A cough that is characterized by an explosive expulsion of air from the lungs acting as a protective mechanism to clear the air passages or as a symptom of pulmonary disturbance marked by long duration, by frequent recurrence over a long time, and often by slowly progressing seriousness. [ url:http://www2.merriam-webster.com/cgi-bin/mwmednlm?book=Medical&va=chronic ]
Term information
A cough that is characterized by an explosive expulsion of air from the lungs acting as a protective mechanism to clear the air passages or as a symptom of pulmonary disturbance marked by long duration, by frequent recurrence over a long time, and often by slowly progressing seriousness.