Table 2.
Scores assigned to the frequency of prescription of different treatments for refractory or unexplained chronic cough
| Median (IQR) | Percentage scoring highest (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* | |
| Antitussives(1) | 6 (3–8) | 4 (2–7) | 2 (1–4) | 207 (33.4) | 17 (18.5) | 2 (3.2) | < 0.001 |
| Opioids(2) | 5 (3–7) | 4 (2–7) | 2 (1–4) | 140 (22.6) | 16 (17.4) | 4 (6.5) | 0.008 |
| Mucolytics(3) | 5 (2–7) | 3 (1–5) | 2 (1–4) | 127 (20.5) | 8 (8.7) | 2 (3.2) | < 0.001 |
| Levodropropizine | 1 (1–3) | 1 (1–2) | 1 (1–1) | 19 (3.1) | 3 (3.3) | 0 (0.0) | 0.371 |
| Terpene derivatives | 1 (1–1) | 1 (1–1) | 1 (1–1) | 6 (1.0) | 1 (1.0) | 0 (0.0) | 0.731 |
| Antihistamines | 6 (4–8) | 5 (4–8) | 6 (5–8) | 186 (30.0) | 23 (25.0) | 18 (29.0) | 0.616 |
| Inhaled corticosteroids | 7 (5–8) | 8 (6–9) | 8 (6–9) | 229 (36.9) | 51 (55.4) | 34 (54.8) | < 0.001 |
| Oral corticosteroids | 4 (2–6) | 3 (2–6) | 3 (1–5) | 85 (13.7) | 10 (10.9) | 4 (6.5) | 0.222 |
| Inhaled bronchodilators | 7 (5–8) | 7 (5–8) | 8 (5–9) | 268 (43.2) | 39 (42.4) | 35 (56.5) | 0.127 |
| Neuromodulators(4) | 1 (1–2) | 2 (1–4) | 1 (1–2) | 5 (0.8) | 6 (6.5) | 2 (3.2) | < 0.001 |
Physicians scored the frequency of prescription of each drug on a scale ranging from 1 = “Never” to 10 = “Always”; IQR, interquartile range. (1) dextromethorphan, cloperastine; (2) codeine, dimemorfan; (3) guaifenesin, acetylcysteine, ambroxol; (4) gabapentin, pregabalin
*p-values refer to the differences in the percentages with the highest score (8–10) across specialties