The science of coughing
Coughing is an important human defensive reflex - it keeps our airways clear - but there’s a big difference between a good cough and a bad cough
Published 25 November 2020
During COVID-19, many of us have reacted a little more sensitively to seeing someone cough - but coughing is a very important human defensive reflex.
A cough can help clear our respiratory system and keep our breathing unobstructed, and it actually accompanies more than 100 different conditions of the respiratory tract.
But about 10 per cent of the population globally experience chronic coughing – a cough that lasts longer than eight weeks in the absence of a respiratory tract infection. For some people, this can last for decades, with them coughing more than 200 times every hour of their waking lives.
Professor Stuart Mazzone is working to understand the neural networks or nerve circuits that are important for controlling coughing, and shine a light into the role of the brain and the cough.
Episode recorded: November 9, 2020.
Interviewer: Dr Andi Horvath.
Producer, audio engineer and editor: Chris Hatzis.
Co-producers: Silvi Vann-Wall and Dr Andi Horvath.
Banner image: Getty Images
Subscribe to Eavesdrop on Experts through iTunes.
