Cough is the most common respiratory symptom that can have various causes. It is a major clinical problem that can reduce a
patient’s
quality of life. Thus,
clinical guidelines for the
treatment of
cough were established in 2014 by the
cough guideline committee under the Korean
Academy of
Tuberculosis and
Respiratory Diseases. From October 2018 to July 2020,
cough guidelines were revised by members of the committee based on the first guidelines. The purpose of these guidelines is to help clinicians efficiently
diagnose and treat
patients with
cough. This article highlights the recommendations and summary of the revised Korean
cough guidelines. It includes a revised
algorithm for the evaluation of acute, subacute, and
chronic cough. For a
chronic cough, upper
airway cough syndrome (UACS),
cough variant asthma (CVA), and
gastroesophageal reflux disease (
GERD) should be considered in
differential diagnoses. If UACS is suspected, first-generation
antihistamines and
nasal decongestants can be used empirically. In cases with CVA, inhaled
corticosteroids are recommended to improve
cough. In
patients with suspected
chronic cough due to symptomatic
GERD,
proton pump inhibitors are recommended.
Chronic bronchitis,
bronchiectasis,
bronchiolitis,
lung cancer, aspiration, intake of
angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor, intake of
dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitor, habitual
cough, psychogenic
cough,
interstitial lung disease, environmental and occupational factors,
tuberculosis,
obstructive sleep apnea,
peritoneal dialysis, and unexplained
cough can also be considered as causes of a
chronic cough.
Chronic cough due to laryngeal dysfunction
syndrome has been newly added to the guidelines.