Chronic Persistent Cough Research Articles

Impact of Spa Therapy on Symptoms and Quality of Life in Post-COVID-19 Patients with Chronic Conditions.

Background: With limited pharmacological interventions, post-COVID-19 condition is a clinical challenge, and supplementary therapies are essential for symptom relief and enhancing quality of life (QoL). In our prospective observational study, we aimed to evaluate the impact of Salus per aquam (Spa) therapy on post-COVID-19 symptoms and QoL in individuals who suffer from chronic joint, musculoskeletal, skin, and/or respiratory conditions. Methods: A total of 159 individuals undergoing Spa therapy were enrolled, and 78 of them had post-COVID-19 symptoms, assessed using Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) and modified British Medical Research Council Questionnaire (mMRC-DS scales), as well as the Short Form 36 Health Status Survey (SF-36) questionnaire for QoL. Results: Spa therapy significantly reduced most post-COVID-19 symptoms, especially chronic fatigue, pain, brain fog, and persistent cough (all p < 0.05), as well as physical (+72%) and emotional (+66%) limitations. When stratified by sex, males showed a greater improvement from baseline, while females consistently displayed a higher amelioration in all QoL dimensions. Moreover, full vaccination with 3-4 doses significantly protected against SARS-CoV-2 re-infections and post-COVID-19 development (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Spa therapy demonstrated effectiveness in mitigating post-COVID-19 symptoms and enhancing QoL in patients suffering from chronic diseases.

Primary ciliary dyskinesia

Primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD) is arare genetic disorder with avariable clinical phenotype that is accompanied by reduced motility of the cilia in the respiratory tract and numerous other organs. This leads to various characteristic symptoms and disease manifestations, primarily affecting the lungs (chronic persistent productive cough, bronchiectasis), the nose and paranasal sinuses (chronic persistent rhinitis or rhinosinusitis) as well as the middle ear (chronic otitis media, middle ear effusion). Moreover, PCD is associated with impaired fertility or lateralization defects (situs anomalies, congenital heart defects). The diagnostics of PCD are complex and require acombination of several sophisticated instrument-based diagnostic procedures. Through thorough history taking and evaluation, suspected cases can be comparatively well identified based on typical clinical features and referred to further diagnostics. In recent years, molecular genetic analysis through panel diagnostics or whole exome and whole genome sequencing, has gained in importance as this enables affected individuals to participate in disease-specific and genotype-specific clinical trials. Although the current treatment is purely symptomatic, the earliest possible diagnosis is crucial for connecting patients to specialized PCD centers, which can have asignificant impact on the clinical course of the affected individuals.

Gender Differences in Antitussive Prescriptions for Chronic Cough in Korea.

Background: We investigated the differences in the characteristics and prognoses between the sexes of patients with chronic cough who were prescribed antitussive agents, using a Korean population-based database. Methods: Claims data from South Korea's Health Insurance Review and Assessment (HIRA) service were analyzed. This retrospective observational cohort study considered chronic cough patients aged 18 years and older who were consistently prescribed antitussive agents for more than 2 months between 1 January 2017 and 30 June 2019. Results: Among the 207,989 patients treated for chronic cough, the prevalence of unexplained cough was higher in women (men: 6.2% vs. women: 9.7%) and the prevalence of persistent cough was higher in men (men: 16.8% vs. women: 14.3%). The gap in the proportion of COPD, lung cancer, ILD, GERD, and TB between women and men were largest around the age range of 60-70 years. With the exception of those in their 60s and 70s, women were more likely to have chronic cough and persistent cough than men. Women were more likely to discontinue medication after treatment completion than men. Only 53.9% of patients discontinued cough medication for more than 6 months after treatment completion. Within 12 and 18 months, respectively, 8.9% and 11.9% of them revisited the hospital for chronic cough. Via Cox regression analysis, an age in the 60s or 70s and explained cough were independently associated with a higher risk of revisit for treatment. Conclusions: Among patients treated for chronic cough, there were distinct differences in cough characteristics and prescription status between men and women. Our data highlight the need for a new personalized treatment approach to chronic cough, taking into account the gender, age, and underlying diseases of patients. Further research is needed to determine whether appropriate underlying disease control and gender-specific treatment are effective for managing chronic cough.

