Table 1.
Diagnostic tests performed for the study of patients with chronic cough: Scores for frequency of indication
| Median (IQR) | Percentage with the highest score (8–10), n (%) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Family physicians# (n = 620) |
Pulmonologists (n = 92) |
Allergists (n = 62) |
Family physicians# (n = 620) |
Pulmonologists (n = 92) |
Allergists (n = 62) |
p-value* | |
| Chest x-ray | 9 (7–10) | 10 (10–10) | 8 (5–10) | 432 (69.7) | 88 (95.7) | 31 (50.0) | < 0.001 |
| Simple spirometry | 6 (3–8) | 10 (9–10) | 10 (10–10) | 234 (37.7) | 75 (81.5) | 55 (88.7) | < 0.001 |
| Bronchodilator test | 8 (5–9) | 10 (10–10) | 10 (9–10) | 311 (50.2) | 87 (94.6) | 52 (83.9) | < 0.001 |
| Methacholine test | 1 (1–1) | 5 (3–7) | 5 (2–7) | 7 (1.1) | 13 (14.1) | 15 (24.2) | < 0.001 |
| FeNO test | 1 (1–1) | 7 (3–10) | 8 (3–10) | 7 (1.1) | 43 (46.7) | 35 (56.5) | < 0.001 |
| Capsaicin test | 1 (1–1) | 1 (1–1) | 1 (1–1) | 5 (0.8) | 1 (1.1) | 1 (1.6) | 0.799 |
| Complete blood count | 8 (5–9) | 8 (5–10) | 8 (5–10) | 310 (50.0) | 48 (52.2) | 31 (50.0) | 0.926 |
| Total IgE | 6 (3–8) | 5 (3–7) | 9 (6–10) | 198 (31.9) | 45 (48.9) | 36 (58.1) | < 0.001 |
| Specific IgE | 4 (1–7) | 5 (4–7) | 8 (5–10) | 113 (18.2) | 21 (22.8) | 31 (50.0) | < 0.001 |
| Chlamydia/Mycoplasma serology | 1 (1–3) | 2 (1–3) | 2 (1–5) | 24 (3.9) | 2 (2.2) | 5 (8.1) | 0.175 |
| Esophageal pH monitoring | 1 (1–1) | 3 (2–5) | 3 (1–5) | 17 (2.7) | 5 (5.4) | 6 (9.7) | 0.012 |
Physicians scored the frequency with which they indicate each test on a scale ranging from 1 = “Never” to 10 = “Always”; IQR, interquartile range; FeNO, fractional exhaled nitric oxide
*p-values refer to the differences in the percentages with the highest score (8–10) across specialties
#Although there might be variations from center to center, in general primary care physicians have no access or limited access to the following diagnostic tests: methacholine test, FeNO test, capsaicin test, specific Ig E, and esophageal pH monitoring. These tests are performed by pulmonologists and allergists (methacholine test, FeNO test, capsaicin test) or by gastroenterologists (esophageal pH monitoring)