Habit cough

Abstract

To review habit cough and its treatments to raise awareness of this condition as a potential cause of chronic cough. Relevant articles and references published between January 1, 1962, and April 30, 2008, were found through a PubMed search using the following keywords: habit cough, psychogenic cough, chronic cough, and tic cough. All key relevant articles were reviewed, and the most relevant were selected for inclusion in this review. Habit cough is a diagnosis of exclusion and can occur in children and adults with chronic cough. Characteristic features of habit cough include a loud honking or barking cough, disruption of normal activities, and the frequent presence of a secondary gain (such as school absence). Successful treatment has been described in several case reports and involves mostly nonpharmacologic measures. It is important to consider habit cough in the differential diagnosis of chronic cough because early diagnosis can help to avoid unnecessary invasive procedures and potential iatrogenic complications.