The utility of the mannitol challenge in the assessment of chronic cough: a pilot study
2008

Mannitol Challenge for Chronic Cough Assessment

Sample size: 29 publication Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): Amisha Singapuri, Susan McKenna, Christopher E Brightling

Primary Institution: Institute of Lung Health, University of Leicester

Hypothesis

Subjects with non-asthmatic chronic cough have a heightened cough in response to mannitol.

Conclusion

The mannitol challenge may have potential as a novel cough challenge test, but further research is needed.

Supporting Evidence

  • The mannitol challenge showed heightened cough sensitivity in chronic cough subjects compared to controls.
  • The study found a reasonable repeatability for the mannitol challenge over one week.
  • Mannitol C2 and C5 had a sensitivity of 69% and 62%, respectively, to distinguish chronic coughers from healthy controls.

Takeaway

This study looked at how a test using mannitol can help understand chronic cough, and found it might be useful but needs more testing.

Methodology

The study involved a mannitol challenge test on 16 healthy controls and 13 subjects with chronic cough, assessing cough severity and health status.

Potential Biases

Potential bias due to small sample size and recruitment from specific clinics.

Limitations

The study was a pilot with a small sample size, limiting the ability to generalize findings.

Participant Demographics

16 healthy controls and 13 subjects with chronic cough, with a mean age of 54 for chronic coughers.

Statistical Information

P-Value

0.04

Confidence Interval

[95% CI 0.54–0.91]

Statistical Significance

p<0.05

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1186/1745-9974-4-10

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