چکیده (انگلیسی):

Background: Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is known as a common comorbidity of asthma and
chronic cough. The impact of GERD symptoms on cough-specific quality of life (QoL) in patients with
asthmatic cough is poorly understood. The aim of this study is to determine the association of GERD
symptoms with cough-specific quality of life in patients with cough variant asthma (CVA) using the
Leicester Cough Questionnaire (LCQ).
Methods: A total of 172 consecutive patients (121 females) with mean cough duration of 45.1 months
(range 2e480 months) completed the Japanese version of the LCQ. The Frequency Scale for the Symptoms
of Gastroesophageal reflux was administered to assess symptoms of acid-reflux and dysmotility. A
range of clinical variables that may determine cough-specific QoL (LCQ) were estimated.
Results: The mean LCQ scores was 12.9 (SD 3.5), consistent with severe impairment in QoL. Female
gender, symptoms of gastroesophageal dysmotility, sensitization to allergens (house dust and Japanese
cedar pollen) and the number of sensitized allergens were associated with lower LCQ scores (i.e.
impaired cough-specific QoL) in univariate regression analysis. Acid-reflux symptoms, airway hyperresponsiveness,
fractional exhaled nitric oxide, and sensitization to molds were unrelated to the LCQ
score. After adjustment for gender, symptoms of gastroesophageal dysmotility was the only significant
determinant of impaired cough-specific QoL accounting for 23% of the variance.
Conclusions: Cough-specific QoL is severely impaired in patients with CVA. Symptoms of gastroesophageal
dysmotility are an independent predictor of cough-specific QoL of patients with CVA.