Chronic Cough and Sputum Linked to Secondhand Smoke (Wednesday, October 25, 2006, 2:30 PM EST) According to a new study, secondhand smoking is associated with chronic cough and sputum production. Researchers from the University of California, Irvine, studied the association of secondhand smoking and respiratory symptoms in 139 patients from a Veterans' Administration Medical Center who underwent left ventricular ejection fraction measurements for clinical reasons. The presence of chronic cough, sputum production, and secondhand smoking, and association between the three were evaluated. Compared with controls, secondhand smokers showed a significant association with chronic sputum production and also showed a trend toward an increased prevalence of cough. Clinical implications suggest that secondhand smoking has a deleterious effect on lung function.
Difficulty Swallowing May Contribute to Treatment Failure in Chronic Cough(Wednesday, October 25, 2006, 2:30 PM EST)New research suggests that mild dysphagia—or difficulty swallowing—in patients with chronic cough may contribute to treatment failure. University of California researchers performed modified barium swallow tests on 61 patients with chronic cough who met the following criteria: minimal sputum production, nonsmoker, no infection/malignancy, and failure to respond to initial therapy. Overall, the swallow test was normal in only three patients, while various manifestations of dysphagia were observed in all other patients. It was concluded that dysphagia is frequent in patients with chronic cough who are unresponsive to therapy. Researchers also suggest that dysphagia may be a contributing factor to treatment failure.
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CHEST 2006, The Annual Scientific Assembly of the American College of Chest Physicians
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