Oral Corticosteroids for Post-infectious Cough in Adults

Inclusion Criteria: * Patients seeing a GP for a dry or productive post-infectious cough (3 to 8 weeks) after Upper Respiratory Tract Infection (URTI) * Patients able and willing to give informed consent by themselves and to fill in the LCQ on day 0 with the GP and to answer phone calls from the research staff/study nurse at day 7, 14, and 28, and at 3 months for outcome assessment Exclusion Criteria: * Patients with known or suspected diagnoses associated with cough, such as: pneumonia or suggestive symptoms and signs (abnormal vital signs, i.e. heart rate \>100/min, respiratory rate \>25/min, fever), allergic rhinitis, sinusitis, bronchial asthma, chronic pulmonary disease (COPD), or gastroesophageal reflux disease, * Patients with other chronic disease such as bronchiectasis, cystic fibrosis, cancer, tuberculosis, heart failure. * Use of inhaled or oral corticosteroids within the last four weeks * Immunodeficiency/immunocompromised state (e.g. cancer chemotherapy, HIV infection, administration of immune-suppressive agents) * Pregnancy/ breastfeeding * Regular treatment known to be associated with cough (e.g. angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors) * Patients with pharmacotherapy for glaucoma or osteoporosis * Experienced fractures due to osteoporosis * Patients with uncontrolled diabetes (as deemed by GPs who appraise whether the potential side effects of short-time corticosteroids on glucose levels exceed the hypothesised benefit on cough)