Cough Variant Asthma - An Unusual But Common Variant of Asthma

Though cough has symptoms similar to that in asthma, in the cough variant of asthma, the cough may be the sole cause for the asthmatic symptoms. When only cough is the asthmatic symptom, the variant of asthma is known as the cough variant of asthma.

So, what is this Cough Variant of Asthma?

A major symptom of cough variant asthma is long-term presence of non-productive mucus, i.e, cough. The people suffering from this disease have the presence of cough as the major or the only symptom of asthma. Though, these people only constitute a small number of the people suffering from asthma, it is a distinct group being called as 'coughing asthmatics'.

The patients suffering from disease have some difference compared to the people suffering from regular asthma. Like the people suffering from normal asthma, they do not differ much from the volunteers present in their cough reflex who are healthy, as the patients suffering from cough variant asthma have reflex of cough which is more sensitive. Surprisingly, these patients have a reaction to the testing of methacholine challenge that is smaller than the one possessed by the regular asthmatics.

Now the question is, How is this Cough Variant of Asthma Diagnosed?

As cough is a usual and common symptom of asthma, your provider might order spirometry to diagnose you. If a reversible obstruction is demonstrated by the spirometry, a therapeutic procedure might be started by your provider. But, asthmatics may get a normal lung examination and a 'diagnostic trouble' might get created by spirometry, and your doctor might suspect you to be suffering from asthma, but might be unable to prove it.

In such type of cases, a methacholine challenge testing might be preformed by your provider to demonstrate bronchial hyperresponsieness and diagnose you for asthma. If hyperresponsiveness is not produced, the chances of asthma being the cause of cough is unlikely.A complete and determinable diagnosis can be done if cough-like symptoms develop after treatment of asthma.

So then, how can this be treated?

Treatment of cough variant asthma is pretty similar to that of regular asthma. Minor improvements of cough might be observed in as quick as 6 to 8 days with the use of bronchodilators,for example, Abuterol. But the completely treatment might take as long as 8 weeks after using an inhaled steriod, for example, Flovent.

If the presence of cough doesn't get fully resolved, your provider might utilise more potential steroids, like oral prednisone. Or your provider might also conduct tests that are special to identify the presence eosinophils, which is a marker of inflmmation in your lungs. If the presence of eosinophils in your lungs is determined, Zafirlukast might be used as it has proven to be beneficial for Cough Variant Asthmatic patients.

Some patients might experience worseing of cough after using inhaled steroids as aerosols might be present in the inhaling device. Also, it is important to determine that some other disease like GERD is not be the cause of symptoms if the cough worsens.