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Hisamitsu Omori,1 Noritaka Higashi,2 Takeshi Nawa,3 Toshiki Fukui,4 Toshihiko Kaise,5 Takeo Suzuki5 1Department of Biomedical Laboratory Sciences, Faculty of Life Sciences, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto, Japan; 2Japanese Red Cross Kumamoto Health Care Center, Kumamoto, Japan; 3Department of Internal Medicine, Hitachi General Hospital, Hitachi, Japan; 4Center for Preventive Medical Treatment, Olive Takamatsu Medical Clinic, Takamatsu, Japan; 5Japan Development Division, GlaxoSmithKline K.K., Tokyo, JapanCorrespondence: Toshihiko KaiseJapan Development Division, GlaxoSmithKline K.K., 1-8-1 Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo 107-0052, JapanTel +81 80 5927 9500Fax +81 3 4231 5993Email toshihiko.kaise@gsk.comPurpose: The purpose of this study was to estimate the prevalence of subjects with chronic cough and phlegm and describe their characteristics including the presence or absence of airflow limitation among the general population in Japan.Subjects and Methods: This was an observational cross-sectional survey targeting multiple regions of Japan. Subjects aged 40 years or above who were undergoing comprehensive health examination were recruited. The existence of chronic cough and phlegm, airflow limitation, and treatment for respiratory diseases were examined. Chronic cough and phlegm were defined as having both symptoms for at least 3 months of the year and for at least 2 consecutive years, or as receiving any treatment for chronic bronchitis at the time of recruitment. Airflow limitation was defined as forced expiratory volume in 1 s/forced vital capacity (FEV1/FVC) less than 0.7.Results: In a total of 22,293 subjects, 380 subjects (1.7%) had chronic cough and phlegm. Among these 380 subjects, 21.8% received treatment for a respiratory disease, and 11.6% had airflow limitation. Compared to subjects without both chronic cough and phlegm but with airflow limitation, subjects with chronic cough and phlegm without airflow limitation were younger, more likely to be current smokers (39.6%), and had higher total scores on a chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) assessment test (CAT). Scores of CAT questions 1– 4 (cough, phlegm, chest tightness, breathlessness, respectively) were higher in subjects with chronic cough and phlegm regardless of airflow limitation.Conclusion: This study demonstrated that subjects identified to have chronic cough and phlegm in comprehensive health examination settings were symptomatic, while most of them did not receive any treatment for respiratory diseases and did not have airflow limitation. Screening subjects for chronic cough and phlegm in a comprehensive health examination followed by a detailed examination of screened subjects could be an effective approach for better management of chronic cough and phlegm. Smoking cessation should be included in the management, in consideration that around 40% of subjects with chronic cough and phlegm were current smokers.Keywords: respiratory disease, chronic bronchitis, spirometry, lung function, general population, health checkup