Management Of Chronic Cough Research Articles

Associations of Cough Prevalence with Ambient Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons, Nitrogen and Sulphur Dioxide: A Longitudinal Study.

Information on potential cough triggers including environmental irritants is vital for successful management of chronic cough in patients. We investigated the relationship between ambient levels of particulate polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and sulphur dioxide (SO2) exposures with cough prevalence. Eighty-three adult patients, who had been physician diagnosed with at least asthma, cough variant asthma and/or atopic cough, were divided into asthma and non-asthma groups. They recorded daily cough symptoms during 4 January–30 June 2011 study period while daily samples of total suspended particles were simultaneously collected by use of glass fiber filters and the particulate PAH content determined by high performance liquid chromatography coupled with a fluorescence detector. Ambient concentrations of NO2 and SO2 were obtained from a local monitoring site. Logistic regression models using generalized estimating equations were used to determine population-averaged estimates of association between cough prevalence and ambient pollutant exposures for the two groups. Fully adjusted odds ratios from single pollutant models were 1.083 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.029, 1.140) and 1.097 (95% CI: 1.016, 1.185) per 0.57 ng/m3 for lag2 PAH exposure, while only for asthma group had significant associations with NO2 and SO2 exposures for both lag2 and lag02. Similar associations were observed in multipollutant models. This finding suggests that ambient PAH, NO2, and SO2 exposure even at low levels is related to cough prevalence in adult chronic cough patients and may be considered as aggravating factor during clinical management of the condition.

Validation of the Chinese version of Hull airway reflux questionnaire and its application in the evaluation of chronic cough

To validate the effectiveness, repeatability and treatment responsiveness of the Chinese version of Hull airway reflux questionnaire (HARQ), and to determine its clinical value. A standard Chinese version of HARQ was developed by an established translation procedure and its repeatability was assessed in a preliminary study involving 55 untreated patients with stable chronic cough. Thereafter, a total of 132 patients with chronic cough referred to our respiratory clinic were recruited into the study between May 2014 and April 2015. After their cough was evaluated with the HARQ, cough symptom score or cough reflex sensitivity to inhaled capsaicin and the correlations among them were analyzed, and the causes of chronic cough in all the patients were presumptively determined according to an established diagnostic protocol and finally confirmed with the subsequent therapy specific to the etiologies. After two weeks of effective treatment, HARQ, cough symptom score and cough reflex sensitivity to inhaled capsaicin were measured once more, and treatment responsiveness was calculated. The score of the HARQ in 132 patients with chronic cough were compared with that in 104 healthy volunteers. The repeatability of the Chinese version of the HARQ was validated at a week interval with the intraclass correlation coefficients of 0.96 (95%CI: 0.93-0.98, P=0.00) for total score (n=55). No correlation was found between the HARQ and cough symptom score, and the HARQ showed a weak negative correlation with cough threshold C2 (rIgC2=-0.23, P=0.01) but not with C5. The value of HARQ was significantly higher in patients with chronic cough than in healthy volunteers[20.00(14.00, 28.00) vs 4.00 (2.00, 6.00), Z=-12.89, P=0.00], but no difference of HARQ in gender or age existed in chronic cough. Although all the patients with various etiologies of chronic cough had an increased value of HARQ, cough due to gastroesophageal reflux showed the highest HARQ score among them[28.50 (25.00, 32.25) vs 18.50 (14.00, 26.25), Z=4.43, P=0.00]. After two weeks of effective treatment, the HARQ score decreased from 20.00 (14.00, 28.00) pre-treatment to 10.00 (4.25, 17.75) post-treatment (Z=-6.06, P=0.00), with 52.04% of score change ratio, 1.38 of effect side and 1.97 of standard response mean respectively. HARQ is a reliable and valid tool for the management of chronic cough with good treatment responsiveness, and may be used as an easy way to predict cough due to gastroesophageal reflux.

Validation of Chinese Version of Hull Airway Reflux Questionnaire and Its Application in the Management of Chronic Cough

Validation of Chinese Version of Hull Airway Reflux Questionnaire and Its Application in the Management of Chronic Cough

Chronic cough and a normal chest X-ray - a simple systematic approach to exclude common causes before referral to secondary care: a retrospective cohort study.

