We’ve all experienced the frustration of having a cough that seems to persist despite all odds. While some of these tricky throat-ticklers will fade with soothing teas and over-the-counter medications, others call for more serious treatment. Take a look through these key signs that your cough calls for a visit an urgent care center and you’ll be able to get the treatment that you need:

• When your cough produces yellow or green mucus.
• When you have a fever at or above 101 degrees Fahrenheit.
• When you experience night sweats that soak your sheets or fevers that come on during the night.
• When your cough lasts more than three weeks.
• When you have heart problems and particularly if your cough starts producing pink, frothy mucus.
• When you are coughing up blood or mucus that appears bloody in any quantity.
• When you are experiencing chest pain, shortness of breath, or wheezing with your cough.

A cough is your body’s natural effort to clear your airways, but it can often be an early indicator of a medical condition that you’ll want to treat as soon as possible. These conditions can include asthma, allergies, bronchitis, post-nasal drip, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), congestive heart failure, and lung cancer. Although spotting more serious conditions like the latter two with just a cough is rare, catching them early on could make all the difference. Beside identifying dangerous conditions, an ongoing cough can interfere with your quality of life. It can disrupt your sleep, mood, and enjoyment of daily activities.

Make a trip to an urgent care to get the treatment you need for your cough. About 97% of patients who visit one of these facilities are in the exact right place for their necessary treatment, with just 3% needing to go to an emergency room instead. By getting to the bottom of your mysterious cough, you’ll be able to get back to normal life before you know it.