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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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Suggest Treatment For Persistent Cough Post Pneumonia Recovery

I had pneumonia 9 months ago and my cough as not gone away, it comes and goes in severity, i have wheezing and tightness in my chest and shortness of breath. Why hasn t this gone away i completed my anti-biotics. And my doctor just told me to wait it out but i think 9 months is too long.
Mon, 19 Dec 2016
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Internal Medicine Specialist 's  Response
Hello
You are correct in being concerned. Nine months after completing antibiotics for pneumonia you should not be coughing. Are you on any medications that have a side effect of coughing?
How was your pneumonia diagnosed( clinically, by labs, or by X-ray) ? What type of pneumonia did you have? Did you get a follow up chest x ray to determine the pneumonia improved? The answers to these questions will help guide further treatment.
In a case such as this I would check a chest X-ray , then proceed with a CT of the chest. If these tests do not reveal any lung disease, I would recommend pulmonary function tests to rule out asthma or COPD which could cause a cough. Lastly, if all those tests are negative, would look into possible acid reflux as this is a commonly overlooked reason for a cough.
I hope you are able to find some answers to your symptoms.
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Suggest Treatment For Persistent Cough Post Pneumonia Recovery

Hello You are correct in being concerned. Nine months after completing antibiotics for pneumonia you should not be coughing. Are you on any medications that have a side effect of coughing? How was your pneumonia diagnosed( clinically, by labs, or by X-ray) ? What type of pneumonia did you have? Did you get a follow up chest x ray to determine the pneumonia improved? The answers to these questions will help guide further treatment. In a case such as this I would check a chest X-ray , then proceed with a CT of the chest. If these tests do not reveal any lung disease, I would recommend pulmonary function tests to rule out asthma or COPD which could cause a cough. Lastly, if all those tests are negative, would look into possible acid reflux as this is a commonly overlooked reason for a cough. I hope you are able to find some answers to your symptoms.