Table 5.
Treatments prescribed for chronic cough in the previous three years
| Treatment | All patients (N = 196) | RCC (N = 126) | UCC (N = 70) | p-value (RCC vs. UCC)* | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opioid-derivate cough suppressant drugs: codeine, dextromethorphan, dimemorfan, noscapine | Number of patients (%) who were prescribed | 83 (42.3) | 54 (42.9) | 29 (41.4) | 0.846 |
| Number of patients (%) who received > 8 weeks of treatment* | 22 (27.2) | 14 (25.9) | 8 (29.6) | ||
| Other cough suppressant drugs: levodropropizine, cloperastine | Number of patients (%) who were prescribed | 24 (12.2) | 10 (7.9) | 14 (20.0) | 0.014 |
| Number of patients (%) who received > 8 weeks of treatment* | 10 (16.1) | 9 (22.5) | 1 (4.5) | ||
| Expectorants: guaifenesin or others | Number of patients (%) who were prescribed | 12 (6.1) | 8 (6.3) | 4 (5.7) | 1.000 |
| Number of patients (%) who received > 8 weeks of treatment* | 2 (16.7) | 1 (12.5) | 1 (25.0) | ||
| Mucolytics: acetylcysteine, ambroxol, bromhexine, carbocisteine, or others | Number of patients (%) who were prescribed | 65 (33.2) | 42 (33.3) | 23 (32.9) | 0.946 |
| Number of patients (%) who received > 8 weeks of treatment* | 10 (16.1) | 9 (22.5) | 1 (4.5) | ||
| Anticonvulsants or other nervous system drugs: gabapentin, pregabalin | Number of patients (%) who were prescribed | 28 (14.3) | 15 (11.9) | 13 (18.6) | 0.201 |
| Number of patients (%) who received > 8 weeks of treatment* | 14 (51.9) | 8 (53.3) | 6 (50.0) | ||
| Muscle relaxants (baclofen) | Number of patients (%) who were prescribed | 13 (6.6) | 7 (5.6) | 6 (8.6) | 0.416 |
| Number of patients (%) who received > 8 weeks of treatment* | 7 (53.8) | 2 (28.6) | 5 (83.3) | ||
| Proton pump inhibitors | Number of patients (%) who were prescribed | 156 (79.6) | 104 (82.5) | 52 (74.3) | 0.169 |
| Number of patients (%) who received > 8 weeks of treatment* | 126 (84.0) | 90 (88.2) | 36 (75.0) | ||
| Therapies used to treat other respiratory diseases: antihistamines, inhaled corticosteroids, oral corticosteroids, inhaled bronchodilators (beta-agonists, anticholinergics) | Number of patients (%) who were prescribed | 172 (87.8) | 110 (87.3) | 62 (88.6) | 0.795 |
| Number of patients (%) who received > 8 weeks of treatment* | 143 (84.6) | 95 (87.2) | 48 (80.0) | ||
Therapeutic families were classified according to the classification of the Ministry of Health of Spain. Reasons for prescribing therapies in patients with RCC are provided in Supplementary Table 3
RCC refractory chronic cough; UCC unexplained chronic cough
*See Supplementary Table 4 for more details about the cumulative duration of therapy and p-values