Cough Severity Linked to Poor Asthma Control and Lower Quality of Life in Severe Asthma Patients

A recent study from the Korean Severe Asthma Registry reveals that cough severity significantly affects asthma control and quality of life in patients with severe asthma. While wheezing is traditionally emphasized in asthma management, the study highlights the clinical importance of cough as an underrecognized yet impactful symptom.

The cross-sectional analysis included 498 patients, with cough and wheeze severity assessed using a Visual Analog Scale (VAS). Results showed that cough scores were generally higher than wheeze scores, with 22.5% of patients reporting more severe cough symptoms.

Both cough and wheeze severity were strongly correlated with patient-reported outcomes (PROs), including the Asthma Control Test (ACT), the Severe Asthma Questionnaire (SAQ), and the EuroQoL 5-Dimension (EQ-5D) index.

Although wheeze severity demonstrated slightly stronger correlations with these outcomes, cough still showed significant associations with reduced asthma control and quality of life in multivariate analyses, even after adjusting for other factors.

These findings underscore the need for clinicians to prioritize cough assessment alongside traditional asthma symptoms. By addressing cough severity, healthcare providers may improve overall asthma management and enhance quality of life for patients with severe asthma. Further research is necessary to explore targeted interventions for cough in this patient population.