EE301 Patient Characteristics, Healthcare Resource Utilization, and Costs for Persistent Chronic Cough Vs. Chronic Cough without Persistent Cough in the United States

Persistent chronic cough (PCC) patients have high clinical burden. We aimed to examine patient characteristics, healthcare resource utilization (HCRU), and costs for PCC and chronic cough (CC) without persistent cough (non-PCC) in the United States (US).

Evaluation of an implementation package to deliver the COPD CARE service

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the third leading cause of death worldwide and is estimated to be the leading cause of death in the next 15 years. Patients with...

Prediction of persistent chronic cough in patients with chronic cough using machine learning.

The aim of this study was to develop and validate prediction models for risk of persistent chronic cough (PCC) in patients with chronic cough (CC). This was a retrospective cohort study. Two retrospective cohorts of patients 18-85 years of age were identified for years 2011-2016: a specialist cohort which included CC patients diagnosed by specialists, and an event cohort which comprised CC patients identified by at least three cough events. A cough event could be a cough diagnosis, dispensing of cough medication or any indication of cough in clinical notes. Model training and validation were conducted using two machine-learning approaches and 400+ features. Sensitivity analyses were also conducted. PCC was defined as a CC diagnosis or any two (specialist cohort) or three (event cohort) cough events in year 2 and again in year 3 after the index date. 8581 and 52 010 patients met the eligibility criteria for the specialist and event cohorts (mean age 60.0 and 55.5 years), respectively. 38.2% and 12.4% of patients in the specialist and event cohorts, respectively, developed PCC. The utilisation-based models were mainly based on baseline healthcare utilisations associated with CC or respiratory diseases, while the diagnosis-based models incorporated traditional parameters including age, asthma, pulmonary fibrosis, obstructive pulmonary disease, gastro-oesophageal reflux, hypertension and bronchiectasis. All final models were parsimonious (five to seven predictors) and moderately accurate (area under the curve: 0.74-0.76 for utilisation-based models and 0.71 for diagnosis-based models). The application of our risk prediction models may be used to identify high-risk PCC patients at any stage of the clinical testing/evaluation to facilitate decision making.

Diagnostic Yield of Bronchoalveolar Lavage in Nepalese Patients Presenting with Chronic Cough with Normal Radiological Imaging in Tertiary Care Hospital

Background: Cough is one of the most common symptoms that lead patients to seek medical attention. The diagnosis of chronic cough is complex and challenging. In our setting, a large proportion of patients with cough are treated empirically without a definite diagnosis. Despite investigation and treatment, fiberoptic bronchoscope with bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) has been shown to be a useful technique in a selected group of patients with unexplained chronic persistent cough. The aim of the study was to determine the diagnostic yield of bronchoalveolar lavage in Nepalese patients presenting with chronic cough with normal radiological imaging. Methods: This was a hospital based cross sectional study. The patients presenting with chronic cough (&gt;8 weeks) with normal radiological imaging were enrolled in the study. Results: 1 patient (2.6%) sputum sample for AFB was negative however BAL sample of the same patient sent for Gene xpert came positive for Mycobacterium Tuberculosis, 5 patients (12.8%) had positive BAL culture, 29 patients (74.4%) had normal cellular pattern in BAL Cytology. Conclusion: Diagnostic yield of BAL was very low for chronic cough in our study. Patient presenting with eosinophilic pattern in BAL had cough variant asthma suffer from non-productive cough in the absence of other asthma symptoms such as dyspnea and wheezing. Thus, though fiberoptic bronchoscope with BAL is indicated in chronic cough of unknown etiology, its diagnostic yield is low

