2021年 · 第44卷第08期

Refractory chronic cough, the cause of which cannot be determined after comprehensive examination, or the cough is still not obviously relieved after conventional treatment, has become a thorny problem to be solved urgently in clinical practice. In order to promote the standardization of diagnosis and treatment of refractory chronic cough, the Asthma Group of Respiratory Disease Branch of Chinese Medical Association and China Cough Alliance organized relevant experts to jointly formulate the Expert Consensus on Diagnosis and Treatment of Refractory Chronic Cough in China. The consensus mainly includes seven parts: definition, epidemiology, pathogenesis, clinical characteristics, diagnosis, evaluation and treatment, which focuses on the diagnosis, evaluation and treatment of refractory chronic cough, aiming to better guide domestic clinical practice and promote related research work.

First of all, I would like to thank readers for their valuable comments and suggestions on this consensus. In recent years, with the continuous increase of inhaled drugs, inhaled drugs are no longer simple bronchodilators and inhaled glucocorticoids, but a variety of drugs with different parts of action and effects, including inhaled insulin, fentanyl, etc^［1,2］。 There are very significant differences in the site of action and onset time of different drugs. The "Chinese Expert Consensus on the Standardized Application of Inhalation Devices for Stable Chronic Airway Diseases" (hereinafter referred to as the "Consensus") is mainly based on inhaled β 2 receptor agonists as an example, trying to illustrate the advantages of inhalation route administration. Although the overall principle is in line with the core view of the Global Initiative to Combat Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (GOLD), "overgeneralization" does not represent all drugs.