A cough is the body's way of responding to something in the airways and trying to clear it. There are two main types:

Productive cough

A person suffering from a productive cough (also referred to as a chesty cough) will often feel like they are trying to bring something up, usually described as mucus or phlegm.

It is important to find out if the mucus or phlegm is greenish, yellow or brown in colour as this may mean that the customer has a bacterial infection. Anyone with a suspected bacterial infection should be referred to the pharmacist.

Non-productive cough

Someone with a non-productive cough (also known as a dry cough) will not normally bring up any phlegm or mucus. It often starts as a tickle in the back of the throat, which causes the person to cough. Dry coughs can be very irritating, especially at night, and can make sleeping difficult.

Sometimes mucus can run down the back of the nose into the throat, and this is called postnasal drip. The feeling of this liquid in the throat can be irritating and may also trigger a cough, which often gets worse at night.