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. 2024 Aug;202(4):415-424.
doi: 10.1007/s00408-024-00714-1. Epub 2024 Jun 12.

Burden of Disease Associated with Refractory and Unexplained Chronic Cough in Canada: Results from a National Survey

Danica Brister  1 , Sana Khan  1   2 , Ted Abraham  3 , Samuel Laventure  3 , Sevag Sahakian  3 , Berta Juliá  4 , Imran Satia  5   6
Affiliations

Burden of Disease Associated with Refractory and Unexplained Chronic Cough in Canada: Results from a National Survey

Danica Brister et al. Lung. 2024 Aug.

Abstract

Introduction: Chronic cough (persisting for ≥ 8 weeks) is a common disorder that includes refractory chronic cough (RCC; cough that persists despite treatment of underlying disease) and unexplained chronic cough (UCC; cough with no identifiable cause). We evaluated self-reported health-related quality of life (HR-QoL) and work/activity impairment associated with RCC/UCC in Canada.

Methods: Our exploratory study included Canadians in the Leger Opinion Panel with RCC or UCC. Key entry criteria were ≥ 18 years of age, cough for ≥ 8 weeks, not currently smoking/quit ≥ 1 year ago, no serious respiratory disease or lung cancer, and not taking angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors. Respondents completed a 30-min online survey with general and cough-specific HR-QoL questionnaires, including the EuroQol (EQ) visual analogue scale (VAS), EQ-5-dimension 5-level (EQ-5D-5L), cough severity VAS, Leicester Cough Questionnaire (LCQ), and Work Productivity and Activity Impairment-Specific Health Problem (WPAI-SPH).

Results: Of 49,076 individuals who completed the chronic cough screening questionnaire (July 30-September 1, 2021), 1,620 (3.3%) met entry criteria for RCC/UCC and 1,046 (2.1%) completed the survey. The mean age of respondents was 45 years and 61% were female. Respondents reported impairments in global HR-QoL (EQ-VAS 73.8, 61% with anxiety/depression on the EQ-5D-5L) and cough-specific HR-QoL (mean cough severity VAS score 29.7, LCQ index 15.2). Work and non-work activities were reduced by 34% and 30%, respectively, on the WPAI-SPH.

Conclusion: RCC/UCC is prevalent in Canada and associated with impaired HR-QoL, particularly in mental health domains. Additional support and management options may be required to fully address this burden.

Keywords: Canada; Chronic cough; Heath-related quality of life; Patient burden; Refractory chronic cough; Unexplained chronic cough.

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