Risk Factors for Persistent Chronic Cough During Consecutive Years: A Retrospective Database Analysis

The identification of patients at high risk for diseases provides clinicians essential information to better manage such patients. Persistent chronic cough (PCC) is a condition with high clinical burden and limited knowledge of the risk factors that drive the persistent symptoms. To understand the risk factors of PCC in patients with CC diagnosed by specialists. In this retrospective study, adults aged 18 to 85 years diagnosed with CC by a pulmonologist, allergist, otolaryngologist, or gastroenterologist in the period 2011 to 2016 were identified. PCC was defined by another CC code or at least 2 cough events at least 8 weeks but no more than 4 months apart in each of the 2 consecutive years beginning 1 year after the original CC diagnosis. Unadjusted and adjusted risk ratios with 95% CI for patient characteristics at baseline in relationship to PCC were estimated by Poisson regression models with robust error variance. Of the adults with CC, 3270 (27.4%) had PCC and 5302 (44.5%) did not have CC during follow-up; 3341 (28.1%) had CC in only 1 follow-up year and were excluded from the analysis. Compared with patients without PCC, patients with PCC were noted to have significantly increased adjusted risk ratios for the following baseline features: (1) demographic characteristics (elderly, females, and less educated); (2) comorbidities (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, chronic sinusitis, bronchiectasis, pulmonary fibrosis, hypertension, depression, and cough complications); (3) medication dispensed (inhaled corticosteroids/long-acting beta-agonists, leukotriene modifiers, nasal corticosteroids, nasal short-acting muscarinic antagonists, proton pump inhibitors, antitussives with narcotics, and neuromodulators); and (4) specialist care, particularly with pulmonologists. Knowledge of the independent risk factors associated with PCC should aid clinicians in identifying such patients and improve their management.

Sinomenine Attenuated Capsaicin-Induced Increase in Cough Sensitivity in Guinea Pigs by Inhibiting SOX5/TRPV1 Axis and Inflammatory Response.

BackgroundChronic cough is a common complaint which affects a large number of patients worldwide. Increased cough sensitivity is a very important cause of chronic persistent cough. However, there are limited clinical diagnosis and treatment for increased cough sensitivity. Transient receptor potential vanilloid-1 (TRPVl) is a member of the transient receptor potential (TRP) family of channels which is very closely associated with respiratory diseases. However, the mechanism through which TRPV1 that influences downstream events is still poorly understood.ResultsCapsaicin induced increase in cough sensitivity by upregulating the protein level of TRPV1, leading to the secretions of Substance P and neurokinin A which stimulated neurogenic inflammation. However, sinomenine, a component of traditional Chinese medicine, significantly attenuated the capsaicin-induced cough by inhibiting the expression of TRPV1 in guinea pigs. In addition, capsaicin increased the expression of SOX5 which mediated the transcriptional upregulation of TRPV1. However, pretreatment with sinomenine reduced the expression of SOX5.ConclusionThese results indicate that capsaicin induced increase in cough sensitivity by activating neurogenic inflammation, while sinomenine attenuated the increase in cough sensitivity by inhibiting the expressions of SOX5 and TRPV1 in guinea pigs. This finding may provide a novel target for the treatment of aggravated cough sensitivity.

May chronic cough in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease be a contraindication of Percutaneous Endoscopic Gastrostomy placement: a case report

BackgroundPercutaneous Endoscopic Gastrostomy (PEG) can involve some complications, despite the good safety of its track record. The Buried Bumper Syndrome (BBS) is a rare, late and dangerous complication that consists in the erosion of the internal bumper through the gastric wall.Case presentationWe report the development of BBS in a man with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) who had a persistent chronic cough which was prevalently but not solely in the morning and required placement of a PEG tube for continuous infusion of Levodopa/carbidopa intestinal gel for advanced Parkinson's disease.ConclusionWe believe that COPD with chronic cough while not representing an absolute contraindication to PEG placement, may potentially cause BBS and therefore an appropriate regimen of tube care by expert personnel is mandatory in this setting.

