Chest
Original ResearchSigns and Symptoms of Chest DiseasesManagement and Diagnosis of Psychogenic Cough, Habit Cough, and Tic Cough: A Systematic Review
Section snippets
Materials and Methods
This systematic review follows an a priori established protocol developed by the guideline methodologist and selected members of the CHEST expert cough panel. This report was written following the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses: the PRISMA statement.15
Characteristics of Included Studies
The study selection process is depicted in Figure 1. This evidence summary included 223 patients enrolled in 18 uncontrolled studies published between 1966 and 2007. Of the 223 patients, 81 were male (46% of patients where sex was reported). Of the 18 studies, 13 enrolled children and adolescents only and two studies enrolled mainly adults. Of the 170 patients in whom age was reported, 96% were children and adolescents. All the included studies were retrospective case series or case reports.
Discussion
We conducted a systematic review to summarize the evidence supporting the different treatment strategies for psychogenic, habit, and tic cough. We found 18 studies that involved 223 patients. Different terms were used in the literature to describe the cough; 10 terms were reported in one study.11 We found low-quality evidence supporting all the strategies used in the studies, because of the uncontrolled (noncomparative) nature of each of the studies.36 In addition, we consider the presence of
Conclusions
Only low-quality evidence exists to support a particular strategy to define, diagnose, and treat psychogenic, habit, and tic cough. Patient values, preferences, and availability of potential therapies should guide treatment choice.
Acknowledgments
Author contributions: Q. H. is the guarantor and takes full responsibility for the accuracy and integrity of the data in this manuscript. Q. H., F. A., M. F., and P. B. contributed to screening of abstracts and full texts and data extraction; Q. H. and M. H. M. contributed to drafting of the manuscript; Q. H., F. A., M. F., P. B., A. E. V., P. A. N., T. P., A. B. C., B. K. R., L. M., K. A. W., K. W. A., A. F., M. H. M., and R. S. I. contributed to critical revision of the manuscript for
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FUNDING/SUPPORT: The authors have reported to CHEST that no funding was received for this study.
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