Cough, basic science, and the clinician.

Cough is a major cause of disability and distress worldwide. In June 2007, the First American Cough Conference was held in New York City and covered a spectrum of topics of interest to the basic scientist as well as the clinician. The conference was organized by Dr. Peter Dicpinigaitis and its proceedings are published in the February Supplement of LUNG. This supplement consists of a series of articles that provide a valuable overview of recent advances in our understanding of mechanism, etiology, and treatment of cough and constitute an adjunct to the guidelines recently published by the American College of Chest Physicians, the British Thorax Society, the European Respiratory Society, and the Japanese Respiratory Society.