UNMASKING CHRONIC COUGH AND ASTHMA: THE SILENT BODY

SESSION TITLE: Fellows Allergy and Airway Case Report Posters SESSION TYPE: Fellow Case Report Posters PRESENTED ON: October 18-21, 2020 INTRODUCTION: Foreign body aspiration is an emergency situation which requires early bronchoscopy. Most of the patients will recall the event, however it could be a surprising finding in bronchoscopy procedures. Symptoms include shortness of breath, fever, and hemoptysis. In this case, it presents as chronic cough with uncontrolled asthma for several years despite optimized therapy. CASE PRESENTATION: Case of a 52-year-old man with past medical history of GERD, partly controlled severe asthma and chronic persistent cough who presented with bloody sputum without shortness of breath, chest pain or palpitation. Initial evaluation at ER with evidence of right lower lobe infiltrate and was admitted for treatment of pneumonia. He also recognized recurrent episodes of bronchitis, and fever episodes in the last 48 hours. He presented 3 months prior to admission to the emergency department with cough and subjective fever, by which had a chest x ray showing linear and patchy densities at the right lung base, azithromycin was prescribed and discharge home respectively. On examination, vital signs were stable. Chest auscultation revealed mildly decreased breath sounds and rhonchi in the right lower lung field. Chest transverse axial computer tomography with a right basilar lung consolidation with air bronchograms and hyperdense filling defect in the right lower lobe bronchus. Chest computer tomography 3 year prior to admission had evidence of right sided infiltrate believe to be secondary to pneumonia that was treated at that time. In view of hemoptysis and persistent right lower lobe infiltrate a flexible bronchoscopy was performed that revealed significant erythema with a foreign body visualized in the right lower lobe with associated granulation tissue . Subsequent evaluation visits with improved chronic cough and asthma respectively after the successful retrieval. DISCUSSION: Foreign bodies may result in serious complications if left unrecognized. This complication includes recurrent pneumonia, lung abscess, bronchopleuralcutaneus fistulas, atelectasis, and bronchiectasis with mucus impaction . However, in the case of chronic aspiration, bronchoscopy may show features of tissue reaction to the foreign body, by which object could be found incarcerated and difficult to be seen. Granulation reactions could eventually lead to airway strictures, and subsequently airway distortion, by which could present with unilateral wheezes in physical examination. Its important to note that bronchoscopy is present in chronic cough management algorithm. CONCLUSIONS: Chronic cough and persistent asthma that does not respond to standard therapy is the key to suggest a foreign body aspiration. Chronic cough is the most common symptom and is present in two-thirds of patients with foreign body aspiration. For that purpose, it’s important an early suspicion for a successful detection and a subsequent improvement of symptoms. Reference #1: Irwin RS, Madison JM. The diagnosis and treatment of cough. N Engl J Med. 2000;343:1715–21. Reference #2: Irwin RS, Boulet LP, Cloutier MM, Fuller R, Gold PM, Hoffstein, et al. Managing cough as a defense mechanism and as a symptom. A consensus panel report to the American College of Chest Physicians. Chest. 1998;114(2 suppl):133–81S. Reference #3: Al-Majed SA, Ashour M, Al-Mobeireek AF, Al-Hajjaj MS, Alzeer AH, Al-Kattan K. Overlooked inhaled foreign bodies: late sequelae and the likelihood of recovery. Respiratory Medicine. 1997;91(5):293–296. DISCLOSURES: No relevant relationships by Christian Castillo Latorre, source=Web Response No relevant relationships by Ilean Lamboy, source=Web Response No relevant relationships by Mariana Mercader-Pérez, source=Web Response No relevant relationships by William Rodriguez-Cintron, source=Web Response No relevant relationships by Jose Torres-Palacios, source=Web Response

Cough persistence in adults with chronic cough: A 4-year retrospective cohort study