Chronic cough is common in the community and can cause significant morbidity. It is not clear how closely treatment guidelines are used in general practice, or how often specialist referral is indicated. We aimed to assess the management of chronic cough in primary care before referral to a cough clinic, and to assess the outcome of managing chronic cough with an approach of simple investigation and empirical treatment trials. Data were extracted from the records of all patients attending a district general hospital respiratory clinic over a two-year period with isolated chronic cough lasting ⩾8 weeks. The clinic assessed symptoms with a cough-severity visual analogue scale and the Leicester Cough Questionnaire. Among 266 patients, the most frequent diagnoses were asthma (29%), gastro-oesophageal reflux (22%) and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor use (14%). In all, 12% had unexplained chronic cough. Common diagnoses had often not been excluded in primary care: only 21% had undergone spirometry, 86% had undergone chest radiography and attempts to exclude asthma with corticosteroids had been made only in 39%. In the clinic few investigations were conducted that were not available in primary care. Substantial improvements in symptoms occurred with a median (interquartile range) total of 2 (2–3) clinic visits. We estimated that 87% of patients could have been managed solely in primary care; we did not identify distinguishing characteristics among this group. Most cases of chronic cough referred to secondary care could be managed with a simple and systematic approach, which is potentially transferrable to a community setting.

Evaluation of Occupational and Environmental Factors in the Assessment of Chronic Cough in Adults: A Systematic Review

Several recent cough guidelines have advised consideration of occupational or environmental causes for chronic cough, but it is unclear how frequently this recommendation has been routinely applied. Therefore, we undertook a systematic review to address this aspect. Cough guidelines and protocols were reviewed to identify recommendations for assessment of occupational and environmental aspects of chronic cough. The systematic search previously used to identify intervention fidelity to the use of protocols for diagnosis and management of chronic cough in adults was used for this review after extension to June 2015. PubMed, Scopus, and the Cochrane Library were searched using the same search terms and inclusion criteria as previously. Papers that met our criteria were then reviewed to identify methods used to assess occupational and environmental aspects of chronic cough and the outcomes of these assessments. Among the 10 general chronic cough guidelines and protocols identified, only the three published since 2006 included details advising detailed occupational and environmental assessments. One additional cough statement focused entirely on occupational cough. Of the 28 cohort studies of patients with chronic cough that specifically noted that they followed guidelines or protocols, none provided details of occupational and environmental assessments. Despite published recommendations, it is not apparent that occupational and environmental causes for chronic cough are addressed in detail during assessments of patients with chronic cough. This leaves open to speculation whether lack of recognition of an occupational cause may delay important preventive measures, put additional workers at risk, and/or be the reason why a chronic cough may remain unexplained.

Assessment of Intervention Fidelity and Recommendations for Researchers Conducting Studies on the Diagnosis and Treatment of Chronic Cough in the Adult

Successful management of chronic cough has varied in the primary research studies in the reported literature. One of the potential reasons relates to a lack of intervention fidelity to the core elements of the diagnostic and/or therapeutic interventions that were meant to be used by the investigators. We conducted a systematic review to summarize the evidence supporting intervention fidelity as an important methodologic consideration in assessing the effectiveness of clinical practice guidelines used for the diagnosis and management of chronic cough. We developed and used a tool to assess for five areas of intervention fidelity. Medline (PubMed), Scopus, and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews were searched from January 1998 to May 2014. Guideline recommendations and suggestions for those conducting research using guidelines or protocols to diagnose and manage chronic cough in the adult were developed and voted upon using CHEST Organization methodology. A total of 23 studies (17 uncontrolled prospective observational, two randomized controlled, and four retrospective observational) met our inclusion criteria. These articles included 3,636 patients. Data could not be pooled for meta-analysis because of heterogeneity. Findings related to the five areas of intervention fidelity included three areas primarily related to the provider and two primarily related to the patients. In the area of study design, 11 of 23 studies appeared to be underpinned by a single guideline/protocol; for training of providers, two of 23 studies reported training, and zero of 23 reported the use of an intervention manual; and for the area of delivery of treatment, when assessing the treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease, three of 23 studies appeared consistent with the most recent guideline/protocol referenced by the authors. For receipt of treatment, zero of 23 studies mentioned measuring concordance of patient-interventionist understanding of the treatment recommended, and zero of 23 mentioned measuring enactment of treatment, with three of 23 measuring side effects and two of 23 measuring adherence. The overall average intervention fidelity score for all 23 studies was poor (20.74 out of 48). Only low-quality evidence supports that intervention fidelity strategies were used when conducting primary research in diagnosing and managing chronic cough in adults. This supports the contention that some of the variability in the reporting of patients with unexplained or unresolved chronic cough may be due to lack of intervention fidelity. By following the recommendations and suggestions in this article, researchers will likely be better able to incorporate strategies to address intervention fidelity, thereby strengthening the validity and generalizability of their results that provide the basis for the development of trustworthy guidelines.

