Management of Cough

Abstract

People with chronic cough can experience significant quality-of-life impairment. New concepts based around cough reflex hypersensitivity are leading to improved management strategies and showing promise in relieving the distress from persistent cough. The clinical cough assessment seeks to classify patients on the basis of symptom duration, and to identify and manage exposures and diseases that activate the afferent limb of the cough reflex. Cough hypersensitivity is also addressed by managing laryngeal dysfunction with speech pathology therapy and managing central cough reflex sensitization with neuromodulators. There are prospects for novel therapies based around several new treatment targets.

Keywords: Chronic cough; Cough; Cough hypersensitivity; Laryngeal dysfunction.