title: Quality of life in coughers.
abstract: As coughing can cause profound physical and psychosocial complications, it has the potential to lead to a decrease in health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Two studies have prospectively shown that cough can adversely affect HRQoL. The first utilized the Sickness Impact Profile, a non-illness specific measure of health-related dysfunction that measured the effect of patients' health dysfunction on usual daily activities; it has not been psychometrically tested to assess the effects of cough. The second utilized a cough specific quality of life questionnaire that assessed the 28 most common and important reasons why patients seek medical attention because of coughing. It has been found to be a reliable and valid tool for evaluating the impact of acute and chronic cough on adult patients and a valid method by which to assess the efficacy of cough therapies for chronic cough. Because HRQoL is of the highest importance to patients and a cough specific HRQoL instrument assesses the impact of cough in a way no other type of measure does, a cough specific HRQoL instrument should be considered for routine use to optimally evaluate the impact of cough on patients and assess the efficacy of cough modifying agents.
authors.affiliation: Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA. IrwinR@ummhc.org
authors.forename: Richard S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Irwin
authors.forename: Cynthia T
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: French
authors.forename: Kenneth E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Fletcher
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D003371:Cough / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011788:Quality of Life; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires