Definition of "continuous cough"

[BadCatDirtyCat]

Does anyone have a link for an official definition? I've coughed a few times this morning and last night but finding it really hard to figure out if I'm being paranoid or not (mainly cough when I start to think about coughing ). A definition of "X coughs an hour" or whatever would be really helpful..

[RoseLalique]

I’m confused too. I have a cough which seems to have flared up today. Must be coughing every ten or fifteen minutes or so. I also have a mild sore throat and feel a bit fatigued and head swimmy. Temp of 36.6 so fine in that respect. Dd2 had a temperature last week but was fine after 24 hours (no cough). I’m half hoping that I’ve got it as it’s very mild for me if so, but I’m sure if/when I DO get it I’ll be laughing at this - it sounds hideous!

I think if it carries on over weekend I’ll work from home next week. Have decided not to go to supermarket or do anything public this weekend and see how I feel Monday.

[IsolationMum]

@RoseLalique you need to isolate for 7 days, regardless of whether you feel better.

[Minesabecks]

Quite

[RoseLalique]

Ok I will - it’s easy enough for me to do so. Does seem a bit dramatic though and I’ll feel like a twit if I actually do get it!!

[dolorsit]

Rose, you are not being dramatic - the idea is to be overly cautious. You may not have covid 19 but it is hard to tell the difference when a person first starts coughing.

[crazydiamond222]

I am confused also. I have a non verbal son who coughs occasionally, once every 2 hours. Should I isolate him?

[Zoda8]

Thanks for the question Cat- Googling around this is the only place I can find discussing it. I think it’s very relevant as the workforce doesn’t need to grind to a halt for non continuous coughs. Until I can find guidance I am going to take continuous to mean you can still sleep without coughing, you wake up coughing but it keeps coming back - a noticeable repeating cough that is repeating a number of times in pretty much every hour of your waking time. Presumably your body trying to respond to lower respiratory tract infection as opposed to upper. No idea if this is right but it’s what I will work on until someone explains.

[BeetrootBasil]

Also confused here. I have felt tired for about a week. Occasional aches. Sometimes wheezier. To clarify I never feel like this. Today I coughed and feel like I could cough more.

I have a respiratory condition so it is hard. I really could sleep all day but have to work.

[BeetrootBasil]

I saw a doctor on TV saying continuous meant lasting more than half a day.

[joek1234]

for what it's worth, spoke to a NHS nurse, who advised that a 'continuous' cough is one that happens every few seconds, not at longer intervals (say 30'), even if throughout the day.

[Zoda8]

Beetroot Basil I have come across two different words - persistent and continuous. The word that seems to relate to how long you have had the cough for altogether seems to be ‘persistent’. ‘Continuous seems to relate to the frequency of the cough only, so you could have a continuous cough that only started this morning, or a persistent but occasional cough that you haven’t got rid of for weeks. As I understand it the tell tale sign is the frequency of coughing, not how long you have had it for. Could your doctor have been referring to ‘persistent’ rather than ‘continuous’?

[cjt110]

I have a dry throat, dry nose and sore ears inside. I keep coughing on and off and it's definitely worse today than yesterday.

I suspect it is a cold because of the ears... would you self isolate?

Daft as it sounds, I am scared what my employers would say

[cjt110]

Our work guided self assessment says:

Do you have?
 Fever (greater than 38°C/100.4°F) with or without cough or congestion.
 Signs and symptoms of respiratory or flu-like illness for 14 days following departure from the area or contact with an infected person.
We are directing you to seek medical attention and remain off the Company’s site. You may return to the site within the 14-day period when you have been symptom free for at least 24 hours and you have been cleared by your doctor to return to work or normal activities.
If, on the basis of this self-assessment, it is not

So on that basis, should I be here?

[FNuts]

NEW Continuous cough, defined as more than 7 coughs in an hour.

[FNuts]

And NEW being not having had a cough prior to now. If you have a cough as part of a pre-existing illness, is it more frequent.

[Borderscotch]

Fnuts where did you get that from?

[BadCatDirtyCat]

@FNuts also interested in where you got that definition from.

[FNuts]

That's the advice in my department at hospital

[Wilfer123]

Just checked with 111 what is classed as a recurrent cough as my 2yo has a cough every other week as a lot of pre schoolers do and it is defined as continuous coughing that last at least an hour at least 3 times per day.

[SR1234]

I can confirm what wilfer123 said, 111 gave me the same definition. Now what coughing continuously for 1 hour is, is another question, but I suspect some common sense can be applied here. They also confirmed it was a dry cough.