The diagnosis and treatment of chronic cough first requires careful history taking, meticulous physical examination and selection of appropriate ancillary tests to establish a preliminary diagnosis of the cause of chronic cough, followed by corresponding targeted treatment to confirm or exclude the diagnosis, finally determining the cause and relieving cough symptoms. This procedure involves a comprehensive examination of the various causes of chronic cough, such as paranasal sinus X-ray, pulmonary ventilation, bronchodilatation or excitation test, induced sputum cytometry, exhaled nitric oxide test, esophageal impedance-pH monitoring, fiberoptic bronchoscopy and chest CT, etc. Based on the results of the examination and medical history, a diagnosis of the possible causes of chronic cough is established. The diagnosis is confirmed if the cough resolves or disappears, and the diagnosis is excluded if treatment fails. The advantage of the “comprehensive examination first, then targeted treatment” process is that it can quickly clarify the cause of the disease and achieve effective treatment in a shorter period of time, but it is more expensive and false-positive test results can interfere with the etiological diagnosis, leading to too many false etiological diagnoses. The second process: examination while treatment “examination while treatment” means comprehensive analysis of the patient’s medical history, symptoms and signs, consideration of the possibility of the cause of the cough, prioritization of the most likely cause for auxiliary examination, establishment of a clinical diagnosis, and clarification or exclusion of the cause by observing the patient’s response to treatment. The process then examines and treats other causes of chronic cough until all causes are clear and the cough is controlled, see Figure 2. The ancillary tests selected at each step of the process are highly targeted and the total medical costs are relatively low, but if the initial diagnosis is incorrect, all subsequent treatment steps are required and it may take longer to control the cough. In clinical practice, clinicians need to take into account the patient’s financial situation, willingness to seek medical care and the hospital’s technical equipment to select the above procedure. Link: Points to note when treating empirically Select appropriate treatment strategies and protocols according to the hospital conditions and the patient’s economic status, and strive for cost-effectiveness. The dosage of medication should be sufficient to avoid poor efficacy due to insufficient dosage and thus misjudgment of the condition. Treatment time is moved forward. After exclusion of post-infectious cough, treatment can be started with subacute cough without being bound to the definition of chronic cough course. Follow up closely and adjust treatment measures at any time according to the response to treatment. When oral glucocorticosteroids are administered, be aware of their adverse effects, especially the possible worsening and spread of underlying infection. Empirical treatment is not symptomatic and the application of cough suppressants alone should be avoided as much as possible. Most chronic cough etiologies are not related to infection and antibiotics are usually not necessary. Empiric treatment should be time-limited. For UACS, CVA and EB, treatment usually starts with 1 week, and for GERC with 2 to 4 weeks, switching to standard therapy for the appropriate etiology if effective, or for other common etiologies if ineffective. If the treatment is still ineffective, referral to a qualified hospital to identify the cause should be made in time to avoid delaying the diagnosis and treatment of early lung cancer or other lung diseases.