A Primer on Hypotussic Cough: Mechanisms and Assessment

AbstractPurpose of ReviewThis narrative review introduces key elements of cough neural control, function, dysfunction, and measurement for physicians and speech-language pathologists. Its goal is to guide integrated approaches to the assessment of cough and facilitate differential diagnosis of cough dysfunction among people with dysphagia.Recent FindingsResearch has shown that cough and swallow dysfunction have high co-occurrence, especially in neurodegenerative populations. Both sensory and motor components of cough dysfunction can be evaluated using high and low-tech equipment (e.g., handheld peak flow meters). The evaluation of cough function is vital given the known benefit of targeted dystussia treatments for people with dysphagia.SummaryIntact airway protection requires both functional swallowing and cough. However, clinicians report that objective cough evaluations are not commonly included in assessments of airway protection. This review provides an overview of cough neurobiology, describes its measurement, and presents case vignettes to illustrate the benefits of integrating cough assessments into clinical settings.
Source: Current Otorhinolaryngology Reports - Category: ENT & OMF Source Type: research