Is your cough getting better?

Is your cough getting better?

Chinese National Guidelines on Diagnosis and Management of Cough: consensus and controversy.

Cough, especially chronic cough, is a common condition in clinical practice. Chronic cough accounts for at least 30% of respiratory specialist visits and significantly interferes with patients’ daily life, and nearly 50% women patients with chronic cough suffer from urinary incontinence (1). The Asthma Workgroup of the Chinese Society of Respiratory Diseases (CSRD) issued The Chinese National Guideline on Diagnosis and Management of Cough (draft) in 2005 (2). The guideline primarily focuses on the etiological diagnosis and management of chronic cough. Since the establishment of the guideline, many clinicians, especially respiratory specialists, have significantly improved their expertise on the diagnosis of chronic cough, which has an important instructive impact on clinical practice. Therefore, the CRSD has revised the 2005 cough guideline to further improve the guideline and better present the progresses achieved both in China and abroad (3,4). The consensus and controversy on the guidelines are discussed in the present review.

Clinical pathways for chronic cough in children.

Chronic cough (a cough lasting longer than four weeks) is a common problem internationally. Chronic cough has associated economic costs and is distressing to the child and to parents; ignoring cough may lead to delayed diagnosis and progression of serious underlying respiratory disease. Clinical guidelines have been shown to lead to efficient and effective patient care and can facilitate clinical decision making. Cough guidelines have been designed to facilitate the management of chronic cough. However, treatment recommendations vary, and specific clinical pathways for the treatment of chronic cough in children are important, as causes of and treatments for cough vary significantly from those in adults. Therefore, systematic evaluation of the use of evidence-based clinical pathways for the management of chronic cough in children would be beneficial for clinical practice and for patient care. Use of a management algorithm can improve clinical outcomes; such management guidelines can be found in the guidelines for cough provided by the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP) and the British Thoracic Society (BTS). To evaluate the effectiveness of using a clinical pathway in the management of children with chronic cough. The Cochrane Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), the Cochrane Airways Group Specialised Register, MEDLINE, EMBASE, review articles and reference lists of relevant articles were searched. The latest search was conducted in January 2014. All randomised controlled trials of parallel-group design comparing use versus non-use of a clinical pathway for treatment of chronic cough in children (< 18 years of age). Results of searches were reviewed against predetermined criteria for inclusion. Two review authors independently selected studies and performed data extraction in duplicate. One study was included in the review. This multi-centre trial was based in five Australian hospitals and recruited 272 children with chronic cough. Children were randomly assigned to early (two weeks) or delayed (six weeks) referral to respiratory specialists who used a cough management pathway. When an intention-to-treat analysis was performed, clinical failure at six weeks post randomisation (defined as < 75% improvement in cough score, or total resolution for fewer than three consecutive days) was significantly less in the early pathway arm compared with the control arm (odds ratio (OR) 0.35, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.21 to 0.58). These results indicate that one additional child will be cured for every five children treated via the cough pathway (number needed to treat for an additional beneficial outcome (NNTB) = 5, 95% CI 3 to 9) at six weeks. Cough-specific parent-reported quality of life scores were significantly better in the early-pathway group; the mean difference (MD) between groups was 0.60 (95% CI 0.19 to 1.01). Duration of cough post randomisation was significantly shorter in the intervention group (early-pathway arm) compared with the control group (delayed-pathway arm) (MD -2.70 weeks, 95% CI -4.26 to -1.14). Current evidence suggests that using a clinical algorithm for the management of children with chronic cough in hospital outpatient settings is more effective than providing wait-list care. Futher high-quality randomised controlled trials are needed to perform ongoing evaluation of cough management pathways in general practitioner and other primary care settings.

Chronic cough in adults

A cough is the single most common presenting complaint in primary care; it is a major burden on the UK economy in terms of both health care costs and lost productivity. The vast majority of these cases are an acute cough, primarily due to self-limiting upper respiratory tract infections. However, a significant proportion of the general population (between 10 and 20%) will experience chronic cough, which can have a debilitating and often overlooked impact on the patient’s quality of life. This article describes the primary care evaluation and management of chronic cough in adults, particularly when there is no obvious underlying cause, based on the recommendations of the British Thoracic Society. There is also a brief discussion regarding which cases of acute cough should be referred early before they become chronic. The article does not discuss the management of a cough in children.

