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Chronic cough: epidemiology, pathophysiology, diagnosis and management

Guest Editors

Michael Ghobrial, MD, Pulmonary & Critical Care, Respiratory Institute, Cleveland Clinic, USA
Kefang Lai, PhD, MD, Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Health, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, China

BMC Pulmonary Medicine called for submissions to our Collection on Chronic cough: epidemiology, pathophysiology, diagnosis and management. Chronic cough significantly impacts physical and mental well-being, disrupting daily life and potentially leading to complications if underlying conditions remain untreated. Excessive coughing can significantly affect physical and mental health - it can disrupt daily life, leading to sleep disturbances, fatigue, and diminished productivity. Recent advances are improving our understanding of the mechanisms contributing to cough hypersensitivity and excessing coughing, paving the way for new therapies.

New Content ItemThis Collection supports and amplifies research related to SDG 3: Good Health & Wellbeing.

Meet the Guest Editors

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Michael Ghobrial, MD, Pulmonary & Critical Care, Respiratory Institute, Cleveland Clinic, USA

Dr Michael Ghobrial, MD is a pulmonologist at Cleveland Clinic, OH and is the director of of the Chronic Cough Program. He is also the director of respiratory therapy and pulmonary rehabilitation program at a regional hospital in Cleveland, OH. He has several publications in the areas of Airway disease, Interstitial lung disease, lung nodules and chronic cough.
 

Kefang Lai, PhD, MD, Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Health, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, China

Dr Kefang Lai is Professor of Respiratory Medicine at The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Health. He is the Director of the Clinical Research Department and State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, Chair of China Cough Coalition, Vice Research Hospital Association, and Vice Director of Asthma Consortium, Chinese Thorax Society. Dr Lai is also the Vice Director of Asthma & Allergy Branch, Chinese Association of Chest Physicians. He is the Associate Editor of ERJ Open Research, and Editor of the following journals: Journal of Thoracic Diseases, Chinese Asthma Journal, Chinese Journal of Lung Diseases, International Journal of Respiratory Disease. Academic interests include: chronic cough and bronchial asthma, chairing several key cough, taking the lead in chronic cough field in China with more than 160 papers published. He is Editor-in-chief of Chronic Cough, editor of 16 books associated with respiratory disease, and is responsible for developing Chinese Guidelines of Diagnosis and Management of Cough (2005, 2009, 2015), is a panel member for ACCP cough guidelines (2015-2020), ERS Chronic Cough Guidelines (2019,2020).

About the Collection

BMC Pulmonary Medicine called for submissions to our Collection on cough sensitivity and chronic cough. Chronic cough remains a long-lasting and burdensome condition affecting a significant portion of the global population across all ages. Excessive coughing can significantly affect physical and mental health - it can disrupt daily life, leading to sleep disturbances, fatigue, and diminished productivity. The underlying conditions triggering chronic cough, if untreated, may escalate, potentially causing complications and compromising respiratory function. Multiple mechanisms and aetiologies may underlie chronic cough, making the disorder challenging to treat. 

Recent advances are improving our understanding of the mechanisms contributing to cough hypersensitivity and excessing coughing, paving the way for new therapies. However, more research is needed to improve patients' lives and translate novel discoveries to the clinic.

In alignment with the Sustainable Development Goal 3: Good Health & Wellbeing, this Collection seeks to delve into the intricacies of chronic cough, addressing a broad spectrum of topics, including but not limited to:

• Epidemiological studies on cough hypersensitivity and chronic cough
• The mechanisms/pathophysiology of cough hypersensitivity and chronic cough
• Diagnosis, screening and prevention
• Management strategies
• Psychosocial impact of chronic cough
• Emerging research avenues for chronic cough management and treatment (e.g. personalized medicine)

Image credit: dragonstock / stock.adobe.com

  1. Chronic cough is associated with reduced mental and physical health and increased health care resource use. The lack of nationwide data on chronic cough hinders our understanding of the prevalence, demographic...

    Authors: Kefang Lai, Vicky W Li, Lin Chen, Kai Xia, Ashley Martin, Nate A Way, Helen Ding and Eileen Fonseca
    Citation: BMC Pulmonary Medicine 2025 25:234
    Content type: Research Published on:

  2. Interstitial lung diseases (ILD) include a wide range of diseases impacting lung parenchyma and leading to fibrosis and architectural distortion. Chronic cough and dyspnea are common symptoms which affect the ...

    Authors: Eeva Saari, Minna Mononen, Hannele Hasala, Hanna Nurmi, Hannu-Pekka Kettunen, Sanna Suoranta, Elisa Lappi-Blanco, Riitta Kaarteenaho, Minna Purokivi and Heikki Olavi Koskela
    Citation: BMC Pulmonary Medicine 2024 24:427
    Content type: Research Published on:

Submission Guidelines

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This Collection welcomes submission of original Research Articles. Should you wish to submit a different article type, please read our submission guidelines to confirm that type is accepted by the journal. Articles for this Collection should be submitted via our submission system, Snapp. During the submission process you will be asked whether you are submitting to a Collection, please select "Chronic cough: epidemiology, pathophysiology, diagnosis and management" from the dropdown menu.

Articles will undergo the journal’s standard peer-review process and are subject to all of the journal’s standard policies. Articles will be added to the Collection as they are published.

The Editors have no competing interests with the submissions which they handle through the peer review process. The peer review of any submissions for which the Editors have competing interests is handled by another Editorial Board Member who has no competing interests.