Other classes of medication need to be used if the cough is due to an ACE inhibitor. Once this diagnosis is established, the cause should be determined and, if possible, therapy initiated. The diagnosis of chronic bronchitis is obtained from a history of smoking and the production of sputum with the cough most days of the week, for 3 months, in 2 successive years. Chest x-rays are obtained to exclude other pathology. In a smoker, any change in a chronic cough and any new cough warrant further evaluation.
Smoking cessation can completely resolve the cough associated with chronic bronchitis.
See the section on COPD for a complete discussion of smoking cessation. Bronchodilators can help the cough as well. It is suspected as a cause of chronic cough most often when there is an abnormal CXR and a history of smoking. Abnormal CXR dictates that a biopsy be performed to obtain a sample of the abnormal tissue for analysis. When the CXR is normal and lung cancer is suspected, a CT scan of the chest may be obtained.