It’s possible to lower your risk for chronic cough.
The following steps may help:
- Quit smoking.
- Avoid close contact with people who have respiratory tract infections.
- Keep your hands clean, especially in autumn and winter, when flu and cold germs do the rounds.
- Keep your immune system healthy: follow a balanced diet, exercise most days of the week, and get 7 – 8 hours of sleep per night.
- Get your annual flu shot.
- Maintain good asthma control.
- Seek treatment for allergies and post-nasal drip.
- If you have tuberculosis (TB), it’s important to take your medication exactly as prescribed.
- Get treatment for acid reflux.
- Maintain a healthy weight.
- Avoid exposure to second-hand smoke and other irritants.
Reviewed by Professor Richard van Zyl-Smit, Head of the Lung Clinical Research Unit at the University of Cape Town. MBChB, MRCP(UK), Dip HIV(Man), MMED, FCP(SA), Cert Pulm(SA), PhD. February 2018.