If you or your child has a persistent cough, consider going to your nearby urgent care center. The occasional cough represents nothing serious: however, when a cough remains unresolved and is accompanied by other symptoms, see your urgent care team for prompt diagnosis and treatment. Here’s some more information for you to make an informed decision:
Causes of Coughs
A wide range of health and environmental conditions can cause a bothersome cough. It may come from the common cold or a flare-up of allergies and asthma. However, something more serious may be happening.
Examples of a more concerning cough include:
- Influenza
- Bronchitis or pneumonia
- Irritants, such as cigarette smoke
- Sinusitis
- GERD, or acid reflux disease
- Croup
- COPD
- Heart failure
- Lung cancer
- TB
- Pulmonary emboli
Everyday Cough Treatments
Frankly, you should be concerned if a cough persists for a week or more and if common cough and cold interventions don’t work. These interventions include:
- Adequate hydration and humidification
- Use of cough lozenges or candies
- Being in a smoke-free environment
- Drinking tea or tea with honey
If you are treating a child’s cough, avoid over-the-counter cough and cold medicines if your youngster is under the age of 6. Also, do not administer raw honey to infants and toddlers because of the risk of botulism, or food poisoning.
When To Visit Your Urgent Care Center for a Cough
Your urgent care center team helps people of all ages, including children, get the medical evaluation and treatments they need for high-priority conditions which are not life-threatening emergencies. We also assess and treat problems during those off hours when your PCP or pediatrician’s office is closed–evenings, weekends, and holidays.
For a specific symptom, such as a cough, always consider the age of the patient. An ongoing cough in an infant, senior, or person who has frail health is more concerning than a cough in a young adult who is healthy.
That being said, come to your urgent care center in Fairless Hills if you cough:
- Lasts more than a week
- Disrupts sleep
- Is accompanied by a fever higher than 100 degrees Fahrenheit
- Causes shortness of breath
- Is accompanied by wheezing
- Brings up thick, green mucus
- Causes dizziness, weakness, or fainting
- Is accompanied by excessive sweating
Your urgent care physician will evaluate your cough with a stethoscope and chest X-ray (as needed). Your doctor will check accompanying symptoms and review your medical history, checking for chronic upper and lower respiratory conditions, such as sinusitis or asthma.
Many acute respiratory problems, such as the common cold, cause coughs and eventually resolve with ordinary at-home interventions. However, your urgent care doctor may spot more serious illnesses and conditions, stabilize them, and refer you for treatment with an allergist or other respiratory specialist if necessary.
Patient Care Now Urgent Care in Fairless Hills
When you need excellent care for upper and lower respiratory symptoms, including a cough, you can trust the expertise of our four board-certified emergency care physicians. Drs. Kidwell, Ball, Ruocco, and Alban work with their support team to triage and evaluate all patients quickly and accurately. Plus, they are available when you need them.
Simply walk into our facility Monday through Friday, 8 am to 8 pm, or on weekends, 8 am to 6 pm. We’re even open on Christmas Day, 8 am to 2 pm because pressing medical problems do not take holidays.
For your convenience, our website features convenient online check-in. Call for more information about services available at Patient Care Now Urgent Care: (267) 202-6433.
