A bad cough is not necessarily pneumonia. Although pneumonia can cause a cough, not all coughs are necessarily caused by pneumonia. Cough may also be related to allergic factors, such as airway hyperreactivity, which can be clarified with appropriate bronchodilator tests, and chronic pharyngitis, which can also cause coughing due to throat discomfort. To diagnose the cause of the cough, it is recommended that a chest X-ray or chest CT examination be performed, and routine blood tests and inflammatory markers should also be performed for clarification. If the cough is severe, it is recommended to take cough suppressant and phlegm-relieving drugs. If the sputum is red, green or yellow in color, it is recommended that a sputum culture test be performed and medications be selected according to the results.