Your cough won't quit? You're not alone

If you don't have a dry, nagging cough right now, chances are you know someone who does.

Complaints about lingering coughs and long-lasting sinus congestion have been common at Dr. Alykhan Abdulla's Manotick family clinic in south Ottawa. 

Those symptoms signal the severity of strains of influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and COVID-19 that have been at high levels since the fall, Abdulla said.

"People come to me quite often and they say 'How come I've got this cough that goes on for so long?'" he said.

"These are all different manifestations of the virus affecting, damaging tissue in our nose, in our sinuses, in our throat."

Earl Brown, a virologist at the University of Ottawa, said few of us are likely to be spared given the high level of respiratory viruses in the community. 

"Those viruses jump down deeper into your [respiratory] tract," Brown said.

Lingering coughs come from the body clearing out the mucus that built up as your body was fighting off the virus, he said.

"All of that gunk has to be coughed out."

'Immunity deficit'

The health-care system is normally at higher risk from respiratory illness from December to February, according to Ottawa Public Health, but this high-risk season began at the end of August and hasn't let up.

Brown said some people, especially young children, may be facing "immunity deficit" because they managed to avoid respiratory infections while COVID-19 restriction were in place.

Essentially, their immune systems are out of practice or may even be experiencing their first infection. 

"We're going to have more infections among the population this year, partly because our immune systems haven't been stimulated by this group of infectious agents over the last three or four years," he said.

Brown suggests precautions such as masking and staying home may still be important for people who have weakened immune systems and those who are at risk of complications, such as the very young and the elderly.

Otherwise, he said these current infections are just the price we pay to prepare our bodies for the next cold and flu season. 

Treating the symptoms

If you're already dealing with a persistent cough, Abdulla suggests speaking to a pharmacist.

"There's all kinds of herbal remedies with honey and turmeric, but there are also various cough syrups," he said.

If symptoms worsen or include such complaints as chest pain, he suggests seeing a doctor or nurse practitioner.

"Some people … get to the point of actually using inhalers for asthma," Abdulla said.

"Not only do they have a cough, but they also have some wheezing and airway restriction."

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