Antitussives, mucolytic agents and expectorants in clinical practice / 대한내과학회지

ABSTRACT

Cough is a protective reflex and also a common symptom of many respiratory diseases. The basic principle of management in chronic cough is treatment of its underlying cause. However, certain situations will necessitate cough suppressant therapy on a short-term basis for symptomatic relief of cough. Antitussives, expectorants and mucolytic agents are often used as the cough suppressant. Most of these drugs, however, are not consistently effective in reducing cough in adequately performed clinical trials. The aim of this brief review is to provide the list and some rationale for the currently available antitussive agents to practitioners.