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Review
. 2025 Mar;13(3):490-498.
doi: 10.1016/j.jaip.2024.11.005. Epub 2024 Nov 16.

Cough-Variant Asthma: A Review of Clinical Characteristics, Diagnosis, and Pathophysiology

Joshua K Cox  1 , Richard Lockey  2 , Juan Carlos Cardet  2
Affiliations
Review

Cough-Variant Asthma: A Review of Clinical Characteristics, Diagnosis, and Pathophysiology

Joshua K Cox et al. J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract. 2025 Mar.

Abstract

Chronic cough is among the most common symptoms prompting medical care. Cough-variant asthma (CVA) is an asthma subset where cough is the primary symptom, without wheezing, chest tightness, or dyspnea. It is an important cause of chronic cough, estimated to account for 25% to 42% of cases, but likely underdiagnosed due to delayed recognition and pitfalls of diagnostic testing. Early recognition and treatment can reduce morbidity and delay its progression to more typical asthma. This review details the clinical characteristics, diagnosis, pathophysiology, and treatment of CVA and contrasts it with classic asthma and other causes of chronic cough.

Keywords: Airway remodeling; Asthma; Asthma treatment; Chronic cough; Cough; Cough reflex sensitivity; Cough-variant asthma; Eosinophilic airway inflammation; Nonasthmatic eosinophilic bronchitis.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of interest: The authors declare that they have no relevant conflicts of interest

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