Table 3.
Scores assigned to the perceived effectiveness of the different treatments for refractory or unexplained chronic cough
| Median (IQR) | Percentage scoring highest (8–10), n (%) | Percentage scoring lowest (1–3), n (%) | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Family physicians (n = 620) |
Pulmonologists (n = 92) |
Allergists (n = 62) |
Family physicians (n = 620) |
Pulmonologists (n = 92) |
Allergists (n = 62) |
p-value* | Family physicians (n = 620) |
Pulmonologists (n = 92) |
Allergists (n = 62) |
p-value* | |
| Antitussives(1) | 5 (3–6) | 4 (3–6) | 4 (2–5) | 74 (11.9) | 10 (10.9) | 1 (1.6) | 0.046 | 228 (36.8) | 36 (39.1) | 30 (48.4) | 0.193 |
| Opioids(2) | 6 (4–8) | 6 (4–8) | 4 (2–6) | 158 (25.5) | 24 (26.1) | 5 (8.1) | 0.008 | 123 (19.8) | 16 (17.4) | 27 (43.5) | < 0.001 |
| Mucolytics(3) | 3 (1–5) | 3 (1–5) | 2 (1–5) | 48 (7.7) | 3 (3.3) | 1 (1.6) | 0.068 | 340 (54.8) | 61 (66.3) | 41 (66.1) | 0.038 |
| Levodropropizine | 2 (1–4) | 1 (1–3) | 1 (1–2) | 12 (1.9) | 1 (1.1) | 0 (0.0) | 0.472 | 452 (72.9) | 73 (79.3) | 52 (83.9) | 0.089 |
| Terpene derivatives | 1 (1–1) | 1 (1–2) | 1 (1–1) | 6 (1.0) | 0 (0.0) | 0 (0.0) | 0.472 | 561 (90.5) | 82 (89.1) | 57 (91.9) | 0.842 |
| Antihistamines | 5 (4–7) | 5 (3–7) | 5 (4–7) | 106 (17.1) | 12 (13.0) | 7 (11.3) | 0.342 | 122 (19.7) | 30 (32.6) | 12 (19.4) | 0.017 |
| Inhaled corticosteroids | 7 (5–8) | 7 (4–8) | 7 (5–8) | 215 (34.7) | 33 (35.9) | 19 (30.6) | 0.782 | 65 (10.5) | 19 (20.7) | 5 (8.1) | 0.012 |
| Oral corticosteroids | 6 (3–8) | 6 (3–8) | 7 (4–8) | 171 (27.6) | 28 (30.4) | 21 (33.9) | 0.521 | 170 (27.4) | 27 (29.3) | 11 (17.7) | 0.222 |
| Inhaled bronchodilators | 7 (5–8) | 6 (4–8) | 7 (4–8) | 241 (38.9) | 23 (25.0) | 17 (27.4) | 0.011 | 60 (9.7) | 20 (21.7) | 11 (17.7) | 0.001 |
| Neuromodulators (4) | 1 (1–3) | 3 (1–5) | 1 (1–5) | 12 (1.9) | 5 (5.4) | 4 (6.5) | 0.026 | 493 (79.5) | 54 (58.7) | 45 (72.6) | < 0.001 |
Physicians scored the effectiveness of each drug on a scale ranging from 1 = “Not at all” to 10 = “Very effective”; 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) or with the lowest scores (1–3) across specialties across specialties