Pain in Upper Right Back

I have two problems:

1. I have a pain in the upper right side of my back. This is even more painful when I inhale deeply.

2. I have had a persistent dry cough for a few months now. This remains (though not as severe as before) despite taking cough medicine and antibiotics.

Can you tell me what may be causing these problems

[S. Kaul, MD]

Hi there!

Well, without a clinical evaluation it would be difficult to determine the cause of your symptoms. The two could be related or separate issues. Possibilities that may need to be considered include chronic infections/ inflammations, granulomatous diseases, autoimmune/ related conditions, metabolic issues, immune suppression etc. The back pain could be referred pain from the respiratory tract or could be due to unrelated issues such as inappropriate posture, neuro-muscular/ spinal causes etc. I would suggest getting this evaluated by an internist initially and depending on the cause diagnosed/ suspected, it can be managed accordingly or specialist care many be sought.
Hope this is helpful.

Take care!