Interrupting the cough reflex in asthma.
OBJECTIVE
Although cough is one of the defining symptoms of asthma, wheeze, chest tightness and breathlessness have generally received more attention. The impact of coughing for patients may be more important than currently appreciated and has been rated more troublesome than wheeze, chest tightness or disturbance of sleep.


RESULTS
Studies objectively measuring cough in asthma reveal that cough frequencies vary from those similar to healthy volunteers to cough counts comparable to patients presenting with chronic cough, but the potential triggers for cough in asthma are poorly understood. This review discusses our current knowledge of cough in asthma, potential mechanisms that may provoke coughing, the effect of current treatments and possible future therapeutics.


CONCLUSIONS
Cough in some asthma patients is a significant problem, deserving further attention in both clinical practice and clinical research.
Smith
Jaclyn A
JA
University of Manchester, UK. jacky.smith@manchester.ac.uk
D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001249:Asthma / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D003371:Cough; D005100:Expectorants / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D009093:Mucus / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D012018:Reflex
D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones; D005100:Expectorants