WAO-ARIA consensus on chronic cough - Part II: Phenotypes and mechanisms of abnormal cough presentation - Updates in COVID-19

Chronic Cough and Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Chronic cough, defined as a cough lasting more than 8 weeks, is a common medical condition occurring in 5% to 10% of the population. Its overlap with another highly prevalent disorder, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), is therefore not surprising. The relationship between chronic cough and OSA extends beyond this overlap with higher prevalence of OSA in patients with chronic cough than in the general population. The use of continuous positive airway pressure can result in improvement in chronic cough although further studies are needed to understand which patients will experience benefit in their cough from the treatment of comorbid OSA.

Potential Beneficial Effects of Naringin and Naringenin on Long COVID-A Review of the Literature

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused a severe epidemic due to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). Recent studies have found that patients do not completely recover from acute infections, but instead, suffer from a variety of post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection, known as long COVID. The effects of long COVID can be far-reaching, with a duration of up to six months and a range of symptoms such as cognitive dysfunction, immune dysregulation, microbiota dysbiosis, myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome, myocarditis, pulmonary fibrosis, cough, diabetes, pain, reproductive dysfunction, and thrombus formation. However, recent studies have shown that naringenin and naringin have palliative effects on various COVID-19 sequelae. Flavonoids such as naringin and naringenin, commonly found in fruits and vegetables, have various positive effects, including reducing inflammation, preventing viral infections, and providing antioxidants. This article discusses the molecular mechanisms and clinical effects of naringin and naringenin on treating the above diseases. It proposes them as potential drugs for the treatment of long COVID, and it can be inferred that naringin and naringenin exhibit potential as extended long COVID medications, in the future likely serving as nutraceuticals or clinical supplements for the comprehensive alleviation of the various manifestations of COVID-19 complications.

Patient response to the management during the acute presentation of cough variant Asthma: Retrospective cohort study

The clinical improvement after assessing patients with cough variant asthma in outpatient clinics, and therapy success varied depending on the subjective improvement. Cough could be controlled within appropriate time and subsequent management can consist of inhaled corticosteroids. In this study we used the cough improvement, the only available clinical response, as a predictable factor to determine the effect of different modalities of treatment among patients with cough variant asthma. Retrospective observational analysis was performed in Saudi Arabia's King Saud University Medical City, on the presentation, diagnosis, course of therapy, and responsiveness to oral and inhaled steroids in patients with cough variant asthma. All patients who visited the clinic on multiple occasions with persistent, acute coughing without being pre-screened between September 2021 and September 2022 included based on medical records. Cough resembles cough variant asthma is the term used to describe a cough without a diagnosed etiology. To identify patients eligible for CVA treatment, iindividuals having GERD-associated cough, allergic rhinitis, bronchial asthma, smokers and atopic cough was excluded. For the examination of these findings, IBM SPSS version 28 (Armonk, NY, USA) was employed. As a result of using budesonide-formoterol inhaler, most patients (86.3 %) showed improvement in their cough symptoms (with 95 %CI: 78.3 to 94.9). There was a significant yet weak positive correlation between the frequency of cough symptoms before and after using budesonide-formoterol (r = 0.318, P value < 0.001). The understanding of treatment response and patient selection for budesonide-formoterol inhaler therapy, providing clinicians with valuable information to optimize patient care.

A Review, Update, and Commentary for the Cough without a Cause: Facts and Factoids of the Habit Cough

BACKGROUND

A habitual cough, persisting after the cause is gone, was described in a 1694 medical book. Successful treatment of this disorder known as habit cough was reported in 1966 by the "art of suggestion". The purpose of this article is to provide the current basis for diagnosis and treatment of the Habit Cough Syndrome.

METHOD

The epidemiology and clinical course of habit cough were reviewed; original data were obtained from three sources.

