Launch of new guidelines on severe asthma, bronchopulmonary dysplasia and chronic cough

Three European Respiratory Society (ERS) guidelines have been published this month, each giving recommendations based on systematic reviews of published research in the following areas:

• Management of severe asthma
• Long-term management of children with bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD)
• Diagnosis and treatment of chronic cough in adults and children

Individual patients, parents and caregivers were involved alongside healthcare professionals to input experiences and views in the discussions and it is great to see the final result of their collaboration over the last 2 years. Thank you to all those who provided input on patient views and preferences via teleconference, email or face-to-face meetings and for giving your time to make sure that patient views were included.

Links to each of the guidelines are below and lay summary versions will be produced over the next few months:

• Management of severe asthma: a European Respiratory Society/American Thoracic Society guideline – recommendations on the use of new therapies for severe asthma, specifically biologicals for type 2 high asthma and antimuscarinic agents and macrolides, as well as on biomarkers for predicting treatment response.
• ERS guideline on long-term management of children with bronchopulmonary dysplasia – provides recommendations on the monitoring and treatment of children with established BPD based on questions relevant for clinical care.
• ERS guidelines on the diagnosis and treatment of chronic cough in adults and children – details the shift in our understanding of chronic cough, recognising that cough hypersensitivity has become the main diagnosis and, in children, persistent bacterial bronchitis explains most wet cough, which changes treatment advice.