Clinical observation on moxibustion at Baihui (GV20) plus Tuina for children with postnasal drip syndrome / 针灸推拿医学（英文版）

Objective: To observe the clinical efficacy of moxibustion at Baihui (GV20) plus Tuina (Chinese therapeutic massage) for children with postnasal drip syndrome (PNDS).Methods: A total of 60 cases were divided into an observation group and a control group according to the random number table method, with 30 cases in each group. Cases in the control group received mometasone furoate nasal spray and nasal irrigation with 0.9％ normal saline. Cases in the observation group received additional moxibustion at Baihui (GV20) plus Tuina at the head and face. All the cases were treated for four consecutive weeks. The clinical efficacy and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) symptoms score were compared between the two groups. Results: The total effective rate of the observation group was 93.3％ while that of the control group was 70.0％. The difference between the two groups was statistically significant (P<0.05). After treatment, the TCM symptom scores in both groups declined significantly, showing a statistical difference from that before treatment (P<0.05), and the score of the observation group was notably lower than that of the control group (P<0.05). Conclusion: The clinical efficacy of moxibustion at Baihui (GV20) plus Tuina at the head and face on the basis of nasal spray with Western medicine is more significant than that of Western medicine alone for PNDS in children.

Upper airway cough syndrome may be the main cause of chronic cough in Japan: a cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Upper airway cough syndrome (UACS) is generally considered a common cause of chronic cough but remains poorly recognised in Japan. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to assess whether UACS was a common cause of chronic cough in Japan, as is true in other countries. Interview and examination items were evaluated for their potential use in UACS diagnosis. METHODS: All patients with chronic cough were preliminarily diagnosed with bronchial asthma, UACS, gastroesophageal reflux disease, or postinfectious prolonged cough, based on interviews and examinations. Treatment centred on nasal steroids was administered to the UACS group and standard treatment to the other groups. The observation period lasted 4 weeks. The subjective cough score at first diagnosis was set at 10, and the final diagnosis was made based on the treatment administered at the time the cough score had decreased to ≤2. The associations between the presence or absence of UACS and interview and examination items were statistically evaluated. RESULTS: Among 230 patients with chronic cough, 146 were diagnosed with UACS-only. Multivariate logistic regression revealed that the assessment items 'awareness of mucus accumulating in the back of the throat', 'presence of abnormal echography findings', 'absence of associated coughing when exercising' and 'presence of coughing persisting after onset' were significantly correlated with the presence or absence of UACS (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: UACS may be the most common cause of chronic cough in Japan and may be effectively treated with nasal corticosteroids. Diagnosing UACS might be possible by selecting appropriate interview and examination items.

Chronic cough that lasts more than 8 weeks is often a symptom that plagues the patient and the physician. In general, postnasal drip [now defined as upper airway cough syndrome (UACS)] associated with rhinosinusitis, cough variant asthma and gastroesophageal reflux are known causes of chronic cough. The cough guidelines by the Japanese Respiratory Society state sinusitis as the cause of cough, and it is categorised as a sino-bronchial syndrome. Thus, the recognition of UACS is extremely low. UACS is not considered a cause of cough in Japan, but it is unlikely that Japan is the only exception. Based on these findings, I investigated the causes of chronic cough in patients who visited my clinic. As a result, UACS accounted for at least 60% of chronic cough cases. This study showed that UACS might be the most common cause of chronic cough in Japan. This study also showed that the treatment centred on nasal steroids was highly effective against UACS and that some interview and examination items might be useful in the diagnosis of UACS. This is an unprecedented finding and may contribute to the diagnosis of chronic cough.

Changing etiological frequency of chronic cough in a tertiary hospital in Shanghai, China.

BACKGROUND: The frequency distributions of the etiologies of chronic cough have changed over time. This study aimed to investigate the changing etiological frequency of chronic cough in a tertiary hospital in Shanghai, China, and to explore the clinical significance. METHODS: Medical records of 1,311 patients with chronic cough who visit our hospital between January 2009 and December 2016 were retrospectively reviewed. The etiologies of chronic cough were identified according to a standardized step-by-step diagnostic protocol and the changes in the etiological frequency of chronic cough over the years were using the Chi-squared (χ2) test. RESULTS: Cough variant asthma (CVA) (449/1,311, 34.2%), gastroesophageal reflux-related chronic cough (GERC) (374/1,311, 28.5%), upper airway cough syndrome/postnasal drip syndrome (UACS/PNDs) (241/1,311, 18.4%), atopic cough (AC) (188/1,311, 14.3%), and non-asthmatic eosinophilic bronchitis (NAEB) (147/1,311, 11.2%) were the common causes of chronic cough in descending order. The post-infectious cough (PIC) (39/1,311, 3.0%) and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor (ACEI)-induced cough (25/1,311, 1.9%) were less common. During the 8-year period, the proportion of CVA (χ2=72.86, P<0.0001) and UACS/PNDs (χ2=68.80, P<0.0001) decreased, while those of NAEB (χ2=51.38, P<0.0001), GERC (χ2=55.95, P<0.0001) and AC (χ2=39.09, P<0.0001) increased. CONCLUSIONS: The etiological frequency of chronic cough varies over time, and it may encourage the adjustment of the current diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for chronic cough.

