COUGH

Course overview

COUGH IS ONE OF THE MOST COMMON MEDICAL COMPLAINTS ACCOUNTING FOR AS MANY AS 30 MILLION CLINICAL VISITS PER YEAR. UP TO 40% OF THESE COMPLAINTS RESULT IN A REFERRAL TO A PULMONOLOGIST. A COUGH IS AN INNATE PRIMITIVE REFLEX AND ACTS AS PART OF THE BODY’S IMMUNE SYSTEM TO PROTECT AGAINST FOREIGN MATERIALS. COUGHING IS ASSOCIATED WITH A WIDE ASSORTMENT OF CLINICAL ASSOCIATIONS AND ETIOLOGIES. FURTHERMORE, THERE ARE NO OBJECTIVE TOOLS TO MEASURE OR CLINICALLY QUANTIFY A COUGH. THIS ACTIVITY REVIEWS THE WORKUP OF AN UNEXPLAINED COUGH AND HIGHLIGHTS THE ROLE OF THE INTERPROFESSIONAL TEAM IN EVALUATING AND IMPROVING CARE FOR PATIENTS WITH COUGH.