BackgroundThere is very limited evidence regarding long-term prognosis of chronic cough. We examined longitudinal outcomes among patients with chronic cough, and explored predictors of cough persistence. MethodsA retrospective cohort was constructed of adults who had newly visited a specialist cough clinic in 2012–2013. All had undergone systematic investigation for chronic cough. The Hull Airway Reflux Questionnaire (HARQ) was administered to assess reflux cough symptoms. A follow-up survey was conducted in 2016–2017 to assess cough persistence. ResultsFrom 418 candidates, 323 participated in the follow-up study; main analyses focused on patients with chronic persistent cough (n = 64; 19.8%) and remitted cough (n = 193; 59.8%). Compared with remitted cough group, chronic persistent cough group had more family history of chronic cough (17.2% vs. 4.7%, p = 0.001) and cold air-sensitive cough (62.5% vs. 44.6%, p = 0.013). The total HARQ score did not differ; however, two items (cough with eating and cough with certain foods) scored significantly higher in chronic persistent cough. In multivariate analyses, a family history of chronic cough (adjusted odds ratio 4.27 [95% confidence interval 1.35–9.89]), cold air-sensitive cough (2.01 [1.09–3.73]), and cough with eating (1.22 [1.02–1.45]) were associated with chronic persistent cough at 4 years. ConclusionsCough persists in about 20% of patients after 4 years following systematic assessment and treatments. Several cough characteristics, such as family history, cold air-sensitivity, or reflux cough, may be associated with cough persistence. Larger cohort studies are warranted to further understand long-term prognosis and confirm predictors of persistence in patients with chronic cough.

9/11 Residential Exposures: The Impact of World Trade Center Dust on Respiratory Outcomes of Lower Manhattan Residents.

Thousands of lower Manhattan residents sustained damage to their homes following the collapse of the Twin Towers on 11 September 2001. Respiratory outcomes have been reported in this population. We sought to describe patterns of home damage and cleaning practices in lower Manhattan and their impacts on respiratory outcomes among World Trade Center Health Registry (WTCHR) respondents. Data were derived from WTCHR Wave 1 (W1) (9/2003–11/2004) and Wave 2 (W2) (11/2006–12/2007) surveys. Outcomes of interest were respiratory symptoms (shortness of breath (SoB), wheezing, persistent chronic cough, upper respiratory symptoms (URS)) first occurring or worsening after 9/11 W1 and still present at W2 and respiratory diseases (asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)) first diagnosed after 9/11 W1 and present at W2. We performed descriptive statistics, multivariate logistic regression and geospatial analyses, controlling for demographics and other exposure variables. A total of 6447 residents were included. Mean age on 9/11 was 45.1 years (±15.1 years), 42% were male, 45% had ever smoked cigarettes, and 44% reported some or intense dust cloud exposure on 9/11. The presence of debris was associated with chronic cough (adjusted OR (aOR) = 1.56, CI: 1.12–2.17), and upper respiratory symptoms (aOR = 1.56, CI: 1.24–1.95). A heavy coating of dust was associated with increased shortness of breath (aOR = 1.65, CI: 1.24–2.18), wheezing (aOR = 1.43, CI: 1.03–1.97), and chronic cough (aOR = 1.59, CI: 1.09–2.28). Dusting or sweeping without water was the cleaning behavior associated with the largest number of respiratory outcomes, such as shortness of breath, wheezing, and URS. Lower Manhattan residents who suffered home damage following the 9/11 attacks were more likely to report respiratory symptoms and diseases compared to those who did not report home damage.

