ABSTRACT
Cough has been defined as ‘to expel air from the lungs with a sudden sharp sound to remove an obstruction or congestion’.1
Cough is a common symptom, accounting for up to 50 per cent of consultations with general practitioners, and reported in between 29 and 83 per cent of palliative care patients.2 It is frequently associated with breathlessness, syncope and vomiting.
Cough is a normal mechanism for maintaining airway patency and cleanliness. It enables the ciliated airways to bring mucus, fluid and inhaled foreign bodies up to the larynx, where they can be expelled into the pharynx and either swallowed or spat out.
