Acute and Subacute Cough.

Otolaryngol Clin North Am 2026 May 27. [Online ahead of print]OC

Cough is one of the most common reasons for health care visits. This article seeks to illustrate the classification, appropriate workup, and management of acute and subacute cough. It highlights etiologies such as bronchitis, pneumonia, and exacerbation of heart failure and asthma. There is an emphasis placed on potentially life-threatening pathologies associated with cough and how to appropriate triage cough severity in an emergency setting. The pathophysiology of cough and how it may lead to severe barotraumatic complications such as pneumothorax and Mallory Weiss tears is discussed.