Non-productive cough
Type: Symptom
Definition
A persistent, dry cough that fails to produce any significant mucus or sputum.
Clinical Details
Unlike typical pneumonias that fill the airways with thick bacterial pus, this infection causes profound interstitial lung inflammation that spares the large airways. The lungs become severely irritated and inflamed, triggering a relentless coughing reflex. However, because there is no large-airway exudate to expel, the cough remains violently dry.