Definition & Etiology

Definition

• Cough: common primary care presentation – Classified by duration:
• Acute: < 3 weeks, self-limiting – Subacute: 3-8 weeks – Chronic: > 8 weeks

Prevalence

• Peak prevalence of chronic cough: 50-60 years
• 2/3 females with chronic cough report stress incontinence

Etiology

Acute causes:

• Viral URTI
• Acute bronchitis
• Pneumonia
• COPD exacerbation
• Asthma exacerbation
• PE
• Pneumothorax

Subacute causes:

• Post-infectious: pertussis, mycoplasma pneumonia

Chronic causes:

• Smoking (most common)
• Upper airway cough syndrome with postnasal drip
• Asthma
• GORD
• COPD
• Eosinophilic bronchitis
• Medications: ACE inhibitors
• Bronchiectasis
• Environmental/occupational exposures
• Heart failure
• Interstitial lung disease
• Foreign body aspiration
• Lung cancer
• OSA
• Somatic syndromes