Acute cough in outpatients: what causes it, how long does it last, and how severe is it for different viruses and bacteria?

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38977076/ Infection type—whether viral, bacterial or mixed—does not significantly influence symptom duration or severity of acute lower respiratory tract infections in outpatient adults, according to an AHRQ-supported study published in Clinical Microbiology and Infection. Researchers tracked more than 700 patients, focusing on cough symptoms, duration and microbiology. Among those tested, 16 percent had viral infections, 34 percent had bacterial infections and 27 percent had mixed infections. Viral or mixed infections were more likely than bacterial infections to cause fever, chills, body aches and general discomfort. The average cough duration ranged from 14 to 17 days across infection types, with viral infections being slightly milder in overall severity. Common pathogens included Haemophilus influenzae and rhinovirus, with SARS-CoV-2 among viral cases.