You have a relentless, hacking cough that just won’t go away, but you don’t think it’s anything serious. It could be because of the change of season or the recent cold snap that gripped many parts of the country; you must have picked up a bug somewhere. This is what you tell yourself – but you start feeling a bit worried when weeks later you’re still coughing.

When is a cough more than just a symptom of a cold or flu? When is it time to seek help? It’s normal for coughs caused by viruses or lung infections such as pneumonia to linger after the infection clears but the general rule is if you’re still coughing after eight weeks you have a chronic cough and need to see your doctor, who could refer you to a lung specialist.

Download the article You, 7 May 2015