Most upper respiratory symptoms are viral and resolve without antibiotics, but some require treatment. Clara reads your symptom timeline, prior diagnoses, and medication history to help distinguish them.
Get started See possible causesChat shown is an illustrative example only. Clara reads your actual synced records. A licensed physician reviews all clinical findings before any action is taken.
Clara auto-syncs your medical records from 150,000+ doctors' offices, hospitals, labs, and pharmacies: every prior lab, every prescription, every diagnosis. Wearable data syncs automatically on Standard and Concierge plans. Free to start, no credit card.
A cough after a cold. A cough from post-nasal drip. A cough triggered by GERD. A cough-variant of asthma that hasn't been diagnosed. Clara reads your symptom timeline, prior diagnoses, allergy history, and current medications to surface what the pattern actually points to, rather than defaulting to the most common explanation.
When the chart points at something worth investigating, Clara orders the relevant labs and prepares a clinical summary for physician review. Every lab order and clinical recommendation is reviewed and signed off by a licensed physician before you see it.
Connect your records and let Clara read what's already in your chart before your next appointment.
Get started Free to connect records. HSA and FSA eligible.Most coughs following an upper respiratory infection are viral and self-limited, resolving within 2-3 weeks. The list below covers the most common contributors Clara looks for, reading them together against your full chart rather than anchoring on any single one.
Rhinovirus, coronavirus, RSV, and influenza are the most common causes of acute cough and upper respiratory symptoms. Viral URIs do not respond to antibiotics. Most resolve within 1-2 weeks with supportive care.
Cough can persist for 3 to 8 weeks after a viral URI due to airway inflammation and hypersensitivity. This is among the most common causes of a cough that seems to "linger" after a cold, and typically resolves without antibiotics.
Bacterial infection of the sinuses is suggested when purulent nasal discharge and facial pain persist beyond 10 days or worsen after initial improvement. Antibiotic treatment may be appropriate and is determined by physician evaluation.
Gastroesophageal reflux is a common and frequently overlooked cause of chronic cough. Acid irritating the esophagus and airways can trigger a persistent dry cough, particularly at night or after meals, often without heartburn as a prominent symptom.
How Clara evaluates acid reflux →Nasal drainage can irritate the throat and trigger a cough that mimics or prolongs URI symptoms. A history of seasonal allergies, year-round symptoms, or known triggers is worth reviewing.
How Clara evaluates allergies →A cough that worsens at night, with exercise, or in cold air, especially alongside wheezing or a history of atopy, may point to asthma as the underlying driver rather than a resolving URI.
If your cough is accompanied by difficulty breathing or shortness of breath, coughing up blood, high fever with neck stiffness or severe headache, chest pain that worsens with coughing, or a suspected inhaled foreign body, call 911 or go to your nearest emergency room immediately. Clara is not an emergency service.
Evaluation is guided by the individual clinical picture. A licensed physician reviews all findings and orders. Clara refers to in-person providers when testing requires a physical exam or procedure.
Clara reads your symptom timeline against your chart — when the URI started, what your prior allergy and asthma history looks like, and whether your current medications could be contributing. ACE inhibitors, for example, cause a dry persistent cough in a meaningful percentage of patients. Reading these together helps narrow the differential more accurately than treating each data point in isolation.
Where in-person testing is needed, such as a strep swab, spirometry, or chest imaging, Clara prepares a clinical summary and referral so the receiving provider has full context from the start.
| Clara | Symptom-checker app | General telehealth | Your doctor | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cost to start | Free (records + chat) | Free | Per-visit fee | $150+ copay |
| Monthly cost | Basic $25/mo · Standard $50/mo · Concierge $150/mo · HSA/FSA | Free tier only | Varies | Per-visit copay |
| Reads your full chart before responding | ✓ Auto-synced, 150,000+ sources | Symptom input only | Self-reported history | Within a single practice |
| Evaluates multiple causes at once (not first-match) | ✓ | Algorithm-ranked suggestions | Visit-by-visit | At visit, depends on time |
| Orders relevant labs when cause is unclear | ✓ Physician-reviewed orders | ✗ | Limited | ✓ |
| Biomarker panel included | ✓ Included in Standard and Concierge plans | ✗ | Extra cost | Per-test copay |
| Physician-signed Rx when warranted | ✓ FDA-approved branded or generic | ✗ | Limited, single-condition | ✓ |
| Full primary care (beyond this symptom) | ✓ | Symptom lookup only | Single-condition | ✓ |
Your chart already has most of the answer. Clara reads it so you don't have to explain it from scratch.
Get started Basic $25/mo · Standard $50/mo · Concierge $150/mo · HSA/FSA eligible.A cough from a cold, a cough from post-nasal drip, a cough from asthma, they can look identical from the outside. Clara reads your symptom timeline, your allergy and asthma history, your current medications (including ACE inhibitors, which cause cough in a meaningful percentage of patients), and your recent lab results in a single pass. That context is what separates a useful clinical evaluation from a generic recommendation.
Clara auto-syncs from 150,000+ medical sources and reads every prior diagnosis, medication, and lab result, including whether you've had recurring respiratory issues, whether you take an ACE inhibitor, and whether your allergy history lines up with your current symptom pattern.
Clara doesn't anchor on viral URI as the default explanation. It reads your symptom timeline, how long the cough has lasted, when it started, what makes it worse, against your full chart to surface what the pattern actually points to.
Clara drafts; physicians decide. Every lab order is reviewed and signed by a licensed clinician before you receive it. If antibiotics are warranted, a physician evaluates and approves. If they're not, Clara explains why.
An AI that reads your full chart. A physician who signs off on every clinical decision.
Get started Licensed medical providers review every lab order and clinical recommendation.Free to connect your records and chat with Clara. Standard and Concierge plans include physician-reviewed lab orders, bundled biomarker panels, and full primary care.
Get started