A combination of speech pathology breathing therapy and the drug Lyrica was more effective than therapy alone for chronic cough.

In an interview with MedPage Today, voice and swallowing disorder specialist Thomas Murry, MD, of Loma Linda University in Loma Linda, Calif, said the goal of speech pathology treatment in patients with chronic refectory cough is to better coordinate breathing patterns with vocal folds.

“People with chronic cough often have irritated or inflamed vocal cords,” he said. “In chronic cough and some other conditions, vocal folds tend to want to close when they are supposed to be open and this irregular motion causes irritation.”

The trial included 40 patients with chronic refractory cough randomized to receive either combined SPT and pregabalin (300 mg daily) or combined SPT and placebo. The majority of participants (60%) in both groups had never smoked. The mean duration of cough was 94 months in the study arm and 141 months in the placebo arm.

Primary outcomes included cough frequency and cough-related QOL.

The authors reported no significant difference in improvement in cough frequency between groups, and no deterioration in symptoms once pregabalin was withdrawn. Median capsaicin cough sensitivity improved from 15.7 to 47.5 ?M with combined SPT and pregabalin and from 3.92 to 15.7 ?M with SPT alone.

Read the full story at www.medpagetoday.com