ABSTRACT
Gibson et al. (1) first identified eosinophilic bronchitis without asthma as a
cause of chronic cough in 1989. They described a condition that manifests as a corticosteroid responsive chronic cough in nonsmokers without the
abnormalities of airway function that characterize asthma. These patients
had evidence of airway inflammation in the form of a sputum eosinophilia,
hence the term eosinophilic bronchitis. The development of safe and non-
invasive methods of assessing airway inflammation using induced sputum
has allowed the further characterization of this condition. Studies where
assessment of airway inflammation has been undertaken in chronic cough
patients have shown that eosinophilic bronchitis without asthma may account for up to 10-15% of cases referred for specialist investigation (2,3), although the incidence is likely to depend on the extent to which
therapeutic trials of corticosteroids are undertaken in primary care. This
chapter addresses the clinical features and management of eosinophilic
bronchitis without asthma as a cause of chronic cough. It also highlights
recent advances in our understanding of the pathogenesis of this disorder,
which have particularly informed our understanding of the relationship between eosinophilic airway inflammation and disordered airway function
in asthma.
