title: Hyperresponsiveness of the extrathoracic airway in patients with captopril-induced cough.
abstract: It has been suggested that cough from captopril may originate from an increased sensitivity of receptors in the extrathoracic airway (EA). To explore this hypothesis, we assessed the responsiveness of EA and bronchi and the cough sensitivity to inhaled histamine in nine hypertensive patients with captopril-induced cough (group 1) during treatment and one month after withdrawal of the drug treatment. Nine patients who were asymptomatic while receiving captopril (group 2) and nine patients receiving no current treatment (group 3) served as controls. The EA responsiveness was assessed by using the maximal midinspiratory flow (MIF50) as an arbitrary index of EA constriction and was expressed as the histamine concentration causing a 25 percent decrease in MIF50 (PC25MIF50). PC15FEV1 was the index of bronchial responsiveness and PCcough (dose causing five or more coughs) was that of cough sensitivity. Airway hyperresponsiveness (EA-HR or BHR) was diagnosed when PC25MIF50 or PC15FEV1 were 8 mg/ml or lower. Patients with captopril-cough, as compared with controls, had significantly lower values of PC25MIF50, PC15FEV1, and PCcough; EA-HR and BHR were found, respectively, in seven and three of these patients and in none of the control subjects. In all the patients of group 1, cough and EA-HR resolved after withdrawal of captopril treatment, while BHR persisted in one. PC25MIF50, PC15FEV1, and PCcough were all significantly improved. Our findings suggest that cough during captopril therapy may originate from receptors in the EA.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Scienze Biomediche e Oncologia Umana, Universita' di Torino, Italy.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bucca
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Rolla
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pinna
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Oliva
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bugiani
mesh_terms: D001985:Bronchial Provocation Tests; D016084:Bronchoconstriction / Q000187:drug effects*; D002216:Captopril / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003371:Cough / Q000139:chemically induced*; D005260:Female; D006632:Histamine; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000188:drug therapy; D008297:Male; D008449:Maximal Expiratory Flow-Volume Curves / Q000187:drug effects; D008875:Middle Aged; D011984:Sensory Receptor Cells / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D006632:Histamine; D002216:Captopril