Cough is a common symptom of respiratory diseases and once it occurs, adults are mainly seen in respiratory medicine, while children can be seen in pediatrics. Cough is most commonly associated with acute bronchitis, chronic bronchitis, bronchopneumonia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung tumors, tuberculosis and other diseases. If the cough is short and accompanied by a small amount of white sputum, acute bronchitis is most likely to be considered. If it is combined with recurrent fever, the occurrence of bronchopneumonia needs to be alerted. In some elderly patients with a long history of smoking and recurrent symptoms of cough, sputum, wheezing and chest tightness, the possibility of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease needs to be considered. If the cough is irritating and even appears to be coughing up blood, bleeding from lung tumors needs to be considered. Patients who have recurrent coughing of sputum for a long period of time with night sweats and low fever in addition to cough need to be screened for tuberculosis. If the patient repeatedly coughs and the symptoms are not relieved significantly with symptomatic treatment, it is recommended to actively consult the respiratory department, and then improve the blood routine, chest X-ray, or even chest CT examinations. Based on the results of the examination, the respiratory doctor will determine the cause of the cough and then treat it according to the cause or refer the patient to a specialist for timely treatment of the cause.