Chronic cough as a disease

Chronic cough is a frequent reason for medical consultation and has significant impact on quality of life. Due to the limited effectiveness of currently available treatments, and delays in accessing care, patients are often inadequately managed. There remains an overreliance by clinicians on outdate...

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Main Authors: Richard D. Turner, Surinder S. Birring
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: European Respiratory Society 2024-11-01
Series:ERJ Open Research
Online Access:http://openres.ersjournals.com/content/10/6/00459-2024.full
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author Richard D. Turner
Surinder S. Birring
author_facet Richard D. Turner
Surinder S. Birring
author_sort Richard D. Turner
collection DOAJ
description Chronic cough is a frequent reason for medical consultation and has significant impact on quality of life. Due to the limited effectiveness of currently available treatments, and delays in accessing care, patients are often inadequately managed. There remains an overreliance by clinicians on outdated management algorithms, addressing chronic cough only as symptom of other medical conditions, and advocating investigation and trials of treatment of diseases which are often not present. This may lead to unnecessary cost, frustration and potential harm. Newer clinical guidelines in essence consider chronic cough as a disease in itself, resulting from afferent neuronal hypersensitivity and central nervous system dysfunction. Secondary factors which aggravate chronic cough (smoking, asthma, gastro-oesophageal reflux, etc.) are better considered as treatable traits associated with the primary disease process rather than direct “causes” of cough. Explicitly approaching chronic cough as a discrete entity is consistent with the way in which “diseases” are generally characterised, and has advantages. The patient should be better able to understand their condition, and may have better confidence in attempts at management. The clinician should have better focus and avoid unfruitful treatments and investigation. In general, considering chronic cough as a disease should help to raise the profile of the condition, improve organisation of health service pathways, increase attention for research, and further the development of new treatments.
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spelling doaj-art-9077fc1699cd42e1979679b6598956132025-01-14T09:50:21ZengEuropean Respiratory SocietyERJ Open Research2312-05412024-11-0110610.1183/23120541.00459-202400459-2024Chronic cough as a diseaseRichard D. Turner0Surinder S. Birring1 Princess Alexandra Hospital, Brisbane, Australia King's College Hospital, London, UK Chronic cough is a frequent reason for medical consultation and has significant impact on quality of life. Due to the limited effectiveness of currently available treatments, and delays in accessing care, patients are often inadequately managed. There remains an overreliance by clinicians on outdated management algorithms, addressing chronic cough only as symptom of other medical conditions, and advocating investigation and trials of treatment of diseases which are often not present. This may lead to unnecessary cost, frustration and potential harm. Newer clinical guidelines in essence consider chronic cough as a disease in itself, resulting from afferent neuronal hypersensitivity and central nervous system dysfunction. Secondary factors which aggravate chronic cough (smoking, asthma, gastro-oesophageal reflux, etc.) are better considered as treatable traits associated with the primary disease process rather than direct “causes” of cough. Explicitly approaching chronic cough as a discrete entity is consistent with the way in which “diseases” are generally characterised, and has advantages. The patient should be better able to understand their condition, and may have better confidence in attempts at management. The clinician should have better focus and avoid unfruitful treatments and investigation. In general, considering chronic cough as a disease should help to raise the profile of the condition, improve organisation of health service pathways, increase attention for research, and further the development of new treatments.http://openres.ersjournals.com/content/10/6/00459-2024.full
spellingShingle Richard D. Turner
Surinder S. Birring
Chronic cough as a disease
ERJ Open Research
title Chronic cough as a disease
title_full Chronic cough as a disease
title_fullStr Chronic cough as a disease
title_full_unstemmed Chronic cough as a disease
title_short Chronic cough as a disease
title_sort chronic cough as a disease
url http://openres.ersjournals.com/content/10/6/00459-2024.full
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