Unexplained chronic cough treatment subject of updated evidence-based guideline

Persistent, unexplained cough is a significant health issue that occurs in up to 5-10 percent of patients seeking medical assistance for chronic cough. Patients experience significant quality of life impairment with chronic cough lasting for many months or years, despite attempts at treatment. In this latest evidence-based guideline from the American College of Chest Physicians, experts provide six recommendations for appropriate treatment of patients with unexplained chronic cough, including the use of speech pathology based cough suppression as a treatment option.

"This guideline chapter, another from CHEST living guidelines, provides the most up-to-date treatment options for patients living with unexplained chronic cough. The guideline presents suggestions for diagnosis and treatment based on the best available evidence and identifies gaps in our knowledge and areas for future research," said Richard S. Irwin, MD, Master FCCP, and Diagnosis and Management of Cough: CHEST Evidence-Based Clinical Practice Guidelines Chair.

To date, the updated guideline has been endorsed by the American Academy of Otolaryngology- Head and Neck Surgery, American Association for Respiratory Care, American Thoracic Society, Irish Thoracic Society, and Lung Foundation Australia.