TY - JOUR T1 - Significance of chronic cough as a defence mechanism or a symptom in elderly patients with aspiration and aspiration pneumonia JF - European Respiratory Journal JO - Eur Respir J SP - 210 LP - 211 DO - 10.1183/09031936.04.00111404 VL - 25 IS - 1 AU - S. Teramoto AU - T. Ishii AU - H. Yamamoto AU - Y. Yamaguchi AU - R. Namba AU - Y. Hanaoka AU - M. Takizawa AU - T. Okada AU - M. Ishii AU - Y. Ouchi Y1 - 2005/01/01 UR - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/25/1/210.abstract N2 - To the Editors: In a recent issue of the European Respiratory Journal, Morice and the European Respiratory Society (ERS) Task Force committee members 1 comprehensively summarised the diagnosis and management of chronic cough in both adults and children. However, they have totally neglected the features, diagnosis and management of chronic cough in the elderly 1. Although cough is one of the most common symptoms for which patients seek medical attention from primary care physicians and pulmonologists all over the world and is associated with deterioration in patients' quality of life 1, the concise and distinct guideline is not extensively introduced. Thus, the recent ERS Task Force report “The diagnosis and management of chronic cough” is very helpful and meaningful for chest physicians as well as primary care physicians. However, age-related changes in cough reflex and the protective roles of cough as the … ER -