Acute and chronic cough

Acute cough has a considerable economic impact within the UK because of lost work days. Chronic cough is one of the most common presentations to general respiratory clinics. Cough is often seen in tandem with a wide variety of respiratory conditions such as asthma, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), and bronchiectasis. It is often associated with other conditions which affect the vagus nerve radiation such as irritable bowel syndrome. Whilst traditionally the cause and treatment of chronic cough has been divided into upper airways cough syndrome, reflux, and “asthma-like” cough, the concept of cough hypersensitivity is now established as a unifying concept for most cases of chronic cough although the treatment remains elusive. Chronic cough has a considerable impact on health status and is linked to psychological morbidity. The respiratory physician needs to have a sound practice for managing cough, as it is likely to be encountered in all branches of respiratory medicine