Easing the Burden of Chronic Cough: Improving Care Coordination and Examining Emerging Options

Target Audience
The intended audience for this activity is allergists, immunologists, and other health care professionals involved in the management of patients with chronic cough.

Program Overview
Chronic cough lasting more than 8 weeks impacts up to 13% of the US population. While chronic cough may be associated with any number of pulmonary or extrapulmonary conditions, 70% of patients with chronic cough experience at least 3 clinical encounters to obtain a diagnosis and 53% remain undiagnosed. Additionally, over half of patients who receive treatment note that their symptoms remain uncontrolled, significantly affecting daily activities, sleep, and quality of life. With new treatments on the horizon for managing chronic cough, it is imperative that clinicians have a mechanistic understanding of chronic cough and are able to identify patients who may benefit from emerging therapies. In this educational activity, experts will review current unmet needs and underlying mechanisms in chronic cough, guidelines for assessment and management, and the latest data on emerging treatment options to improve the quality of life for patients with refractory chronic cough. Faculty will also discuss strategies for applying best practices using a clinical case example.

Learning Objectives
Upon completion of this activity, participants should be better able to:

Examine common challenges associated with healthcare journey of patients with chronic cough and the burden on quality of life.
Assess the latest mechanistic understanding regarding the causes of chronic cough and implications for treatment.
Evaluate the latest clinical evidence regarding emerging treatment strategies for patients with chronic cough.