RESULTS

Unique clinical presentation was the basis for diagnosis of habit cough. Diagnosis was made 140 times with increasing frequency over 20 years at the University of Iowa clinic and 55 times over 6 years at a London clinic. Suggestion therapy provided more frequent cessation of cough than just reassurance. A Mayo Clinic archive of chronic involuntary cough found 16 of 60 still coughing 5.9 years after initial evaluation. Ninety-one parents of children with habit cough and 20 adults reported cessation of coughing from viewing a publicly available video of successful suggestion therapy.

CONCLUSIONS

Habit cough is recognizable from the clinical presentation. It is effectively treated in most children by suggestion therapy in clinics, by remote video conferencing, and by proxy from viewing a video of effective suggestion therapy.

Severe chronic cough relating to post-COVID-19 interstitial lung disease: a case report

Cough is a common symptom occurring in patients with acute coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection as well as during the post-COVID-19 period. The post-COVID-19 cough can improve over time and the incidence of sustained post-COVID-19 chronic cough is low. Approaching post-COVID-19 cough is challenging to clinicians including pulmonologists and allergists due to a diverse set of etiologies and the lack of published guidance on effective treatments. A 60-year-old male ex-smoker presented to the outpatient long COVID-19 clinic because of a prolonged cough for 4 months after a severe COVID-19 infection. His cough was so violent that he had suffered a spontaneous pneumothorax on 2 occasions. In addition, he also complained of exertional breathlessness. Due to concerns over ongoing systemic inflammation from COVID-19 or thromboembolism, a serum C-reactive protein and d-dimer where checked and were normal. Chest computed tomography (CT) images revealed diffuse ground glass opacities combined with scattered emphysema in the bilateral upper lobes and several small bullae located close to the pleura. His diagnosis was post-COVID-19 interstitial lung disease (ILD) and he was treated with methylprednisolone 32 mg/day. After 2 weeks of treatment, he showed improvement with near cessation of cough and a significant decline in dyspnea. The follow-up chest CT also showed improvement in the ground glass opacities. Severe chronic cough could be a manifestation of post-COVID-19 ILD. This case demonstrates the use of systemic corticosteroid to improve both post-COVID-19 ILD and its associated chronic cough.

Changes of the airway reactivity in patients with rhinosinusitis

Rhinosinusitis is one of the most common conditions in primary and secondary care all over the world. Rhinosinusitis together with asthma and gastroesophageal reflux disease represent the most common causes of chronic cough. The relationship between rhinosinusitis and cough is still not completely understood, however, direct stimulation of nasal mucosa, upper airway cough syndrome, inflammation of the airways, and cough reflex sensitisation play the crucial role in the pathogenesis of chronic cough.

Chronic cough in adults: recommendations from an Italian intersociety consensus

BACKGROUND

Chronic cough (CC) is a burdensome health problem in adult and older people, with a major impact on quality of life. Its management is often troublesome, and many guidelines have been released. Notwithstanding, a proportion of cases still do not reach a definite diagnosis and resolutive treatment. A coordinated approach between different specialists would be highly recommended, but its implementation in clinical practice suffers from the lack of shared protocols and poor awareness of the problem. The present consensus document has been implemented to address these issues.

AIMS

To develop evidence-based recommendations for the management of adults with CC.

METHODS

A 12-member expert task force of general practitioners, geriatricians, pneumologists, allergologists, otorhynolaringologists and gastroenterologists was established to develop evidence-based recommendations for the diagnostic and therapeutic approach to subjects with CC. A modified Delphi approach was used to achieve consensus, and the US Preventive Services Task Force system was used to rate the strength of recommendations and the quality of evidence.

RESULTS

A total of 56 recommendations were proposed, covering 28 topics and concerning definitions and epidemiology, pathogenesis and etiology, diagnostic and therapeutic approach along with the consideration of specific care settings.

CONCLUSION

These recommendations should ease the management of subjects with CC by coordinating the expertise of different specialists. By providing a convenient list of topics of interest, they might assist in identifying unmet needs and research priorities.