It is quite possible that a dry cough or tickle in your throat could be allergies.
The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI) says that cough can be a symptom of allergic rhinitis. While we think of a runny nose, itchy eyes and sneezing as the classic signs of a seasonal allergy, the reality is that many people can have a host of other symptoms and rarely if ever sneeze. (My son falls in this category.)
A shorter-term dry cough is not likely allergies. This kind of cough can remain after your body has fought off an upper respiratory virus. This condition is called Post Viral Cough. Unfortunately, this type of cough is very resistant to treatment, even with prescription medications.
Another possibility is that coughing may actually be triggered not from your lungs, but from your sinuses. Post nasal drip is the culprt: as small amounts of mucus hit the back of your throat, they cause an irritation. Post nasal drip can be the result of either allergies or a cold – which is why we can often mistake one for the other. It can also be a sign of sinusitis – a much more serious sinus condition that usually indicates an underlying infection.
Coughing at night after going to sleep is almost always abnormal. If you have this kind of coughing, you should consult with a doctor or health professional. However, even this does not guarantee that you have allergies – other conditions can cause this type of cough.
Prolonged cough, persisting for 6 to 8 weeks, also means a visit with a health professional. In most cases, prolonged dry cough will turn out to be either sinusitis or allergies or both.
Here are the key points:
- If you have a simple daytime cough following a cold that resolves in a couple of weeks, you have nothing to worry about. Treat it at home.
- If you have night-time coughing that disturbs or prevents sleep and it lasts longer than 2-3 weeks or remains after a cold has gone, you should see someone about it.
- If you have persistent cough that doesn’t disturb sleep but has hung around for more than 6-8 weeks, the trick is to find and eliminate the underlying cause. This means finding out whether the you have one of a number of triggers – asthma, GERD, rhinitis or sinusitis. In other words, it’s another indicator for a trip to your doctor or health care professional.
Source: AAAAI
