AI Article Synopsis

  • Upper airway cough syndrome (UACS) is a key contributor to chronic cough, often linked to allergic rhinitis (AR), non-allergic rhinitis (NAR), or chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS).
  • A study of 143 UACS patients revealed similar clinical characteristics between those with AR and NAR, with notable symptoms including post-nasal drip and nasal congestion.
  • While no significant differences in cough duration or severity were found, AR was more common among asthma patients, and sinus CT abnormalities were more frequent in NAR cases.

Article Abstract

Purpose: Upper airway cough syndrome (UACS), described as chronic cough (CC) associated with allergic (AR), non-allergic rhinitis (NAR) or chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS), is one of the major causes of CC. We aimed to characterize a cohort of UACS patients with special attention to differences between patients with AR and NAR.

Methods: A prospective analysis of clinical data of patients, diagnosed with UACS between 2015 and 2018.

Results: There were 143 patients diagnosed with UACS, median age 52 years, women predominance (68.5%), The group comprised of 59 (41%) AR and 84 (59%) NAR subjects, CRS diagnosed in 17 (12%). Median cough duration: 48 months (IQR 24-120), median cough severity (VAS)-60 mm (IQR 42-78), median Leicester Cough Questionnaire (LCQ) score-11.3 (IQR 8.7-13.7), never-smokers: 70%. The most common symptoms: PND (62%), rhinorrhea (59%), nasal congestion (54%), abnormalities of sinus CT: septum deviation (62%), turbinates hypertrophy (53%), mucosal thickening (53%). UACS as the only cause of CC, was presented in 20 patients (14%). We found no differences between patients with AR and NAR in terms of age, gender, duration and severity of cough, BMI, blood eosinophil count, total IgE and FeNO. AR was associated with higher comorbidity of asthma than NAR (54% vs 35%, p = 0.019). Abnormalities in sinus CT scan were more frequently found in patients with NAR than AR (p = 0.018).

Conclusion: NAR is the most common upper airway disease associated with UACS. Clinical characteristics of UACS patients with AR and NAR are similar with only minor differences between these groups. It seems reasonable to plan further studies concerning relationship of NAR and cough sensitivity, also in terms of potential similar neurogenic mechanism.

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Source
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7496056PMC
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00405-020-06071-yDOI Listing

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