Comparison of therapeutic effects of inhaled corticosteroids on three subtypes of cough variant asthma as classified by the impulse oscillometry system

BackgroundCough variant asthma (CVA) is one of the most common causes of chronic persistent cough, and early treatment with inhaled corticosteroids (ICSs) is recommended to attenuate the inflammation and remodeling. The impulse oscillometry system (IOS) is a novel device for respiratory functional assessment that has not yet been assessed in terms of CVA. Therefore, we investigated the relationship between CVA and IOS, and the difference in therapeutic effects of ICSs among the subtype classifications by IOS.MethodsThe following ICSs were randomly prescribed in daily medical care: coarse-particle ICS (fluticasone propionate [FP]), fine-particle ICS (mometasone furoate [MF]), and moderate-particle ICS (budesonide [BUD]). Treatment effects were assessed by the Leicester cough questionnaire (LCQ) and were compared among three separated subtypes based on IOS measurements: central, peripheral, and resistless.ResultsRegarding LCQ scores, in the central type, the LCQ of the MF group was significantly lower than FP and BUD. In the peripheral type, the LCQ of the FP group was significantly lower than MF and BUD. In the resistless type, the LCQ of the MF group was significantly lower than BUD. Also, IOS factors were improved by 4 weeks of therapy with ICS. Thus, there was strong relationship between subtypes and particle size in terms of effectiveness.ConclusionsThere is a strong relationship between IOS subtype classification and ICS particle size in terms of therapeutic efficiency in CVA. It appears important to determine the ICS particle size, based on the IOS subtype classification, before treatment.

Speech therapy in the management of difficult-to-treat chronic cough - preliminary results.

The efficacy of management of chronic cough in adults is limited. Speech therapy is one of the few therapeutic methods which seems to be useful in patients with persistent chronic cough. However, the method has not been available in Poland so far. The aim of the study was to implement speech therapy and assess its efficacy in the management of patients with difficult-to-treat chronic cough. Patients, who were diagnosed and managed due to difficult-to-treat chronic cough, were enrolled into the study. Speech therapy was developed on the basis of the technique described by Vertigan. The entire therapy consisted of eight weekly sessions, each lasting 45 minutes. Before and after speech therapy, cough severity and its impact on the quality of life was assessed by the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) and Leicester Cough Questionnaire (LCQ). Additionally, cough challenge test with capsaicin was performed. Eighteen women were enrolled into the study, 15 of them (83%) attended all treatment sessions (median age 66 years, median duration of cough 60 months). There was a significant decrease in cough severity measured by VAS (46 vs 28 mm, p = 0.016) after completion of speech therapy. A significant improvement in patients' quality of life measured by LCQ (10.7 vs 14.6 points, p = 0.004) and an increase in the threshold of cough reflex measured by capsaicin challenge were also demonstrated. Speech therapy resulted in a decrease in cough severity and improvement of quality of life of females with refractory chronic cough. Our results support the use of speech therapy as add-on treatment in females with difficult-to-treat cough.

Overview in the management of persistent cough in paediatric practice

Persistent Chronic cough is a major psychosocial economic health burden showing increased prevalence in the past years from to between to ndash We aimed at highlighting the burden on society and effecting the quality of life We prepared recommendations based on expert opinion using few parameters like When do we consider cough is persistent Chronic What is the burden on child family and society How to evaluate the child with Chronic cough When to submit the child for investigations What are the common causes for persistent cough Does children need cough suppressants while awaiting for the diagnosis We kept social determinants public education and cost containment in mind while preparing the recommendations

Speech Therapy—A Non-Pharmacological Method to Manage Difficult-to-treat Chronic Cough

Cough is the most common symptom of respiratory diseases. The results of management of chronic cough in adults are still unsatisfactory. Unexplained and difficult-to-treat chronic cough causes significant impairment in patients' quality of life. The results of recent studies suggest that speech therapy (speech language intervention) is one of the few methods which are usefull in management of persistent chronic cough. We present a case of a patient with chronic cough due to chronic nonallergic rhinitis and gastroesophageal reflux disease, who had been unsuccessfully treated for 18 years. In the patient speech therapy resulted in a significant decrease of cough severity and improvement of quality of life.

