Getting to the cause of that chronic cough

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (WPVI) -- A cough is supposed to protect the lungs and windpipe from irritants.

But coughs that go on and on can be annoying - or signs of bigger problems.

Chronic coughs can have many causes and many solutions, some of them unexpected.

Catherine Alloway has run libraries of all sizes, becoming a sought-after expert.

But a chronic cough often disrupts speeches or training sessions.

"I'd be timed for a presentation, and boom, the coughing would start just beforehand," Catherine recalls.

It disrupted her personal life, too.

There was no such thing as a quiet meal.

"Thirty to 60 minutes after I would eat, I would just start coughing," she says.

Catherine's cough is due to asthma from allergies and acid reflux.

But she couldn't get specialists for each working together till she went to Temple Health.

"Usually for those of us that have this, You go from one specialist to another, and they don't coordinate their notes, they don't coordinate the drugs," Catherine says.

Pulmonologist Dr. Sean Duffy says any cough lasting more than 8 weeks is considered chronic and deserves a look by a doctor.

Many are benign, such as post-virus coughs, which can last several months.

However, many patients go years with no clear diagnosis or solutions.

To get that diagnosis, he starts with the basics by investigating the cough's history.

"How long has it been going on? Is this the kind of cough that bothers you all day, all night, or is it something that bothers you only at night or only during the day? Or, you know, does it happen after you eat?" he says of the typical line of questioning.

"What kind of things are triggering their cough, and on top of that, what kind of things make their cough better?" he notes.

Dr. Duffy says asthma, reflux, post-nasal drip, and drugs like ACE inhibitors for blood pressure, cause the most coughs.

GERD, or reflux, can cause coughing, although coughing can also cause GERD.

"More often than not, we can find a cause," Dr. Duffy says with confidence.

It may take time to find the best treatment as patients and doctors step through the options.

And Catherine says don't be discouraged if they need changes over time.

"Thanks to the new medications that the docs put me on, the cough is gone. I feel like a new person. I feel 15 years younger.," she says with a smile.

He says many patients benefit from speech therapy.

"It doesn't get rid of the cough, but it can kind of help reduce the cough frequency, and give them a sense of control," he says.

Catherine says she also sleeps well because she's not waking up coughing.