People often tend to be dismissive of– and even underestimate– the occurrence of a cough. While most of the time coughs tend to be mild and just an after-effect of the common cold, they can sometimes get pretty severe and serve as a sign of a greater complication. It could be due to the flu, bad weather, viruses, or even allergies. But sometimes this cough can take a severe turn and become more painful or persistent, going on for several weeks and that is when you have to worry. In this blog, let's take a look at what exactly causes coughs, mild or severe, and determine when it is necessary to visit urgent care.

For same-day cough treatment, visit the walk-in clinic at AFC Urgent Care West Orange. Our medical team is here 7 days a week to diagnose and treat your cough. Just walk-in today!

What Causes a Cough?

A cough is usually the body’s response to irritation to the nasal and oral cavity either due to inhaling these irritants or backflow of mucus. Some causes of cough can include:

• Bronchitis
• Pneumonia
• Common Cold
• Strep Throat
• Postnasal Drip
• Influenza
• COVID-19
• Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)
• Whooping Cough
• Inhaling allergens like mold and pollen

Any of these is reason enough for you to consider visiting urgent care but there are some situations in which you must visit urgent care as soon as possible to get immediate treatment.

Reasons to Visit Urgent Care

1. Lingering or Post-Infectious Cough

If it has been more than three to four weeks and your cough does not seem subsiding then it is time to visit urgent care. Situations in which cough lingers are called post-viral coughs and they are usually a result of inflammation or post-nasal drip caused by illnesses such as pneumonia and severe flu which irritate the cough receptors and make them more sensitive. Consulting a doctor is the right thing to do when a cough persists, especially long after the reason for the infection is gone because it means there could be another infection or larger complication at hand. Meanwhile, you should also avoid using cough drops, as they offer only temporary relief, and using them continuously may suppress obvious signs of a respiratory condition.

2. Once You Start Coughing Up Thick Mucus or Blood

The presence of thick mucus in your cough sputum shows that the mucus has backflowed into the oral cavity due to postnasal drip and excess secretion of mucus. This excess secretion of thick mucus is the body’s defensive mechanism against infection as the thick mucus will help line the nasal cavity and capture any allergens or pathogens infiltrating the airway. In some more severe cases, either the mucus becomes tinged with blood or the affected person starts coughing out blood. More often than not this may be a sign of a detrimental infection or a minor abrasion in the throat or nose due to an injury or the inflammation of abuse of the nasal and chest cavity due to excessive and persistent sneezing and coughing.

3. Fatigue or Difficulty Breathing

If your coughing causes you fatigue, breathlessness, or difficulty breathing, it is not something to ignore and you should quickly visit your urgent care unit. Being constantly short of breath can be chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or COPD which can occur due to excessive blockage of the airways. It may also be a sign of viral infection and the obstruction of your pulmonary pathways will reduce the amount of oxygen flowing into your blood and brain, leading to fatigue.

4. Coughing With Chest Pain

You should also visit your urgent care whenever you start noticing chest pain while coughing. It is often a sign of pulmonary obstruction and abrasion to the lungs and oral cavity. It is dangerous to ignore symptoms like this.

Get Walk-In Cough Treatment at AFC Urgent Care West Orange

You can alleviate some coughs through the use of antibiotics, saline flush, resting, and drinking lemon or honey tea. Keeping healthy is all about being careful and you should make sure to treat all symptoms seriously. If you experience a lingering or worsening cough, come visit the walk-in clinic at AFC Urgent Care West Orange for a professional evaluation and treatment plan. Our center is open seven days a week and appointments are never required to be seen by a board-certified medical provider. Most major insurances are accepted and we offer affordable rates for our self-pay patients. For more information about our services, contact our team directly at (973) 669-5900.