Cough

Coughing is a protective respiratory reflex action of the human body. The production of cough is due to the fact that when foreign bodies, irritating gases, or secretions within the respiratory tract stimulate the receptors in the respiratory mucosa, the impulses are transmitted through afferent nerve fibers to the cough center in the medulla oblongata, triggering a cough. The act of coughing involves a brief deep inspiration, closure of the glottis, and rapid, forceful contraction of the respiratory muscles, intercostal muscles, and diaphragm, causing high-pressure air in the lungs to be expelled forcefully, which constitutes a cough. With the rapidly expelled airflow, foreign bodies or secretions within the respiratory tract are removed from the body.