A novel diagnostic algorithm for chronic and subacute cough.

BACKGROUND: Cough remains the most common reason for patients to seek medical attention. We practised a novel diagnostic algorithm for chronic and subacute cough. METHODS: Chronic and subacute cough patients with normal chest X-ray results and without respiratory tract infections in the preceding eight weeks were recruited. The patients were divided into two groups: Group A, patients with typical symptoms and signs of postnasal drip syndrome (PNDS), asthma syndromes (AS) and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD); Group B, patients without the typical symptoms and signs. The two groups received targeted or sequential empirical trials of therapy according to the algorithm. RESULTS: Among the 524 patients available for analysis in Groups A and B, 436 (83.6%) were diagnosed to have PNDS (34.2%), AS (44.5%) and/or GERD (10.1%), among which 26 had two causes (6.0%) and 6 had three causes (1.4%). After empirical trials of therapy, 81.5% of the patients were diagnosed. The mean time for diagnosis was considerably shorter in Group A (13.1 ± 5.6 d) than in Group B (23.4 ± 7.2 d) (p < 0.01). The diagnosis rate of the first trial in Group A (54.1%) was significantly higher than that in Group B (28.6%, p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The proposed algorithm is a promising and practical approach to diagnose chronic and subacute cough.

The assessment and management of chronic cough in children according to the British Thoracic Society guidelines: descriptive, prospective, clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: Chronic cough is a common problem of various etiologies. While diagnosis may relatively be easy in the presence of some specific findings, it tends to be rather difficult when there are no clear symptoms. Therefore, practical guidelines are needed for management of patients with chronic cough. We aimed to evaluate assessment and management of chronic cough in children according to the British Thoracic Society guidelines published in 2008. METHODS: Patients with chronic cough lasting longer than 8 weeks between 5 and 16 years old were evaluated. Pulmonary function test and chest radiography were performed on all patients. Further workup was conducted on those requiring further investigation. Patients were re-evaluated at 2- to 4-week intervals, and we followed our patients for 18 months until cough resolved. RESULTS: One hundred fifty six patients (52.5% female) aged 5-16 (8.42 ± 2.6) years were included. Of the 156 patients, 19.2% (n = 30) were diagnosed with postnasal drip syndrome plus asthma; 18.6% (n = 29) with postnasal drip syndrome; 12.2% (n = 19) with asthma; 12.2% (n = 19) with protracted bacterial bronchitis; and 11.5% (n = 18) with nonspecific isolated cough, 9.6% (n = 15) with cough variant asthma, 5.7% (n = 9) with psychogenic cough and 3.2% (n = 5) with gastroesophageal reflux disease. CONCLUSIONS: Postnasal drip syndrome and asthma was the most common cause of chronic cough. Asthma-associated findings were found in some of the patients diagnosed with postnasal drip syndrome. It has been observed that there could be more than one particular cause for cough concerning some patients. The gastroesophageal reflux disease was not a common primary cause of chronic cough in children.

Postnasal Drip Syndrome

Postnasal drip syndrome is one of the most common causes of chronic cough, and is caused by a variety of conditions including vasomotor rhinitis, allergic rhinitis, nasal polyps and chronic sinusitis. Postnasal drip syndrome is diagnosed based on clinical symptoms, and patients may complain of tickles or drainage of liquid in the back of the throat. Cobblestoning of the nasal or oropharyngeal mucosa may be observed upon physical examination. However, in many patients cough may be the only symptom of postnasal drip syndrome. Confirmation of the diagnosis may depend on the resolution of symptoms after treatments with antihistamines and intranasal or systemic corticosteroids.

Efficacy and Tolerability of Theobromine in Patients with Upper Airway Cough Syndrome: A Multicenter, Double-Blind, Randomized, Active Drug Comparative Study

OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study is to evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of theobromine in patients with upper airway cough syndrome compared to those of levocloperastine. MATERIALS AND METHOD: This was a randomized, double-blind study. One hundred sixty-five patients with upper airway cough syndrome participated in a 5 day treatment; 85 subjects were included in the theobromine treatment group and 80 in the levocloperastine control group. Cough severity score, daytime cough symptom (DCS), nighttime cough symptom (NCS) and cough quality of life questionnaire (CQLQ) were analyzed for symptom analysis, and vital signs and laboratory study were performed for safety evaluation before and after medication administration. RESULTS: The primary efficacy analysis showed that the mean change in cough grade between baseline and follow-up in the treatment group was lower than that in the control group. This led to the conclusion that theobromine has similar efficacy to control treatment. The secondary efficacy analysis of changes in DCS, NCS and CQLQ verified this conclusion. Considering safety, only one case of dyspepsia was considered to be probably related to theobromine. Other tests conducted before and after treatment confirmed the safety of treatment medications. CONCLUSION: Theobromine is a novel natural antitussive medication that has similar efficacy to levocloperastine and adequate safety.

