
  52. Churg-Strauss syndrome
  53. Cold and flu viruses: How long can they live outside the body?
  54. Cold or allergy: Which is it?
  55. Cold remedies
  56. Cold symptoms: Does drinking milk increase phlegm?
  57. Common cold
  58. Common cold in babies
  59. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)
  60. COVID-19: How can I protect myself?
  61. Herd immunity and coronavirus
  62. COVID-19 and pets
  63. COVID-19 and your mental health
  64. COVID-19, cold, allergies and the flu
  65. COVID-19 drugs: Are there any that work?
  66. COVID-19 in babies and children
  67. Coronavirus infection by race
  68. COVID-19 travel advice
  69. COVID-19 vaccines for kids: What you need to know
  70. COVID-19 vaccines
  71. COVID-19 variant
  72. COVID-19 vs. flu: Similarities and differences
  73. COVID-19: Who's at higher risk of serious symptoms?
  74. Croup
  75. Curcumin: Can it slow cancer growth?
  76. Daily aspirin therapy
  77. Debunking coronavirus myths
  78. Cancer-related diarrhea
  79. Different COVID-19 vaccines
  80. Dilated cardiomyopathy
  81. Dust mite allergy
  82. Dysphagia
  83. Early HIV symptoms: What are they?
  84. Eating during cancer treatment: Tips to make food tastier
  85. Egg allergy
  86. Ehrlichiosis and anaplasmosis
  87. Enlarged heart
  88. Esophageal cancer
  89. Esophageal Cancer
  90. Esophagitis
  91. Fasting diet: Can it improve my heart health?
  92. Fight coronavirus (COVID-19) transmission at home
  93. Flu masks
  94. Flu shots
  95. Flu shots and heart disease
  96. Flu: When to see a doctor?
  97. Flu vaccine: Safe for people with egg allergy?
  98. Football Spinal Cord Injury - The Chris Norton Story
  99. Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
  100. GERD: Can certain medications make it worse?
  101. Goiter
  102. Granulomatosis with polyangiitis
  103. Grass-fed beef
  104. Group B strep disease
  105. H1N1 flu (swine flu)
  106. Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome
  107. Healthy Heart for Life!
  108. Heart and Blood Health
  109. Heart cancer: Is there such a thing?
  110. Heart disease
  111. Heart disease in women: Understand symptoms and risk factors
  112. Heart failure
  113. Heart failure and sex: Is it safe?
  114. Heart-healthy diet: 8 steps to prevent heart disease
  115. Heart murmurs
  116. Heartburn medicines and B-12 deficiency
  117. High-dose flu vaccines: How are they different from other flu vaccines?
  118. High-dose vitamin C: Can it kill cancer cells?
  119. Histoplasmosis
  120. HIV/AIDS
  121. Hodgkin lymphoma (Hodgkin disease)
  122. Hodgkin's vs. non-Hodgkin's lymphoma: What's the difference?
  123. Holiday Heart
  124. Honey: An effective cough remedy?
  125. How do COVID-19 antibody tests differ from diagnostic tests?
  126. How well do face masks protect against COVID-19?
  127. Humidifiers
  128. Influenza (flu)
  129. Interstitial lung disease
  130. Is hydroxychloroquine a treatment for COVID-19?
  131. Laryngitis
  132. What causes laryngospasm?
  133. Legionnaires' disease
  134. Long-term effects of COVID-19
  135. Low blood counts
  136. Lung cancer
  137. Infographic: Lung Cancer
  138. Lung Cancer
  139. Lung nodules: Can they be cancerous?
  140. Mayo Clinic Minute: You're washing your hands all wrong
  141. Mayo Clinic Minute: How dirty are common surfaces?
  142. Mayo Clinic Minute: What is an aneurysm?
  143. Mayo Clinic Minute: Why getting vaccinated for the flu is doubly important this season
  144. Measles
  145. Measles vaccine: Can I get the measles if I've already been vaccinated?
  146. Menus for heart-healthy eating
  147. Mesothelioma
  148. Milk allergy
  149. Mitral valve stenosis
  150. Monoclonal antibody drugs
  151. Mort Crim and Cancer
  152. Mouth sores caused by cancer treatment: How to cope
  153. Nasal Cleaning
  154. Neti pot: Can it clear my nose?
  155. No appetite? How to get nutrition during cancer treatment
  156. Nonallergic rhinitis
  157. Non-Hodgkin lymphoma
  158. Nuts and your heart: Eating nuts for heart health
  159. He's the bravest kid I've ever seen
  160. Omega-3 in fish
  161. Omega-6 fatty acids
  162. Opera Star's Surgery
  163. Pectus excavatum
  164. Pectus excavatum
  165. Pericardial effusion
  166. Pericarditis
  167. Pet allergy
  168. Pleurisy
  169. Plugged ears: What is the remedy?
  170. Pneumonia
  171. Pneumonitis
  172. Polypill: Does it treat heart disease?
  173. Pregnancy and COVID-19
  174. Pulmonary edema
  175. Pulmonary embolism
  176. Pulmonary fibrosis
  177. Recurrent breast cancer
  178. Red wine, antioxidants and resveratrol
  179. Researchers Develop New Stents for Complex Aortic Aneurysms
  180. Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)
  181. Roseola
  182. Safe outdoor activities during the COVID-19 pandemic
  183. Safety tips for attending school during COVID-19
  184. Sarcoidosis
  185. Self-care for the flu
  186. Self-Image During Cancer
  187. Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)
  188. Sex and COVID-19
  189. Sinus headaches
  190. Sinus infection and toothache: Any connection?
  191. Sjogren's syndrome
  192. Small cell, large cell cancer: What this means
  193. Spinal cord injury
  194. Stevens-Johnson syndrome
  195. Heart disease prevention
  196. Super Survivor Conquers Cancer
  197. Thoracic aortic aneurysm
  198. Throat cancer
  199. Treating COVID-19 at home
  200. Tuberculosis
  201. Tuberous sclerosis
  202. Tumor vs. cyst: What's the difference?
  203. Unusual symptoms of coronavirus
  204. Valley fever
  205. Vascular rings
  206. Vicks VapoRub: An effective nasal decongestant?
  207. Asthma attack video
  208. Cryotherapy
  209. Video: Heart and circulatory system
  210. How cancer spreads
  211. PICC line placement
  212. Radiofrequency ablation
  213. Walking pneumonia
  214. Warm-mist versus cool-mist humidifier: Which is better for a cold?
  215. Heart failure action plan
  216. What's the difference between H1N1 flu and influenza A?
  217. When cancer returns: How to cope with cancer recurrence
  218. Whipple's disease
  219. Whooping cough
  220. Whooping cough
  221. Zenker's diverticulum
  222. Zenker's diverticulum
  223. Do zinc supplements shorten colds?