Mark Ebell, an associate professor of epidemiology in the College of Public Health, was featured in a USA Today article about the length of lingering coughs resulting from colds.
Ebell recently authored a study about the length of time a cold lasts versus how long people think their coughs should last. The study found the average symptoms from an “acute cough,” last about 18 days, whereas the average Georgian thinks the cough should last seven to nine days. The mismatch in expectations leads to patients requesting unnecessary antibiotics from their doctors.
Ebell, who is also a family physician, told USA Today, “I frequently see patients who come in and have been sick for four or five days and say, ‘Boy, I really need an antibiotic-I’m just not getting better.’ ”
