[Diagnosing and treating cough]

Cough is frequently a reason for seeing a doctor. Cough has a wide range of causes and the diagnosis can be difficult to make. Cough is often benign and self-limiting but can also be the first sign of malignancy. Especially chronic cough reduces the patients' quality of life. The purpose of this review was to present the most common reasons for cough, a rational method of investigation and a management protocol. Cough is a condition, which in most cases can be treated when using a systematic approach.