title: Clinical perspective - cough: an unmet need.
abstract: Cough is among the most common complaints for which individuals worldwide seek medical attention. The vast majority of cases of acute cough (<3 weeks duration) are due to acute viral upper respiratory tract infection (URI) (common cold). Fortunately, acute cough is typically transient and self-limited. However, should severe and/or persistent acute cough require pharmacological treatment, satisfactory therapeutic options are scarce. Narcotic antitussives are limited by unacceptable side effects at therapeutic doses, and most over-the-counter (OTC) remedies are not supported by adequate clinical trials. The goal in chronic cough (>8 weeks duration) is to meticulously evaluate and treat all potential underlying etiologies. Despite thorough investigation, a significant minority of patients will suffer refractory, unexplained cough. For this challenging population, safe, effective, non-narcotic antitussive therapies are desperately needed.
authors.affiliation: Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Montefiore Medical Center Bronx, NY, USA. Electronic address: pdicpin@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Peter V
authors.initials: PV
authors.lastname: Dicpinigaitis
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000996:Antitussive Agents / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003371:Cough / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D015195:Drug Design; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006801:Humans; D004366:Nonprescription Drugs / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D000996:Antitussive Agents; D004366:Nonprescription Drugs