Hot, dry weather can make you cough more—salty air might help

by University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine

edited by Gaby Clark, reviewed by Robert Egan

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UNC School of Medicine researcher Brian Button, Ph.D., professor of biochemistry and biophysics, and collaborators have identified how extremely dry air during heat waves can make the airways more sensitive and more likely to cough, and how a nonpharmacological magnesium salt aerosol may provide relief.

The new multi-institutional study, published in Scientific Reports, shows that very dry air can cause mucus in the airways to collapse onto tiny hairlike structures called cilia, similar to what is seen in chronic lung diseases such as cystic fibrosis and asthma. This mucus collapse increases cough sensitivity and may worsen respiratory symptoms, particularly during heat waves and in very dry indoor environments.

In the study, researchers tested an alkaline aerosol made from magnesium salts designed to rehydrate airway mucus. They found that breathing this aerosol reversed mucus collapse for several hours and reduced cough sensitivity. In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of 10 patients with refractory chronic cough, the magnesium salt aerosol led to a placebo-adjusted reduction in daily cough episodes of 59% (P = .03), with continued benefit lasting 1 to 3 weeks after treatment.

"Hypertonic salts have long been used to treat cystic fibrosis, a genetic condition of dehydrated airways," Button said. "This study provides evidence that new kinds of hypertonic salts—longer-acting and rendered therapeutic by optimization of rehydration processes within mucus that we are only beginning to discover—might provide prophylaxis and treatment options for a human population previously spared the damage of mucosal dehydration."

The findings highlight that breathing very dry air is becoming increasingly common due to urbanization, indoor living and the rising frequency of heat waves. Unlike polluted air, which inflames airways through exposure to toxic particles and gases, atmospheric aridity inflames human airways through rapid water loss. The study suggests that targeted rehydration of airway mucus using optimized magnesium salt aerosols may offer a new nondrug approach to reducing cough and protecting vulnerable populations during periods of extreme dryness.

Publication details

B. Button et al, Cough hypersensitivity risk increases during heatwaves and can be reduced by inhalation of alkaline aerosols of endogenous ions, Scientific Reports (2026). DOI: 10.1038/s41598-026-68025-4

Journal information: Scientific Reports

Clinical categories

Pulmonary medicineCommon illnesses & Prevention Provided by University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine Who's behind this story?

Gaby Clark

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