Cough

Cough is the most common reason why patients seek medical attention. Acute cough due to viral upper respiratory tract infection is usually self-limiting and seldom requires investigation. In contrast, chronic cough is challenging to manage since it often remains unexplained despite thorough investigation. Cough reflex hypersensitivity is a key abnormality in patients with cough and the term ‘cough hypersensitivity syndrome’ (CHS) has recently been proposed to emphasise this. The evaluation of patients with CHS includes identifying reversible cough hypersensitivity, minimizing aggravating factors of cough and non-specific antitussive therapy.