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Age (very important) (different diagnoses should be considered with different age
groups)
In adults:
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Duration
o Acute cough: less than 3 weeks
o Subacute cough: 3-8 weeks
o Chronic cough: more than 8 weeks
Dry or productive
o If productive, ask about the sputum: amount (when is the amount largest),
color, consistency, odor, blood, etc.
Exacerbating and relieving factors
Associated symptoms, e.g., constitutional symptoms such as fever, chills, weight loss,
loss of appetite, sweating, etc.; chest pain, dyspnea, etc.
Severity of cough:
o Does it awake the patient from sleep? (in which case it’s severe and cant be left
alone)