Sex, cough and (digital) audiotape

Cough is among the most common complaints for which medical attention is sought1 yet, historically, despite its significance as a health issue worldwide, cough has been under-represented in terms of basic and clinical research efforts aimed at understanding its mechanisms and developing effective therapeutic agents. Thankfully, the past decade has witnessed an emergence of interest in cough within the scientific community. Highlighting the perceived importance of cough as a clinical problem, no less than five major pulmonary societies have published guidelines addressing the management of cough: the European Respiratory Society,2 the German Respiratory Society,3 the American College of Chest Physicians,4 the British Thoracic Society5 and the Japanese Respiratory Society.6 In addition, a task force of the European Respiratory Society published the first ever guidelines on the assessment of cough,7 aimed at promoting and improving the quality of cough-related research. Furthermore, the discovery of several pharmacological receptors relevant to the cough reflex—such as TRPV1,8 NOP19 and cannabinoid receptors10—has stimulated numerous investigative programmes within the pharmaceutical industry.

Research efforts in cough …