Upper Airway Cough Syndrome

Aka: Upper Airway Cough Syndrome, UACS, Postnasal Drip Syndrome

advertisement

II. Definitions

  1. Upper Airway Cough Syndrome (previously Postnasal Drip Syndrome)
    1. Chronic Cough due to upper airway cause (often, but not always, due to postnasal drainage)

III. Epidemiology

  1. Most common cause of Chronic Cough in non-smoking adults with intact Immunity and normal Chest XRay

IV. Pathophysiology

  1. Cough syndrome associated with upper airway Hypersensitivity to triggers (e.g. postnasal drainage)

V. Causes

  1. Chronic Nonallergic Rhinitis (most common)
  2. Chronic Allergic Rhinitis
  3. Chronic Rhinosinusitis

VI. Differential Diagnosis

  1. See Rhinitis Causes
  2. See Chronic Cough Causes
  3. See Chronic Cough Causes in Children

VII. Signs

  1. Posterior pharynx drainage or mucus
  2. Throat clearing
  3. Nasal Discharge
  4. Nasal Congestion
  5. Rhinorrhea
  6. Oropharyngeal mucosa with cobblestone appearance

VIII. Imaging

  1. Consider Sinus XRay or Sinus CT if persistent symptoms refractory to treatment

IX. Management

  1. General
    1. Avoid allergens
    2. See Chronic Cough
  2. Treat specific causes
    1. Sinusitis
    2. Allergic Rhinitis
  3. Trial on empiric therapy
    1. See Rhinitis for a full protocol
    2. Consider oral Antihistamine
    3. Consider Intranasal Steroid
    4. Consider intranasal Atrovent

X. References

  1. Sonoda (2024) Am Fam Physician 110(2): 167-73 [PubMed]

Images: Related links to external sites (from Bing)

These images are a random sampling from a Bing search on the term "Upper Airway Cough Syndrome." Click on the image (or right click) to open the source website in a new browser window. Search Bing for all related images

Related Studies

Related Topics in Nasal Disease

advertisement