Background: The long-term prognosis of chronic cough has been unclear. 
Aims and objective: We investigated the long-term outcome in patients suffering from chronic cough.
Materials and Methods: Based on claims data from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment service in South Korea, we retrospectively investigated patients aged 18 years or older with chronic cough treated with an anti-tussive drug for more than two months. 
Results: Among 207,989 patients treated with chronic cough from Jan 2017 to June 2019, idiopathic cough and persistent cough were identified as 3.7% and 5.8%, respectively. Treated chronic cough showed female predominance and an increasing trend with age. The median duration of the anti-tussive drug was 110 days (IQR; 76-222). Patients who remained cough-free for more than six months after treatment for chronic cough were 53.9%. 67.2% of patients without medication for more than six months after treatment have revisited within one year for chronic cough. After 18 months of treatment completion, 90.2% of patients were treated again.
Conclusion: We confirmed that chronic cough is a symptom with a high medical burden and poor long-term outcome, with more than 90% of patients continuously visiting the hospital despite treatment.