A fellow employee has had this cough for months. It is a deep gross cough that is bothering everyone in our department. She was talked to by her supervisor but it is getting worse. It is so bad that people do not want to come to work and you can forget eating at your desk it is gross. I do not know how long it will be until someone confronts her and it will not be pretty!

Is she doing it on purpose, or is it something that she can't control?

It has been over 6 months since she has had this cough. It can not be a purpose cough because it is so deep. She said she has been to a doctor but she is still coughing. If I had a cough like that you better believe I would be to every doctor there is until it was gone.

I don't understand your original question. What is the question that you are trying to ask?

I wonder if she is on high blood pressure medication. There is a medication called an ACE Inhibitor that has a side effect of a persistent deep cough. It's known as an ACE cough.

This may be the culprit.

She would most likely be protected since this is a medical problem. So maybe a change of the way the desks are set up, but the work place can not do anything to an employee ( fire them) for a medical issue.

But yes, I have to change my blood pressure medication about ever year or I start with the cough. But there are 100's of other medical issues that cause this. If they are trying to get it treated, the other workers will have to figure a way to deal with this.

As long as it's not hazardous to anyone else, it really won't be an issue (even if the annoyance-level is through the roof;)).