Fig. 1. Relationship between the severity of SRC and PND or heartburn (HB). (A) The frequency of PND and PND-induced cough increased along with the severity of SRC (p = 0.051, p = 0.063 respectively). PND was significantly more frequent in patients with severe SRC than in those with mild SRC (16/22 vs. 19/46, p = 0.015). Also, PND-induced cough was significantly more frequent in patients with severe SRC compared to patients with mild SRC (13/22 vs. 15/46, p = 0.038) or moderate SRC (17/53, p = 0.030). (B) The frequency of HB was not associated with the severity of SRC (p = 0.358). However, the frequency of HB-induced cough increased along with the severity of SRC (p = 0.053). Compared to patients with mild SRC (3 of 46), HB-induced cough was significantly more frequent in patients with moderate SRC (11/53, p = 0.043) or severe SRC (6/22, p = 0.018). SRC, Swallowing-related cough; PND, Postnasal drip; HB, Heartburn.
