The most common cause of a cough that does not heal is a prolonged upper respiratory tract infection that leads to a lower respiratory tract infection, which is less likely to heal. The first step is to have a CT scan of the chest to confirm the diagnosis. If the infection is indeed bronchitis or pneumonia, intravenous antibiotics can be administered according to the type of infection. Another reason for a cough that doesn’t go away may be cough variant asthma, where a cold or irritant can cause an attack of cough variant asthma, resulting in a cough that doesn’t go away. This can be treated with nebulized hormones and bronchodilators, such as Cymbalta. A cough that does not resolve is caused by contraction of the bronchial smooth muscle due to airway hyperreactivity, which in turn leads to constriction of the airways.