Diagnosis and Treatment of Cough

Cough remains the most common reason for patients to seek medical attention. Although the exact prevalence is difficult to estimate, recurrent cough is reported in up to 40% of the population. For the investigation and treatment of chronic cough, it is important to understand its etiology, particularly when the underlying pathology exists outside the respiratory tract. Although there is no consensus as to the best diagnostic strategy for chronic cough, many protocols combine laboratory investigations with empirical trials of treatment. Specific treatment for the underlying disease of cough along with etiologic diagnosis should be emphasized rather than nonspecific antitussive therapy because nonspecific pharmacologic treatments have changed little during the last 50 years, without any significant advances from opiatebased compounds. Recently, molecular structures of cough receptors and mediators have been identified. Vanilloid receptor-1 is one of ion channel receptors expressed on the sensory neurons of cough reflex. Substances inhibiting ion channels and receptor antagonists of tachy-or bradykinins are being investigated. Thus safer and more effective agents to deal with this common problem are believed to be available in the near future.

Chronic cough and postnasal drip syndrome / 医学研究生学报

To discuss the relativity of chronic cough and postnasal drip syndrome(PNDS) for better clinical diagnosis and treatment.

Chronic cough: the spectrum and the frequency of etiologies / 결핵

BACKGROUND: Chronic cough is a common symptom that requires the systematic diagnostic approach for proper evaluation. Postnasal drip syndrome(PNDS), bronchial asthma, gastroesophageal reflux disease(GERD), and chronic bronchitis are among the common causes. This study was conducted to evaluate the spectrum and the frequency of the causes of chronic cough. METHODS: We prospectively evaluated 93 patients who had chronic cough despite normal chest radiographic finding. History and physical examination were done along with paranasal sinus radiograph, spirometry, bronchoprovocation test and 24-hours' ambulatory aesophageal pH monitoring as necessary. RESULTS: Forty-nine(52%) of the 93 patients had PNDS, 15 patients(16%) bronchitis, 10 patients(11%) asthma, 4 patients(4%) GERD, 7 patients(8%) both PNDS and asthma, 4 patients(4%) undiagnosed condition and 4 patients(4%) were taking ACE inhibitor. Sixty-nine percent of the patients with PNDS improved after follow up, 73% patients with bronchitis, 80% patients with asthma, 50% patients with GERD, 100% patients with both PNDS and asthma, and 100% patients with ACE inhibitor. CONCLUSION: PNDS was the most common causes of chronic cough. Bronchitis was the second and asthma the third in frequency. The etiology of chronic cough can be determined easily by history and physical examination, successful therapy initiated in most patients. The response to specific therapy also was important in evaluation of chronic cough.

Chronic cough: the spectrum and the frequency of etiologies / 결핵

BACKGROUND: Chronic cough is a common symptom that requires the systematic diagnostic approach for proper evaluation. Postnasal drip syndrome(PNDS), bronchial asthma, gastroesophageal reflux disease(GERD), and chronic bronchitis are among the common causes. This study was conducted to evaluate the spectrum and the frequency of the causes of chronic cough. METHODS: We prospectively evaluated 93 patients who had chronic cough despite normal chest radiographic finding. History and physical examination were done along with paranasal sinus radiograph, spirometry, bronchoprovocation test and 24-hours' ambulatory aesophageal pH monitoring as necessary. RESULTS: Forty-nine(52%) of the 93 patients had PNDS, 15 patients(16%) bronchitis, 10 patients(11%) asthma, 4 patients(4%) GERD, 7 patients(8%) both PNDS and asthma, 4 patients(4%) undiagnosed condition and 4 patients(4%) were taking ACE inhibitor. Sixty-nine percent of the patients with PNDS improved after follow up, 73% patients with bronchitis, 80% patients with asthma, 50% patients with GERD, 100% patients with both PNDS and asthma, and 100% patients with ACE inhibitor. CONCLUSION: PNDS was the most common causes of chronic cough. Bronchitis was the second and asthma the third in frequency. The etiology of chronic cough can be determined easily by history and physical examination, successful therapy initiated in most patients. The response to specific therapy also was important in evaluation of chronic cough.