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Treatments include older antihistamines combined with decongestant for cough from post-nasal drip; asthma medicines for asthmatic cough; and high doses of drugs called proton-pump inhibitors for several months, sometimes combined with other drugs, for GERD-related cough.

By the time patients have come to see him, they generally have already seen several other doctors and have been told they simply have to live with the cough, Dr. Dicpinigaitis said. "My message for patients with chronic cough is, 'Don't give up,'" he said. "Continue to seek out help. Once the cause of the cough is diagnosed, it can be treated." He noted that treatment guidelines for chronic cough will be published later this year for physicians, and he is hopeful that this will improve the treatment of the problem.

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Contact: Jim Augustine
619-525-6216
American Thoracic Society
22-May-2005