The assessment and management of chronic cough in children according to the British Thoracic Society guidelines: descriptive, prospective, clinical trial

Chronic cough is a common problem of various etiologies. While diagnosis may relatively be easy in the presence of some specific findings, it tends to be rather difficult when there are no clear symptoms. Therefore, practical guidelines are needed for management of patients with chronic cough. We aimed to evaluate assessment and management of chronic cough in children according to the British Thoracic Society guidelines published in 2008. Patients with chronic cough lasting longer than 8 weeks between 5 and 16 years old were evaluated. Pulmonary function test and chest radiography were performed on all patients. Further workup was conducted on those requiring further investigation. Patients were re-evaluated at 2- to 4-week intervals, and we followed our patients for 18 months until cough resolved. One hundred fifty six patients (52.5% female) aged 5-16 (8.42 ± 2.6) years were included. Of the 156 patients, 19.2% (n = 30) were diagnosed with postnasal drip syndrome plus asthma; 18.6% (n = 29) with postnasal drip syndrome; 12.2% (n = 19) with asthma; 12.2% (n = 19) with protracted bacterial bronchitis; and 11.5% (n = 18) with nonspecific isolated cough, 9.6% (n = 15) with cough variant asthma, 5.7% (n = 9) with psychogenic cough and 3.2% (n = 5) with gastroesophageal reflux disease. Postnasal drip syndrome and asthma was the most common cause of chronic cough. Asthma-associated findings were found in some of the patients diagnosed with postnasal drip syndrome. It has been observed that there could be more than one particular cause for cough concerning some patients. The gastroesophageal reflux disease was not a common primary cause of chronic cough in children.

Now is the Right Time to Establish a New Strategy for Managing Chronic Cough as a Neuropathic Disorder.

Now is the Right Time to Establish a New Strategy for Managing Chronic Cough as a Neuropathic Disorder.

On the definition of chronic cough and current treatment pathways: an international qualitative study.

BackgroundThe pathogenesis of chronic cough is not well understood and treatment options are limited. In this study we sought to explore the current understanding and management of chronic cough across an international group of specialists.MethodsThis was an international study of cross sectional qualitative design. In depth interviews were carried out with “Respiratory Specialists” experienced in treating treating Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), idiopathic chronic cough (ICC) and/or lung cancer patients and with “Disease Experts” in the field of Chronic Cough. Participants in the study were recruited from the USA, UK, Germany, Ireland, Australia and Japan. Interviews with specialists were held at research facilities and with DEs over the telephone. These were preceded by the specialists completing case records of patients recently seen. All interviews were conducted by native speaking trained moderators using a semi-structured interview guide script. This was designed to elicit the definition of chronic cough, explore the unmet needs for each disease state, define therapy goals, identify patient phenotypes and give an overview of the treatment pathway.Results76 specialists and 10 experts took part in the study. Over two thirds (70%) of respondents defined chronic cough as “cough lasting more than 8/12 weeks” (range 2 weeks to 2 years). Physicians emphasised three interdependent aspects of clinical assessment: impact on quality of life, type of cough (productive versus non-productive) and the underlying pathology. Specialists emphasised treating the underlying cause rather than the cough, this being most prominent in Japan. Experts as a group focussed on chronic cough independently. Evaluation of the respiratory system, GI tract and upper airway (ENT) for establishing an underlying cause was recommended. Type of cough (productive vs non-productive) and impact on quality of life influenced treatment initiation. 33% of patients with ICC were prescribed anti-tussives. With associated diagnoses of COPD, IPF or lung cancer the emphasis was on treating the underlying condition. Alternatives to pharmacological treatments were frequently considered.ConclusionThere is significant international variation in our understanding and management of chronic cough. Further work is required to bring forth clear guidance and effective medicines for these patients.

Changing the paradigm for cough: does 'cough hypersensitivity' aid our understanding?

Chronic cough is a common reason for patients to seek medication attention. Over the last few decades, we have experienced significant clinical success by applying the paradigm of 'evaluating and treating the causes for chronic cough'. However, we still ask ourselves 'what underlies chronic cough. Indeed in a considerable proportion of patients cough is idiopathic, or unexplained despite vigorous evaluation. Commonly associated conditions such as rhinitis, eosinophilic bronchitis, asthma, or gastroesophageal acidic reflux may not be fundamental to cough, and thus may be triggers rather than causes. The cardinal feature of chronic cough is persistent upregulation the cough reflex, which may be driven by complex interactions between biologic, neurologic, immunologic, genetic, comorbid, and environmental factors. We suggest the new paradigm 'cough hypersensitivity syndrome' should finally bring us further advances in understanding and management of chronic cough.

