a few more details about the cough

I am 28 years old and have never been a smoker, nor am I rarely near smokers.  I do not have any prior allegeries or any other illness that you named.  I have noticed when ever I take a deep breath I have the urge to cough and usually do.  I just wondered if the smoke that I inhaled in the building could have triggered a cold and bronchitis. The chest x-ray showed that the bottom of the left lung collasped. The lung doctor I am seeing has ordered me to get a breathing test, another (third one) chest x-ray and some blood work, what do you think?  Thanks for all your help!!

[Kamal S Saini, MD, MRCP (UK), DM]

Hi,
Spontaneous collapse of a portion of the lung is known in tall, thin, young people, and is usually due to the rupture of a bleb in the lung tissue.
You may want to get a HRCT of your thorax.
It is possible that the smoke inhalation triggerred off a bout of violent coughing, and that lead to the collapse of a portion of the lung. This is now irritating the diaphragm and leading to the chronic cough. However, this hypothesis is difficult to prove.
All the best!