Impact of current cough on health-related quality of life in patients with COPD

Gaëtan Deslee,1 Pierre-Régis Burgel,2 Roger Escamilla,3 Pascal Chanez,4 Isabelle Court-Fortune,5 Pascale Nesme-Meyer,6 Graziella Brinchault-Rabin,7 Thierry Perez,8 Gilles Jebrak,9 Denis Caillaud,10 Jean-Louis Paillasseur,11 Nicolas Roche2On behalf of the Initiatives BPCO Scientific Committee 1Department of Respiratory Diseases, INSERM UMR 903, Maison Blanche Hospital, University Hospital of Reims, Reims, 2Department of Respiratory Diseases, Cochin Hospital, AP-HP and University Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Paris, 3Department of Respiratory Diseases, Larrey Hospital, Toulouse, 4Department of Respiratory Diseases, APHM, INSERM U1077, CNRS UMR 7733 Aix Marseille Université, Marseille, 5Department of Respiratory Diseases, University Hospital of St Etienne, 6Department of Respiratory Diseases, La Croix Rousse Hospital, Lyon, 7Department of Respiratory Diseases, Pontchaillou Hospital, University Hospital of Rennes, Rennes, 8Department of Respiratory Diseases, Calmette Hospital, University Hospital of Lille, Lille, 9Department of Respiratory Diseases, Bichat Hospital, AP-HP, Paris, 10Department of Respiratory Diseases, Gabriel Montpied Hospital, University Hospital of Clermont-Ferrand, Clermont-Ferrand, 11EFFI-STAT, Paris, FranceBackground: Cough and sputum production are frequent in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The objective of this study was to examine the relationship between cough and sputum production and health-related quality of life in COPD.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in the French Initiatives COPD cohort and assessed cough and sputum production within the past 7 days using the cough and sputum assessment questionnaire (CASA-Q), health-related quality of life, spirometry, smoking status, dyspnea, exacerbations, anxiety and depression, and comorbidities.Results: One hundred and seventy-eight stable COPD patients were included (age, 62 [56–69] years, 128 male, forced expiratory volume in 1 second [FEV1]: 57 [37–72] % predicted) (median [Q1–Q3]). In univariate analyses, health-related quality of life (Saint George’s respiratory questionnaire total score) was associated with each CASA-Q domain and with chronic bronchitis, exacerbations, dyspnea, FEV1, depression, and anxiety. All four domains introduced separately were independently associated with health-related quality of life. When introduced together in multivariate analyses, only the cough impact domain remained independently associated with health-related quality of life (R2=0.60). With chronic bronchitis (standard definition) instead of the CASA-Q, the R2 was lower (R2=0.54).Conclusion: This study provides evidence that current cough in the previous 7 days is an important determinant of health-related quality of life impairment in stable COPD patients.Keywords: signs and symptoms, respiratory, sputum, questionnaires, dyspnea, multivariate analysis