Discussion
Does he experience pain or any shortness of breath when he coughs?
Has he used any over the counter drugs before to relieve his pain?
Is he a smoker?
These questions will enable me to categorize the cough and identify the root cause of the cough.
Based on the duration of the cough, I would classify the cough as a chronic cough since it has lasted noted more than eight weeks precisely it has for three months. Chronic coughs mostly result from medications and medical conditions (Kenny, 2017)
The diagnostic tests that I want to include in my diagnosis are x-rays, lung function tests, and lab tests. The x-ray tests will enable me to identify asthma, postnasal drip, acid reflux and lung diseases. The lung function tests will enable me to identify any Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Diseases (COPD) (Chen, 2017).
Differential diagnosis flow sheet
The differential diagnosis flow sheet below is for upper airway cough syndrome (UACS) since it is one of the most common causes of chronic cough and it is required that the patient is examined and treated for this before proceeding to the next tests (Pratter, 2006).
References
Chen, H. (2017). Chronic Cough: Overview, Mechanism of Cough, Causes of Chronic Cough. Emedicine.medscape.com. Retrieved 19 January 2017, from http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1048560-overview#a4
Kenny, K. (2017). Cough: Navigating the Classifications. Pharmacytimes.com. Retrieved 19 January 2017, from http://www.pharmacytimes.com/publications/issue/2015/november2015/cough-navigating-the-classifications?p=2
Pratter, M. R. (2006). Chronic upper airway cough syndrome secondary to rhinosinus diseases (previously referred to as postnasal drip syndrome): ACCP evidence-based clinical practice guidelines. Chest Journal, 129(1_suppl), 63S-71S.
