WEDNESDAY, Nov. 2, 2005 (HealthDay News) -- People with chronic cough -- a cough lasting more than three weeks -- often suffer a serious decline in quality of life, a new study finds.
Researchers at the Mayo Clinic say this is caused by a number of factors, including anxiety due to the possibility of an underlying serious illness, physical discomfort, anger and frustration with the constant coughing, and uncomfortable public attention. These patients can also experience incontinence, and their spouses may move out of the bedroom.
The Mayo researchers surveyed 146 chronic cough patients, who listed their top problems as:
- interference with lifestyle and leisure
- frequent physician visits and tests
- sleep disturbances
- interference with social gatherings
- other people's reactions to the coughing
- frustration, irritability and anger.
The survey also found that a third of chronic cough patients younger than 65 years said their spouses or roommates had moved out of the bedroom. Sleep disturbances caused by chronic cough also led to daytime exhaustion and fatigue, some patients said.
Many patients were frustrated with the long, slow process of diagnosing and treating the underlying problem causing their chronic cough.
"There is often a high degree of frustration and anger in patients with chronic cough," lead investigator Dr. Kaiser Lim, a pulmonologist and allergist, said in a prepared statement.
"This is because in nonsmoking patients who do not have immune system problems, the diagnostic approach for chronic cough is a systematic elimination of probable causes that may cause irritation." Lim explaind. "There is no single test that will determine what causes chronic cough. Even after a meticulous evaluation, the diagnosis may still be unclear."
The report was presented this week at the American College of Chest Physicians annual meeting, in Montreal.
"We are seeking to understand how chronic cough adversely affects the patient socially, psychologically and physically," Lim said. "It's important for people with chronic cough to have empathy, and realize that there are physicians who are working to help understand this problem. For patients with chronic cough, the psychological and physical sufferings appear to be paramount reasons for seeking medical help."
More information
The American Academy of Family Physicians has more about chronic cough.
