Coughing and clearing your throat are often the first symptoms of a cold. But they can also indicate much more serious diseases.
Kassel – If you have a sore throat and you have to clear your throat and cough, it is often followed by a cold. These are typical symptoms of respiratory diseases. They can often be treated with home remedies and disappear following a few days. But coughing and clearing your throat can also indicate more serious diseases.
When you cough, air is expelled from the lungs, for example to get rid of foreign bodies and clear the airways MSD Manual. The types of cough are different. If it occurs under four weeks, it is referred to as an acute cough, and then as a chronic cough. A distinction is also made between dry cough and productive cough. In the latter, sputum is formed when coughing. The two types of cough can be symptoms of different diseases, such as pneumonia.
| irritation of the respiratory tract | A cold |
| Inflammation of the bronchi or trachea | Chronic bronchitis |
| laryngitis | lung infection |
| Cancer | |
| Those: lungenaerzte-im-netz.de |
Coughing and clearing your throat as a symptom: when to see a doctor
In some cases, coughing and clearing your throat should become dangerous and should be loud MSD Manual best examined by professionals:
- coughing up blood
- weight changes
- Persistent fever (over a week)
- People with pre-existing conditions such as HIV
If the cough is acute and there are no warning signs, you have to wait and see whether the cough goes away on its own. An additional stuffy nose and sore throat then indicate an infection of the upper respiratory tract, which usually goes away on its own.
Coughing and clearing your throat can be symptoms of thyroid problems
Pain in the throat, as well as clearing the throat and coughing, can indicate a problem with the thyroid gland. The pain is often not correctly localized and is mistaken for other inflammations such as the nose or throat mucosa, reports the German Professional Association of Ear, Nose and Throat Physicians eV on the website hno-aerzte-im-netz.de.
The difference is therefore noticed at the latest when the symptoms do not improve following a few days. More than every third German over 50 suffers from an enlarged thyroid, for example, reports the pharmacy magazine. Because the thyroid is in the throat, it can present with symptoms similar to those of a cold. It is often caused by iodine deficiency.
It can usually be treated with iodine tablets. In the case of thyroiditis, the symptoms of coughing, clearing your throat and sore throat are often accompanied by weight changes, hot flashes and nervousness. The reason for this is disturbed hormone production, which is impaired by the inflammation. The inflammation is usually treated with antibiotics. (kiba)