Chronic cough

The purpose of this review is to highlight recent work and provide recommendations on the approach for diagnosis and management of chronic cough in a gastroenterology clinic. Chronic cough is a burdensome symptom affecting a large number of patients and contributes significant cost to the healthcare system. Recent work has shown that select patients may benefit from acid-suppressive therapy and even surgery when there is true pathologic evidence of reflux disease with cough. However, judicious use and proper interpretation of diagnostic testing for gastroesophageal reflux in the setting of cough is important to avoid unnecessary or inappropriate therapy. Chronic cough remains a vexing problem for many physicians, including gastroenterologists. It is important that physicians approach refractory cough in a multidisciplinary manner. Future research is needed to better understand the likely central hypersensitivity response mediating reflux-related cough and potential alternative approaches to therapy.

S34 Management of chronic cough in primary care

BackgroundChronic cough is a common symptom in primary care. There appears to be significant variation in investigation and empirical treatment prior to referral on to secondary care. We looked at;...

A Causal Relationship Between Cough and Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) has been Established: A Pro/Con Debate

Along with upper airway cough syndrome (formerly, postnasal drip syndrome) and eosinophilic airway inflammation (asthma, nonasthmatic eosinophilic bronchitis), gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is generally considered among the most common etiologies of chronic cough. Indeed, cough management guidelines published by numerous respiratory societies worldwide recommend evaluation and treatment of GERD as an integral component of the diagnostic/therapeutic algorithm for the management of chronic cough. However, a significant number of patients with chronic cough presumed due to GERD do not report improvement despite aggressive acid-suppressive therapy. Some of these refractory cases may be due to the recently appreciated entity of nonacid or weakly acidic reflux. Further contributing to the controversy are recent studies that demonstrate that patients with chronic cough do not have excessive reflux events relative to healthy volunteers. Although a temporal relationship between cough and reflux events has been suggested by studies utilizing impedance-pH monitoring of reflux events and objective cough recording, consensus is lacking in terms of whether this temporal relationship proves a causal link between reflux and cough. The fourth American Cough Conference (New York, June 2013) provided an ideal forum for the debate of this issue between two internationally recognized experts in the field of reflux and chronic cough.

Chronic cough management: dealing with a sensation of irritation in the throat

Among the various types of laryngeal paraesthesia suffered by chronic cough patients, we often encounter 'a sensation of irritation in the throat (SIT)'. Our study indicated that capsaicin cough threshold was significantly (P < 0.05) lower in the SIT-positive group (13.9 μmol/L) than in the SIT-negative group (49.6 μmol/L). The establishment of treatment strategies for SIT would be advantageous for treating chronic cough patients suffering from this laryngeal sensation.

The development of chronic cough in children following presentation to a tertiary paediatric emergency department with acute respiratory illness: study protocol for a prospective cohort study

BackgroundAcute respiratory illness, a leading cause of cough in children, accounts for a substantial proportion of childhood morbidity and mortality worldwide. In some children acute cough progresses to chronic cough (>4 weeks duration), impacting on morbidity and decreasing quality of life. Despite the importance of chronic cough as a cause of substantial childhood morbidity and associated economic, family and social costs, data on the prevalence, predictors, aetiology and natural history of the symptom are scarce. This study aims to comprehensively describe the epidemiology, aetiology and outcomes of cough during and after acute respiratory illness in children presenting to a tertiary paediatric emergency department.Methods/designA prospective cohort study of children aged <15 years attending the Royal Children’s Hospital Emergency Department, Brisbane, for a respiratory illness that includes parent reported cough (wet or dry) as a symptom. The primary objective is to determine the prevalence and predictors of chronic cough (≥4 weeks duration) post presentation with acute respiratory illness. Demographic, epidemiological, risk factor, microbiological and clinical data are completed at enrolment. Subjects complete daily cough dairies and weekly follow-up contacts for 28(±3) days to ascertain cough persistence. Children who continue to cough for 28 days post enrolment are referred to a paediatric respiratory physician for review. Primary analysis will be the proportion of children with persistent cough at day 28(±3). Multivariate analyses will be performed to evaluate variables independently associated with chronic cough at day 28(±3).DiscussionOur protocol will be the first to comprehensively describe the natural history, epidemiology, aetiology and outcomes of cough during and after acute respiratory illness in children. The results will contribute to studies leading to the development of evidence-based clinical guidelines to improve the early detection and management of chronic cough in children during and after acute respiratory illness.

Testing an Algorithm for Chronic Cough Management

Chronic cough is a common complaint in primary care pediatrics and a difficult symptom for families. Researchers in Australia evaluated management of