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Symptoms

Cough due to cold or flu

When it comes to cold and [flu symptoms](https://www.vicks.co.uk/symptoms/flu), nothing is worse than having a bad cough. And while it’s easy to know when you’ve got one, you might be wondering: What is a cough exactly? A cough is a natural reflex your body produces to protect your lungs. Coughing helps clear your airways of lung irritants, which can help stave off infections.

Coughs are never any fun, but what you may not realize is that there are different types of coughs. A cough can either be dry (non-productive: one that does not produce mucus) or wet (productive: one that produces mucus), sometimes people refer to wet coughs as ‘chesty’.

It is not associated with excessive mucus and is likely the result of some irritation. Dry coughs can be treated with cough suppressants, like dextromethorphan.

It’s caused by excessive mucus in the lungs and airways, and you may have difficulty expectorating (coughing up) the mucus to clear the airway passages. Chesty coughs are sometimes treated with an expectorant called guaifenesin. This can help thin the mucus and make your cough more productive.

There are many things that could cause a cough. Typically, coughing occurs when the nerve endings in your airways become irritated. This could be due to a viral infection resulting in the cold or flu. When foreign invaders enter your airways, the body reflexively responds with a cough to clear your airways and protect your lungs.

![Vaporub](//images.ctfassets.net/lvahr7yfxlsw/12W0ah6AcrawBqSsn4MNc9/9589d9303a63122762ed5deef64826be/Vaporub.jpg)

A good [way to treat a cough](https://www.vicks.co.uk/treatments-and-tips/cough/how-to-treat-dry-cough-and-chesty-cough) is to first identify what type of cough you have. If your cough brings up phlegm, you likely have a wet (or chesty) cough. To treat a wet cough, you can use an over-the-counter medication that contains an expectorant to help thin mucus and make your cough more productive. If you have a dry cough (it doesn’t bring up phlegm), look for a product/medication to relieve you of your symptoms.

[<u>Vicks VapoRub</u>](https://www.vicks.co.uk/products/decongestants/vicks-vaporub-ointment) offers you fast acting relief of cough due to cold to help you get through the day or sleep better at night. Once applied, it continously releases vapours for up to 8 hours.

The length of your cough primarily depends on the causes of your cough. An acute cough (one that’s caused by the common cold or an upper respiratory infection) should normally clear up after 3 to 4 weeks.

__See a GP if:__
- • you've had a cough for more than 3 weeks (persistent cough)
- • your cough is very bad or quickly gets worse – for example, you have a hacking cough or cannot stop coughing
- • you feel very unwell
- • you have chest pain
- • you're losing weight for no reason the side of your neck feels swollen and painful (swollen glands)
- • you find it hard to breathe 
- • you have a weakened immune system – for example, because of chemotherapy or diabetes.

<br>See a GP urgently if you're coughing up blood.

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