What Is Smoker's Cough?

Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsSymptomsCausesDiagnosisTreatmentFrequently Asked Questions

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

Symptoms

Causes

Diagnosis

Treatment

Frequently Asked Questions

One study of young military recruits found that 40% of the 525 subjects who smoked regularly experienced a chronic cough with sputum production; only 12% of the 408 non-smoking participants did.Since a smoker’s cough is more common in long-term smokers, the percentage is likely much higher in older populations or those with a greater smoking history.

Overview of Lung Cancer

1:40Click Play to Learn All About Smoker’s Cough

1:40

Click Play to Learn All About Smoker’s Cough

Smoker’s Cough Symptoms

As with anytype of cough, a smoker’s cough is essentially a forceful pushing out of air to clear an irritant from the airways (thebronchiand bronchioles).

However, there are certain characteristics that can make smoker’s cough unique. A smoker’s cough may:

Complications

There are few complications associated with smoker’s cough itself. That said, repeated hard coughing can strain chest muscles and even lead tobroken ribs.

Women with a persistent smoker’s cough may leak urine due to pressure put on the bladder from coughing.

Cilia are tiny hair-like cells that line the airways. They catch toxins in inhaled air and move them toward the mouth to prevent them from reaching the lungs.

Certain chemicals in tobacco smoke, such asformaldehyde, paralyze these delicate structures and make them unable to capture toxins. As a result, the toxins are able to enter the lungs, where they settle and spur inflammation.

Because they are not being exposed to smoke while you sleep, cilia can begin to repair themselves (however briefly and to a limited extent). The work they do to catch and remove accumulated toxins at night means increased coughing to clear it all out once you wake.

Smoking’s affect on the airways means toxins and chemicals in cigarettes linger in the body. This gives them time to cause damage to sensitive lung tissue, including the DNA damage that can lead to lung cancer.

A smoker’s cough can be identified based on symptoms and a history of smoking. However, it’s virtually impossible to differentiate a smoker’s cough from alung cancer coughwith this information alone.

Certain signs and symptoms may prompt your healthcare provider to consider the possibility of lung cancer and explore testing that can help make (or rule out) this diagnosis. That said, sometimes a cough is the only symptom of the disease.

Hemotypsis(coughing up blood)is the strongest predictor of lung cancer, although only a fifth of people with this disease have this symptom.

Even a little blood is reason for an immediate evaluation. Coughing up a teaspoon or two of blood is considered a medical emergency because it can be breathed into your lungs.

Other symptoms that can indicate lung cancer include:

If you smoke/have smoked and have a chronic cough, it’s important to see your healthcare provider to be evaluated. Thereafter, bring any changes in your cough to their attention (e.g., it becomes more frequent, is uncomfortable, or starts to sound different).

A 2016 study found people who smoke are less likely than non-smokers to seek medical attention for what researchers describe as “alarm” symptoms of lung cancer. This includes cough and hoarseness.

Gender Differences in Lung Cancer

The best treatment for smoker’s cough is to quit smoking altogether. As you work toward that goal, you can use lifestyle strategies and, if necessary, medications to help improve your cough.

Verywell/Emily Roberts

how to ease a smoker’s cough

Quitting Smoking

There are many ways to quit smoking. If you’re struggling to quit, have a talk with your healthcare provider about support options, such as smoking cessation aids. These include nicotine replacement therapy and medications like Chantix (varenicline) or Zyban (buproprion).

Some who quit are alarmed that their smoker’s coughincreasesimmediately afterward. Known assmoking cessation cough, this is actually normal.

After quitting, cilia are given more opportunity than they ever had while you were smoking to repair themselves. Their increasing ability to remove foreign material from the throat, trachea, and airways means more coughing to remove it.

This worsening of smoker’s cough after quitting is temporary. Most can look forward to it beginning to diminish within three months of kicking the habit.

Easing Your Cough

The following strategies may help calm your cough and make it easier to cope with:

Talk to your healthcare provider before you use any cough suppressants. These medications are generally reserved for short-term use if your cough is causing significant discomfort or affecting your sleep.

Coughing has a function beyond clearing out whatever cigarettes or cigars have introduced to your airways. It also removes other materials in the environment that can get breathed in, such as household mold, exhaust from a wood stove or fireplace, or exposure to chemicals in the workplace.

Easing, rather than suppressing the cough reflex entirely, is recommended for this reason.

Can lungs be repaired after quitting smoking?

However, it is important to know that even if smoking is stopped, the risk of lung cancer can persist and remains higher than that of a non-smoker for a lifetime. This is particularly the case in former heavy smokers.

If what appears to be smoker’s cough turns out to be lung cancer, what are the survival rates?

