BACKGROUND: Cough hypersensitivity is an important clinical and pathophysiological feature of chronic cough, which involves chemical, mechanical, thermal stimuli, and sensory dysfunction. Currently, there is lack of a comprehensive method for evaluating cough hypersensitivity. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to develop and validate a questionnaire to assess the degree of cough hypersensitivity. METHOD: The initial items of Cough Hypersensitivity Assessment Test (CHAT) were made based on literature review, experts' opinions and clinical practice, the items were reduced after investigation in patients with chronic cough. Dimensional allocation, internal reliability, test-retest reliability, construct validity, responsiveness and cut-off value were determined in the final stage. RESULT: The final version of CHAT on a 5-point Likert scale (0-4) includes 18 items, consisting of 3 dimensions: environmental triggers, daily life triggers and tussive symptoms with total score ranging from 0-72. There was significant difference in CHAT-18 scores between patients and healthy controls (p <
0.001). The Cronbach's alpha value for CHAT was 0.832. Intraclass correlation coefficient for CHAT was 0.884. Construct validity was demonstrated with a multitrait-multimethod matrix. There was good responsiveness post-treatment. The cut-off value of CHAT was 18 for cough hypersensitivity. There was mild-to-moderate correlation between capsaicin cough sensitivity and tussive symptoms and total score of CHAT. CONCLUSION: Cough Hypersensitivity Assessment Test comprehensively covers a range of cough triggers, and shows robust internal reliability, test-retest reliability, construct validity and responsiveness. This may be useful for measuring cough hypersensitivity.