Chronic cough: new insights and future prospects.

Area of Science:

• Pulmonology
• Neurology
• Pharmacology

Background:

• Chronic cough, lasting ≥8 weeks, is a prevalent condition affecting 2-18% globally.
• Refractory chronic cough (RCC) is intractable to standard treatments and understood as neural dysregulation.
• Both conditions impose a significant physical, psychological, and economic burden on patients and healthcare systems.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the disease burden of chronic cough and RCC.
• To evaluate the efficacy and limitations of current treatments.
• To identify unmet needs and promising therapeutic targets for RCC.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of chronic cough and RCC prevalence, impact, and treatment.
• Analysis of current therapeutic strategies and their evidence base.
• Exploration of emerging therapeutic targets, focusing on P2X3 receptor antagonists.

Main Results:

• Chronic cough and RCC significantly impair quality of life and incur substantial healthcare costs.
• Existing treatments for RCC often lack efficacy, address symptoms rather than pathology, and have side effects.
• Diagnosis and treatment of RCC are frequently delayed.

Conclusions:

• There is a significant unmet need for effective RCC therapies targeting underlying mechanisms.
• P2X3 receptor antagonists show promise as a novel therapeutic approach for RCC.
• Further clinical evidence is required to validate P2X3 receptor antagonists for RCC treatment.