[Coughing].

Coughing may impair the quality of life, for instance by interfering with sleep or social interactions. Acute cough is almost invariably caused by a viral respiratory tract infection and seldom warrants medical consultation or treatment. Red flags in cough (haemoptysis, high fever or severe illness) may be indicative of a life threatening underlying disease. Wet and dry cough often have the same aetiology, and a different approach is therefore not needed.