Updates on the Prevalence, Quality of Life, and Management of Chronic Cough in Interstitial Lung Diseases

<b>Background:</b> Chronic cough is a common symptom in patients with interstitial lung diseases (ILDs), which significantly affects health-related quality of life (HRQoL). The prevalence of chronic cough varies from 30% to almost 90% in different ILDs, with the highest rate in patients...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Natalia V. Trushenko, Olga A. Suvorova, Anna E. Schmidt, Svetlana Y. Chikina, Iuliia A. Levina, Baina B. Lavginova, Sergey N. Avdeev
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-04-01
Series:Diagnostics
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4418/15/9/1139
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1850030367045582848
author Natalia V. Trushenko
Olga A. Suvorova
Anna E. Schmidt
Svetlana Y. Chikina
Iuliia A. Levina
Baina B. Lavginova
Sergey N. Avdeev
author_facet Natalia V. Trushenko
Olga A. Suvorova
Anna E. Schmidt
Svetlana Y. Chikina
Iuliia A. Levina
Baina B. Lavginova
Sergey N. Avdeev
author_sort Natalia V. Trushenko
collection DOAJ
description <b>Background:</b> Chronic cough is a common symptom in patients with interstitial lung diseases (ILDs), which significantly affects health-related quality of life (HRQoL). The prevalence of chronic cough varies from 30% to almost 90% in different ILDs, with the highest rate in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. However, the pathophysiology of cough in ILDs remains poorly understood, with multiple proposed mechanisms contributing to its development. This knowledge gap complicates both clinical assessment and treatment, as current therapeutic strategies target general cough mechanisms rather than ILD-specific pathways. This review synthesizes existing data to clarify distinct cough mechanisms across ILD subtypes and identify opportunities for more targeted therapeutic strategies in this challenging patient population. Moreover, cough can be a clinical marker of disease severity and a predictor of ILD progression and transplant-free survival. Effective cough-specific therapeutic options that consider potential mechanisms, comorbidities, and individual effects on HRQoL are needed for cough associated with ILD. Therefore, the aim of this review was to analyze the prevalence, the impact on HRQoL, the pathophysiology, and the management of chronic cough in ILDs. <b>Methods:</b> We performed a comprehensive search in PubMed, MEDLINE, Embase, and the Cochrane Library. This review included randomized clinical trials, observational studies, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses in adults with chronic cough comparing ILD types. The following were excluded: commentaries, letters, case reports and case series, conference abstracts, and studies and publications lacking cough-specific outcomes. <b>Results:</b> Several approaches to reduce cough frequency and severity were described: antifibrotic agents, neuromodulators, opiates, inhaled local anesthetics, oxygen, speech therapy, and anti-reflux therapy. Some therapeutic approaches, such as oral corticosteroids and thalidomide, can cause significant side effects. Novel agents, such as P2X3 receptor antagonists, which are in phase III trials (COUGH-1/2), show promising results for refractory cough and may benefit ILD-related cough. <b>Conclusions:</b> Thus, a comprehensive assessment of cough is required for effective cough treatment in patients with ILDs considering possible mechanisms and individual impact on QoL.
format Article
id doaj-art-c7f52d6c1ed8437fa3bf3de67568b6c4
institution DOAJ
issn 2075-4418
language English
publishDate 2025-04-01
publisher MDPI AG
record_format Article
series Diagnostics
spelling doaj-art-c7f52d6c1ed8437fa3bf3de67568b6c42025-08-20T02:59:14ZengMDPI AGDiagnostics2075-44182025-04-01159113910.3390/diagnostics15091139Updates on the Prevalence, Quality of Life, and Management of Chronic Cough in Interstitial Lung DiseasesNatalia V. Trushenko0Olga A. Suvorova1Anna E. Schmidt2Svetlana Y. Chikina3Iuliia A. Levina4Baina B. Lavginova5Sergey N. Avdeev6Pulmonology Department, Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University (Sechenov University), Healthcare Ministry of Russia, Trubetskaya St. 8, Build. 2, Moscow 119991, RussiaPulmonology Department, Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University (Sechenov University), Healthcare Ministry of Russia, Trubetskaya St. 8, Build. 2, Moscow 119991, RussiaPulmonology Department, Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University (Sechenov University), Healthcare Ministry of Russia, Trubetskaya St. 8, Build. 2, Moscow 119991, RussiaPulmonology Department, Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University (Sechenov University), Healthcare Ministry of Russia, Trubetskaya St. 8, Build. 2, Moscow 119991, RussiaPulmonology Department, Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University (Sechenov University), Healthcare Ministry of Russia, Trubetskaya St. 8, Build. 