Related Experiment Videos
Chronic cough responsive to ibuprofen
R E Dales1, M A Lunau, M G Tierney
1University of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
Pharmacotherapy
|January 1, 1992
Summary
Ibuprofen may effectively treat idiopathic chronic cough, a condition often resistant to standard therapies. This finding suggests prostaglandins might play a role in chronic cough pathogenesis.
Area of Science:
- Clinical Medicine
- Pharmacology
- Respiratory Medicine
Background:
- Idiopathic chronic cough (ICC) presents a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge.
- Corticosteroids are a common treatment for ICC but are not always effective.
- A patient observed symptom improvement with ibuprofen, prompting further investigation.
Observation:
- An n-of-1 clinical trial was designed to rigorously assess ibuprofen's efficacy in ICC.
- The study employed a double-blind, placebo-controlled design with randomized treatment periods and washout phases.
- Objective cough counts were recorded daily using a tape recorder.
Findings:
- Patients receiving ibuprofen (1800 mg/day) experienced significantly fewer coughs per hour (62) compared to placebo (164).
- The reduction in cough frequency suggests a direct therapeutic effect of ibuprofen.
- This provides objective evidence supporting the patient's initial observation.
Implications:
- Ibuprofen may represent a viable treatment option for select patients with idiopathic chronic cough.
- The results implicate prostaglandins as potential key mediators in the pathophysiology of some ICC cases.
- Further research into prostaglandin pathways could uncover novel therapeutic targets for chronic cough.