A Word From Verywell

If you’re a smoker and you have a cough that persists—even if you believe it’s just a nagging smoker’s cough—talk to your healthcare provider. A persistent cough is one of the most common symptoms of lung cancer.

That said, certain people who smoke are advised to have a yearly low-dose computerized tomography (CT) scan of the lungs regardless of whether or not they have a chronic cough. This is the best way to detect lung cancer in the earliest possible stage, when it is most treatable.

Screening is recommended for those who:

In addition, some guidelines recommend screening only if a person is still smoking or has quit in the past 15 years, while others have no time limit.Talk with your healthcare provider about whether screening is the right choice for you.

14 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Hamari A, Toljamo T, Nieminen P, et al.High frequency of chronic cough and sputum production with lowered exercise capacity in young smokers.Ann Med. 2010;42(7):512-20. doi:10.3109/07853890.2010.505933Sano A, Tashiro K, Fukuda T.Cough-induced rib fractures.Asian Cardiovasc Thorac Ann. 2015;23(8):958-60. doi:10.1177/0218492315596893National Association for Continence.How smoking contributes to incontinence.Poulose V, Tiew PY, How CH.Approaching chronic cough.Singapore Med J. 2016;57(2):60-3. doi:10.11622/smedj.2016028Walter FM, Rubin G, Bankhead C, et al.Symptoms and other factors associated with time to diagnosis and stage of lung cancer: A prospective cohort study.Br J Cancer. 2015;112 Suppl 1:S6-13. doi:10.1038/bjc.2015.30Friedemann smith C, Whitaker KL, Winstanley K, et al.Smokers are less likely than non-smokers to seek help for a lung cancer ‘alarm’ symptom.Thorax. 2016;71(7):659-61. doi:10.1136/thoraxjnl-2015-208063Shadkam MN, Mozaffari-Khosravi H, Mozayan MR.A comparison of the effect of honey, dextromethorphan, and diphenhydramine on cough and sleep quality in children and their parents.J Altern Complement Med. 2010;16(7):787-93. doi:10.1089/acm.2009.0311.Elaissi A, Fouis Z, Ben Salem NA, et al.Chemical composition of 8 eucalyptus species' essential oils and the evaluation of their antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral activities.BMC Complement Altern Med. 2012;12:81. doi:10.1186/1472-6882-12-81Butler LM, Koh W-P, Lee H-P, Yu MC, London SJ.Dietary fiber and reduced cough with phlegm: A cohort study in Singapore.Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2004;170(3):279-287. doi:10.1164/rccm.200306-789OCAmerican Cancer Society.Health benefits of quitting smoking over time.Tindle HA, Stevenson Duncan M, Greevy RA, et al.Lifetime smoking history and risk of lung cancer: Results from the Framingham Heart Study.J Natl Cancer Inst. 2018;110(11):1201-7. doi:10.1093/jnci/djy041American Cancer Society.Lung cancer survival rates.U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.Screening for Lung Cancer: US Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation Statement.JAMA.2021;325(10):962–970. doi:10.1001/jama.2021.1117Wolf AMD, Oeffinger KC, Shih TY, et al.Screening for lung cancer: 2023 guideline update from the American Cancer Society.CA Cancer J Clin. 2023;10.3322/caac.21811. doi:10.3322/caac.21811Additional ReadingLiu Y, Pleasants RA, Croft JB, et al.Smoking duration, respiratory symptoms, and COPD in adults aged ≥45 years with a smoking history. IntJ Chron Obstruct Pulmon Dis. 2015 Jul 21;10:1409-16. doi:10.2147/COPD.S82259Sitkauskiene B, Dicpinigaitis PV.Effect of smoking on cough reflex sensitivity in humans.Lung.2010 Jan;188 Suppl 1:S29-32. doi:10.1007/s00408-009-9188-9Yamane T, Hattori N, Kitahara Y, et al.Productive cough is an independent risk factor for the “development of COPD in former smokers.Respirology. 2010 Feb;15(2):313-8. doi:10.1111/j.1440-1843.2009.01682.x

