Cough
General information only. Anpheros does not diagnose and does not recommend treatment. Talk to a doctor or pharmacist about your situation. In an emergency, call 112 (or your local emergency number).
In short
Coughing is a reflex that keeps the throat and airways clear, helping the body heal or protect itself. Acute coughs begin suddenly, usually last no more than two to three weeks, and are most often associated with a cold, flu, or acute bronchitis. Chronic coughs last longer than two to three weeks and can be caused by chronic bronchitis, asthma, allergies, COPD, GERD, smoking, throat disorders such as croup, or some medicines. The cited sources also list whooping cough as a related topic associated with cough.
Source: MedlinePlus, National Library of Medicine. · Source: MedlinePlus, National Library of Medicine.
AI-generated summary of the sources cited on this page, checked automatically against them. Not reviewed by a clinician; not medical advice.
Codes
Description
Coughing is a reflex that keeps your throat and airways clear. Although it can be annoying, coughing helps your body heal or protect itself. Coughs can be either acute or chronic. Acute coughs begin suddenly and usually last no more than 2 to 3 weeks. Acute coughs are the kind you most often get with a cold, flu, or acute bronchitis. Chronic coughs last longer than 2 to 3 weeks. Causes of chronic cough include:
- Chronic bronchitis
- Asthma
- Allergies
- COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease)
- GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease)
- Smoking
- Throat disorders, such as croup in young children
- Some medicines
Water can help ease your cough - whether you drink it or add it to the air with a steamy shower or vaporizer. If you have a cold or the flu, antihistamines may work better than non-prescription cough medicines. Children under four should not have cough medicine. For children over four, use caution and read labels carefully.
Related terms in the cited sources
May be associated with
- Acute Bronchitis Condition
- Croup Condition
- Whooping Cough Condition
In alphabetical order.
Next to it in ICD-10
- R04.1Bleeding from the throat
- R04.2Coughing up blood
- R04.8Bleeding from other parts of the airways
- R06Breathing difficulty
- R06.0Shortness of breath
- R06.1Stridor (noisy, high-pitched breathing)
Neighbouring codes in the classification, not a medical link.
What people report
Not enough data yet. Anonymous counts appear here only for groups of at least 20 people who agreed to share them.
External resources
Questions
What is the ICD-10 code for Cough?
R05 (WHO, International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision).
What is the ICD-11 code for Cough?
MD12: Cough (WHO, ICD-11 for Mortality and Morbidity Statistics).
Sources and attribution
- Source: MedlinePlus, National Library of Medicine.
- ICD-10 codes and titles © World Health Organization. Source: WHO, International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision (2019).
- ICD-11 for Mortality and Morbidity Statistics, © World Health Organization, licensed under CC BY-ND 3.0 IGO.
- Names other than the official source titles: Anpheros translations and plain-language names, made with AI assistance and checked automatically; the source names are in English.
Anpheros Search catalog 2026.10.5, published 17 October 2026. About the data →
About this page. This page brings together public information from official sources, each cited where it is used. It is not medical advice, it is not a diagnosis, and it does not tell you which treatment to take.
Treatments. Indications are quoted unchanged from official product information (European Medicines Agency, U.S. Food and Drug Administration). They describe what a medicine is approved for, not whether it is right for you. Approved uses can differ between countries. Always read the package leaflet and follow your doctor's or pharmacist's advice.
What people report. Figures marked "reported by Anpheros users" are anonymous counts from at least 20 people who agreed to share them. They show what people report, not what works, and they are not clinical evidence.
Links between terms. "May be associated with" means the link appears in a cited source. It does not mean you have that condition.
In an emergency, call 112 (or your local emergency number). Do not delay seeking medical help because of something you read here.