Prevalence of refractory and unexplained chronic cough in adults treated in cough centre

Background Refractory chronic cough and unexplained chronic cough pose significant clinical challenges, impairing patients’ quality of life. However, a precise definition of refractory chronic cough remains elusive. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of refractory and unexplained chronic cough among patients referred to our cough centre and to analyse the prevalence of refractory chronic cough relative to its definition. Methods This prospective cohort study included all patients who were diagnosed at a cough clinic between 2018 and 2022. The response to therapy was measured based on reduction in cough severity ( via a visual analogue scale) and improvement in cough-related quality of life ( via the Leicester Cough Questionnaire). Refractory chronic cough was defined as persistent cough severity, with no or minimal improvement (change in visual analogue scale <30 mm) after two or more treatment attempts and cough severity ≥40 out of 100 mm on the visual analogue scale. Results Of 201 patients treated for chronic cough, only three (1.5%) were diagnosed with unexplained chronic cough. Among 166 patients monitored for therapy response, 71 (42.8%) experienced a cough severity reduction of ≥30 mm on the visual analogue scale, while 100 (60.2%) showed an improvement of ≥1.5 points on the Leicester Cough Questionnaire. Based on the basic refractory chronic cough definition, 51 of 166 patients (30.7%) were diagnosed with refractory chronic cough. If applying stricter criteria (persistent severe cough (≥40 mm on the visual analogue scale), insufficient therapy response (<30 mm reduction on the visual analogue scale) and <1.5-point improvement on the Leicester Cough Questionnaire), 45 of 166 patients (27.1%) would be diagnosed with refractory chronic cough. Conclusions Refractory chronic cough is common in patients referred to cough clinics. The prevalence of refractory chronic cough differs slightly depending on the diagnostic criteria. Therefore, the definition of refractory chronic cough used in routine practice needs to be clarified.