Abstract
The approach to a patient with a cough begins with the history and the examination. Although the time course and a cough characterisics is of little diagnostic value, it is important to determine in the history, whether the patient takes the ACE inhibitor, whether he/she smokes or has serious manifestations of a life-threattening disease or systemic disease.
Then it is distinguished in the acute cough, whether the cause is life-threattening or less dangerous. In the chronic cough the most frequent causes are excluded first.
The physician recommends not to smoke, if it is actual. The first generation of antihistaminics and a local decongescent for 'postnasal drip' represents the first line of the therapy.
The specialist excludes COPD, asthma and eosinophilic bronchitis. The insufficient response deserves the gastric antisecretory therapy for gastroesophageal reflux disease.
When the treatment is still unsuccessful, the specialist examines the patient.