14 Sources

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Hamari A, Toljamo T, Nieminen P, et al.High frequency of chronic cough and sputum production with lowered exercise capacity in young smokers.Ann Med. 2010;42(7):512-20. doi:10.3109/07853890.2010.505933Sano A, Tashiro K, Fukuda T.Cough-induced rib fractures.Asian Cardiovasc Thorac Ann. 2015;23(8):958-60. doi:10.1177/0218492315596893National Association for Continence.How smoking contributes to incontinence.Poulose V, Tiew PY, How CH.Approaching chronic cough.Singapore Med J. 2016;57(2):60-3. doi:10.11622/smedj.2016028Walter FM, Rubin G, Bankhead C, et al.Symptoms and other factors associated with time to diagnosis and stage of lung cancer: A prospective cohort study.Br J Cancer. 2015;112 Suppl 1:S6-13. doi:10.1038/bjc.2015.30Friedemann smith C, Whitaker KL, Winstanley K, et al.Smokers are less likely than non-smokers to seek help for a lung cancer ‘alarm’ symptom.Thorax. 2016;71(7):659-61. doi:10.1136/thoraxjnl-2015-208063Shadkam MN, Mozaffari-Khosravi H, Mozayan MR.A comparison of the effect of honey, dextromethorphan, and diphenhydramine on cough and sleep quality in children and their parents.J Altern Complement Med. 2010;16(7):787-93. doi:10.1089/acm.2009.0311.Elaissi A, Fouis Z, Ben Salem NA, et al.Chemical composition of 8 eucalyptus species' essential oils and the evaluation of their antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral activities.BMC Complement Altern Med. 2012;12:81. doi:10.1186/1472-6882-12-81Butler LM, Koh W-P, Lee H-P, Yu MC, London SJ.Dietary fiber and reduced cough with phlegm: A cohort study in Singapore.Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2004;170(3):279-287. doi:10.1164/rccm.200306-789OCAmerican Cancer Society.Health benefits of quitting smoking over time.Tindle HA, Stevenson Duncan M, Greevy RA, et al.Lifetime smoking history and risk of lung cancer: Results from the Framingham Heart Study.J Natl Cancer Inst. 2018;110(11):1201-7. doi:10.1093/jnci/djy041American Cancer Society.Lung cancer survival rates.U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.Screening for Lung Cancer: US Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation Statement.JAMA.2021;325(10):962–970. doi:10.1001/jama.2021.1117Wolf AMD, Oeffinger KC, Shih TY, et al.Screening for lung cancer: 2023 guideline update from the American Cancer Society.CA Cancer J Clin. 2023;10.3322/caac.21811. doi:10.3322/caac.21811Additional ReadingLiu Y, Pleasants RA, Croft JB, et al.Smoking duration, respiratory symptoms, and COPD in adults aged ≥45 years with a smoking history. IntJ Chron Obstruct Pulmon Dis. 2015 Jul 21;10:1409-16. doi:10.2147/COPD.S82259Sitkauskiene B, Dicpinigaitis PV.Effect of smoking on cough reflex sensitivity in humans.Lung.2010 Jan;188 Suppl 1:S29-32. doi:10.1007/s00408-009-9188-9Yamane T, Hattori N, Kitahara Y, et al.Productive cough is an independent risk factor for the “development of COPD in former smokers.Respirology. 2010 Feb;15(2):313-8. doi:10.1111/j.1440-1843.2009.01682.x

Hamari A, Toljamo T, Nieminen P, et al.High frequency of chronic cough and sputum production with lowered exercise capacity in young smokers.Ann Med. 2010;42(7):512-20. doi:10.3109/07853890.2010.505933Sano A, Tashiro K, Fukuda T.Cough-induced rib fractures.Asian Cardiovasc Thorac Ann. 2015;23(8):958-60. doi:10.1177/0218492315596893National Association for Continence.How smoking contributes to incontinence.Poulose V, Tiew PY, How CH.Approaching chronic cough.Singapore Med J. 2016;57(2):60-3. doi:10.11622/smedj.2016028Walter FM, Rubin G, Bankhead C, et al.Symptoms and other factors associated with time to diagnosis and stage of lung cancer: A prospective cohort study.Br J Cancer. 2015;112 Suppl 1:S6-13. doi:10.1038/bjc.2015.30Friedemann smith C, Whitaker KL, Winstanley K, et al.Smokers are less likely than non-smokers to seek help for a lung cancer ‘alarm’ symptom.Thorax. 2016;71(7):659-61. doi:10.1136/thoraxjnl-2015-208063Shadkam MN, Mozaffari-Khosravi H, Mozayan MR.A comparison of the effect of honey, dextromethorphan, and diphenhydramine on cough and sleep quality in children and their parents.J Altern Complement Med. 2010;16(7):787-93. doi:10.1089/acm.2009.0311.Elaissi A, Fouis Z, Ben Salem NA, et al.Chemical composition of 8 eucalyptus species' essential oils and the evaluation of their antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral activities.BMC Complement Altern Med. 2012;12:81. doi:10.1186/1472-6882-12-81Butler LM, Koh W-P, Lee H-P, Yu MC, London SJ.Dietary fiber and reduced cough with phlegm: A cohort study in Singapore.Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2004;170(3):279-287. doi:10.1164/rccm.200306-789OCAmerican Cancer Society.Health benefits of quitting smoking over time.Tindle HA, Stevenson Duncan M, Greevy RA, et al.Lifetime smoking history and risk of lung cancer: Results from the Framingham Heart Study.J Natl Cancer Inst. 2018;110(11):1201-7. doi:10.1093/jnci/djy041American Cancer Society.Lung cancer survival rates.U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.Screening for Lung Cancer: US Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation Statement.JAMA.2021;325(10):962–970. doi:10.1001/jama.2021.1117Wolf AMD, Oeffinger KC, Shih TY, et al.Screening for lung cancer: 2023 guideline update from the American Cancer Society.CA Cancer J Clin. 2023;10.3322/caac.21811. doi:10.3322/caac.21811

