A cough that persists for a long time can be a sign of cancer.

The National Health Service of Great Britain stated that a cough that does not go away for three weeks or more may indicate the development of cancer. This was reported on November 4 by the Mirror newspaper.

"The cough that continues during this period may be caused by a fatal illness," the ministry said, stressing that more than 33,000 Britons die from lung cancer every year.

The publication clarifies that most often a cough is a harmless symptom characteristic of diseases such as COVID-19 or SARS, but in some cases it may indicate the development of a dangerous disease.

Bad cough: Mycoplasma pneumoniae morbidity is on the rise in Russia

Children and immunocompromised people are at risk

Oksana Pivovarova, Professor of the Department of Therapy at the Medical Faculty of the State University of Education, said on October 31 that the early symptoms of tuberculosis can be confused with the manifestations of the common cold, but this disease has its own characteristics.

According to the specialist, the characteristic symptoms of tuberculosis include excessive sweating at night, gradual weight loss for no apparent reason, as well as a slight increase in temperature — usually up to 37.2–37.5 degrees, which lasts for weeks.

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