Chronic Cough and Obstructive Sleep Apnea.

Chronic cough, defined as a cough lasting more than 8 weeks, is a common medical condition occurring in 5% to 10% of the population. Its overlap with another highly prevalent disorder, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), is therefore not surprising. The relationship between chronic cough and OSA extends beyond this overlap with higher prevalence of OSA in patients with chronic cough than in the general population. The use of continuous positive airway pressure can result in improvement in chronic cough although further studies are needed to understand which patients will experience benefit in their cough from the treatment of comorbid OSA.
Competing Interests: Disclosures K.M. Sundar has served as consultant in the past for Merck Inc. He is a cofounder of Hypnoscure LLC (software for population management of sleep apnea) in conjuction with the University of Utah Technology Commercialization Office. A.C. Stark has no conflicts to disclose. P. Dicpinigaitis serves as a consultant to Bellus, Chiesi, GSK, Merck, Trevi.
(Published by Elsevier Inc.)