upper airway cough syndrome; postnasal drip (UACS)

Etiology

• associated with chronic rhinitis with or without sinusitis
  • allergic rhinitis
  • non-allergic rhinitis

Clinical manifestations

• chronic cough
• seasonal allergies
• clear nasal discharge
• mucoid or mucopurulent sputum
• repeated attempts to clear throat
• discharge may be seen in posterior pharynx
• cobblestoning in posterior pharynx

Differential diagnosis

• non-asthmatic eosinophilic bronchitis
• cough-variant asthma

Management

• intranasal glucocorticoids & nasal saline irrigation 1st line
• intranasal ipratropium for rhinorrhea
• antihistamines (loratadine, cetirizine, fexofenadine) for allergic rhinitis
• decongestants (pseudoephedrine) for short-term treatment of non-allergic rhinitis

More general terms

• syndrome