The following is a summary of the “Demographic, clinical, and patient-reported outcome data from 2 global, phase 3 trials of chronic cough,” published in the January 2023 issue of Allergy and Clinical Immunology by Dicpinigaitis, et al.
To present the baseline medical history and clinical features of refractory or unexplained chronic cough (RCC and UCC) patients in COUGH-1 and COUGH-2, two large, global phase 3 trials of gefapixant, a P2 × 3-receptor antagonist. Adults with a chronic cough lasting more than a year, RCC or UCC diagnosis, and a score of more than 40 mm on a 100-mm cough severity visual analog scale at screening and baseline were eligible for recruitment. In addition, baseline demographics, medical history, and cough features were gathered.
Cough frequency, cough severity visual analog scale, Leicester Cough Questionnaire, and Hull Airway Reflux Questionnaire measured cough. Descriptive statistics summarized data.
About 75% of 2,044 participants were women, the mean age was 58, and the cough duration was 11 years. In addition, 73% of patients had asthma, gastric reflux illness, or upper airway cough syndrome. The mean Leicester Cough Questionnaire total score was 10.4, indicating a poor cough-specific quality of life in physical, psychological, and social domains.
The mean Hull Airway Reflux Questionnaire score was 39.6, with cough-reflex hypersensitivity-related items being the most problematic. Geographic regions shared cough burden and participant characteristics. RCC and UCC patients matched chronic cough demographics. These findings show a global population with a long-term cough that impairs quality of life.
Source: sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1081120622004069