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."
Reference Source 101
November
3, 2005
