Most coughs do not require medical treatment and can be treated with lifestyle or at-home remedies like lozenges, cough drops, gargling with salt water, or taking a hot and steamy bath or shower. However, in some cases, a cough does require medical care at an urgent care or primary care clinic. In such cases, your doctor will likely perform testing to determine the cause of the cough. Some possible tests could include: - Bronchoscopy - Chest X-ray - Computerized tomography (CT) scans - Lung function tests, such as spirometry - Rhinoscopy The testing that your doctor recommends and orders will depend on the severity of your cough, your age, and the success of previous tests to determine the cause. Some common causes of coughs include: - Acid reflux or gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), which is the chronic form of acid reflux - Allergic rhinitis - Bacterial, fungal, or viral infections - Pneumonia - Sinus infections - Smoking - Taking certain medications, such as angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors - Various lung conditions, such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), interstitial lung disease, or lung cancer - Whooping cough (pertussis) Depending on what the testing reveals, some possible options for treating a cough include the following: - Acid blocking medications for coughs caused by acid reflux - Antibiotics for bacterial infections in the lungs or upper airways - Antihistamines, corticosteroids, and decongestants for allergies or postnasal drip - Cough suppressants for symptom relief - Inhaled asthma medications for asthma-related coughs - Lifestyle changes, such as curtailing or quitting smoking - Switching medications