HELP FATHER

Is there a need to see a doctor about your cough or just wait for it to go away.
Most of winter coughs are caused by viral infection of the upper air ways and go within three weeks. If the cough lasts longer then it is suspicious.
When coughs are accompanied by breathlessness then it should ring an alarm. Viral coughs do not generally cause breathlessness, so it could be a more serious infection, asthma or heart problem.
When you cough up phlegm it is a part of normal recovery from a virus and in itself does not mean antibiotics are required. But blood stained phlegm or yellow green phlegm accompanied by a temperature warrant further investigation.
Night time coughing is often a key feature of asthma or it may be a sign of heart failure.
Babies and young children can be quite ill without an obviously troublesome cough. Their rate of breathing is a better measure: if your child has a cough and is breathing faster than normal, then there is a need to see a doctor.
Coughing makes us tired and is a big disturbance to our colleagues. It is better to stay at home and take rest, when it is severe. It is better not to send children to school, when they are suffering from cough. As going out, and exposure to dust only worsens their condition.