Is Your Cough a Sign of Pneumonia?

Pneumonia occurs when germs like bacteria, viruses, or fungi infect your lungs.

Your immune system releases white blood cells to fight the infection, causing inflammation that can lead to symptoms like coughing and trouble breathing. 

A pneumonia cough is often deep and loud, and it may linger for several weeks after your other symptoms are gone.

A cough from pneumonia can feel and sound different from a cough you experience during a cold or other respiratory infection. It often starts as a mild cough, becoming stronger and more uncomfortable as the infection worsens.

A pneumonia cough may linger for several weeks after the infection clears because it may take time for your lungs to recover from inflammation and clear remaining mucus. After the infection heals, your airways and cough reflex can remain sensitive for weeks.

Common characteristics of a pneumonia cough include: 

• Deep or loud: Pneumonia often causes a cough to be louder and lower in tone than a regular cough. The sound may grow louder toward the end of each coughing spell.
• Wet or productive: Most pneumonia coughs produce phlegm (mucus), which can be yellow or green or contain small amounts of blood. Some types of pneumonia, like viral or walking pneumonia, may start with a dry, hacking cough that later becomes wet.
• Crackling sounds in your lungs: When you cough with pneumonia, you may hear “rales” or crackling sounds in your lungs. These sounds are caused by fluid buildup in the alveoli, the tiny air sacs in your lungs.
• Wheezing or whistling sounds: A high-pitched wheeze or whistling sound may occur when you breathe in or out. 
• Chest pain or discomfort: Frequent, forceful coughing can cause soreness in your chest or ribs. Lung inflammation can also make it painful to take a deep breath.
• Persistence: A pneumonia-related cough usually lasts about two weeks, even with treatment. For some people, it can linger for several weeks before it goes away completely.

Coughing is a natural reflex that helps protect your lungs and airways from irritants and germs. Your airways are lined with nerves that sense irritants and trigger the cough reflex to clear the airways. 

When germs like bacteria or viruses infect the lungs, they trigger an immune response that produces extra mucus to trap and remove these germs, causing pus and fluid buildup in the alveoli.

A pneumonia cough is your body’s way of clearing excess mucus, fluid, and germs from your lungs to help improve breathing.

Treating your cough involves resolving the infection while managing your symptoms.

A healthcare provider may prescribe different medications to clear the infection, depending on its cause:

• Bacterial pneumonia treatment: A healthcare provider may prescribe antibiotics to kill the bacteria that cause bacterial pneumonia. Most people feel better within three days of starting antibiotics. Even if you feel healthy, finishing the entire course of antibiotics is essential to ensure the infection does not return.
• Viral pneumonia treatment: Antiviral medications can help treat some cases of viral pneumonia.
• Fungal pneumonia treatment: Antifungal medications treat fungal pneumonia. Sometimes, healthcare providers prescribe antibiotics for fungal pneumonia, depending on the specific fungus causing the infection. 

In addition to following your treatment plan, at-home care strategies can help relieve symptoms and support recovery. These strategies may help: 

• Drink plenty of fluids, such as water or herbal tea, to thin out and loosen mucus and make it easier to cough up. 
• Rest as much as possible to support your body as it heals. Pneumonia often causes fatigue, so it’s important not to push yourself too hard. Try to listen to your body and rest when needed. 
• To relieve body aches, take over-the-counter (OTC) pain relievers, such as Tylenol (acetaminophen) or Advil (ibuprofen).
• Soak in a warm bath or take a steamy shower to open up your airways and make breathing easier.
• Avoid cigarette smoke and other airway irritants that can make coughing worse.
• Don’t take cough suppressant medications unless your healthcare provider recommends it. A cough helps clear your lungs of mucus, and suppressing a cough can delay healing from pneumonia. 

If your pneumonia symptoms are severe, you may need treatment at a hospital. While there, you may receive medications or fluids through a vein in your arm. Oxygen therapy may help increase oxygen levels in your blood if you’re having trouble breathing.

Untreated pneumonia can lead to serious health problems. Older adults, young children, and people with weakened immune systems or chronic conditions like diabetes are more likely to develop complications from pneumonia.

Possible complications include:

• Lung abscess: This is a pocket of pus that can form in or around the lung tissue.
• Respiratory failure: This serious condition occurs when your lungs can’t get enough oxygen or effectively remove carbon dioxide from your body. Breathing with respiratory failure may require a ventilator (a machine that helps you breathe). 
• Sepsis: This life-threatening reaction to an infection causes widespread inflammation throughout the body and can lead to organ failure. 
• Pleural effusion: Pleural effusion occurs as a complication of bacterial pneumonia when fluid builds up between the lungs and chest wall. It causes chest pain, rapid breathing, and shortness of breath.

Pneumonia is a lung infection that causes a deep, persistent cough that helps your body clear mucus and irritants from your lungs and airways.

Treatment for a pneumonia-related cough depends on the underlying cause of your pneumonia. Home care, including rest and hydration, can support your body’s healing process.

Even with treatment, a pneumonia cough can linger for several weeks. Talk to a healthcare provider if your cough doesn’t improve or worsens.