Cough: Pathophysiology, Diagnosis and Treatment

This book provides an updated and comprehensive overview of cough, while opening new perspectives for their treatment and management. It enables readers to not only discover new physiologic features and mechanisms but also to gain an in-depth understanding of the diagnostic workup of cough, still one of the most frequent and challenging symptoms in daily medical practice.

The book also provides insights into cough's features and pathogenesis, as well as into pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic treatments. The most frequent causes of chronic cough (asthma, postnasal drip, gastroesophageal reflux and chronic hypersensitivity syndrome) and different types of pediatric cough are also explored.

Coughing is a common symptom, occurring in many clinical settings, and as such the book appeals a broad readership, including pulmonologists specialized in cough, general practitioners, internists, pediatricians and otorhinolaryngologists.  

Alessandro Zanasi is currently director at the Sismer Cough Center in Bologna, Italy and president of the Italian Cough Society (AIST). He is member of the European Respiratory Society and American Thoracic Society and author of several peer-reviewed journal articles, books chapters and textbooks. He worked at the Sant'Orsola-Malpighi Universitary Hospital in Bologna from 1981 to 2016. His areas of interest include all aspects of clinical medicine within the spectrum of pulmonary and critical care medicine, with particular interest in assessment, pathogenesis and treatment of coughs. His main research focus has been the clinical and scientific aspects of acute and chronic coughs.

Giovanni Fontana is associate professor of Respiratory Medicine at the University of Florence, Department of Critical Care Medicine and Surgery Consultant in Respiratory Medicine at the hospital 'I Fraticini'. He is also associate director of the diagnostic laboratory of the Respiratory Pathophysiology Unit at the University of Florence. He is fellow of the Royal College of Physicians, member of the European Respiratory Society, Italian Society of Respiratory Medicine and International Society for Study of Cough. His research interests include the pathophysiology of asthma, neurophysiology of breathing, respiratory control in humans, control of airway smooth muscle, airway defense mechanisms and the clinical physiology of cough.