Abstract

Cough is one of the commonest symptoms of medical importance with significant physical and psychosocial morbidity associated with it. The differential diagnosis of cough is very extensive and it is extremely important to investigate this symptom in a systematic manner to accurately diagnose the cause. Furthermore, the multi-factorial etiology of cough in respiratory diseases should not be ignored while managing this group of patients. In this review, we discuss the relationship of cough with certain respiratory disorders including airways and lung parenchyma. Moreover, the association of cough with autoimmune diseases, lung malignancy and obstructive sleep apnea is also reviewed.

Keywords: Cough, asthma, interstitial lung disease, autoimmune disease, idiopathic, psychosocial morbidity, lung parenchyma, lung malignancy, obstructive sleep apnea, bronchiectasis, COPD, visceral reflex, vagal afferents, gastrointestinal secretions, bronchioles, inhalational cough challenge, transient receptor potential vanilloid-1 (TRPV-1), laryngo-pharyngeal reflux, upper airway cough syndrome, cystic fibrosis, angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors, eosinophilic bronchitis, gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GERD), High resolution computed tomography (HRCT), chest radiograph, citric acid, mucus hyper-secretion, chronic rhinosinusitis, dyspnoea, bronchopulmonary hygiene physical therapy, chest physiotherapy, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, pneumonias, idiopathic interstitial, cryptogenic fibrosing alveolitis, sclerosis, oral corticosteroids, health related quality of life (HRQL), sarcoidosis, granulomatous disease, endobronchial disease, apnea-hypopnea index (AHI), rhinitis, emphysema, Dihydrocodeine, radiotherapy, hypothyroidism, bronchoalveolar lavage, autoimmune inflammation, viral respiratory tract infection, CD4 lymphocytes