In the October 20, 2016, issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, lung experts describe a step-by-step approach doctors can use to help treat patients with a chronic cough. Acid reflux can also trigger a cough, and if someone describes heartburn symptoms, or even if we are not sure what is causing the cough, we often prescribe eight weeks of an acid-lowering medication. New evidence suggests that postnasal drip, acid reflux, or even forceful coughing in and of itself can aggravate nerve endings in the cough centers of the airways.
Key Takeaways:
- We see this in clinic all the time. But chronic cough— one that lasts at least eight weeks — can be hard for patients to deal with and difficult for doctors to figure out.
- If it isn’t due to any of those, experts now recognize that the culprit may be overactive nerves that cause an exaggerated cough response to certain triggers.
- The authors describe a typical patient with chronic cough, and she is very similar to many of my patients. She’s a middle-aged lady with a cough lasting many months.
“We see this in clinic all the time. But chronic cough— one that lasts at least eight weeks — can be hard for patients to deal with and difficult for doctors to figure out.”
http://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/when-a-cough-just-wont-go-away-2016110710597