2, Moscow 119991, RussiaPulmonology Department, Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University (Sechenov University), Healthcare Ministry of Russia, Trubetskaya St. 8, Build. 2, Moscow 119991, RussiaPulmonology Department, Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University (Sechenov University), Healthcare Ministry of Russia, Trubetskaya St. 8, Build. 2, Moscow 119991, Russia<b>Background:</b> Chronic cough is a common symptom in patients with interstitial lung diseases (ILDs), which significantly affects health-related quality of life (HRQoL). The prevalence of chronic cough varies from 30% to almost 90% in different ILDs, with the highest rate in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. However, the pathophysiology of cough in ILDs remains poorly understood, with multiple proposed mechanisms contributing to its development. This knowledge gap complicates both clinical assessment and treatment, as current therapeutic strategies target general cough mechanisms rather than ILD-specific pathways. This review synthesizes existing data to clarify distinct cough mechanisms across ILD subtypes and identify opportunities for more targeted therapeutic strategies in this challenging patient population. Moreover, cough can be a clinical marker of disease severity and a predictor of ILD progression and transplant-free survival. Effective cough-specific therapeutic options that consider potential mechanisms, comorbidities, and individual effects on HRQoL are needed for cough associated with ILD. Therefore, the aim of this review was to analyze the prevalence, the impact on HRQoL, the pathophysiology, and the management of chronic cough in ILDs. <b>Methods:</b> We performed a comprehensive search in PubMed, MEDLINE, Embase, and the Cochrane Library. This review included randomized clinical trials, observational studies, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses in adults with chronic cough comparing ILD types. The following were excluded: commentaries, letters, case reports and case series, conference abstracts, and studies and publications lacking cough-specific outcomes. <b>Results:</b> Several approaches to reduce cough frequency and severity were described: antifibrotic agents, neuromodulators, opiates, inhaled local anesthetics, oxygen, speech therapy, and anti-reflux therapy. Some therapeutic approaches, such as oral corticosteroids and thalidomide, can cause significant side effects. Novel agents, such as P2X3 receptor antagonists, which are in phase III trials (COUGH-1/2), show promising results for refractory cough and may benefit ILD-related cough. <b>Conclusions:</b> Thus, a comprehensive assessment of cough is required for effective cough treatment in patients with ILDs considering possible mechanisms and individual impact on QoL.https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4418/15/9/1139chronic coughinterstitial lung diseaseidiopathic pulmonary fibrosissarcoidosiscough pathophysiologyhealth-related quality of life
spellingShingle Natalia V. Trushenko
Olga A. Suvorova
Anna E. Schmidt
Svetlana Y. Chikina
Iuliia A. Levina
Baina B. Lavginova
Sergey N. Avdeev
Updates on the Prevalence, Quality of Life, and Management of Chronic Cough in Interstitial Lung Diseases
Diagnostics
chronic cough
interstitial lung disease
idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis
sarcoidosis
cough pathophysiology
health-related quality of life
title Updates on the Prevalence, Quality of Life, and Management of Chronic Cough in Interstitial Lung Diseases
title_full Updates on the Prevalence, Quality of Life, and Management of Chronic Cough in Interstitial Lung Diseases
title_fullStr Updates on the Prevalence, Quality of Life, and Management of Chronic Cough in Interstitial Lung Diseases
title_full_unstemmed Updates on the Prevalence, Quality of Life, and Management of Chronic Cough in Interstitial Lung Diseases
title_short Updates on the Prevalence, Quality of Life, and Management of Chronic Cough in Interstitial Lung Diseases
title_sort updates on the prevalence quality of life and management of chronic cough in interstitial lung diseases
topic chronic cough
interstitial lung disease
idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis
sarcoidosis
cough pathophysiology
health-related quality of life
url https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4418/15/9/1139
work_keys_str_mv AT nataliavtrushenko updatesontheprevalencequalityoflifeandmanagementofchroniccoughininterstitiallungdiseases
AT olgaasuvorova updatesontheprevalencequalityoflifeandmanagementofchroniccoughininterstitiallungdiseases
AT annaeschmidt updatesontheprevalencequalityoflifeandmanagementofchroniccoughininterstitiallungdiseases
AT svetlanaychikina updatesontheprevalencequalityoflifeandmanagementofchroniccoughininterstitiallungdiseases
AT iuliiaalevina updatesontheprevalencequalityoflifeandmanagementofchroniccoughininterstitiallungdiseases
AT bainablavginova updatesontheprevalencequalityoflifeandmanagementofchroniccoughininterstitiallungdiseases
AT sergeynavdeev updatesontheprevalencequalityoflifeandmanagementofchroniccoughininterstitiallungdiseases