The "vicious circle" of chronic cough: the patient experience - qualitative synthesis.

Aim: The aim of this study was to systematically search and synthesise findings from peer-reviewed qualitative studies describing the experiences of those living with chronic cough.
Methods: A systematic search was conducted to identify all studies that used qualitative methodology to report on the experiences of adults living with chronic cough. A thematic synthesis of the first-hand narratives was undertaken. Key themes in relation to personal perspectives and experiences of living with chronic cough were identified and grouped into analytical themes.
Results: Six studies met the inclusion criteria. The thematic synthesis generated three analytical themes: 1) "It's just a cough"; 2) "Constant cough and constant worry"; and 3) "No light at the end of the tunnel", highlighting the biopsychosocial nature of chronic cough. The synthesis highlights chronic cough as a heterogeneous experience that may appear idiosyncratic, completely consuming the lives of those living with it.
Conclusion: This is to our knowledge the first qualitative synthesis reporting on the perceptions and experiences of adults living with chronic cough. Our review draws attention to the paucity of literature that utilises qualitative methodology to explore the experience of living with chronic cough. We highlight the missing voice of people living with chronic cough in the contemporary literature. There is now a requirement for research exploring the narratives of those living with chronic cough, to gain an understanding of the condition beyond simple quantification.
Competing Interests: Conflict of Interest: K. Brindle reports payment or honoraria for lectures, presentations, speakers’ bureaus, manuscript writing or educational events received from MSD outside the submitted work. Conflict of Interest: A. Morice reports the following relationships outside the submitted work: grants or contracts received from MSD, Bayer, Shionogi, Bellus and NeRRe; royalties or licences from the HARQ questionnaire; payment or honoraria for lectures, presentations, speakers’ bureaus, manuscript writing or educational events received from MSD; and payment for expert testimony received from NICE. He is the chair of the task force on chronic cough for the European Respiratory Society and an associate editor of this journal outside of this submitted work. Conflict of Interest: N. Carter, D. Sykes and M. Zhang have nothing to disclose Conflict of Interest: A. Hilton declares grants or contracts from the NIHR, payment or honoraria for lectures, presentations, speakers’ bureaus, manuscript writing or educational events from HU UK conference LTD, and is a member of the ACBS outside of the submitted work.
(Copyright ©The authors 2023.)