Persistent Cough
A cough lasting over 8 weeks deserves a proper diagnosis — not another antibiotic.
A cough that has lasted more than eight weeks is called chronic cough. It rarely has one single cause — most patients have two or three contributing factors that, when treated together, finally settle the cough.
Our structured approach has resolved cough in patients who had been on repeated antibiotics for months.
Symptoms we look out for
- Dry cough that worsens at night or with cold air
- Cough with throat clearing or post-nasal drip
- Cough with heartburn, sour taste or hoarseness
- Cough with wheeze, breathlessness or sputum changes
Diagnostics we offer
Chest X-ray review
First step — rules out infection, mass or interstitial change. Bring your X-ray to the consult.
Pulmonary Function Test (PFT)
Identifies cough-variant asthma and small-airway disease — common missed causes.
Bronchoscopy
Reserved for unexplained cough with abnormal imaging or red-flag features.
Our treatment approach
- Treat the dominant cause(s): asthma, GERD, post-nasal drip or ACE-inhibitor cough
- Trial of inhaled corticosteroid for cough-variant asthma when PFT supports it
- Proton-pump inhibitor + lifestyle measures for reflux-driven cough
- Speech and breathing therapy for refractory chronic cough
Common questions
Why have antibiotics not helped my cough?
Most chronic coughs are not bacterial — they are inflammatory (asthma), reflux-driven or post-nasal drip. Antibiotics don't address the actual mechanism.
Do I need a CT scan?
Not always. A normal chest X-ray and a good clinical evaluation cover most cases. CT is reserved for red-flag features.
Get a clear plan for your persistent cough
Book a consultation with Dr. Arun Gangadhar at our RS Puram clinic.