Inhalation Cough Challenge

Cough is among the most common complaints for which patients seek medical attention, yet available therapies are woefully inadequate. Better and more effective cough suppressants are desperately needed, as currently available antitussives are limited by inconsistent efficacy and bothersome or intolerable side effects. As research in the field of cough continues to grow, inhalation cough challenge, which allows the measurement of cough reflex sensitivity and its modulation by pharmacological and other interventions, will assume ever greater importance. The ability of inhalation cough challenge to measure cough reflex sensitivity in a safe and reproducible manner has been clearly demonstrated in several decades of clinical experience. To assure quality data from cough challenge studies, careful consideration of study populations, as well as meticulous attention to the methodology of the cough challenge procedure, are essential.