# Differences in Causes, Severity, and Treatment Outcomes Between Women and Men with Chronic Cough

## TL;DR

Chronic cough is more common in women, with differences in causes and treatment responses between genders, suggesting the need for tailored approaches.

## Contribution

This study identifies sex-related differences in chronic cough causes and treatment effectiveness, highlighting the need for gender-specific strategies.

## Key findings

- Chronic cough is more prevalent in women compared to men.
- Men showed a greater reduction in cough severity following treatment compared to women.
- UACS and OSA were more frequently diagnosed in men than in women.

## Abstract

What are the main findings?
A chronic cough is a common medical condition that is more prevalent in women.

A chronic cough is a common medical condition that is more prevalent in women.

What is the implication of the main finding?
The results of this study indicate that the female predisposition to cough involves not only a higher female prevalence of chronic coughs but also sex-related differences in the distribution of cough causes and responses to etiology-directed antitussive therapy.

The results of this study indicate that the female predisposition to cough involves not only a higher female prevalence of chronic coughs but also sex-related differences in the distribution of cough causes and responses to etiology-directed antitussive therapy.

A chronic cough, defined as a cough persisting for more than eight weeks in adults, is a common clinical problem with a significant impact on patients’ quality of life. This study compares the etiological spectrum and treatment effectiveness of chronic cough in male and female patients. A retrospective analysis was conducted on a cohort of patients diagnosed in the cough clinic between 2017 and 2021. The response to treatment was assessed based on the reduction in cough severity measured using a 100 mm visual analogue scale (VAS). This study included 231 patients: 164 women (70.9%) and 67 men (29.1%). The median duration of cough was 48 months (IQR 24–120). There were no gender differences in age, BMI, smoking history, cough duration, or severity at the initial visit. Upper airway cough syndrome (UACS) and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) were diagnosed more frequently in men than in women (UACS: 75% vs. 53%, p = 0.002; OSA: 21% vs. 6%, p = 0.001). Cough severity significantly decreased in both groups; the median VAS score dropped from 55 to 40 mm in women (p < 0.0001) and from 69 to 39 mm in men (p = 0.009). The effectiveness of chronic cough treatment, measured by the median reduction in VAS score, was greater in men than in women (32 mm vs. 17.5 mm, p = 0.006). These gender-specific differences in cough etiology and treatment response suggest that a “one-size-fits-all” approach may be inadequate.