title: Before we get started: what is a cough?
abstract: Cough is an airway defensive reflex consisting of an inspiratory phase followed by a forced expiratory effort initially against a closed glottis, followed by active glottal opening and rapid expiratory flow. The expiration reflex (ER) differentiates from cough for the lack of a preparatory inspiration. The reflexes subserve different functions: cough will clear the lower airways from debris and mucus, while the expiration reflex will prevent aspiration. Clinically, a cough epoch is a sequence of motor acts resulting from a combination of true coughs and ERs that need to be accurately identified and measured for adequate quantitative description.
authors.affiliation: Department of Critical Care, University of Florence, Viale G B Morgagni, Florence, Italy. g.fontana@dac.unifi.it
authors.forename: Giovanni A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Fontana
mesh_terms: D003371:Cough / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004576:Electromyography; D045853:Exhalation / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D012018:Reflex / Q000502:physiology*; D012132:Respiratory Muscles / Q000503:physiopathology*