Sano A, Tashiro K, Fukuda T.Cough-induced rib fractures.Asian Cardiovasc Thorac Ann. 2015;23(8):958-60. doi:10.1177/0218492315596893

National Association for Continence.How smoking contributes to incontinence.

Poulose V, Tiew PY, How CH.Approaching chronic cough.Singapore Med J. 2016;57(2):60-3. doi:10.11622/smedj.2016028

Walter FM, Rubin G, Bankhead C, et al.Symptoms and other factors associated with time to diagnosis and stage of lung cancer: A prospective cohort study.Br J Cancer. 2015;112 Suppl 1:S6-13. doi:10.1038/bjc.2015.30

Friedemann smith C, Whitaker KL, Winstanley K, et al.Smokers are less likely than non-smokers to seek help for a lung cancer ‘alarm’ symptom.Thorax. 2016;71(7):659-61. doi:10.1136/thoraxjnl-2015-208063

Shadkam MN, Mozaffari-Khosravi H, Mozayan MR.A comparison of the effect of honey, dextromethorphan, and diphenhydramine on cough and sleep quality in children and their parents.J Altern Complement Med. 2010;16(7):787-93. doi:10.1089/acm.2009.0311.

Elaissi A, Fouis Z, Ben Salem NA, et al.Chemical composition of 8 eucalyptus species' essential oils and the evaluation of their antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral activities.BMC Complement Altern Med. 2012;12:81. doi:10.1186/1472-6882-12-81

Butler LM, Koh W-P, Lee H-P, Yu MC, London SJ.Dietary fiber and reduced cough with phlegm: A cohort study in Singapore.Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2004;170(3):279-287. doi:10.1164/rccm.200306-789OC

American Cancer Society.Health benefits of quitting smoking over time.

Tindle HA, Stevenson Duncan M, Greevy RA, et al.Lifetime smoking history and risk of lung cancer: Results from the Framingham Heart Study.J Natl Cancer Inst. 2018;110(11):1201-7. doi:10.1093/jnci/djy041

American Cancer Society.Lung cancer survival rates.

U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.Screening for Lung Cancer: US Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation Statement.JAMA.2021;325(10):962–970. doi:10.1001/jama.2021.1117

Wolf AMD, Oeffinger KC, Shih TY, et al.Screening for lung cancer: 2023 guideline update from the American Cancer Society.CA Cancer J Clin. 2023;10.3322/caac.21811. doi:10.3322/caac.21811

Liu Y, Pleasants RA, Croft JB, et al.Smoking duration, respiratory symptoms, and COPD in adults aged ≥45 years with a smoking history. IntJ Chron Obstruct Pulmon Dis. 2015 Jul 21;10:1409-16. doi:10.2147/COPD.S82259Sitkauskiene B, Dicpinigaitis PV.Effect of smoking on cough reflex sensitivity in humans.Lung.2010 Jan;188 Suppl 1:S29-32. doi:10.1007/s00408-009-9188-9Yamane T, Hattori N, Kitahara Y, et al.Productive cough is an independent risk factor for the “development of COPD in former smokers.Respirology. 2010 Feb;15(2):313-8. doi:10.1111/j.1440-1843.2009.01682.x

Sitkauskiene B, Dicpinigaitis PV.Effect of smoking on cough reflex sensitivity in humans.Lung.2010 Jan;188 Suppl 1:S29-32. doi:10.1007/s00408-009-9188-9

Yamane T, Hattori N, Kitahara Y, et al.Productive cough is an independent risk factor for the “development of COPD in former smokers.Respirology. 2010 Feb;15(2):313-8. doi:10.1111/j.1440-1843.2009.01682.x

Meet Our Medical Expert Board

Share Feedback

Was this page helpful?Thanks for your feedback!What is your feedback?OtherHelpfulReport an ErrorSubmit

Was this page helpful?

Thanks for your feedback!

What is your feedback?OtherHelpfulReport an ErrorSubmit

What is your feedback?

Click Play to Learn All About Smoker’s Cough#

Smoker’s Cough Symptoms#

Complications#

Quitting Smoking#

Easing Your Cough#

Can lungs be repaired after quitting smoking?#

If what appears to be smoker’s cough turns out to be lung cancer, what are the survival rates?#

A Word From Verywell#