Ventilatory muscle strength in cystic fibrosis patients: a literature review

The ventilatory mechanic changes that occur in cystic fibrosis (CF) patients may lead to alterations in the respiratory muscle strength levels. However, the findings regarding the strength profile in these patients are still contradictory. To evaluate, trough a literature review, the respiratory muscle strength behavior in CF patients. We have performed a search in Medline/Pubmed, Scielo, IBECS and LILACS databases selecting observational cross-sectional, prospective or retrospective studies, as well as randomized clinical trials, published between 1981 and 2011, using the following terms: cystic fibrosis, respiratory muscle strength, inspiratory maximal pressure and muscle training. The majority of the studies 71.24% have shown normal or above normal respiratory muscle strength, whilst 28.57% demonstrated reduced or near-normal values. Most of these findings were attributed to an increased work of breathing as a result of airway obstruction and chronic persistent cough. Taken together, the analyses of selected studies have showed conflicting findings regarding respiratory muscle strength behavior in these patients. However, most of the studies seem to indicate that CF patients presented maximum respiratory pressures normal or above predicted values.

Incidental bronchoscopic findings

Inflexible and flexible bronchoscopy represents a standard diagnostic procedure in pneumology. Besides lung carcinomas, which is the most frequent indication for diagnostic bronchoscopy, a plethora of clinical symptoms such as chronic persistent cough, hoarseness, unexplained dyspnea, hemoptysis, and suspicious findings on auscultation require further endoscopic evaluation. Moreover, bronchoscopy plays a central role in the diagnostic work-up of interstitial lung diseases and persistent lung infiltrates, in particular those of infectious origin (e.g., fungal, viral, tuberculous, and Pneumocystis jiroveci infections). In addition, diagnostic bronchoscopy has more recently been complemented by endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS). EBUS is predominantly employed for the accurate diagnosis and mediastinal staging of lung carcinomas, and the assessment of lympadenopathy-associated diseases such as sarcoidosis.Since endoscopic evaluation is typically preceded by computed tomography (CT) of the chest, genuine incidental findings occur relatively seldom and usually account for pathological findings that have been missed on conventional imaging approaches. For instance, characteristic incidental findings include benign and malignant tumors in the area of the endoscopic access and central airways, anatomical variations and (vascular) malformations, tracheal and bronchial airway alterations, and aspirated objects. This review focuses on bronchoscopic findings that have either been completely missed by conventional imaging or differently interpreted due to its radiologic morphology.

Eosinophilic Bronchial Disorders Presenting Chronic Cough; Atopic Cough, Cough Variant Asthma and Non-Asthmatic Eosinophilic Bronchitis

Chronic persistent non-productive cough is troublesome, whereas productive cough is physiologic and acts to remove abnormal secretions and foreign bodies from the lower respiratory tract. Atopic cough is a new clinical entity for bronchodilator-resistant non-productive cough associated with generalized atopy. Pathological characteristics of atopic cough included trachea bronchitis without Broncho Alveolar Lavage (BAL) eosinophilia, and the physiological characteristics included hypersensitivity of the cough reflex without bronchial hyper reactivity. Patients with atopic cough have eosinophilia of the nebulized hypertonic saline-induced sputum but normal spirometry findings and no variability of Peak Expiratory Flow (PEF). These features of atopic cough are distinct from those of cough variant asthma, since these patients have mild bronchial hyper reactivity and eosinophilic inflammation of the central and peripheral airways and their cough is responsive to bronchodilator treatment. Moreover cough-variant asthma is a precursor of typical asthma, while atopic cough is not, because nearly 30% of patients with cough-variant asthma eventually develop typical asthma but patients with atopic cough do not. Although nearly 60% of patients with atopic cough can be successfully treated with histamine H1-receptor antagonists, but other still require additional corticosteroid therapy because bronchoscopic study indicate that bronchial eosinophilic inflammation is more severe in the H1-receptor antagonist-resistant group. Further investigations are required for the clinical entity of eosinophilic bronchitis without asthma, since it seems to resemble to atopic cough and there seems to be considerable overlap of these two clinical entities.